Best Hüsker Dü Album (POLL Ends 4th May)

i've never really got 'metal circus', probably because i just flat out hate 'diane'

Since the album got so few votes, i just wanna say that I meant to say that Side One of Flip Your Wig is my favourite "side" of Dü.


This is precisely why I voted for it. "Games" may be my favorite Mould song ever.

Wonder if the results will be the same on the other poll.

I wonder what track would win in a fave track poll.

That'd be a big poll. We need to figure out how to do brackets on these things.

the fact that 15 people think Warehouse is the best Huskers record is fucking insane to me.

Too big a poll. In that I could never be arsed doing it. Someone will moan there's too many options and someone will moan an obscure track off a flexi is missing or something :)
x-post

It's certainly not better than the 5 studio releases it beat. Does have some good songs though.

That should of course say 2 studio albums...

New Day Rising effectively functions as Lick My Decals Off, Baby to Zen Arcade's Trout Mask Replica.
-- Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, May 7, 2007 5:35 PM (1 month ago)

In other words the fans are split on their fave album.

Actually what I meant was "Single LP followup to famous groundbreaking touchstone double LP of the previous year, which many aficionados in-the-know swear is superior, despite predecessor's far greater notoriety." A bit arcane, maybe, but you could apply the same model to Bitches Brew/Jack Johnson and maybe Tago Mago/Ege Bamyasi.

Found it for you bimble!

I searched for threads started by my old username.

And I still cant believe Warehouse finished 3rd! Metal Circus and Flip Your Wig are sooooo much better.

So glad you found this thread!!!! THANKS!

Hope its of use to you ! (but please remember Metal Circus and Flip Your Wig are better than warehouse!)

135 people voted , I never knew there was so many Hüsker Dü fans on ILM.
Has there been a Black Flag poll yet?

now there is Best BLACK FLAG Album Poll !

i WENT TO THE cd STORE!

I got Metal Circus, Zen Arcade, New Day Rising!

I also got Rush "Signals" on CD which I am blaring right now. I don't think I've ever had that on CD before. Watch for me to revive a Rush thread very soon.

Hurrah!! Next up get Flip Your Wig! Some of my favourite HD songs are on that album.

Diane off Metal Circus is the song that got me into them when I 1st heard it in late 1991, so I bought them all at Missing Records in Glasgow. Dep, who worked there, recommended them all and I never regretted the purchases.
I have about 200 live boots on a few dvdrs as well. It's handy knowing some of the most hardcore HD fans in the world.

Yes I love Diane! I know some folks say it's a prejudiced song or whatever I'm not sure about that, I just remember it fondly without understanding it fully.

I'm sorry I didn't get Flip YOur Wig! I had to leave something out I guess!
I'm sure it will still be there at the store if I want it! :)

Sadly i doubt they sell much these days. If you like the others then I'm sure you will want to hear more. It's a bit different to the others too. Some really great Bob solos on it.

I am in the mood for playing that now actually.

everyone talks about "eight miles high", but one of my favorite HD covers is a live version of "you're so square" sang by Grant that contains one of those Flip Your Wig instrumentals stuck in the middle of it.

I'm listening to New Day Rising now and I'm having so much fun I want to die. I love the guitar sound!!!! I'm on track #6 now. FUck the holidays man, this is the fucking shit.

I love the Eight Miles High cover, too. That's a good old one.

Get Flip Your Wig tomorrow!!

This New Day Rising is making me so goddamn happy I don't know what to do with myself. I'm trying not to cry.

I feel so lonely on the holidays but this stuff totally makes up for it. ("Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely")

Yes I will go back to the store and get Flip Your Wig very very soon.

And what the fuck is this piano on #11????
PERFECT!

I went back to the store! I got Flip Your Wig and when I got home I thought "what happened to that song 'Makes No Sense At All' what album is that on?"

GUESS WHAT! It's on there! :)

I got Land Speed Record, too.

Santa likes me.

Hurrah!!!!

The thing about New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig is that Grant has as many outstanding songs as Bob does.

appallingly low number of votes for Candy Apple!!

That's the one I don't have at the store! Don't do this to me!

Dude, I think you ARE listening to Candy Apple Grey.

"Don't wanna know", songs with piano...

I went back to the fucking store! I got Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse. I cleaned them out of their entire Husker Du stock! I am to blame!

