Hüsker Dü Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
- We're kicking off Kramtober by ranking the 6 studio albums of Hüsker Dü.
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Hüsker Dü (/ˈhʊskər ˈduː/) was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardcore punk band, and later crossed over into alternative rock. Mould and Hart were the band's principal songwriters, with Hart's higher-pitched vocals and Mould's baritone taking the lead in alternating songs.
The band issued their debut studio album Everything Falls Apart on Reflex Records in 1983 and subsequently released three LPs and an EP on the independent label SST Records, including the critically acclaimed Zen Arcade in 1984. Hüsker Dü signed to major label Warner Bros. Records in 1986 to release their final two studio albums. They disbanded in January 1988. Mould later released two solo albums before forming Sugar in the early 1990s, while Hart released a solo album on SST and later formed Nova Mob.
After their respective bands broke up in the mid-1990s, Mould and Hart continued doing solo work, the latter until his death in 2017. Norton was initially less active musically after Hüsker Dü and focused on being a restaurateur instead. He returned to the recording industry in 2006.
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Thanks for watching! Let us know what you think of Hüsker Dü by leaving us a comment below.
Next week: Echo and the Bunnymen
After that: Cocteau Twins, Psychedelic Furs
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New Day Rising was revolutionary! Mould/Hart were the Lennon/McCartney of 80s American punk.
NEW DAY RISING is my darling too. It's the first i heard, i love the other stuff, but this is their peak
Love it as a super fan but it's my 4th? favorite album. Celebrated Summer is maybe their best most "important" song though.
Zen Arcade will always be my fave Husker Du album. An amazing album from start to finish!
One of my top 20 bands/artists of all time. Don't care about the "muddy" production/sound some complain about for the SST records. Great songs, power , energy, "aura" ( all the "soft" factors some critics forget about with great music) transcend all that imo...I'm including Land Speed record and the EP.. Cheers.
8. Land Speed Record 1982 1.5 stars
7. Everything Falls Apart 1983 - 2.5 stars
6. Metal Circus - 3.5 stars
5. Candy Apple Grey : 1986 - 4 stars
4. New Day Rising - 1985 - 5 stars
3. Flip Your Wig - 1985 - 5 stars
2. Zen Arcade - 5 stars
1. Warehouse Songs and Stories: 1987 - 5 stars
Most accurate ranking imo
One of the great bands for me. They quickly moved away from straightforward hardcore and built in melody like nobody else managed. Grant Hart is one of the most overlooked/underrated songwriters ever. So sad that he died early and with little to show for his talents. His solo albums are largely excellent too.
1. New Day Rising
2. Zen Arcade
3. Flip Your Wig
4. Candle Apple Grey
5. Warehouse: Songs and Stories
6. Everything Falls Apart
The innovators of alternative rock. Definitely an important band for sure.
Candy
agree
Big fan of the band.
#1 New Day Rising (5 star)
#2 Flip Your Wig (5 star)
#3 Warehouse Songs and Stories (5 star)
#4 Zen Arcade (4,5 star)
#5 Candy Apple Grey (4,5 star)
#6 Everything Falls Apart (3 star)
1) Warehouse: Songs & Stories - 5 stars - one of my favorite albums I discovered while in college
2) Zen Arcade - 4.5 stars
3) New Day Rising - 4 stars
4) Flip Your Wig - 4 stars
5) Candy Apple Grey - 3 stars
6) Everything Falls Apart - 3 stars
A fine band # 6 Warehouse Songs & Stories # 5 Everything Falls Apart # 4 Candy 🍬 Apple 🍎 Grey # 3 Flip Your Wig # 2 Zen Arcade & # 1 New Day Rising ( A Masterpiece ) Minneapolis was cooking 🍳 in the 80's 🔥 ! ✌️
One of my favourite bands of all time. This was pretty painful to be honest. I didn't expect a lovefest but ouch. I've loved this band since my early 20s and I love the blend of harshness with their poppier sensibilities. There is a catharsis to a lot of it that I love. I tend to gravitate more towards Bob's songs overall but I still love a lot of what Grant did as well. I do agree that some of the production was rough on some of the SST albums (dammit Spot) but for it doesn't take away from it for me enough for me not to love those albums. I do feel bad that Joe listened to Land Speed Record twice, I don't even like that one lol. I'm adding that and Metal Circus into my list because I think they are important.
*8. Land Speed Record - 1.5 (3.3)
7. Everything Falls Apart - 3.5 (7.1)
6. Warehouse: Songs and Stories - 4 (8.5)
5. Flip Your Wig - 4.5 (9.1)
4. Candy Apple Grey - 4.5 (9.4)
*3. Metal Circus - 5 (9.7)
2. New Day Rising - 5 (9.9)
1. Zen Arcade - 5 (10)
Your grades are almost the same as Jason.
@@edgustafson Lol
I think that those of us who are familiar with the guys wouldn't expect great ratings from Jason just because of the production. I plan to watch this tonight. Even if the guys dislike an artist or album that I love I still find them to be entertaining. Still waiting to hear Jason's reviews of the RHCP 🙂
I would rate them almost exactly like this.
Don’t understand the lack of love for Warehouse. Maybe because it’s last and the “ break up” album, but I think it’s freakin awesome and their best. But Zen Arcade is great too, as is New Day Rising
1. Flip Your Wig - 5 Stars
2. Candy Apple Grey - 5 Stars
3. New Day Rising - 4.5 Stars
4. Zen Arcade - 4 Stars
5. Warehouse - 4 Stars
6. Everything Falls Apart - 2.5 Stars
I like Husker Du quite a bit -- All their albums after the debut are in the 4-5 stars range Zen Arcade and Warehouse suffer from being a bit long for me, but still pretty great.
It's ridiculous that Everything Falls Apart is considered an LP while Metal Circus is considered an EP. They're practically the same length.
Bravo. As someone once sang, it makes no sense at all.
Yes, and I really like Metal Circus. First Husker Du I heard.
