The Hüsker Dü Album-by-Album thread

This is so strange! I just ordered the "Barefoot and Pregnant" compilation last Thursday after finding out about it from the liner notes of a recently purchased Soul Asylum compilation (Best of The Twin Tone Years). I picked it up for 4 reasons:

1. A legitimate recording of "Ace of Spades" by the 'mats.
2. Tracks by Loud Fast Rules
3. A good way to introduce myself to early Husker Du
and
4. I have to check out the Tulsa Jacks track!

I was going to ask about the compilation here at the forum before I ordered, but I'm not known for patience when buying the music...

So I am really glad that Jason started this thread so I can learn about early Husker and get started there. I'm familiar with "Warehouse..." and Mould's early solo and Sugar albums - like them all! - as well as a few of the earlier "hits" that pop up on XM occasionally. I'm also glad to see a positive response to this thread so far, which will hopefully keep it going for a while.

So should I have ordered the "Kitten" compilation while I was at it? Which of the two compilations above do you fans prefer?

Steve In Louisville

 

I haven't been on the board in a while and have come in late on this thread but Husker Du is one of my favorites and, while I can't add any further analysis than has already been said, I'd like to inject my two cents.

I picked up on the band when "Zen Arcade" was released in 1984 (at the same time I picked up on The Mats' "Hootenany" and The Minutemen's "Double Nickles"). "Zen" was the grandest piece of sonic cacophony I had ever heard and, to this day, I'd probably sell my soul to make a recording like that.

I soon followed up with "Land Speed Record" and "Metal Circus". "Everything Falls Apart" was already out of print so, I had to wait for the second pressing.

As time has gone on, the albums which receive continued listening by me are "Zen" and "LSR" (BTW, I have all the original vinyls except the early 45s but, CDs being the convenience that they are, I probably haven't played the vinyls in over 10 years). "Zen", of course, goes without explanation. However, I have a real fondness for "LSR". I'm an avid fan of "LSR" and slap it in the old disc player probably, at least, once a month. I have no problem that the tracks aren't split. To me, it's one of those albums that must be played from the beginning to the climatic end that is "Data Control".

I had the opportunity to meet the band three times (once in 1984 and twice in 1985). The first time was Sept. 27, 1984 in Kent, Ohio at JB's Downunder across the street from the Kent State campus. We had never seen what they looked like at that time and initially didn't realize the fellows sitting in the booth next to us was Husker Du. We chatted a bit with them but it was only when they went to set up the stage (apparently they didn't have a roadie) that we realized who they were. Afterwards, we chatted a bit more. General stuff like "Great show", "Hope to see you again" and if the unfamiliar songs they were playing were from an upcoming album (which was "New Day Rising").

The next time was May 15, 1985 in Cleveland (photos in my previous post). This time I had my "New Day Rising" LP along and got some autographs.




The story behind Grant crossing out my name and Greg signing twice is that I initially got the autographs without my wife present. She walked up as Grant was signing, saw just my name, and said something like "What about me?" Grant jokingly uttered something smart-assed, scribbled over my name and added hers. He also drew the ship on the water as he was talking about really wanting to find a place to get a big fat steak at that time of night. Greg simply added and additional signature on the back. I don't remember where Bob was.

We saw them a gain a couple days later on May 18, 1985 in Detroit at Traxx. Before they went on stage, we hung out with them for a while since they remembered us from Cleveland. I played a game of pool with Bob (he won) as we chatted about reissuing "Everything Falls Apart" among other idle chat.

After the show, we got another set of autographs...



Grant's comment, "I really said it... Honest" was in response to something my wife had asked him to say on stage which I can't remember (perhaps it was a request using her name). She claimed to not hear it and that was his reply. For all these years, I've listened to the tape I made that night and I still can't hear that he actually said anything.

 

Metal Circus (1983)
1. "Real World" (Mould) – 2:27
2. "Deadly Skies" (Mould) – 1:50
3. "It's Not Funny Anymore" (Hart) – 2:12
4. "First of the Last Calls" (Mould) – 2:48
5. "Lifeline" (Mould) – 2:19
6. "Diane" (Hart) – 4:42
7. "Out on a Limb" (Mould) – 2:39

Recorded in December/January 1982-83, Metal Circus is the first release that really has that classic Hüsker Dü sound and feel. They musically and lyrically step away from hardcore to embrace other tempos, and Grant really hits his stride as a songwriter. This album gets overshadowed by all the ones that follow it. Until re-listening to it today, I'd forgotten how great it really is, in fact.

