''File Under: Easy Listening'' (also known as ''F.U.E.L.'') is the second (not counting the EP '' Beaster'') and final studio 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 ...

Background

Primary songwriter

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 ...

discussed material written after ''Beaster'' in 1993: "It's pretty punk rock. Not real fast, just pretty basic. A lot of it's really vocal-y. Really beautiful and really harmonic, but it's real piledriving… Weird chord changes underneath real traditional vocal lines. So I think it'll be somewhere between these last two records. Also, I'm really starting to hate

guitar solo A guitar solo is a melody, melodic passage, instrumental section (music), section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, classical, electric guitar, electric, or acoustic guitar. In 20th and ...

s, so I'm trying to avoid them. I'm bending a lot of strings, starting to sound like

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of New York Dolls. He later formed the He ...

again." Initial sessions for the album in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

were suspended because the band was unhappy with the way the album sounded. Mould proceeded to erase the master tapes and " ecorded the albumin reverse, where I did all my stuff. Then I brought David back in, and we brought Malcolm in. We did drums last, and it turned out great."

Reception

"''F.U.E.L.'' finds former

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 ...

man Bob Mould exorcising more demons over a structured barrage of pop noises," observed

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with BBC Radio 6 Music. Lamacq was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire ( ...

in '' Q''. "The sounds and textures come from the dark, brooding '' Beaster'' while the melodies are lifted from the poppier '' Copper Blue''." "''File Under Easy Listening'' is the kind of title that a third-rate

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band would come with…" quipped Clark Collis in '' Select''. "Also, there's the production. Where tracks like 'Changes' or 'Hoover Dam' off ''Copper Blue'' leapt out of the speakers with all the unrestrained force and tang of a nuclear-powered kipper, most of ''F.U.E.L.'' would probably ask your auntie's permission before even turning up… And then, slowly but surely, it all begins to make sense." The album peaked at No. 7 in the UK and No. 32 in Canada.

Track listing

Personnel

* Bob Mould –

guitars The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

* David Barbe –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, vocals * Malcolm Travis –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

*James SK Wān – bamboo flute

Charts

Album

Single

References

External links

Great Expectations for Ryko's 2nd Sugar Album
{{Authority control 1994 albums Sugar (American band) albums Albums produced by Bob Mould Rykodisc albums