Metal Circus is one of the greatest things they ever laid to tape if for no other reason than ‘Diane’ is a
Grant Hart masterpiece and the rest of the songs are also some of their strongest, ‘Deadly Skies’ is also an old favorite, just some great old Midwest punk rock shit and also the first Husker Dü stuff I got and fell in love with just prior to having my mind then blown by ‘Zen Arcade’
Metal Circus was originally meant to be a LP but apparently the power in the studio went out so it became an E.P. instead. There were some outtakes that were released as a bonus E.P. with the Savage Young Du box set called Extra Circus.
Saw them live four times. Fantastic band. Land Speed Record is considered their first album. It would be last on my last. "Metal Circus" is a great EP.
1. New Day Rising - 5
2. Zen Arcade - 5
3. Flip Your Wig - 5
4. Candy Apple Gray - 4.5
5. Warehouse: Stories and Songs - 4.5
6. Everything Falls Apart - 4
Not surprised by some of the thoughts by the Tastes gang for this trio - just know how influential they are (and how important they were to me when this was coming out and I was young and felt this band spoke to me).
Hüsker Dü was my introduction to indie rock. Discovering them in the 80s was like imagine what it felt like listening to The Velvet Underground in the 60s. Missed my chance to see them but have seen Mould solo 4 times.
Husker Du is so awesome and influential. They created a template with their melodic noisy, almost psychedelic punk rock that was copied incessantly. I'm a bit partial to the rawer, SST albums, but that's just my taste.
1. Flip Your Wig
2. Zen Arcade
3. New Day Rising
4. Warehouse: Songs and Stories
5. Everything Falls Apart
6. Candy Apple Grey
I loved all these releases as they were released. Great to see you guys taking the time to give them a hearing. I didn't have high hopes that it would be an enjoyable experience for at least 2/3 of you.
I wish I had seen them in concert but sadly they never came near anywhere I was living at the time. I got to see Grant Hart's Nova Mob, Bob Mould's Sugar, and him solo & with a band.
US 1980s hardcore has dated much better than many of the 1970s UK punk bands and Husker Du were the leaders. They incorporate pop, rock, psychedelia, etc
I will concede the production lets them down, especially on SST.
They deliberately use a brittle guitar sound that is mostly akin to standing in front of a melodic jet engine,. And that is not for every ear.
6 Everything Falls Apart
5. Flip Your Wig
4 Candy Apple Grey
3 New Day Rising
How can you not love How To Skin A Cat? Noisy, hilarious, chaotic!
2 Warehouse: Songs & Stories
1 Zen Arcade
Disagree about the UK/US thing. The UK bands still sound great. The hardcore bands sound terrible because of production and lack of actual skills. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic I may have been somewhat rash to make that comment, although getting you to take a stand and defend the British punk movement I consider an achievement.
But I would hesitate to get into a pissing match on who are the better punk players on either side of the Atlantic. Musicians on both sides made claims to being untutored, unskilled amateurs who picked up their instruments for the first time days before performing.
Thanks for chiming in. Comments are easy to make and mine doesn't bear scrutiny. I was riding the wave of Husker Du ringing in my ear, who I do enjoy.
Zen Arcade- 4.5
New Day Rising- 4
Really emotional band that you won't always be in the mood for but when you are it can be a profound experience.
In the 80s I listened to Hüsker Dü probably more than any other band. Not once did I ever find myself thinking there was anything strange or off-putting about their guitar tone. It's rock music. Come on.
There are rules Ian. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic I love bands the break the rules... Hüsker Dü did that big time
So, nails across a chalkboard? Love that too?
@@179rich If it's done melodically and in tune, sure.
1. Zen Arcade (1984) 4/5
2. Flip Your Wig (1985) 4/5
3. New Day Rising (1985) 3.5/5
4. Candy Apple Grey (1986) 3.5/5
5. Everything Falls Apart (1983) 3/5
6. Warehouse: Songs & Stories (1987) 3/5
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
3.0 Everything Falls Apart (1983)
4.0 Zen Arcade (1984)
3.5 New Day Rising (1985)
4.0 Flip Your Wig (1985)
3.5 Candy Apple Grey (1986)
3.0 Warehouse: Songs & Stories (1987)
For a band that never received airplay, the influence Hüsker Dü had on punk and alternative rock is impressive. You can hear them in everything from Social Distortion to Dinosaur Jr. to Nirvana. The first half of their debut, 1983's Everything Falls Apart, is forgettable but the second half is pretty darn good. Still, I can't get past 3 stars because it's so short. At less than 20 minutes it feels strange to list it alongside LPs. (Hüsker Dü released an actual EP in late 1983, called Metal Circus, that also works as an introduction to the band.) Their sophomore effort, 1984's Zen Arcade, represents a turning point for harcore punk in terms of making the genre more melodic. As a double album, I think it's too long and parts of it aren't that memorable (tracks 5 thru 13 are sort of a slog) but it also harbors significant treasures (sides 3 and 4 shine, for the most part.) If they'd cut the album down to a single disc containing only the best dozen tracks I'd have gotten beyond 4 stars on it. Parts of 1985's New Day Rising move even further towards pop music, and other parts retain the band's rough edge. "Terms of Psychic Warfare," "Books About UFOs," and Celebrated Summer" lead the charge, but some of the lesser tracks strike me as filler. The following year's Flip Your Wig has a more polished sound and, arguably, is their most consistent for songwriting. Candy Apple Grey (also 1986) is basically Flip Your Wig part deux, but not quite as good. Their final studio installment, 1987's Warehouse: Songs and Stories, has some good tunes to be sure, but they get diluted because the album is so unnecessarily long. (It also suffers from the growing friction between the two main songwriters- Grant Hart and Bob Mould.) Hüsker Dü isn't quite an all-time top 100 artist for me, but I owe them a debt of gratitude. They're partially responsible for inspiring a good chunk of my favorite 1980s and 1990s music.
