Bob Mould ‘Distortion’ box set pushed back

Massive set features 24 CDs

The massive Bob Mould box set Distortion: 1989-2019, originally slated for early October, has been pushed back to October 23d. No reason was given for its delay, but Mould fans can still enjoy new music with the release of Blue Hearts still on track for this Friday, September 25th via Merge Records.

Last month, Demon Music Group announced the set which chronicles the solo career of Mould and his band Sugar. This massive anthology compiles for the first time the entirety of Mould’s recorded work from 1989 onwards that includes 18 studio albums, four live albums and two albums of rarities and collaborations. Assembled with Mould’s full involvement and featuring new sleeve notes from legendary UK music critic Keith Cameron plus exclusive new artwork, this is the definitive portrayal of an American rock icon.

Distortion’s 24 CD box set edition features 295 tracks, mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston, and includes every solo album from 1989’s Workbook to 2019’s Sunshine Rock, the entire Sugar catalogue, Mould’s long out-of-print electronica projects LoudBomb and Blowoff, and four live albums spanning the period 1989-2008. Also included is Distortion Plus: 1989-2019, a new and exclusive collection of rarities and collaborations, featuring such highlights as “Dear Rosemary,” Mould’s 2011 collaboration with Foo Fighters, his fabled Golden Palominos contribution “Dying From The Inside Out,” plus a previously unreleased demo version of “Dog On Fire,” his theme tune for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.

Beautiful new artwork has been created by illustrator Simon Marchner, while the 72-page booklet features sleeve notes by Cameron, new interviews with Bob, a foreword by writer and actor Fred Armisen, testimonials by Richard Thompson, Shirley Manson and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino, plus lyrics and unseen memorabilia. One thousand limited edition sets include an exclusive print hand-signed by Mould himself.

The massive collection will also be accompanied by four vinyl box sets spanning the same 30-year period. The first is Distortion: 1989-1995 containing eight LPs, beginning with Workbook through to the final Sugar studio album File Under: Easy Listening, plus Besides, Sugar’s compilation of B-sides and non-album tracks and Distortion Plus: 1989-1995 a new and exclusive collection of rarities and collaborations. Each album is mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice and features new Simon Marchner artwork; the 28-page companion booklet features new sleeve notes plus lyrics and memorabilia, while a 750 limited edition includes a 12”x12” screen print of the new Copper Blue artwork, hand-signed by Marchner and Mould.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com