Husker Du : Classic or Dud, Search and Destroy.

anyway

search: New Day Rising + Candy Apple Grey Destroy: Nova MOb

I'll agree that Sugar were the better band, though they didn't exactly blaze the trails that Husker Du did. Better rhythm section, more focused attack, etc. Some of David Barbe's songs are really good, but he's no Grant Hart, is he?

search: Metal Circus, "Pink Turns to Blue", "Eight Miles High", "Gir Who Lives On Heaven Hill", "Eiffel Tower High" (their greatest song, I think)

destroy: Sugar (way booooooooringgggggg)

There were so many great bands that husker du inspired- Pixies (who taught a certain K. Cobain about songwriting), afghan whigs, Royal trux, and that's to name a few.

In their time they made intense, emotional, angry guitar rock. They had honesty and integrity. MBV took a lot from them (weren't they the British version of the Du). Of course, Bob Mould would follow with Sugar, whose Copper Blue was in part influenced by Loveless.

Right now, with Fushitsusha in hibernation (they have not found a replacement for theitr drummer) we could really do with something like husker du.

Search "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely" and "She Floated Away", Destroy "Crystal". I knid of like The Baby Song too.... (I see my tatses obvious run counter to nearly everyone else round here).

Definate Classic though - even with the knitting needle production.

Search: most of New Day Rising and Metal Circus, "Chartered Trips", "Pink Turns to Blue", "Turn On the News" Destroy: roughly two-thirds of the catalogue -- a best-of would be nice here because none of the albums are an unassailable listen

I find it really really difficult to work out why I like some American guitar rock a lot and some so little.

I'm interested at the number of dud votes here, though. My concerns about the forum are slightly allayed ;)

if you people really hate the band's production, pick up the live lp "the living end" - makes the "warehouse" stuff much less tame and actually sounds *good* (gosh...)

Then all through the nineties I never listened to any of their records. A couple of months ago, I decided to put on New Day Rising. And I was left feeling ... well, nothing. If anything, it sounded like the Mother of All Emo Records, which would of course be a bad thing.

Funny how a decade can change one's perceptions so greatly.

Anyway, I heard "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" on the radio today for the first time in a long time and it sounded like the Foo Fighters! (Except for the fact that it was much more well written, of course!)

I also really like reading Julio's early posts.

Woah. That is almost exactly the list I'd post, 'cept I'd add in "Books About UFOs" 'cuz it's sweet.

I don't like Zen Arcade that much as an album. I love some of the tracks on it, but I'd be way more likely to listen to New Day Rising all the way through.

Fucking classic, even now. The only album that's not up to scratch is Candy Apple Grey.

"Brick on your head, 'cause you're a fuckhead" to the naysayers.

It occurs to me now Warehouse is the one, that was the name of only album of Husker Du I had. It was about 60% enjoyable as I recall.

The singles were always good, don't get me wrong...Eight Miles High was great too. I heard their version of that before anyone else's, actually. I don't feel cheated by that at all.

That was the Hated's theory, anyway...

Incidentally, listening to DNA and sirone late last year made me realize how the bass could work and what a blind spot that was for me even though those aren't exactly rock. I haven't heard 'zen arcade' in ages so i should revisit this.

(thanks sundar, that must've been one of my v first posts on ilm though for better or worse I could never use a word like 'quality' or 'integrity' again nor 'influence' or 'emotion' without explaining it)

(Did I just say that?)

Also, Greg Norton, being the most underrated member of the band, is such a great bassist. I walk around most days with a loop of "Statues" running on repeat in my brain.

Any coincidence that this thread has been revived just after that special sometime in April when we add another hour?

i loved Workbook when I was 19 or so, See A Little Light still makes my heart sing tbh

It's a great song - it ought to be a standard and reinterpreted in myriad ways.

i just searched the lyrics and realized "listen there's music in the air" not "listen there's music in me, yeah"

loooooool i am always so close

Is it a challops to say I prefer Grant’s body of work? I think his solo records blow Bob’s away.

not on ILM!!

(I mostly agree)

Solo albums, yes. I love those two and a half Sugar albums though.

Me too

Is it a challops to say I prefer Grant’s body of work? I think his solo records blow Bob’s away.

I've always felt, in HD, Bob was more constant, Grant's highs were higher - but I'm not so sure anymore. As I grow older the bravery of Too Far Down and the maturity of Hardly Getting Over It put a lot of Grant's stuff in the shade, though my favourite HD song is probably still Pink Turns To Blue. And I think there are some remarkable, brilliant Grant solo songs (and Nova Mob, too), but again I don't feel like any of them are consistently brilliant, where Bob has Workbook, Copper Blue and Beaster, which are brilliant throughout.