The thing was it was the same guy who checked me out as before. He said "have you found your soul in the process?" I said "yeah, you gotta look hard for that thing" haahahahahahha

Now if you'll excuse me I'm playing Hall & Oates "You're a Rich Girl/And it's gone too far/because you know it don't matter anyway/you can rely on the old man's money" etc etc etc

haha oh man you must be skint. Perhaps I shouldn't tell you that one of my fave songs In A Free land is on Everything Falls Apart And More
oops....

I'm not even sure what you're talking about. Sorry,

I bought everything they had, man. Don't tell me I'm missing something. DAMNIT.

Never mind. Downloading. *twiddles thumbs*
I really love old style punk rock. I played Minor Threat today too. Makes me feel like I'm a teenager again.

There's an early release called Everything Falls Apart and it was re-released on cd with extra tracks including the 7"s they did.
It has In A Free Land Statues and a cover of Sunshine Superman in amongst a bunch of 30 second hardcore songs. Lyrics to those hardcore songs are hilariously bad.
x-posts

Statues was the 1st 7" .

In A Free Land 7" I've always wanted but sells for loads on ebay.

I know I know but you're making me drool.
Downloading it right now.

Fuck! A cover of Sunshine Superman! Are you fucking serious? OH MY GOD

Yes I'm serious!

What do you think of your purchases then Bimble?

Well I'm afraid Zen Arcade doesn't do much for me until about the second half it gets better, starting with the song "Somewhere". Seems to me Grant is the star of the show a lot on that album. At least I assume it's him. I don't know if the other non-Bob guy did any songs or not.

Land Speed Record reminds me of my teenage years, but I probably don't need to hear it more than once.

So far I think Flip Your Wig and New Day Rising are pretty solid. Haven't tried Metal Circus yet.

Zen Arcade is awesome, it's not as immediate as the others and needs lots of listens. Chartered Trips is a lot of Husker Du fans fave song. I love Pink Turns To Blue and What's Going on and Turn On the News best off this.

Best song on zen arcade would make a great poll. Same with one on New Day Rising (Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill would be my pick)

Listening to Candy Apple Grey now...I love that song "Sorry Somehow". Really sums up my feelings right now.

I agree "Pink Turns To Blue" is especially good. The cool thing about this stuff is I remember hearing some of these songs on the radio way back when.

Oh my god, Hardly Getting Over It is on here, too. Wow. See what I mean? I remember these songs.

You downloaded Everything Falls Apart didn't you? What did you think of In A Free land?

Yes I did! I finally got it all. Took awhile. Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot.

But WHAT the hell is the guitar doing on "Out On A Limb" from Metal Circus? That shit cuts me like a blade, wow! Good god. I'm gonna play that damn thing again. The rest of that album didn't do a whole lot for me though outside of "Diane" of course. Sometimes it reminded me of Dead Kennedys though, which was really nice. These were my teenage years, man.

Gonna burn Everything Falls Apart right now.

Oh also I could not fucking believe hearing "Hardly Getting Over It" again. I flipped over that even way back when. Unbelievable.

Anyway I don't want to discount "It's Not Funny Anymore" from Metal Circus, that's pretty damn good.

It is indeed! I love some of the more motorhead moments on that ep.

I feel like my feelings are jumping through the music like fish. "Green Eyes" from Flip Your Wig, now. Gonna put on Everything Falls Apart in just a second here, after Divide & Conquer.

I love that GODDAMN OPENING RIFF FOR DIVIDE & CONQUER!

Fuck. I'm going to have to pull out Replacements later when this is all over.

Playing Everything Falls Apart now. Deliciously punk rock. This is what Land Speed Record *should* have been.

"In A Free Land"...nothing wrong with that.

Brilliant song. I want that 7".

Fed up with them yet?

Heheh. No, not really...haven't really gone back to them much, though. This weekend will change that I assure you.

I bet you download the entire SST Catalogue next.

Um, haha. No I doubt that. I can't claim to have ever been a big fan of that label. Listening to New Day Rising now though. Fits my bloody mood quite well, it does.

There was lots of great stuff on SST.

Blind Idiot God...Das Damen? That's all I really remember that was any good. Sorry.

Anyway this song "Books About UFOs" is really tripping me out because I fucking remember that shit and I can't believe it's not a cover. Is it really not a cover??