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = major classic (consistently great *and* stratospheric highs)
4.5 = minor classic (consistently great *or* stratospheric highs, but not both)
4.0 = great (a clear majority is worth revisiting and it's an essential record for this artist/style)
3.5 = seriously good (at least half is worth revisiting)
3.0 = nominally good (less than half is worth revisiting)
2.5 = decent (competent but uninspired - not worth revisiting)
2.0 = poor (difficult listen)
1.5 = awful (can't finish it)
1.0 = historically awful (musical apocalypse)
▪︎"Consistently" does not mean "flawlessly." I allow for a few duds if the rest of the songs are good enough. "Stratospheric highs" refer to albums that either feature iconic songs or have a highly influential sound. (Note: Albums that I consider to be "perfect" can also reach 5 stars, even without containing iconic songs or being highly influential.)
▪︎I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore.
▪︎Anything I rate 3.5 stars or higher is an album I'm enthusiastic about and would likely revisit at some point.
Well guess what? It’s still garbage, and the bands that were influenced by Hüsker Dü went on to be better than them in every single way.
Finally. Although it started out with a little shock for me with Kramser putting Warehouse at the bottom of his list, which reminded me a little of my bewilderment when Jason rated Remain In Light way back when. But I like the way you guys get along and the different ways you're listening to music. My rating is 1) Warehouse 2) Zen Arcade 3) Candy Apple Grey 4) Everything Falls Apart And More 5) Flip Your Wig 6) New Day Rising. Thanks, nice treat. 🤗
theyre a band that i somehow wasnt expecting you guys to do even though theyre very popular and influential. anyway im glad ur doing them theyre a great band
My second-favorite band of the 80s. They brought an emotional depth to punk that had never been done before.
1. Zen Arcade (5 stars; #2 album of the 80s)
2. Flip Your Wig (5 stars; #15 of the 80s)
3. New Day Rising (4 1/2 stars; #94 of the 80s)
4. Warehouse: Songs and Stories (4 stars)
5. Candy Apple Grey (4 stars)
6. Everything Falls Apart (3 1/2 stars)
Non-Album Releases
1. Metal Circus EP (5 stars; #4 EP of the 80s)
2. Savage Young Du (4 stars; interesting archival release from 2017)
3. The Living End (3 1/2 stars)
4. Land Speed Record (2 stars; deserves a remastered version)
Replacements your fave?
@@TastesLikeMusic Yeah, by a hair. Even though I’ve given 5 star ratings to Husker Du and Mats albums, I don’t think either band has put out a perfect album on a song-by-song basis.
New Day Rising > Flip Your Wig
@@echosmyron1278 Just curious is Let it be your #1? And GBV were the Mats of the 90s in a way...
@@gobnagob9729 Nope, it’s Pleased to Meet Me. I rank Let It Be behind that one and Tim, and the album lands on my 80s list “only” in 31st place. All Mats album (except my #1) have at least one shippable track, and “Gary’s Got…” has always been their worst offender, IMO. Plus, I am not a KISS fan, and I don’t like the “Black Diamond” cover as much as I’m supposed to.
New Day Rising anytime of the day for me. Aggression, angst, optimism, nostalgia, humour, dirt. The girl on Heaven Hill is their finest moment in my book.
The guitar tone and sound on New Day Rising is the Husker Du sound. Don't know how this album could be at the bottom of anyones list. To each his own I guess.
I really think you guys should stay away from punk. You don't get it
Maybe punk doesn’t get it. - Joe
yes - completely clueless
My ranking looks a lot like Jason's, but I like these records a lot more than he does.
1. Candy apple grey 4.5
2. Warehouse 4.5
3. Flip your wig 4
4. Zen arcade 4
5. New day rising 4
6. Metal circus 3.5
7. Everything falls apart 3
I missed out on the first few years, but a friend of mine in high school gave me a Hüsker Dü pin that I wore on my jean jacket. I picked up Flip your wig when it came out in '85 based on his recommendation, and i was hooked. I prefer their more melodic songs. And I prefer Grant Hart, although, Bob Mould has had a solid solo career. I included Metal circus because it's really cool.
1. Flip Your Wig
2. New Day Rising
3. Zen Arcade
4. Everything Falls Apart
5. Metal Circus
6. Warehouse
7. Candy Apple Grey
Husker Du is awesome. Joe and Jason's criticisms are actually positives in my opinion
I feel the same way. Ear shattering and abrasive are not negatives, in my opinion.
If there is something I've learned on this channel its that we dont have to take Jason and Joe very serious when it comes to music that deals with distortions and/or noise.
Straight noise, no thanks. But I like fast punk music a lot. This is mostly tinny, tuneless sludge though. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic actually I think they are very tuneful, .... but the sludge can bury it
@@MrUnclesean we shouldn’t have to trudge our way through sludge and broken glass just to find a little tiny nugget of melody. No bueno.
1. Candy Apple Grey. 9
2. Flip Your Wig. 8.5
3. Zen Arcade. 8.25
4. New Day Rising 7.75
5. Warehouse:Songs and Stories 7.5
6. Everything Falls Apart. 6
I like them better as a songs band, except for Candy Apple Grey. All their albums have great songs.
I actually like their solo stuff more.
Cheers!
Metal Circus is one of the greatest things they ever laid to tape if for no other reason than ‘Diane’ is a
Grant Hart masterpiece and the rest of the songs are also some of their strongest, ‘Deadly Skies’ is also an old favorite, just some great old Midwest punk rock shit and also the first Husker Dü stuff I got and fell in love with just prior to having my mind then blown by ‘Zen Arcade’ which is truly their finest moment with ‘New Day Rising’ coming in 2nd. Also saw them play live three times back in the day and they were even faster and noisier than on record which worked well in the hardcore show context. The nasty recording production is part of some of their sound, you’re either into it from many years back or you’re not, it’s a bit of a time and place thing. If you were into this stuff when it was brand new it makes a lot more sense, one of the most important and influential bands for many of us at the time they were making records. Also if you guys really like Grant Hart his first solo album ‘Intolerance’ is an indie rock classic that needs to be heard
Compared to the timelessness of Sugar’s Copper Blue, Intolerance is very dated, especially with those 80s synthesizers.
