Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Formed in 1983, he is best known for his 1993 hit, Runaway Train, from the album Grave Dancers Union released the year before.
It was in 1981 in a Minneapolis garage that three teenagers founded the Loud Fast Rules. Karl Mueller is on bass, Danny Murphy on guitar and Dave Pirner on drums. Under Loud Fast Rules, two of their songs are included in the Barefoot and Pregnant compilation, published by Reflex Ecords, in 1982>. On the next compilation, Kitten, they are credited under the name Proud Crass Fools>. They will be playing around Minneapolis-St. Paul and develop a local worship around him. Pat Morley replaces Pirner on drums in 1983. Dave Pirner becomes a singer with a rhythm guitar. The group changes its name to Soul Asylum.
In 1984 appeared on the local label Twin / Tone a first album of nine tracks, Say What You Will, Clarence ... Everything Can Happen, directed by Bob Mold, singer of Hüsker Dü, another local group. This recording, originally available on vinyl and audio cassette, will be re-released on CD in 1988 with a slightly different title (Say What You Will, Clarence ... Karl Sold the Truck) and five more songs. Grant Young replaced Pat Morley on drums in 1984, and in 1986 Soul Asylum released three new releases: Made to be Broken, Time's Incinerator (a rare album released only in audio cassette) and While You Were Out. One of the flagship groups of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul), Soul Asylum enjoys a local notoriety that is beyond doubt, but remains largely unknown outside the region.
In 1988, Soul Asylum entered the majors by winning a record deal at A & M Records. Just before entering, the quartet released a last album on Twin / Tone, Clam Dip and Other Delights (1989). The title is a parody of the album Whipped Cream and Other Delights, co-founder of A & M Records, Herb Alpert. Legend has it that the latter did not take the thing with humor, and some believe that the incident did not help Soul Asylum in his short stint at A & M.