The album opens with three tracks that seem to be lyrically repudiating the hardcore scene. "Real World", could almost be seen as Bob's "My Back Pages" with lyrics criticizing the hardcore political slant toward anarchist rhetoric ("You want to change the world/By breaking rules and laws/People don't do things like that/In the real world at all"). Bob's voice sounds positively vicious on this song. "Deadly Skies" follows up, questioning the point of protesting. And then Grant comes along with "It's Not Funny Anymore", which offers a don't care attitude toward conformity ("Play what you want to play/Hear what you want to hear/Don't worry about the result/Or the effect is has on your career.") Taken in tandem with the stylistic changes they were making, it's clear they were making a bit of a statement about distancing themselves from the hardcore scene. I love the little guitar figure (or whatever it's called, I'm not a musician) that Bob plays during the chorus.

Musically, of course, the standout song is Diane. Not since Randy Newman has there been such a catchy song about a killer (in this case, true-life serial killer Joe Ture). Bob sounds like a an orchestra on the track, and Greg's gloomy bass pins everything down. Perhaps the first really classic Hüsker Dü song. The album then closes with the sonic assault of "Out on a Limb."

Surprisingly, there are four outtakes from this EP. Why they were left off I'm not sure, given that their inclusion would have made something closer to a full-length album (albeit a short one). The titles are "Today's the Day", "You Think I'm Scared", "Won't Change" and an early version of "Standing by the Sea." "Won't Change" later turned up on a compilation album called A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse (pictured below). "Standing by the Sea" of course was re-recorded for the next album. The other two songs seem heavily influenced by the Minutemen, both in length and lyrically. If anyone hasn't heard these, I noticed the other day that all four of these tracks are up at youtube (I'm not the one who put them there, BTW).

 

the huskers get their sound together:

1. "Real World" (Mould) : good opener
2. "Deadly Skies" (Mould) : average song
3. "It's Not Funny Anymore" (Hart) : the first of two classics on this album
4. "First of the Last Calls" : cool song
5. "Lifeline" (Mould) : another average song, mould will do better things in the future
6. "Diane" (Hart) – classic
7. "Out on a Limb" (Mould) – not bad...

overall: the first really classic husker records, with two stand-out tracks (from grant hart) for me:
It's not funny anymore and diane
bob mould hasn't reached his compositional standards yet, but it is a really good short hardcore ep / mini-album

3.5 / 5

 

A great EP, exciting and fresh from start to finish.

"Deadly Skies" and "Diane" are, for me, genuinely frightening songs, but in different ways. Bob's screams in the former are absolutely chilling, intensified by the frenetic backing track. Bob's yells had up till now seemed de rigeur; a standard-issue component of the Official Hardcore Survival Backpack. But now the screams have a purpose: they are essential in driving home the song's meaning.
Of course, it wouldn't be long before these ferocious impulses were grafted to catchier melodies and propelled the band to some of their most inspired work.
"Diane" frightens me because the guitar, to echo what Jason has already so eloquently stated, sounds like the Homicidal Maniac's Symphony Orchestra. If Grant's matter-of-fact delivery assumes the voice Joe Ture probably employed in luring his unsuspecting victim, then Bob's guitar represents the killer's underlying homicidal intent. (I had no idea till I read Jason's post that it was based on a real case.)

Bob pulling in one direction while Grant pulls in another: this not only represents the duality in the mind of a stone cold killer, it would prove to be the band's successful modus operandi from here on in as well as a contributing factor to their eventual demise.

 

the first side of Metal Circus is probably the single best Husker Du vinyl side (runner-up is the first side of Zen Arcade, but "Hare Krsna" brings it down). all four songs rank among the band's best in my opinion.

"Real World" and "Deadly Skies" are incredible hardcore songs. i think they're much angrier than anything on Everything Falls Apart, and i really like the lyrics and vocal performances. "It's Not Funny Anymore" is a great pop song, and the highlight for me is Bob's guitar playing - the harmonics in the chorus are mind-blowing. actually, the innovative guitar sounds throughout really make this album what it is; the guitar tones on Metal Circus are utterly unique and more varied than anything on Zen Arcade. the beginning of "First of the Last Calls" is gorgeous - a great example of what edb15 earlier called Bob's "hazy fractal" guitar playing.

i have to admit, "Diane" is not a favorite of mine. i just don't find it very engaging compared to the brilliance that precedes it. i usually stop playing the record after the first five songs (especially true with the CD version). "Out on a Limb" does not interest me too much, either.

as for the songs that didn't make it, i like "Won't Change" a lot, but it does sound similar to some of the other songs.

it seems like Metal Circus is a no-brainer for a reissue given the songs that didn't make the cut and could be used as bonus tracks. hopefully one day we'll see it happen.