Husker Du's sound was very ground breaking for the world of punk at the time. I remember, first hearing them in 1983. I remember, how much of an effect their garbled and overpowering wall of guitar sound and subtle melody seemed to have on me. Also, at that time, I had thought that I had never heard experimental fuzz guitar playing like that since the Jimi Hendrix Experience. After purchasing the Zen Arcade album in 83, I just kept on following them on their journey of "noise meets melody, to their over all power pop ride to the end." I think, they may have been one of the few bands since the bands of 1960s, to have put out two albums per year. They were pretty prolific! I still listen to them on more than occasion.
Omitting Metal Circus is a serious mistake. It's a big leap in their evolution and contains some of their more important songs that would stay in their set until their breakup. EPs in the world of punk/hardcore/indie aren't the same thing as mainstream rock. They are often essential releases and have everything a band has to give at that time due to budget. In A Free Land also should not be overlooked as it is one of the best of their early songs and has the elements of what made the band great.
Really good band,not necessarily great,but 3 great records;
6.Everything Falls Apart
5.Candy Apple Grey
4.Flip Your Wig
3.Zen Arcade
2.New Day Rising
1.Warehouse;Stories and Songs(only 5 star record and my AOTY for 1987)
Excellent work my dudes! Props to Jason and Joe for plowing through music they weren't enjoying to deliver us their thoughtful opinions. I'm with you two on New Day Rising in terms of the harsh noise. If I was just rating based on how much I like it, my score would be significantly lower (unless I'm really drunk, then apparently I love it, based on past experience. Which makes rating it all the more difficult). But as usual I rated it based on how good I think it is. Or tried to.
Don't encourage them. 🤣
Lol🤣
The channel that keeps on giving! This month should be a lot of fun 👍🏻
Candy Apple Grey is one of the key albums of my life. I've been coming back to it for nearly 40 years now, and it still sounds great to me. Hüsker Dü are a massively underrated band - without them, there would have been no Pixies and no Nirvana, that's how important they were.
6 Everything Falls Apart
5 Flip Your Wig
4 Warehouse
3 Candy Apple Grey
2 New Day Rising
1 Zen Arcade
Don’t let the bastards get you down Kram!
6. Everything Falls Apart (1983) 2.5/5
5. Candy Apple Grey (1986) 3/5
4. Warehouse: Songs And Stories (1987) 3.5/5
3. Flip Your Wig (1985) 3.5/5
2. Zen Arcade (1984) 4/5
1. New Day Rising (1985) 4.5/5
All of our ratings are within a 1/2 star of each other except for New Day Rising (I thought there were a number of "throwaways" on that album.) Nice list!
@@AbbeyRoadkill1 Actually New Day Rising is come really close to 5 stars, there're only two songs that stopped me - title track and Perfect Example. But still strong 4.5 (most likely a candidate for top 5 in the year). The album contains extremely crazy and noisy guitar tone, which works perfectly with energetic punk style (of course Joe & Jason don't get it, couse it isn't that poppy and catchy...). Most nateble in the last three song. They work almost like instrumental suite and coda to this wonderfull album. 😊
I agree
with the order, my ratings would be higher
@@LeotheOrangeCat Even though I'm not a big punk fun, I have to say that I really liked getting into this band during the week. And I could easily make a compilation about 30-40 mins from the albums that don't reach 4/5.
Pretty perplexed by Jason but hey I gotta give him credit for at least listening to everything. Some people love Husker Du and some people love Collective Soul.
Hüsker Dü ranking
1. New Day Rising- 5 stars
2. Zen Arcade- 5 Stars
3. Flip Your Wig- 5 stars
4. Candy Apple Grey- 4.5 stars
5. Warehouse: Songs and Stories- 4.5 stars
6. Everything Falls Apart- 3.5 stars
Top 15 songs
1. Celebrated Summer
2. Pink Turns to Blue
3. Chartered Trips
4. Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely
5. Makes No Sense At All
6. The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
7. Something I Learned Today
8. I Apologise
9. Green Eyes
10. Ice Cold Ice
11. Real World
12. Sorry Somehow
13. Punch Drunk
14. Could You Be The One?
15. Broken Home, Broken Heart
Awesome!! Really looking forward to watching this one. I love the mix of artists that you've been giving us.
Considering New Day Rising their worst album is absolutely mental.
We’re more into music that sounds good. - Joe
I agree... I hope they never attempt to rank Guided by Voices. 😆
6. Candy Apple Grey
5. Warehouse: Songs and Stories
4. Everything Falls Apart
3. Flip Your Wig
2. New Day Rising
1. Zen Arcade
Awww great! Thanks for covering Husker Du guys - their one of my favourite ever bands/artists and Zen Arcade is in my personal top ten favourite albums 🙂
I love Husker and oddly enough Metal Circus is my favorite release. It encompasses so much of their ethos in such a short amount of time.
06 Everything Falls Apart 2.5
05 Zen Arcade. 3.5
04 Candy Apple Grey. 4
03 Warehouse: Songs and Stories. 4.5
02 New Day Rising 5
01 Flip Your Wig. 5
By the way, i bought Bob Mould’s first solo album Workbook on LP today. Nice coincidence.
SO looking forward to this month! There's not a dud band in the lot.
As someone who caught the Cocteau Twins on every tour I could in the 80s and 90s, I am always interested in others' CT thoughts.
But about this episode....
JOE. JASON.
Never thought I would hear someone disparage a stone cold CLASSIC like New Day Rising so wrongly.
Hate the Bob songs, you say? Celebrated Summer??????
C'mon, man.
No punk rock cred for you today.
Loved The Cocteau Twins at The Palace in 1985 with the reel to reel machine on stage 👌
@@davidellis5141 gets it
this was a fun listen!!!
