Husker Du : Classic or Dud, Search and Destroy.

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?

Sugar's Copper Blue is better than the last Husker records, though, whoever said that was OTM.

Search: side one of New Day Rising, played in the sequence it was released

Destroy: "Reoccurring dreams", "The Baby Song", about half of Warehouse: Songs & Stories.

So here's a question that I've had for twenty years:

Why is it that on the inside of Zen Arcade it says "All songs written by whoever sings it except for "Someday" that Grant wrote"?

Didn't Grant also sing it, so it would still fall under "song written by singer" rule?

Ah, I see it's the only song with lyrics on the album that has two songwriters. Still, Grant Hart sang a song that he wrote.

ahem, Bob Mould was a writer for WCW, not WWF.

and, classic - new day rising (the song). fucking great.

Classic. Nothing beats the first side/half of New Day Rising.

Classic. Those SST records are timeless

Bad Brains have definitely evolved; when they reissued their album Quickness a couple of years ago, the song "Don't Blow Bubbles," which was searingly homophobic, was turned into an instrumental.

For some reason I thought GNR replaced or deleted "One in a Million" from Lies, but it looks like it is still available to stream. As is Costello's "Oliver's Army" and X's "Los Angeles" and other questionable songs that the artists have stopped performing or have changed, not to mention all the homophobic bits and slurs in hip hop. That Bad Brains made that song an instrumental is more than most even apparently repentant acts have done.

To my memory of a reading binge inspired by "Diane", Grant Hart is so good hearted he stopped singing "Diane" because he was uncomfortable singing in the voice of a monster. He was not perfect obviously but he did have integrity. IMO.

I don't think he wrote any songs with hateful slurs in them, at least none I can think of.

(Bob either obvs, at least not that I am aware of. He is also a person of integrity.)

As is Costello's "Oliver's Army" and X's "Los Angeles"

YMMV but both songs AIUI use the slur "in-character", and on 'Oliver's Army' as a very acute comment on how the estavlishment use the lower-classes as cannon fodder in wars and might-as-well-be-wars. Though I want to be clear I'm not arguing vehemently for either (like I say, I think Costello uses it powerfully and for emphasis in 'Oliver's Army', but he could easily have expressed it otherwise) (and I've definitely had to awkwardly explain the slur and his use of it there to my 11yo, who adores the song), and that both cases are obviously complicated by Costello's incredibly questionable comments about Ray Charles in front of Bonnie Raitt (which, again, he has subsequently disowned and mea culpa'd over), and Exene's, well, Exeneness.

Was surprised to discover that Grant actually knew the Diane in 'Diane'! TBH I've never really liked that track much.

She worked at a pancake house iirc. I am long term obsessed w that song tbh.

iirc it was Bonnie Bramlett and some of her band that Costello got in a fight with

argh yes I think you're right, Maresn3st

gently suggesting another possible thread for this general discussion? let's go back to stevie's awesome interview, which is much better even in this short form than that Earles bio imho

i.e Bad Brains/Costello etc, it's not the same as the Huskers dropping the song from their set

I do agree with UMS that the anecdote is depressing

i was trying to reorient toward the Dü

surprised that stevie doesn't really dig Diane, I agree with LL that it is really memorable/well done/haunting

pretty sure I heard Metal Circus after Zen Arcade but I remember the tune standing out even then

Oh, I can absolutely appreciate that 'Diane''s a great song, but I've never really liked it, if that makes sense? Also, I'm of an age that I possibly heard the strings-laden Therapy? cover version first, and absolutely hated that.

I was a big "Diane" fan, but I kinda avoid it now. I mean, it's still a great song, just that Grant did maybe too good of a job.

Xp Oh yeah that cover is atrocious.

I appreciate it for so many reasons many of which will be explained in detail in my imaginary 33 1/3 book about Metal Circus. I think the submission season is spring — anyone know?

It wasn't the same as using the n-word "in character," and Grant actually personally knew Diane. So it's nothing against him.

But man. Maybe if her name hadn't been a homonym for "Dyin'" it wouldn't feel so real.

The thing is I don’t hear it that way — it’s just a different way of pronouncing her name. DI ANE DI ANE DIIIIII ANE

That’s when the narrator changes from the killer to Grant himself mourning.

The killer’s voice even becomes more and more desperate once he gets her into the car. At first he’s all “we could go to a party down at Lake Cove” and then well you know what happens then. It’s a great true crime song like a classic murder ballad or Poor Murdered Woman.

That said I can totally understand why he wouldn’t want to sing it anymore, to embody that voice.

I always thought it was Die Anne he was singing. Anyway its always been my fave Huskers song and that Therapy? cover is an abomination which put me off them forever.

So I was incorrect earlier, the shipping notice I got was actually not for this.

BUT I did just have the CD version drop in my mailbox, so hopefully the rest of you lot will see yours soon. Looks great so far, can't wait to dig in!

I got my LP boxset on Monday.

Got my CD today!

My T-shirt arrived today at well

Me too! (And t-shirt two, too.)

I ordered the CD box from a record shop in Dublin and I guess they didn’t get the stock yet. But it’s fine, I haven’t set up my new CD player yet so I can wait.

I got my shirt and with it came the motivation to lose 8-10 lbs so it actually fits

god i am constantly on the precipice of L/XL and defending my band t-shirt collection is sadly probably one of my biggest motivations haha

For some reason I thought GNR replaced or deleted "One in a Million" from Lies, but it looks like it is still available to stream. As is Costello's "Oliver's Army" and X's "Los Angeles" and other questionable songs that the artists have stopped performing or have changed, not to mention all the homophobic bits and slurs in hip hop. That Bad Brains made that song an instrumental is more than most even apparently repentant acts have done.

Just a quick footnote, "One in a Million" was deleted from the 2018 Appetite for Destruction box set where they presented that EP without that track, and when I saw Costello open his Gramercy Theatre residency a few years ago, he introduced "Oliver's Army" with a whole new verse, mentioning he hadn't played the song in its original form in five years (and last played it in three years when he altered the lyrics for a British audience to reflect the times). Without repeating the original lyrics, he basically said he didn't think he could sing them anymore, hence the rewrite, which can be found here.

Got the CD set today; so utterly fantastic; will be playing this A LOT. might pop down to the Numero London popup store today and.... buy some tshirts?