 

Good summaries above. In particular I agree with imagnry on side 1's fantasticness and the opening out of the signature Mould guitar sound on this release.

Good sound at 45 rpm--not audiophile--but it does the job. Haven't ever heard this on cd but I'm going to order it for curiosity's sake and to drop on my ipod. Now that I think about this I bought it at Vinyl Ink in Silver Spring in about 1991. A great day that day--got Daydream Nation (which was OOP at the time) for $8.99, Yo La Tengo's New Wave Hot Dogs sealed (also OOP by then) for $4.99, Joy Division Still for 8.99, Metal Circus (4.99 for a used copy), and some Clash 45s for $4 and $5. My teenage head was expanding with the sounds of indie rock. I don't remember my more recent purchases the same way!

 

I'll chime in to say that I think "Diane" is one of the band's top 5 songs. But I didn't discover them until the next lp...

 

going back to EFA there was a vinyl re-issue in '86 thats how I discovered this album/ep. I was surprised at how much I liked it, it was more pop than I expected for pre Zen Arcade Husker Du, Wheels and the title track are 2 of my fav's sadly I dumped the vinyl once that rhino cd came out.

"On a date with Sharon Tate I'm gonna pick her up in my new crate well we go to the movies we go to a drag
the highway patrol puts us both in a bag"

Got metal Circus sometime after the release of New Day Rising. I think I ordered it by mail from SST (anyone remember the days of sending a check in the mail and then waiting a good month for that vinyl to appear?) It's a nice concise change of pace from the full length releases used to play it to mix things up a bit when I was a Husker Du Fanatic. used to play "It's Not Funny Anymore" on my college radio show and included it on many a mix tape I made in those days.

 

I still have this ep record although I don't think I bought it until 1985 when I went on a Zen Arcade binge.

I have always considered "Diane" a 'Hit song' and played it a lot on my show back in the glory days of the Huskers. "Real World" and "Its not Funny Anymore" are also favs.

Husker Du started here for me...I pretty much have ignored the songs up until this point.

The lyrics to "Diane" are a bit disturbing as mentioned already. I love the pounding beat and screaming guitar near the end.

 

In the interests of completeness:

Bang Zoom #6 (1984)
"Out on a Limb" (live) plus interview

Tellus #10: All Guitars (1984)
Bob Mould: Soundcheck (3:06)

According to the Hüsker Dü database, these were "cassette magazines" which were compilations by various artists. I 'm including them because they both contain unique HD material unreleased elsewhere. I don't have the originals, and I imagine they are pretty rare. I've heard copies. At any rate, nothing here worth spending too much effort tracking. "Out on a Limb" is not so much a song as a riff, mostly instrumental but with Bob screaming occasionally in the background. I don't have the interview so I can't comment on that. "Soundcheck" is literally just that... three minutes of Bob messing about on his guitar aimlessly before a show.

Anyone else want to chime in on Metal Circus before we move on?

 

To expound a bit on that...

I have both originals (bought at time of release). The "Bang Zoom" series was on relatively low-quality cassettes but are interesting documents of the time featuring many interviews and rare tracks from the likes of The Minutemen, The Meat Puppets, R.E.M., Ramones, Dead Kennedys, The Blasters, Dream Syndicate, Romeo Void, 1/2 Japanese, Bangles, Naked Raygun, Fleshtones, Black Flag, The Dickies, The Replacements, Circle Jerks, Reain Parade, Salem 66.

"Out On A Limb" (2:11) appears to be a mono audience recording with decent quality but a bit of static.

The interview...

Time 9:34
All songs are mono excerpts that are surely collapsed stereo

Intro
"It's Not Funny Anymore"
Discuss Huskers being wrestling fans and Sgt. Slaughter
"Turn On The News"
Current tour
Minneapolis Music
"What's Going On"
Getting involved with SST
"What's Going On"

"Tell Us #10" (a bit higher quality cassette) is completely music oriented (no interviews) featuring, in addition to the Bob Mould track, Lee Renaldo and Thurston Moore on their own individual tracks, Glenn Branca, Lydia Lunch, The Butthole Surfers and Steve Albini (under the very politically incorrect moniker of "Run N_gger Run") among several others. Most, if not all, are stereo recordings. The Mould track appears to be from the soundboard with some reverb and/or room ambience which, on my cassette, clocks in at 3:16.

 

Eight Miles High single (1984)
"Eight Miles High" CLARK/crosby/mcguinn
"Masochism World" Hart/Mould

"Eight Miles High" was recorded as part of the marathon Zen Arcade sessions (which we will be covering next) but was released as a single before that album. This recording is good enough to deserve its own separate discussion, I thought.