6 new day rising 3.0 stars
5 ware house songs and stories 3.0 + stars
4 candy apple grey 3.5 stars
3 everything falls apart 3.5 + stars
2 flip your wig 4.0 stars
1 zen arcade 4.5 stars [great album]
WHO DEY WHO DEY 🐯🐯🐯
Very nice!
@@Vanessa.P glad you finally got to do your band!!!!!! Hope the boys didnt hurt to much lol!! thank you for suggesting them to me in the olden days!!!💜🐯
@@bengalgangster I will recover lol. Glad to see you enjoyed them!!
You got that right Jason. There was a ridiculous amount of talk about "selling out" in the 80s and 90s.
Agreed. The debate about authenticity, to which I fell for in the 80s and 90s, now just bores me to death.
@@frangarcia7774 In both the states & England many of the independent labels simply didn't properly pay their artists. At least on a major things were accounted for & you received a proper publishing deal which is where the real money was made. Signing to a major enabled you to make a living wage & not sleep on a fans floor .. tour support.
An age old debate...Dylan sold out by plugging in, Miles Davis sold out on every turn of his long career. Whenever "fans" think that they "own" an artist, the slightest change of the formula is "selling out".
i'd hate to hear anything Jason would produce..
Wooooop! +butthurt alert!+ Wooooop! +butthurt alert!+ Wooooop!
I finally got to listen to the whole video and... it was painful. But then again, what was I expecting? 😂
When I hear adjectives like "harsh " or "ear splitting" I don't necessarily think that's a negative. I like noise, I love stuff that scares the horses and, in the case of Hüsker Dü, the performances and songs overcome iffy production. I like well produced records, but sometimes I really don't give a toss. It's the 50th anniversary of Lenny Kaye's "Nuggets" comp and much of that stuff is raw, underproduced and I'm not sure the producers laboured over the VU meters going into the red; those primitive wonders surpass any glossy "post-punk" bands like The Strokes or The White Stripes, who both have tunes I kinda like. All in all, this video was fairly predictable, with a couple of surprises. I don't do number or star ratings, but if I did Everything Falls Apart would get 3 starts, everything else 4 and up.
1. New Day Rising.
2. Flip Your Wig
3. Candy Apple Grey
4. Zen Arcade
5. Metal Circus (A minute shorter than Evereything Falls Apart, so...)
6. Warehouse. I seem to like this one more everytime I hear it, though.
7. Everything Falls Apart
I mentioned this elsewhere, but Greg Ginn has been holding the SST stuff hostage, so any hopes for a remaster seem unlikely. Side note: if anyone has read any Dennis Cooper novels, he drops in a lot of music references, including a lot of Hüsker Dü. Worth checking out.
Well then why don’t you listen to Confusion is Sex or Pulse Demon if you love noise so much? 😂
@@curly_wyn I do listen to Confusion is Sex. Mezbow is usually a little too formless for me, though I do like some of his collaborations, like with Richard Pinhas.
I never got Husker Du at all but I liked Sugar and Mould's early solo albums.
Greetings gentlemen. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm with Joe. Warehouse my number one.
Zen Arcade was definitely one of my favorite rock/metal albums of 1984. 84 had Husker Du and The Replacements, but it actually belonged to metal! Metallica's Ride the Lighting, Dokken's Tooth and Nail, and Van Halen's 1984 are my top 3 albums of 84. The 80s had a lot of competition from the thrashers, hair bands, New Wave of British Heavy Metal, new wave, goth/dark wave and synth pop, along with pop!
My first introduction to Husker Du was Everything Falls Apart. I was slightly offput by it, remarking that it was "kind of poppy." But I heard their whole discography(including all the early demos) and came to appreciate every era of Husker Du. They are my absolute favorite band. I think, for me, the order goes:
New Day Rising
Zen Arcade
Metal Circus
Land Speed Record
Warehouse:Songs and Stories
Everything Falls Apart
Flip Your Wig
Candy Apple Grey
I would lump the early demos that have been released(and there are a lot) with Land Speed Record. I listen to all of that a lot. True fans don't discount Land Speed Record. I saw Greg Norton's band Ultrabomb play recently, and never saw so many Land Speed Record shirts being worn at once. (4, we all came separately but met at the gig and took a picture with Greg lol)
Damn, October is going to be a stacked month. Looking forward to the other videos!
08) Land Speed Record (1981) 3/5
07) Candy Apple Grey (1986) 3/5
06) Flip Your Wig (1985) 3/5
05) Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987) 3.25/5
04) Everything Falls Apart (1983) 3.5/5
03) New Day Rising (1985) 3.5/5
02) Metal Circus (1983) 3.75/5
01) Zen Arcade (1984) 4.5/5
Ratings Scale:
0 stars - irredeemably terrible/insultingly bad/the worst
.5 stars - terrible
1 star - bad
1.5 stars - pretty bad
2 stars - fair
2.5 stars - meh
2.75 stars - "It's OK, but quit playing it."
3 stars - OK/decent
3.25 stars - pretty good
3.5 stars - good
4 stars - very good
4.5 stars - excellent
5 stars - rooms full of gold
Chronological Order:
1981 - 3.00 - Land Speed Record
1983 - 3.50 - Everything Falls Apart
1983 - 3.75 - Metal Circus
1984 - 4.50 - Zen Arcade
1985 - 3.50 - New Day Rising
1985 - 3.00 - Flip Your Wig
1986 - 3.00 - Candy Apple Grey
1987 - 3.25 - Warehouse: Songs and Stories
Notes:
* Never got into Hüsker Dü before I heard all their studio albums for this week. I heard them in passing but never latched on. I do dig some of Bob Mould's solo stuff and I especially love Copper Blue (5 stars) which he did with his later band Sugar. I've been into that one since it came out in '92 but I'm not crazy about most of their other stuff.
