Workbook
by Bob Mould

Workbook by Bob Mould
Year: 1989
Release date: 1989-05-02
Overall rank: 3,437th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 89 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1989 (46th)
Award Top albums of of the 1980s (505th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,437th)

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Bob Mould bestography

Workbook is ranked as the best album by Bob Mould.

Bob Mould album bestography « Higher ranked
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This album (3,437th)
Workbook
Lower ranked (8,095th) »
Black Sheets Of Rain

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Workbook rankings

Workbook rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,437th | 1980s rank: 505th | 1989 rank: 46th  Overall chart history
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings).Help Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 5 hours ago)

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Workbook ratings

Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 89 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 3 ratings for this album.  | Show all 89 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 !
07/25/2026 17:37 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  15,61370/100
 
80/100
 !
06/03/2026 23:01 Repo  Ratings distribution  2,22685/100
 
100/100
 !
11/28/2025 19:20 Kingturtle  Ratings distribution  7,57973/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.0/100, a mean average of 77.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.7/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.1.


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Workbook favourites

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Forum mentions

This album has been referenced 15 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From BestEverAlbums 08/16/2026 08:00 in Chart of the day (#5406): By skrapoel
Today's chart of the day Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by skrapoel () 1. by (2000) 2. by (1980) 3. by (1982) 4. by (1982) 5. by by (1989) 8. by (1977) 10. by (1985) 11. by (1982) 12. by (1981) 13. by (1986) 14. by (2005) 15. by by (2000) 17. by (2002) 18. (2005) 19. by (1996) 21. by (2010) 22. by…
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From Repo 06/03/2026 22:54 in What album are you listening to? (cont.)
What album are you listening to? (cont.)
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From Johnnyo 08/03/2024 21:41 in What album are you listening to? (cont.)
What album are you listening to? (cont.)
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Workbook comments

Showing all 4 comments |
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Rating:  
100/100
When a band I love breaks up, most of the time I'm less enamored of the new bands, side projects, and solo endeavors that ensue afterward. There's often something special about the chemistry between band members that makes whatever they were doing unique and special, and it can be difficult for even the most talented musicians and songwriters to recapture the magic. I assumed that would be the case with Hüsker Dü, as Bob Mould and Grant Hart brought such different and complementary energies to that great punk/alternative rock band. But I think Workbook surpasses anything Hüsker Dü ever did. The use of acoustic guitar, paired with the searing distortion-heavy electric lead guitars for soloing, draws attention to Mould's talents as a lyricist in ways that Hüsker Dü's wall of noise tended to obscure. An unexpected and still much-underappreciated album, Workbook is an incredibly consistent collection of songs with many highlights, perhaps the most memorable of which is the scorching guitar work on "Wishing Well."
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An excellent solo effort from the former lead singer of Husker Du. The first five tracks are particularly strong, but there is very little drop off as the album goes on. One of the best albums of the eighties.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
Bob Mould was always a great songwriter.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Terrific solo effort from the Husker Du alumi. Stand outs include Poision years and Heartbreak a Stranger.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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