NOVA MOB

I remember talking to my rep at SST in 1988, just a high school kid pretending to know something about the business end of the music business. They had just shipped a package that included RUN WESTY RUN's Hardly, Not Even and the first post-HÜSKER DÜ offering from drummer Grant Hart, but all I wanted to know was when the rumored Bob Mould solo record was going to drop. Virgin would release Workbook a year later, and I listened to the 2541 12" hundreds of times in that year...the innocent lilt and profoundly sad tone of Grant's voice was so much more evident than on even the mellowest HÜSKER tracks, and his solo material just felt wholly real. I certainly devoured Mould's solo works as well, but there was something about 2541 and Intolerance that resonated powerfully with me. So when Grant's solo work evolved into NOVA MOB, I followed willingly, and I still spin 1991's The Last Days Of Pompeii on the regular. Listening now with 2018 ears, I'm struck by the similarity to JAWBREAKER (especially in "Wernher Von Braun") that I never noticed before - probably because I never listened to JAWBREAKER. "Admiral Of The Sea" is worth the price of admission (in the case, free) on its - both versions of the song are striking and though I could never defend the dated drums and waka-waka guitars in the rock version, both are hopelessly endearing. Perhaps my affinity is clouded by history and perceived personal connection, but I think this record is pretty near perfect, and I was happy to spend $1 last year for this well loved cassette copy.

THE LAST DAYS OF POMPEII