* This was a challenging listen for me because I have conflicting feelings about this music. I love it when I'm drunk, but when I'm sober it can be irritating. I love the chaotic, running-off-the-rails feeling you get from hardcore punk, so it was confusing when I wasn't always getting turned on by Hüsker Dü. I can understand how some people only hear noise, but to me, hardcore punk serves a purpose - releasing anger, aggression, energy. For the right person, it can be quite cathartic. But I have to be in the right mood for it.
* The guitar tone on these albums is sooooo harsh and abrasive, especially on Zen Arcade, but even more so on New Day Rising. I never really got it when people would talk about "ear fatigue" but I really felt that listening to New Day Rising with its relentless, overpowering guitar noise and smashing cymbals.
* I think they were better at making punk music than writing pop songs, although I'm sure many of these tunes would sound great if pretty vocals and production were substituted in place of Bob Mould's wail and noise.
* I dig the unbridled chaos of their earliest three releases. Land Speed Record (1981), the live debut, doesn't have much in the way of actual tunes, but it's good for scraping out the ole cranium and rebooting.
* Everything Falls Apart has more in the way of songs, some cool solos and a ton of energy.
* Metal Circus is even better and I especially love the guitar craziness heard on "Out on a Limb."
* Zen Arcade is a hardcore punk extravaganza with some other elements like piano interludes, a tape experiment and acoustic guitar thrown in for color. Some people call it a concept album, and there is indeed an interesting loose narrative in there. The line "I love it/ I hate it" from "Masochism World" captures the mixed feelings I have about it. "Dreams Recurring" reminds one of Hendrix's "3rd Stone from the Sun." "Indecision Time" repulses me if I'm not in the mood to hear it, but it's got a wailing solo. "The Tooth Fairy and the Princess" is a good approximation of a dream state, while "Reoccurring Dreams" is both rocking and irritating. It sounds like going mental. But what you mostly get here is top notch hardcore punk and the seeds of alt rock.
* New Day Rising is surely their noisiest album. "Plans I Make" sounds like they're trying to be as noisy as possible. Sometimes Mould's vocals are strangely subdued, like on "Perfect Example," which is awful.
* Over the course of their albums, they gradually moved away from hardcore punk towards something more like melodic alt-rock.
* Especially on their later albums, I tend to think Grant Hart's songs are better.
* "The Baby Song" on Flip Your Wig annoys the bejesus out of me.
* Cheers Mates!!!!!!!!!!
Alright! looking forward to the rest of Kramtober! These are all great picks. Haven't really listened to Husker Du enough to really decide yet how I'd rate the albums, but I do like them.
One of these days you guys should try the Voivod discography.
Great pick kramz
Honestly guys it was mostly a live thing.
Bring your earplugs
Wash and surf through the white noise.
Saw em in dc several times
This episode was like a sharpened stake being driven through my sensitive, Gen-X heart. TLM has given me much pleasure over the past couple of years. This time, it was 59 times the pain.
1. Flip Your Wig (1985). First Hüsker Dü I heard. It changed my life, weaned adolescent me off Top 40 forever. "Makes No Sense at All," "Flexible Flyer," "Green Eyes" are classics. 5/5
2. Zen Arcade (1984). One of the all-time great double albums. 5/5
3. New Day Rising (1985). Guitar tones, schmitar schtones. It's fucking great. 4.5/5
4. Candy Apple Grey (1986). They're starting to fade a bit, and the opener is almost self-parodic, but still some classic tracks. 4/5
5. Everything Falls Apart (1982). Scrappy, almost pop-like. Still developing, but something special is happening. 4/5
6. Warehouse: Songs & Stories (1987). The only album of theirs I find disappointing. The sound of a fraying, dispirited band. 3/5.
Bonus: Metal Circus EP (1983). Fantastic, intense and hook-filled. 5/5.
Yeah, maybe the guys are right that this stuff doesn't have the impact it did if you're just hearing it for the first time in 2022, but for us Gen-Xers, this was a game changer.
Sorry this band ruined your tastes 😬 - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic Yours too. You think all those 90s grunge bands you love pulled that sound out of thin air? Dave Grohl has said in interviews Nirvana was just ripping off Husker Du and Pixies.
@@edgustafson No, but the grunge bands and every other band inspired by Hüsker Dü went on to be better than them in every single way.
I requested this ranking from you guys and now I got it! I think Husker Du are one of those bands you either get and are a believer of or you only like a few songs. I'm a believer and it's obvious you guys are not so I won't make an argument other than the whole idea of an album like New Day Rising is that it's not MEANT to have great production, it's in-the-moment punk rock passion recorded by a young touring hard-working band left to their devices. And I Apologize and Celebrated Summer are Bob Mould classics! Cheers for doing this anyway.
@@curly_wyn my dick fell off
When I first started watching you guys, I thought I believed that I disagreed with Joe the most. Then I thought I disagreed with Jason the most. Now I understand that I was completely mistaken... it is Kramzer who derives from an alien world where "music" is the banging together of chicken bones in time to the hiss of electric static. Forever.
One of the few artists/bands where I knew my ratings going in.
1. Zen Arcade
2. Candy Apple Grey
3. New Day Rising
4. Everything Falls Apart
5. Flip Your Wig
6. Warehouse
You're not driving me away because I do love punk. Would love to see you guys do rankings of Descendents, Bad Religion, Misfits, and NOFX. If you don't do those, I understand. But I would love to see a Green Day ranking! Not punk related, but I'm still waiting for album rankings on The Moody Blues, The Kinks, and Duran Duran.
Bad Religion would probably fare best out of those bands that you listed. I can’t see these guys being able to get past Fat Mike’s vocals, Misfits’ production, and Descendents’….um, vocals, production, and lyrical content. Of course, BR also has the largest discography too, so it’s unlikely to happen.
Very true. But hey, a man can dream, right?
