Their career has spanned three decades and Soul Asylum has experienced many ups and downs, the most recent low being the death of founding member and bassist Karl Mueller. It's in the shadow of his passing that they are now riding the high of their recent release, The Silver Lining.

Mueller, along with Dan Murphy and Dave Pirner, started out in the '80s as the punk band Loud Fast Rules but in '84 shifted their sound as well as their name to Soul Asylum. With the release of Say What You Will Clarence…Karl Sold The Truck they began their ascent into stardom, the pinnacle being '92 release of Grave Dancers and the Grammy nominated "Runaway Train."

What follows is a look at the large collection of music that is the Soul Asylum catalog. This discography contains the recognized albums as listed on the band's website; EPs are mentioned in context and any unofficial or compilation CDs are not included.

Say What You Will Clarence…Karl Sold the Truck: The album was released in 1989 and included the 1984 EP Say What You Will…Anything Can Happen plus five tracks from what were recent recording sessions. Those tracks appeared on a separate EP Time's Incinerator (only available on cassette). Songs like "Dragging Me Down" and "Broken Glass" are prime examples of the trio's punk roots.

Made to Be Broken: This album was released in January of 1986 on the Twin/Tone label. 10,206 vinyl copies and 4,920 cassettes of this album were sold before it was reissued on CD in 1989. Currently it is out of print in the vinyl and cassette formats. It has the distinction of being the first original LP length album put out (and not a combination of EPs).

"Tied to the Tracks" and "Another World Another Day" are just two of the notable tracks from this album and they demonstrate the evolution of the band's sound. In "Another World Another Day," only 1:27 long, their sound is clearly reaching and bending from the discombobulated and erratic punk to hard rock.

While You Were Out: This album came out in November of 1986, and if you include the EP Time's Incinerator, it marked the third release for the band that year. They changed up the production, using Chris Osgood this time around. "No Man's Land" is the track you're most likely to remember from this CD, but "Miracle Mile" and "Closer to the Stars" are better examples of where the band is going melodically.

Clam Dip And Other Delights: Actually a six-song EP in the states, the album contained two additional covers on the original release in England. Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero" and Janis Joplin's "Move Over" were dropped from American release. "Chains," which is a cover from little known Minneapolis band Wad, made it onto both versions of Clam Dip And Other Delights. "P-9" is a tribute to striking meat plant workers from Austin, Minnesota (the name of their union was P-9).