For fans of Sugar – and for anyone who still feels the shockwave of Copper Blue more than three decades on – Copper Blue: The Singles Collection arrives as a dream artefact. Pressed across four 12” vinyl singles and released exclusively for Record Store Day on Friday, November 28th, this is more than a reissue. It’s a lovingly curated time capsule that reopens one of alt-rock’s most explosive chapters.
Sugar’s 1992 debut has long been regarded as Bob Mould’s post-Hüsker Dü masterpiece: melodic yet vicious, emotionally raw yet precision-engineered. Here, those four era-defining singles – “Changes”, “Helpless”, “A Good Idea”, and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” – get the spotlight they’ve always deserved, each housed on its own disc and surrounded by B-sides, acoustic moments, and a treasure-trove of scorching live recordings captured at Chicago’s Cabaret Metro on July 22nd, 1992.
“Changes” kicks things off with its trademark bite – Mould’s guitar sounds like it could tear through concrete – while the inclusion of the high-velocity “Needle Hits E” and an intimate solo rendition of “I Can’t Change Your Mind” underscores just how multifaceted he was during this era. Disc two’s focus on “Helpless” – never released on 12” vinyl back in the day – is a genuine highlight, not least because of the blistering live take of “The Act We Act”, with David Barbe and Malcolm Travis powering through like a rhythm section possessed.
“A Good Idea”, still one of the band’s sharpest, sleaziest riffs, opens disc three, backed by more live cuts including a riotous cover of The Who’s “Armenia City in the Sky”. The final 12” is anchored by the timeless jangle-pop perfection of “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, rounded out by the instrumental “Clownmaster” and two more ferocious Cabaret Metro recordings.
What makes this set essential is how alive it feels. Copper Blue has never lacked praise, but hearing these singles isolated, expanded, and bolstered by such raw live energy reminds us exactly why Sugar were one of the ‘90s most vital alt-rock outfits. With a new song and 2026 shows on the horizon, this collection doesn’t just revisit history; it reignites it.
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