Search - Soul Asylum :: Made to Be Broken

Excellent

06/04/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that a lot of fans who jumped on the Soul Asylum wagon with "Runaway Train" bash this album really irks me. People buy this album expecting stupid, artles pop ballads a la Matchbox 20, and don't find it... GO FIGURE! Soul Asylum was one of the biggest indie bands of the '80s (if you don't know what indie means, then you probably won't like this), and perhaps the best. This is not their strongest outing in my opinion, Hang Time is probably their finest work, yet this is an excellent album. Dan Murphy's songs are superb, and Pirner comes through very well on songs like "Tied To The Tracks," the title track, "Never Really Been," and "Ship Of Fools." I would suggest you ignore what Mr. Critic has to say at the top of this page as anyone who says Husker Du's work was mediocre should pretty much be discredited as an indie critic. If you loved Let Your Dim Light Shine, this is probably not the album for you. This is probably not even the place to start if you want to get into some college rock stuff (Hang Time) because some pop radio listeners find the rougher production of this album to be irritating. If you like indie rock, and are a fan of SA up to Grave Dancer's Union, check this one out, you certainly won't be dissapointed."

Get Real - This Was Soul Asylum at Their Best!

12/10/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The disconnect between Soul Asylum's early fans and the later MTV-oriented fans is clear. MTBB captures the essence of Soul Asylum when they were a rowdy, sloppy, and hugely inspired band from the incredible Minneapolis scene of the mid-80's. This was well before they played at the Clinton inaguration and Pirner started showing up in People next to Winona Ryder.Every song on this album is a gem, especially the title track and Never Really Been. MTBB ranks up there with anything from Husker Du, the Meat Puppets, or the Minutemen when one tries to list the most important albums of the period. Unfortunately for early fans, SA after Hang Time are like the Rolling Stones after Some Girls: increasing popularity and decreasing inspiration. Even though I no longer pay attention to SA, I'll still always appreciate what they accomplished on MTBB."

That stuff is hard

Greg Kessler | Athens, OH United States | 02/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just remember an article in Spin where they talked about a show during the Grave Dancers union tour when a fan made a screaming request for "tied to the tracks." All Dan said (as they instead began another of the weak poppy songs of their later period) was "that stuff is hard."I was in a band in the mid to late 80's and I could barely focus on playing anything other than songs from MTBB and Hang time. These were unique albums in a way that the derivative post grave dancers' stuff cold never be.And live they were even better!R Williams from SF, CA has got it perfect...the decline of SA wasn't overnight and there were moments in each of the later albums (I tried for a long time to let them grow on me but couldn't get past the sugary sweet bit). This one is from a time when they mattered!"