Soul Asylum
Originally a Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, garage hardcore band, Soul Asylum spent their early years under the yoke of comparisons to the more feted Replacements and Husker Du. Indeed, Bob Mould has been known to fondly describe Soul Asylum as ‘our little brothers’, and was on hand as producer for their first two long playing sets. Their roots in hardcore are betrayed by the choice of their original name, Loud Fast Rules. Their first formation in 1981 centred around the abiding creative nucleus of Dave Pirner (b. c.1965; vocals, guitar) and Dan Murphy (b. c.1963; guitar), alongside Karl Mueller (b. c.1965; bass) and Pat Morley (drums). Together they specialised in sharp lyrical observations and poppy punk. Morley left in December 1984 to be replaced, eventually, by Grant Young (b. c.1965), who arrived in time for MADE TO BE BROKEN. As their music progressed it became easier to trace back their heritage to the '60s rather than '70s. HANG TIME, their third album proper, was their first for a major. It saw them move into the hands of a new production team (Ed Stasium and Lenny Kaye), with a very apparent display of studio polish. The mini-album which was meant to have preceded it (but didn't), CLAM DIP AND OTHER DELIGHTS, included their dismantling of a Foreigner song, Jukebox Hero, and a riotous reading of Janis Joplin's Move Over. Live they have been known to inflict their renditions of Barry Manilow's Mandy and Glen Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy on their audience. Though THE HORSE THEY RODE IN ON was another splendid album, the idea of Soul Asylum breaking into the big league was becoming a progressively fantastic one (indeed band members had to pursue alternative employment in 1990, during which time Pirner suffered a nervous breakdown). However, largely thanks to the MTV rotation of Somebody To Shove, that was about to change. In its aftermath they gained a prestigious slot on the DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW before support billing to Bob Dylan and Guns N'Roses, plus a three way headlining package with Screaming Trees and the Spin Doctors on a three-month Alternative Nation Tour. Soon they were appearing in front of a worldwide audience of 400 Million at the 1993 MTV Awards ceremony, where they were joined by R.E.M.'s Pete Buck and Victoria Williams for a jam of their follow-up hit, Runaway Train. With Pirner dating film starlet Winona Ryder, the profile of a band who seemed destined for critical reverence and public indifference could not have been more unexpectedly high.