1, Candy Apple Grey 5/5
2. New Day Rising 4.5/5
3. Zen Arcade 4.5/5
4. Flip Your Wig 3.5/5
5. Warehouse: Stories and Songs 3.5/5
6. Everything Falls Apart 3.5/5
Why is Warehouse: Songs & Stories 68 minutes long? Because they were falling apart, and Hart & Mould basically came together to release 2 solo albums. It's my favorite group of Hart songs and I love every single Mould song.
For me, Mould's best period started here in 1987, went thru his first two solo albums (Workbook & Black Sheets of Rain) and Sugar's first two releases (Copper Blue and Beaster). I think it's one of those periods of artistic heat matched only by Dylan (1962-1966), Elvis Costello (1978-1982), Stevie Wonder (those 4 or 5 albums in the first half of the 70's), Neil Young (first half of the 70's...well, most of the 70's), Van Morrison (1970-1974) and Bowie (also, pretty much the entire 70's).
And Sugar to me is definitely better than Dü. The production is so much better. Copper Blue sounds big and it has hooky melodies that stick with you; Beaster sounds even bigger, and is so booming and gory and brutal!
@@curly_wyn Copper Blue is probably on my Top 10 favorite albums of all time.
My ranking (from worst to best) would be: Candy Apple Grey, Everything Falls Apart tie with Warehouse Songs and Stories, Zen Arcade, Flip Your Wig and New Day Rising. If you were counting EPs, I'd put Metal Circus between Zen Arcade and Flip Your Wig.
Wow, you three clearly don’t understand a thing about punk in context of the era (or at all). Maybe stick to Good Charlotte or Blink 182 if you want your, ahem, “punk” to sound polished and accessible.
I like my punk like X. - Joe
I don't mind noisy and fuzzy guitars, and combined with strong melodies it's a hit! Liked their albums much more than I thought I would.
8. Land Speed Record (1982) ★★
7. Metal Circus (1983) ★★★½
6. Everything Falls Apart (1983) ★★★½
5. Flip Your Wig (1985) ★★★★
4. Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987) ★★★★
3. Candy Apple Grey (1986) ★★★★½
2. Zen Arcade (1984) ★★★★½
1. New Day Rising (1985) ★★★★★
★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★½ - Really great
★★★★ - Great
★★★½ - Really good
★★★ - Good
★★½ - OK
★★ - Bad
★½ - Really bad
★ - Awful
½ - The worst
Sounds like a great series. Looking forward.
One thing is right, they never had proper production. Even today, Bob has the same situation
I was introduced to Husker Du in high school via Flip Your Wig….still love the title track
Jason - who says you have to listen to Zen Arcade all at once? Is that an album listening rule?
The only problems Husker Du had were a) not being remotely 'tight' - it sometimes sounds like they're all playing away without listening to each other and b) recording albums before they had enough material for a full record. Zen Arcade, New Day Rising (my personal favourite) and Flip Your Wig all suffer from that.
Big Husker Du fan. For the most part, I think y'all's takes were pretty spot on. Just goes to show how subjective music can be. Ask me tomorrow, and this ordering could be different. 3-5 could be backwards. For that matter, 1 & 2 could be, er, flipped.
1. Flip Your Wig 4.5
2. Warehouse: Songs and Stories 4.5
3. Zen Arcade 4.0
4. New Day Rising 4.0
5. Candy Apple Grey 4.0
6. Everything Falls Apart (placed here by default - I haven' heard all of it)
Awesome! One of my favorites! Oooh, and the Bunnymen and Furs! Sweet!
I noticed Jason often picks a shot where he's smiling and the others aren't for the thumbnail.
Think I enjoy listening to Joe's reviews the most despite my taste being most similar to Kramzer's. Joe hates everything I like. Maybe we could see a ranking of GBV discography (all of it)? 😆
I like Hüsker Du. I want to like them more, but I'm really not into the production of some of their albums. I feel like good songwriting gets lost to poor production.
I was never too keen on Bob Mould's screaming and I can see why people don't like his guitar tone, but Grant Hart is an excellent drummer and both Hart and Mould developed into outstanding lyricists. Hart was especially adept at writing interesting, infectious melodies and I think several of his songs rank among the best in all of rock. He was a very good storyteller. By Warehouse I think Mould was his equal in writing melodies and both wrote with philosophical, emotional, and intellectual depth that is too often overlooked. I would put their best songs up there amongst the best of the 80s or any other era.
Great choice! Looking forward to this one.👍
I've been waiting for this one. Thanks Kramzer :)
Also, my favorite record from them is Candy Apple Grey, but I think that the opener Crystal is far and away the worst song on that album, I honestly find it to be completely unlistenable and am convinced the only reason its even on the record is so Mould could prevent Hart from having the opening slot with Don't Wanna Know If You Are Lonely.
The next 3 weeks are awesome 👌 with 3 of the top bands of the 80's .. Cocteau Twins , Psychedelic Furs & Echo & The Bunnymen . As Bart Scott would say .. " Can't Wait " ! 😎
In the case of Echo & the Bunnymen, a strong emphasis should be put on “80s.”
@@echosmyron1278 They should skip Reverberation which is embarrassing & no Ian but Evergreen is ok.
Ian's solo debut is fantastic. Reverberation is a disaster
@@frangarcia7774 👍 on Candleland .. that needs a reissue.
Joe Jason Jason Joe No No. New Day Rising last? Insane, thankfully Kramzer saves the day.
Is anyone familiar with Robert Foster's cover of 2541 by Grant Hart?
Been loving it for 30 years. A classic in the playlists I make for friends and family
Yeah, it's good, but obviously the original is superior.
Umm, the original is great... and it's the original... but I actually like Robert's take better, Slayde
Hart did an acoustic version, too.th-cam.com/video/GjJC5e4VpDY/w-d-xo.html
Forster also does a cool take on Martha and the Muffins' Canadian new wave classic "Echo Beach".
Indeed, Ian. It's in the very same record and it's fantastic too... just not as much imho
Wow really contrasting opinions... how can you trash New Day Rising? Blows my mind.
