2000 Great Songs #1501: It's Too Late

After the implosion of Hüsker Dü, Bob Mould's solo debut, 1989's Workbook, defied expectations, an intimate, almost entirely acoustic album that sounded--Bob's voice aside--pretty much nothing like Hüsker Dü. It was a fine album (with a great single in "See A Little Light"), but raised the question of whether Bob had turned his back on the blazing post-punk on which he'd built his legend.

Turned out: not so much. 1990's Black Sheets Of Rain was a return to muscular electric rock, albeit (as the LP title and cover suggested) tinged by darkness. Still, there was room for pop hooks, particularly with the catchy "It's Too Late," a noise pop track that gives a sneak preview of what he'd be doing when he returned with his new Sugar trio a couple years later. It's a crunchy three-chord rocker (borrowed from  the Move/ELO's "Do Ya"), perfect for alt.rock radio, albeit with a bit of meandering along the way.

Solo acoustic:

See the entire Top 2000 to date in a sortable database!