Goofy covers of classic rock were common among postpunk bands in the 80s, and were typically done with ironic overtones. It's easy to do a punk cover of a mediocre old song (like "Sunshine Superman" for example). It's much harder to take on a cover of a song/recording that is truly great in its original incarnation, and then do it straight up rather than sarcastically. The Byrds' "Eight Miles High" is the single best recording by that band. Gene Clark's haunting lyrics about alienation and dirgelike melody blended with the band's performance (particularly McGuinn's jazzy guitar) to create something unique and amazing. Yet Hüsker Dü somehow manages to take this song and bring something new to it, as well as making it sound like a Hüsker Dü song. That is impressive. Bob's guitar playing is nothing like McGuinn's, yet is just as innovative. I wonder if Gene Clark ever heard this... I think it's the best Gene Clark cover version ever.

The b-side is a sad waste of space. In the grand old Hüsker Dü tradition it's a live recording that is ultra low-fi and sounds like utter crap (it sounds like it could have been recorded by the same guy who recorded Land Speed Record). Why they'd choose to release a terrible recording like this when they had well-recorded live stuff in the can I don't know. Why they chose this particular song (which is hardly one of the standout tracks on Zen Arcade) I don't know. Why they didn't just put one of the Zen Arcade outtakes on the b-side instead I don't know.

 

great song. i agree that punk covers of classic rock songs are generally lame, but as you said, this one isn't meant as a pisstake or some sort of ironic statement, and that makes all the difference. it's a stunningly powerful performance which builds and builds in intensity.

i think i read somewhere that Roger McGuinn likes Husker Du's rendition of the song. i asked Chris Hillman if he'd ever heard it, and his answer was no.

 

This is a legendary single, and rightly so (still available on a cd single, if you don't already have one folks!). The trademark Hüsker Dü attack was just perfect for this song; it feels like you are being gloriously enveloped in overdriven, distorted guitar noise, and perhaps that alienation isn't such a bad thing after all. It's kind of comforting really.

 

"Dozen Beats Eleven" would have been a great B-Side.

 

surprisingly , i've never heard this but i've know about it for at least ten years. never knew if it was well regarded or not but now i've got some recommendations. thanks.

 

I have a later pressing on blue vinyl....this is a worthy single and representative of this phase of Husker Du...good air play during the day. At the time it wasn't a fav of mine compared to the big songs from Zen later in the year but good...I like the later Mary Tyler Moore theme single better but consider them both essential for a Husker collection....they were later issued together in 1990.

Classic Husker guitar, pounding beat, change of pace and grunting not so sing-along mumbling...ahh...uhhhhh....

So far in our Husker Du timeline "Diane" is my clear favorite but "8 Miles High" would be in the hunt for second....

 

Eight Miles High single (1984)
"Eight Miles High" CLARK/crosby/mcguinn - great cover version
"Masochism World" Hart/Mould - also a good song, but really not good sound quality here, the "zen arcade"-version is much better

 

A great single. Just hearing about this single got me into the band. But I must wait for the next entry to truly jump in...

 

I love how you put Gene's name first, and in all caps!
Beautiful!

 

I think that a Byrds cover was particularly inspired at this point in HD's development. Bob Mould was really starting to develop that open, ringing style of playing at this time, and as this track demonstrates it was a very effective playing mode for interpreting the chiming 12-strings of the original in a new context.

 

There needs to be a 2 CD comp of Husker Du that includes Eight Miles High. I have the Promo "Do you Remember" but that doesn't include enough prime material.

 

I remember buying the "Eight Miles High" single at the time of its release. If R.E.M. were the Beatles of the 80s American underground, and the Replacements were the Stones/Faces, then Hüsker Dü were a combination of the Byrds and the Who. This was a good tribute to the Byrds, and served to illustrate the links between Hüsker Dü and their classic 60s antecedents, but it was sort of depressing at the time to face the reality that, whereas the Byrds managed to get something as weird as "Eight Miles High" into the Top Twenty even despite the idiotic drug controversy that surrounded the song, there was no chance that you were ever going to hear a Hüsker Dü song on any radio station not affiliated with an institution of higher learning. On an artistic level, I appreciate what Hüsker Dü were trying to accomplish with their wall of sound take on this song, but I prefer the Byrds' original version. As someone else has already mentioned, I like the band's cover of the Mary Tyler Moore theme song better than this.

 

Maybe it was like the old Phil Spector trick of putting a crap instrumental on the b-side of a single so as not to confuse radio programmers as to what song they should be playing, as well as avoid "flipping"?