1. Warehouse: Songs and Stories (5 star)
2. New Day Rising (5 star)
3. Flip Your Wig (4.5 star)
4. Candy Apple Grey (4.5 Star)
5. Zen Arcade (4 Star)
6. Everything Falls Apart (3 star)
I think all these guys would like Bob's solo career (and Sugar) more. Seems production is a main hang up.
It's easy to trash New Day Rising with its incredibly harsh guitars. You seriously can't understand how some people might not like that?
@@179rich People who like heavy music should love it, no?
@@APAL880 not necessarily
Anyone who likes music should like New Day Rising.
@@edgustafson Yeah, cuz if there's anything I've learned around here, everyone has basically the same tastes. Everyone loves and hates the same things. 😕
Bob Moulds second band sugar has a fantastic album copper blue basically picks up where husker du left off but picking up some tricks from their protégés the pixies. Probably the best batch of songs Mould ever wrote
Surprised to see this. I lean toward Kramzer's list, but love Candy Apple. I had the great pleasure to meet these guys at a record store signing and still have my autographed CD (WS&S). Big fan. With that said, we all have artists that hurt our ears. For example, sometimes Janis Joplin hits a pitchy note that gives me chalkboard shivers. That's why the split on New Day Rising makes so much sense. Good job guys! I appreciate the discography ranking.
Nice job, Kramzer, fighting hard to defend a band you like against two disinterested colleagues. (Roxanne is probably right.) That said, a group as important and influential as the Dü deserve discussion. Their evolution as players and Hart & Mould as songwriters was truly inspiring. I first heard "Green Eyes" on a late night radio program and was captivated: the straddling of hardcore and psychedelic styles sounded revolutionary at the time. Thus, WIG is my sentimental favourite but the albums on either side of it are both epic. NEW DAY has power and humour, APPLE GREY has precision and depth. Kram likened ZEN to THE WALL. As a young man's journey of self-discovery, I'd go for a punk QUADROPHENIA. Dü's cover of "Sunshine Superman" was mentioned but I'll add the awesome "Eight Miles High" and "Love is All Around" (the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show) as proof of their pop prowess. WAREHOUSE is indeed a too large structure filled with all kinds of product; it takes more work to find the gems but they're there. EVERYTHING FALLS also takes some work but the interesting stuff points to where the band is headed. Their studio output is bookended with two live albums that are a must for fans. Jason and Joe need not bother.
I agree fully with Jason and Joe on this one.
Great band, but they were definitely one that had to click with me over time. I struggled with them more than their contemporaries. Glad to hear the Sugar shout. Copper Blue is one of the best power pop albums ever and probably what 2/3 of you were hoping Bob would be doing during this deep dive. Y'all might like that first Grant Hart solo album, Intolerance, too. Kram def coming in with the traditional ranking. I'd probably swap the top two but either way is great.
Of the three, I think Kramser is the only one who truly gets what Husker Du were all about. It was the marriage/fusion of noise and melody that made them special. Take that away, you end up with an ordinary hardcore/punk band nowhere near as good or influential as they turned out to be. If not for them, Sonic Youth and the Pixies, the alt-rock generation would be largely forgettable.
No Sonic Youth you say….. - Joe
Their songwriting is outstanding, melodies and lyrics, particularly later in their discography, and is what makes them still worth listening to.
For me "Warehouse" is their best. I prefer Mould's songs to Hart's. Cheers.
I concur
Haven't started yet. Can't wait. Husker Du's notoriously shrill production and unpolished vocals are sure to make Jason and Joe puke, respectively.
I can't stop pre-ranking over here!!
9:49 I agree with everyone's comments in the first round - guitars sound like shit, Hart is the tighter, catchier songwriter in Dü - but I have New Day Rising and Warehouse at 2 and 3 on my list. Bizarre.
Am surprised Celebrated Summer wasn't a highlight for you guys though.
1. New Day Rising... By far.
2. Zen Arcade
3. Flip Your Wig
4. Candle Apple Grey
5. Everything Falls Apart
6. Warehouse... couple of good songs (Ice Cold Ice, Could You Be The One? But mostly a tame version of the band)
1. Zen Arcade - 4.5
2. New Day Rising - 4 (close to 4.5)
3. Flip Your Wig - 4
4. Warehouse: Songs and Stories - 4
4a. Metal Circus - 3.5
5. Candy Apple Grey - 3.5
6. Everything Falls Apart - 3
6a. Land Speed Record - 2
Thought the guy who knew the band would have the most insightful comments, but then he puts Warehouse last. Not a good sign. And then New Day Rising at the top. I guess that's the canonical order. In a very rare occurrence with a band like this, I match up more with Joe and, to a lesser degree, Jason. Most likely because of their appreciation of Grant Hart's melodic skills.
Warehouse
Flip Your Wig
Candy Apple Grey
Zen Arcade
New Day Rising
Everything Falls Apart
Their albums up until the last one could have used twice as much Grant Hart and half as much Bob Mould.
Looking forward to you guys discovering all of the Echo & the Bunnymen discography, I always liked them but only really deeped dived to their newer stuff recently. I think a good thing to keep in mind is their career parallel to U2, might be fun to keep in mind as you explore. Definitely compare their albums to Oasis in those years too and who was better.
I hate Oasis, but it’s not too hard to outdo albums like What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? and Evergreen.
@@echosmyron1278 Totally agree. That is my point, I wish Echo got more praise during those years.
@@echosmyron1278 really? I think What Are You Gonna Do With Your Life? is one of the best albums of 1999.
Cut out the Spot bashing. He produced like all my favorite albums. Clearly a pattern.
Ryan I agree about Candy Apple Grey. My top tracks are Crystal, Hardly Getting Over It, Too Far Down, Dead Set, and of course the classic Don't Want To Know (If You're Lonely). And I think my top of their lp's is Zen Arcade. They're all pretty good. 1 Zen 2 Everything 3 New Day 4 Candy Apple 5 Warehouse 6 Flip Your Wig