Whether you prefer one or the other, the amazing thing is that we have both — two truly gifted songwriters in one loud tiny three person package (no shade to Greg)

There's definitely a good bit of stuff I like from their post-Hüsker Dü careers, especially Sugar, but otherwise I found their solo work to be extremely uneven (moreso Mould). I love Sunshine Rock but if it's my favorite Mould solo album, it didn't really have much competition. I was hoping they'd both get a well-curated anthology covering their respective careers. Mould did get one of his post-Hüsker, pre-Sugar years that's sort of okay (not a lot of ground covered though), and several years ago he put out that gargantuan box set that's way too much.

I listened to New Day Rising today just for fun and would like to report that Greg brings A LOT to this band, so absolutely no shade on him whatsoever.

totally, Greg rules, also the most stylish member

Absolutely - it's possible he's the most accessible element in their music. Like he'll come up with a really tuneful hook or just make something that much more danceable.

Like here - his bass part is the earworm of this number:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7gbdTJxWFs

Yes, that song specifically!! he adds the bounce and the groove -- love Greg <3

"two truly gifted songwriters in one loud tiny three person package..."

Been trying to reply with a joke response to this of GN shaking his fist and going "Every time, I tell ya!", but not sure if the way it sounds in my head fits the context here.

and several years ago he put out that gargantuan box set that's way too much.

I mean tbf it's absolutely everything.

I still really like a lot of "hubcap", a particularly sour and satisfying Mould breakup album.

This is an excellent overview of Bob's solo career: https://www.discogs.com/release/19496299-Bob-Mould-Distortion-The-Best-Of-1989-2019

haha someone posted this on a vinyl group I hang out in #onethread

https://i.imgur.com/4qtCWjXl.jpg

This is an excellent overview of Bob's solo career: https://www.discogs.com/release/19496299-Bob-Mould-Distortion-The-Best-Of-1989-2019

Thanks! Will check that out

Good news from Numero:

The rumors are true. On January 30, 1985, Hüsker Dü recorded a peak high performance to 24 track tape at Minneapolis’s First Avenue club in front of their hometown massive. This performance was supposed to come out as a live album later that year, but the band’s rapid upward trajectory caused priorities to shift. The tapes were shelved – thought to be possibly lost in the same 2011 house fire that consumed a precious portion of the Hüsker Dü archive. Nearly 40 years later, these tapes have been rescued from the abyss, and we’ve tasked the team at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio on the transferring and Beau Sorensen at Tiny Telephone for the mixdowns.

Today we are dropping the first batch for your listening pleasure alongside a limited '85 era tour shirt available this week only. We have a bunch of boxes of ephemera, photos, and tapes to go through so sit tight; we’re in the midst of a miracle year.

Streaming services have the first part of the '85 show mentioned.

awesome

EGAD!!

Is this the widely bootlegged radio broadcast where they play early versions of Candle Apple Grey tracks?

With the You're So Square cover?

Is this coming out on a physical medium?

sounds great, and i want that t-shirt dammit

gah me too

On their Instagram stories they said:

"I don't know what the plan is for vinyl and CD but we have this 85 tour shirt up for pre order. Will only be available this week."

I bought the shirt, fuck yeah

How does one order the shirt?

https://numerogroup.com/products/husker-du-85-tour-shirt?variant=44718110212294

oooh thanks, tshirt ordered!

YES

haha yes I too am a sucker for a repro vintage tour shirt

Been wearing my XL Warehouse tee I bought from Virgin Megastore in 1992. Super baggy tees are good in this hot, hot weather.

the same 2011 house fire that consumed a precious portion of the Hüsker Dü archive

I'm a glass-half-empty kind of guy because this is the first time I've heard of this and it really fucking sucks. (Happy about the live release, day 1 purchase for me, but still bummed about this among other world events.)

yeah I had never heard of that either, can someone summarize?

Grant Hart’s childhood home in South Saint Paul burned down. He had inherited it (I think) but in any event it was still in the family and had a lot of memorabilia. Fortunately Grant had donated some of his archive to the Minnesota Historical Society shortly before.

Want the shirt!

My guess is they are doing a run based on advanced orders, but it would be hilarious if ILX bought them out and the only people with shirts were ILXors.

No chance. All my HD loving friends already knew about it before ilx (except me)

Knew about, but did they order it?! Now is our chance to corner the market!

xp one of Grant's cats survived that fire by taking shelter in a guitar case, which is a pretty great silver lining

Oh they sure did
xp

Weirdly I don't recall seeing it mentioned in the SST group.

I was at the Montreal show listed on that shirt. in the basement of Berri church. very tempted.

Ordered my shirt!

They were not sold out of smalls lol

Yeah I expect that most of us vintage HD fanz, even meee, have expanded a bit.