release date: Dec. 12, 1989
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Grant Hart
label: SST Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "All of My Senses" (video) - 2. "Now That You Know Me" - 4. "The Main" - 5. "Twenty-Five Forty-One" (4 / 5) - 7. "You're the Victim" - 9. "She Can See the Angels Coming"
Studio album debut by Grant (Vernon) Hart following the disbandment of Hüsker Dü (1988) released on SST Records. The album is released six months following former band mate Bob Mould's solo debut, but Hart actually released the three-track ep 2541 already in Oct. '88, and most of the recordings for this album were already finished at an earlier stage, but due to financial difficulties, the label were initially only able to release the ep. Actually, Hart had first signed with Rough Trade for the album release, but when they closed its US division he returned to the first label of his former band only to find that they also experienced an economic detour.
In the band Hüsker Dü, Hart was drummer, vocalist and songwriter, and on this he also proves his worth as multi-instrumentalist as he's the only musician credited on the album. In their band, Bob Mould easily drew people's attention to him - together with bassist Greg Norton they represented the two faces upfront, and after the split, Mould managed to sign with a major label, while Hart stayed more in the shadow of his former band mate, which is an unfair position as he literally wrote half of the band's songs and you could add: the more challenging and complex ones.
Anyway - and all speculations about internal conflicts that split the band aside - Intolerance is Hart's solo debut and it contains ten tracks all written, composed, performed and produced by Hart on his own. Stylistically, it's primarily alt. rock incorporating folk rock with a certain influence from a singer / songwriter vault with bonds to traditional r&b. Hart is undoubtedly a gifted songwriter and also knows his instruments. Sometimes there're strong bonds to the music by his former band on the more aggressive and uptempo tracks, at other times it echoes older traditions and Grant himself at times reminds us of the singing style of Eric Burdon (of The Animals) ("All of My Senses") or Van Morrison ("You're the Victim").
The album was generally met by positive reviews, although, the promotion part certainly suffered from being released on a minor label. The song "2541" has been covered by many artists over the years, and a fine version is included on Robert Forster's covers album I Had a New York Girlfriend (1994). The album production lacks dynamics and sounds s bit dated, also for a late 80's album, but the songs are there, and Hart more than anything demonstrates his songwriter talent. I concede to the conclusion made by Stewart Mason of Allmusic.com when he says: "It didn't get the press attention of Bob Mould's much slicker Workbook, out around the same time, but Intolerance is probably the better album".
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]