Were Das Damen really ever on SST or have I got my facts completely unstraight?

Black Flag, Meat Puppets, Minutemen,Sonic Youth,Screaming Trees,Soundgarden,fIREHOSE,Bad Brains,Descendents.

Oh! Thanks for reminding me. Yes I'll take any Sonic Youth on offer. The others not so much.

What was that really good Screaming Trees track in the late 80's though? About Roses or whatever?

I guess I'd be okay with Black Flag's Six Pack or whatever it was called, though. Don't really know the Descendents at all.

To try and encourage someone to download "the entire" SST catalogue is sorta cruel :/

I friggin love the Descendents though, I wish they got talked about more on here

The stuff they made after reforming is shit though.

and I like the SST Screaming Trees stuff a lot.

Anyway I just wanted to report I feel I've given Flip Your Wig a full once-over now and fully digested it. And though I felt it kindof started to sag from "Games" to "Private Plane", by the second half of the album it was clear they were trying to pay tribute to the Beatles/60's kind of psych music while adding their own twist and suddenly with "Keep Hanging On" everything got a lot cooler again through the rest of the tracks. That track in particular boasts a very Church-ish sounding psych guitar, very nice and The Wit & The Wisdom was fabulous, some weird cross between Swans & The Fall with a bunch more guitar wankery on top. "Don't Know Yet" was also very far from what you would expect from Husker Du, I was quite impressed. I'd give this album an 8.5 out of 10 probably. "Find Me" is kinda goth-ish, too, though certainly one of the less stand-out tracks. A+ for effort in any case.

Next up...a full evaluation of New Day Rising. As if anyone cares.

Damnit I haven't even begun to tackle Warehouse again...though I had it on cassette a long ass time ago. I'm surprised it placed that well, actually, I remember it being rather spotty, but then...if the rest of a bands output is also rather spotty...*ahem* you kindof move the goalposts of expectation, eh?

The Wit & The Wisdom was fabulous, some weird cross between Swans & The Fall with a bunch more guitar wankery on top

Greatest Hard Attack-era MX-80 Sound imitation ever! (Whether intentional or not.) And "How To Skin A Cat" isn't far behind.

Find Me is one of my favourite tracks

"Games" is my favorite Husker song.

bimble I am enjoying your reviews, I am always curious about people's takes on stuff that I know really well and they are just discovering.

Still listening?

What was that really good Screaming Trees track in the late 80's though? About Roses or whatever?

Bed Of Roses? i think that was on their major label debut, uncle anaesthesia... their sst stuff is great too, Anthology is a solid compilation.

It is. uncle anaesthesia is very underrated too. I Love it all. There's a couple of really good tracks from the albums that arent on anthology so well worth picking them up.

Bed of Roses, that's it. I confess I don't know what they sounded like prior to that. If someone wants to recommend an SST era track from them, I'll be happy to check it out.

I finally tried a song by the Descendents because of this thread and just as I suspected, it didn't really grab me. Remember I am anglophile at heart.

Alfred! I'm sorry I dissed your fave Husker song. It isn't bad, it really isn't, it's only the beginning of the slide downwards of that album for me.

New Dawn Rising is proving harder for me to feel inspired to review than Flip Your Wig, despite it being a mostly enjoyable album. The first two tracks, though fine on their own, feel like merely a build-up to "I Apologize". I'm not sure anything really gets special though until "Celebrated Summer", a highlight of the entire album to be sure. I've long since decided that I particularly appreciate the mumbled vocals on "Perfect Example". There's something really intriguing about them, even unique. I can't think of anyone else or even another song that sounds quite like that.

"59 Times The Pain" seems to do that mumbling thing I like as well. Good chorus for that one, and I like the way the rhythm slows down and speeds up subtly, too. "Powerline" bores me, I'm afraid, despite its doomy-ness which I normally get into. Maybe it's just because I know the incredibly infectious "Books About UFOs" is coming up and I can't wait. I wonder if that isn't the best song on the whole album. They should have done more stuff like that! Piano! It's almost vaudeville, I love it.

"I Don't Know What You're Talking About" is just average hardcore. These guys were capable of more. ZZZZzz. "How To Skin A Cat" is where they decide to get weird, and it's about time. Ha! Just like Flip Your Wig, they save the weird stuff for the last few tracks don't they?

