Workbook (album)

Workbook
Studio album by Bob Mould
Released April 1989 (1989-04)
Genre Alternative rock
Length 52:11
Label Virgin/Omnivore Recordings
Producer Bob Mould
Bob Mould chronology
Workbook
(1989)		 Black Sheets of Rain
(1990)Black Sheets of Rain1990
Singles from Workbook
  1. "See a Little Light" b/w "All Those People Know"
    Released: 1989
  2. "Wishing Well EP"
    Released: 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubA[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Pitchfork8.0/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
The Village VoiceC+[7]

Workbook is the 1989 debut solo album by American guitarist and singer Bob Mould, following the breakup of the influential rock band Hüsker Dü. The album has a strong folk influence and lighter overall sound than he had been known for up to that point, although heavy guitar still features occasionally. Drummer Anton Fier and bassist Tony Maimone, both of Pere Ubu fame, served as Mould's rhythm section on the album and on the subsequent live shows. The single "See a Little Light" was a hit on the US Modern Rock chart.[8]

The album has been influential in the alternative rock community: its acoustic elements would later be echoed in R.E.M.'s 1992 album Automatic for the People, while Nirvana's 1993 album In Utero used cellos in a similar way.[1]

In the liner notes of the Hüsker Dü live album The Living End, critic David Fricke noted that Mould had an embryonic version of the song "Compositions for the Young and Old" in the waning days of that band.

The album was reissued on CD & double LP for its 25th anniversary in 2014 as Workbook 25, by Omnivore Recordings. This remastered edition includes an extra track, "All Those People Know", and a second CD-only disc, Live at the Cabaret Metro.[9]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Bob Mould; except where indicated.

  1. "Sunspots" – 2:04
  2. "Wishing Well" – 5:10
  3. "Heartbreak a Stranger" – 5:50
  4. "See a Little Light" – 3:31
  5. "Poison Years" – 5:23
  6. "Sinners and Their Repentances" – 4:04
  7. "Brasilia Crossed With Trenton" – 6:37
  8. "Compositions For the Young and Old" – 4:39
  9. "Lonely Afternoon" – 4:27
  10. "Dreaming, I Am" – 4:16
  11. "Whichever Way the Wind Blows" – 6:25
  12. "All Those People Know" – 3:41 (Workbook 25 bonus track)
Workbook 25 bonus disc – Live at the Cabaret Metro, 1989
  1. "Sunspots" – 2:14
  2. "Wishing Well" – 4:32
  3. "Compositions For the Young and Old" – 4:21
  4. "Heartbreak A Stranger" – 5:34
  5. "Dreaming, I Am" – 3:39
  6. "If You're True" – 4:34
  7. "Poison Years" – 5:44
  8. "Sinners and Their Repentances" – 4:53
  9. "Lonely Afternoon" – 3:58
  10. "Brasilia Crossed With Trenton" – 7:02
  11. "See a Little Light" – 3:31
  12. "Whichever Way the Wind Blows" – 7:13
  13. "All Those People Know" – 3:03
  14. "Shoot Out the Lights" (Richard Thompson) – 5:59
  15. "Hardly Getting Over It" – 4:49
  16. "Celebrated Summer" – 4:20
  17. "Makes No Sense at All" – 3:25

Personnel

Charts

Album
Chart (1989) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 127
Single
Title Chart (1989) Peak
position
"See a Little Light" US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[8] 4

References

  1. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Workbook – Bob Mould". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ Ryan, Kyle (February 24, 2014). "25 years later, Bob Mould’s Workbook is less surprising, but no less essential". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  3. ↑ Silverman, David (May 18, 1989). "Bob Mould: Workbook (Virgin)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ Heller, Jason (February 27, 2014). "Bob Mould: Workbook 25". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  5. ↑ Browne, David (May 18, 1989). "Bob Mould: Workbook". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  7. ↑ Christgau, Robert (June 6, 1989). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "allmusic ((( Bob Mould > Awards )))". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  9. ↑ Workbook at AllMusic
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