''Beaster'' is a 1993 mini-album by

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

. Its songs were recorded at the same time as the band's acclaimed first album, '' Copper Blue''. However, ''Beaster'' has a much denser, heavier sound, closer in spirit to frontman

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar (American band), Sugar in the 1990s. Early ...

's earlier band

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continuous members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardc ...

than to ''Copper Blue''. "Lyrically it's so unnerving for me to listen to it…" said Mould. "Musically it's harder, it's a little looser. Lyrically, it's a lot wilder than ''Copper Blue''… ''Copper Blue'' was such a great pop record that I just saw this as like the

evil twin The evil twin is an Antagonist (literature), antagonist found in many different fictional genres. The twin is physically nearly identical to the protagonist, but with a radically inverted morality. In films, they may have a symbolic physical dif ...

." The loosely conceptual work is built around religious imagery, and was even released during

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

before Easter in 1993. "I ''still'' don't know what it's all about," said Mould after its release. "The

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

thing everybody picks up on – those are words that are not used lightly. Just the notion of somebody who can do no wrong who eventually gets hung for doing no wrong. I think that everyone feels like a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

sometimes."

Background

Bob Mould said of ''Beaster'':

Reception

"Audibly a disciple of

Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, McGuinn and

Page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

, and propelled by the supreme engine room of bassist David Barbe and drummer Malcolm Travis, Mould's sound is dense but never turgid," wrote

Mat Snow Mat Snow (born 20 October 1958) is an English music journalist, magazine editor, and author. From 1995 to 1999, he was the editor of '' Mojo'' magazine; he subsequently served in the same role on the football magazine '' FourFourTwo''. During th ...

for '' Q''. "Better still, his melodic instinct to head for the heights of epiphany remains intact; though on the face of it not a song here should raise even the thinnest wintry smile, tune-wise they beam with vitality and engagement." A retrospective review in ''Q'' maintained the 4, 5 rating. "Mould called ''Beaster'' 'the bad Sugar' (destined, sadly, to be followed by the 'crap Sugar' of '' File Under: Easy Listening'')," wrote Danny Eccleston, "and alongside his solo ''

Workbook Workbooks are paperback textbooks issued to students. Workbooks are usually filled with practice problems, with empty space so that the answers can be written directly in the book. More recently, electronic workbooks have permitted interactive a ...

'', it's about the best thing in his bulging portfolio." "It starts with an acoustic guitar," wrote

David Cavanagh David Cavanagh was an Irish writer and music journalist. He was editor of '' Select'' magazine in the 1990s and wrote ''My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry for the Prize'' (2000), which detailed the rise and fall of Creation Records. Cavanagh was born in D ...

for '' Select'', "achieves limitless levels of beauty in its 30 minutes and ends with the most gorgeous piece of music Bob Mould has been involved with since his heart-stopping solo on 'Green Eyes' off ''

Flip Your Wig ''Flip Your Wig'' is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in September 1985 through SST Records. It was the band's best-selling album to that point for their label SST Records, and was the last they made for th ...

''." "Rarely has a band rocked out with such bleak intensity and utter conviction," opined ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''. "A vast cathedral of noise and despair, erected and demolished in half an hour flat, this is an album which has to be heard to be believed." "Sugar are about the turmoil of the interior life," observed ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'', "which is maybe why an album like ''Beaster'' is best listened to loud on the headphones at home rather than live." "The dark but insidiously catchy companion to ''Copper Blue'' confirms what those in the know had predicted," concluded ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', "Sugar are definitely The Next Big Thing."''

'', c. May 1993, precise date unknown

Track listing

Original Release

2012 edition

*DVD tracks 2 to 5 were filmed live at Finsbury Park June 13, 1993

Personnel

Sugar

– guitars, vocals, keyboards, percussion *

David Barbe David Barbe (pronounced ˈbɑɹ.bi BAR-bee; born September 30, 1963) is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia, and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase P ...

– bass * Malcolm Travis – Drums, Percussion

Technical personnel

* Bob Mould, Lou Giordano – producer, engineer * Tom Bender – assistant mixing engineer ** recorded at The Outpost, Stoughton, MA; mixed at Carriage House, Stamford, CT * Howie Weinberg – mastering engineer ** mastered at Masterdisk, New York * Sandra-Lee Phipps, Russell Kaye – photography

Charts

Album

Note *AChart placing refers to 2012 release ''Copper Blue/Beaster''.

Single

References

External links

Granary Music
Bob Mould's thoughts on the making of ''Beaster'' {{Authority control 1993 debut EPs Sugar (American band) albums Albums produced by Bob Mould Albums produced by Lou Giordano Rykodisc EPs