The Last Days of Pompeii
Studio album by
Nova Mob
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1991
RecordedAutumn 1990
StudioPachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
GenreAlternative rock
Length43:58
59:14 (2010 reissue)
LabelRough Trade
ProducerNova Mob, Dave Kent
Nova Mob chronology
The Last Days of Pompeii
(1991)		 Nova Mob
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Rough Guide to Rock(positive)[4]
The Tech(unfavorable)[5]
The Village Voice(dud)[6]
Q Magazine[7]
2011 reissue album cover

The Last Days of Pompeii is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Nova Mob, a band formed by former Hüsker Dü drummer Grant Hart.[7] It was released on February 22, 1991 by Rough Trade.[8] The album was remixed and reissued by Con d’Or on January 11, 2011 with bonus tracks and new album cover art.[9][10] It is a concept album[11] about rocket scientist Wernher von Braun escaping the end of World War II by time-travelling back to Pompeii and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.[12]

The album received mixed reviews with John Aizelwood of Q Magazine noting "fine in itself, but the past is still too great a burden".[7]

Plot

In 1990, Grant Hart told British magazine Select, "It starts out narrated by Pliny the Younger from Pompeii, OK? ... He pretty much gives the general synopsis. The story starts with the fall of Nazi Germany, and Wernher Von Braun doesn't wanna be captured. So he conjures up Wotan, the Nordic God of War, and asks him, like, How the hell do I get out of this mess?" Escaping back in time in a V2 rocket, von Braun meets Pliny the Elder who takes him to Pompeii. He ends up with King Pompedible (from the illustrated book, The Knave of Hearts) trying to control his mind, just as Hitler had tried before. "He slowly comes to the realisation that he's going to be manipulated, no matter what he does. He leaves again, but it's not altogether clear how. It's more or less a transcendental thing involving the eruption (of Vesuvius) - the eruption wakes him up from a sodium pentathol-induced dream."[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Grant Hart

No.TitleLength
1."Introduction"2:50
2."Woton"5:08
3."Getaway (Gateway) in Time"3:35
4."Admiral of the Sea (79 A.D. Version)"2:23
5."Wernher von Braun"2:18
6."Space Jazz"5:14
7."Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?"2:47
8."Over My Head"3:41
9."Admiral of the Sea"3:54
10."Persuaded"3:34
11."Lavender and Grey"4:08
12."The Last Days of Pompeii/Benediction"4:26
2010 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Intro" (Demo)1:22
14."Wernher von Braun" (Demo)2:23
15."Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?" (Demo)2:54
16."Lavender and Grey" (Demo)4:24
17."The Last Days of Pompeii" (Demo)4:13
  • Demos recorded February 14–16, 1990 at Underground Studios, Minneapolis

Personnel

  • Grant Hart – vocals, guitar, keyboards, production, remixing (2010 reissue)
  • Tom Merkl – bass, production
  • Michael Crego – drums, production
  • Dave Kent – production, engineering
  • Steve Noonan – assistant engineering
  • Brent Sigmeth – remixing (2010 reissue)
  • Neil Wier – remixing (2010 reissue)
  • T.Roberts – engineering (1990 demos)

Notes

  1. ↑ "allmusic The Last Days of Pompeii > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ Kot, Greg (1991-03-07). "Nova Mob The Last Days of Pompeii (Rough Trade)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Grenfell, Joyce - Koller, Hans. Muze. p. 164. ISBN 9780195313734.
  4. ↑ Nig Hodgkins, "Grant Hart/Nova Mob", in P. Buckley, ed., The Rough Guide to Rock (London: Rough Guides, 3rd edn., 2003), ISBN 1-84353-105-4, p. 473.
  5. ↑ Roos, Rick (1991-04-05). "Grant Hart fails to please with new band, Nova Mob". The Tech. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1991-07-30). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.
  7. 1 2 3 Aizelwood, John (5 March 1991). "Review". Q Magazine. 55: 76.
  8. ↑ "Hüsker Dü Database/Discography/Commercial Releases". Thirdav.com. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Hüsker Dü's Grant Hart sets U.S. dates to promote reissue of Nova Mob's debut". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 29 December 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Nova Mob – The Last Days of Pompeii Special Edition". MVD Entertainment Group. 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  11. ↑ Toland, Michael (4 February 2011). "Nova Mob — The Last Days Of Pompeii (Special Edition)". Bigtakeover.com. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  12. ↑ Griffiths, Nick (November 1990). "Sheer Hart Attack". Select. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  13. ↑ Griffiths, Nick (November 1990). "Sheer Hart Attack". Select. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
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