"Watcha Drinkin'" though its subject matter is something I personally identify with as I love drinking, is still more average hardcore. Sorry.

"Plans I Make" doesn't do much to save anything. NOT a good way to end this album, methinks, with the worst track of all!? No, this song is just unbearable after awhile.

So I dunno, maybe I really do like Flip Your Wig better than New Day Rising after all. Makes me think I should give Candy Apple Grey another full spin rather than just ripping a few tracks off it to my iPod. There's some missing link here and I haven't figured it out yet. I do have my fave tracks from Zen Arcade ripped as well. So I'll be going back to them, too. Everything Falls Apart just didn't excite me on first listen overall, but I'll give that another go as well.

Wait - did Flip Your Wig really come out before New Day Rising? I'm having a hard time googling to figure that out, but I feel it must be the other way around.

Came out after. Warners weren't happy that they gave it to SST.

The band felt loyalty to SST.

Did you get the live album?

I hope you're not running to the store to buy all the SST stuff bimble ;)

The band felt loyalty to SST.

i wonder if they regret that now. any news on bob and grant getting their masters back from ginn?

Bed of Roses, that's it. I confess I don't know what they sounded like prior to that. If someone wants to recommend an SST era track from them, I'll be happy to check it out.

'cold rain' is awesome, 'grey diamond desert' absolutely mind-blowing!

And many many more!

I finally tried a song by the Descendents because of this thread and just as I suspected, it didn't really grab me.

At some point, everyone should probably hear the Descendants' "Wienerschnitzel," and since that takes only eleven seconds or so...

Early Descendents is great. I need to dig that stuff out again.

The song I tried was "Can't Go Back" by the Descendents. I will try those Screaming Trees songs, though, thanks Stevie!

Anyway no I don't have any Husker Du live album. Should I?

do you not have Land Speed Record? it will melt your face off. The Living End is lots of fun too, from their final tour. and there's an ace bootleg circa their switch to warners, recorded off the radio, where they debut some Candy Apple Gray songs and cover 'you're so square' by buddy holly.

The live cd The Living End is pretty good. Awesome version of Ice Cold Ice

Hope you like the Screaming Trees stuff.

I'm now in the mood for listening to the Descendents - Milo Goes To College album.

Well I got around to playing the entirety of Warehouse today and I can see why it's rated so highly. Like all their albums, it isn't perfect, but I'd say most songs on it are very good, which isn't always the case with these guys. I'd say it's probably about as good as Flip Your Wig. And when I heard "Could You Be The One" again I got goose pimples! I had forgotten how nice that one was. I think I'm going to become obsessed with that song very soon here. "She Floated Away", "It's Not Peculiar", "Up In The Air" are some more real standouts. And what's with that bass line on "You Can Live At Home"?? It's like they got a whole new bass player in on that one! Funky!

I've also been pretty crazy about "Too Far Down" off Candy Apple Grey this week. I'm very close to compiling my own personal Husker best-of!

I think I'll try that live album, too, though, because "Ice Cold Ice" is one of my faves on Warehouse.

i'll vouch for the live album being great as well.

Warehouse is still the weakest album to my ears. Yes there's some truly great songs on it but some real filler. Grant's songs especially (with the odd exception obviously as she floated away is one of my faves)

Here's my Husker Du best of. Sorry I didn't include Pink Turns To Blue, or anything from Zen Arcade:

Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely
Sorry Somehow
Too Far Down
Hardly Getting Over It
Makes No Sense At All
Hate Paper Doll
Green Eyes
Divide & Conquer
Games (see, I'm thinking of you, Alfred!)
It's Not Funny Anymore
Diane
I Apologize
Celebrated Summer
Perfect Example
Terms of Psychic Warfare (why did I miss this in my New Day Rising review upthread??)
59 Times The Pain
Books About UFO's
Standing In The Rain
Ice Cold Ice
Could You Be The One?
Friend, You've Got To Fall
She Floated Away
It's Not Peculiar
No Reservations
Turn It Around
Up In The Air
You Can Live At Home

Sorry I didn't include Pink Turns To Blue, or anything from Zen Arcade

Shocking

It needs
Pink Turns To Blue
What's Going On
Turn On The News
Chartered Trips

Wait! What is this goddamn live song?
"Now That You know Me" Oh my GOD

Living end, indeed

I would have included that if I'd only known!

wait what fucking record was that on that I missed?

anyway I'm going to add your suggestions, Herman.

