A. Heckman wrote:The nexus of melody and punishment.
T. Anderson wrote:They were a band...a rock and roll band.
M. Blowe wrote:Not to say that I couldn't take 'punk' rock seriously before they came along, but the songwriting was jaw-dropping to me as a 19-year old, and they seemed like the band that delivered on the promise of 'punk'. They weren't without humor, or chops, really, either. I feel kinda sorry for those who don't get them. They made so much music seem silly.
J. San Juan wrote:I'm loathe to go out on a limb for their "greatness" (if anything, they are deeply inconsistent - their WB period, in particular, is difficult for me to enjoy), but I think the sheer lightning in a bottle magic of Zen Arcade is one of those things that artists with dozens of great records could never aspire to. If we're going to argue that you only need to hit those sort of heights once (as I seem to be), then...yeah, they may as well be the greatest thing on Earth.
B. Lee wrote:That was rock and roll for your real life.
J. Coan wrote:....
Husker Du deserves your respect, even if they’ll never earn your love. You will often hear mention of The Minutemen in close proximity to any Husker Du talk. They had a good-natured rivalry, being label-mates, tour-mates, and even begging comparison by releasing nearly-concurrent double-LPs of blistering punk rock. If I have to choose, I’ll say that The Minutemen sought to be articulate, while Husker Du sought to express what could not be articulated. Listening to the Minutemen is like reading the (often hilarious) blog of a dispossessed factory drone while Husker Du is just one prolonged cry for help.
Guess which I prefer.
Husker Du is an altogether American proposition. When I’m reading on BCB about Primal Scream or Stone Roses or even Oasis, it’s clearly describing a movement from afar. I can understand how Husker Du could fail to resonate with anyone who didn’t have them in their wheelhouse by age 30. A lot of what this band does is based on teenage angst and the heartache and frustration of entering adulthood and finding that you never really escape high school. That’s what Husker Du did: They Escaped.
While Minneapolis brethren like The Replacements became the big fish in a little pond, Husker Du cast their net as wide as possible, displaying a work ethic you don’t normally associate with people who want to just play music for a living. They started their own record label, pressing and distributing their own work. Even the album covers were original works caringly constructed by drummer Grant Hart. Not until the very end, when they were resigned to a Warner Brothers contract they would never fulfill, could you actually see Husker Du on a television. If you dared to brave a crush of bodies, you could see them for five bucks. Many did, but not enough to create an adequate cushion between the personalities in this band.
Along with SST acts like Black Flag and the Minutemen, Husker Du practically created our modern touring circuit, making it possible before the age of social networking to get in a van and become a homeless musician for 6-8 weeks at a time. It wore them down. Like many struggling musicians, they worked odd jobs to make ends meet. Vacillating between the life of a punk rock musician and a ham-and-egger is all too often the fate of the pioneers. I’ve been on both sides of the fence. Monday Will Never Be the Same.
C. DeArcangelis wrote: Flip Your Wig is the perfect balance between hardcore fury and pop indulgence and I can't get enough of Grant Hart's jazzy drumming.
R. A. De May wrote: "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill."
L. Zimmerman wrote: 2 words: Zen Arcade.
S. Hoffman wrote: New Day Rising. If you remain unconvinced I have no use for you.
C. Norden wrote: Their version of "Eight Miles High" is one of my favorite covers. I don't know whether that attests to their greatness, but there you go.
The music? I prefer the rougher, shouty stuff. That’s where I live – people try to put us down. Zen Arcade is when they moved into more insular, emotional territory. This where they graduated from good to great. Husker Du had integrity. We don’t require that of The Rolling Stones, but Husker Du is about as proletariat as it gets. When they signed to Warner Brothers, they delivered what may be their most concise, hit-friendly record, Flip Your Wig, to former label SST because they felt obligated to fulfill their obligations. Not that any of this should be of any concern to us. But it is valuable to reflect on their lyrics and realize that the guy who is speaking directly to you in hopes that you’ll somehow relate and empathize isn’t a complete dick. It matters because honest, ethical people are always in short supply. And you know what?
J. Koch wrote: They've never reunited.
Damn straight.