"Ain't No Water In The Well" - what are they turning into Elvis now? Wow.

WHAT'S GOING ON
WHAT'S GOING ON
WHAT'S GOING ON
INSIDE MY HEAD

oh my god you guys totally didn't warn me for the live album

that's just ridiculously good, that live album

The cover of the Ramones' "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"
OH MY GOD

Wait! What is this goddamn live song?
"Now That You know Me" Oh my GOD

It was a Grant Hart song that was never on any Huskers album, but he recorded it a year later for his SST solo album, Intolerance:

http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1312

I've got boots that are even better than the live album, but how good is Ice Cold Ice on it? Drums just explode.

No comment?

I hate Warehouse so much.

Finally found this poll, it never turned up in searches for it. It's pretty good that every album got a vote.
Can't understand how Warehouse beat those other studio albums.

Me neither.

Best album won though.

Can't understand how Warehouse beat those other studio albums.

I'm one of the saddoes who voted for Warehouse. I do not deny it. I like that album a lot.

Except for Warehouse, poll came off exactly how I'd have wanted. I think Warehouse is a terrific album, one of their best, so I'm not at all bothered that it did so well. Maybe a little surpised that Metal Circus beat Flip Your Wig.

Flip your Wig and Metal Circus should've been ahead of Warehouse.

Rockist.

Fucking fuck. That xpost makes no sense at all hee. Was trying to say something about how I expected Zen Arcade to win in that first sentence, but it got reduced to gibberish in the editing part.

Let's try again:

Except for Warehouse, Poll came off exactly how I'd have wanted. Warehouse is terrific, so I'm not at all bothered that it did so well. Maybe a little surpised that Metal Circus beat Flip Your Wig.

Did I say fucking fuck? I meant to say fucking fuck.

I thought I said it before, but Zen Arcade was robbed in this poll. NDR is inferior in every way that I can discern.

I love Husker Du and Zen Arcade, don't get me wrong. But it's an exhausting listen. That's why I prefer the poppier Warehouse.

I tend to play Zen Arcade now more than NDR because I've played NDR to death the past year

Man, I acquired "Warehouse" three (3) separate times - in three different formats - at 10-year intervals, over a 20 year period; and STILL never warmed to it, or learned how to differentiate one Bob Mould song from the next. (Same deal for Sugar/solo Bob.) Grant Hart's sea chanteys and rockabillys never did much for me either, tho at least I could tell 'em apart. Just a very depressing final album. But I suppose I'll give it another try in 2017, by which time we'll be downloading music directly into our cranial implants.

I do like Warehouse don't get me wrong, but I just think the albums before it were superior. I like Bob's 1st 3 or 4 Solo albums and Sugar were fantastic.

I don't have much taste for hardcore, or the production on the SST record, so I don't really dig the early albums (I've tried many times for many years). But Warehouse has some killer pop songs, especially "These Important Years" and "She's A Woman (And Now He Is A Man)". If I voted in this poll, I voted for Warehouse on the basis of those two songs alone.

if Bob Mould had produced these records like he did those Sugar albums I might play them more often.

Warehouse absolutely had killer pop songs. My favorite is She Floated Away, which I think is Hart's "sea chantey."

yeah those Sugar albums still make me break out in a sweat when I put them on: the production just roars, like say on "Gift".

Something about Sugar was off-putting for me. I couldn't warm to their songs.

as a whole they're pretty monolithic-sounding records, but try listening song by song. I'm sure I've listened to "Gift" like 20 times in a row on several occasions; "Explode and Make Up" too; though I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to FUEL as a whole. Live they were the same way, though that live record that came with Besides is pretty great.

In defense of Warehouse, it has "No Reservations" which may be my most played HD song.

New Day Rising and Zen Arcade all the way.I agree with the poll . At one time Husker Du were my favourite band ever, when I did that type of thing.

Anybody else think the production on Metal Circus and Everything Falls apart, closely followed by Zen is way superior to anything else they did.

I've bitched about the horrible biscuit tin sound before. They should have been so sonically massive

I think ALL their albums (vinyl & CD both) sounded pretty bad, but in different ways! To my ears, "Everything..." and "Metal Circus" probably had the best sonics, but that's in relative terms.