So, I just finished reading Our Band Could Be Your Life, a pretty cool history of the "indie underground" from '81-'91. Black Flag, Minutemen, Buttholes, Sonic Youth......good stuff. Anyway, I started a little project, getting a bunch of albums of the era from the good ol' Minneapolis Public Library. And recently I got: Zen Arcade.
I'll have to admit I've never really checked out the early Husker Du thing, but after reading about them I thought it'd be worth a listen (at the very least because a couple of their albums are "classics" and should be considered required listening - at least once, right?) So Zen Arcade is a 1984 double album released on SST. This shit still sounds really fresh, to me. There's an energy that you don't come across as often today, an urgency to fucking tear it up. And, of course, being Husker Du, the songs have a lot more sneaky pop sensibility than your average punk/hardcore of the day.
I think most of you are the right age to appreciate this, but when this album was released I was in 2nd grade, and the two biggest joints of the year were VH's 1984 and Thriller (to us 2nd graders, at least). And labels like SST were out lurking out there, ready to corrode my brain. If I'd only known then...
6 comments:
Yeah I was 21 when that sucker came out, If you can find the single they did covering 8 miles high that's really awesome also. New Day Rising is the one that really did it for me. Got to see them in either 85 or 86, shit that was a long time ago......!
I got "Warehouse: Songs and Stories" and "Metal Circus" at that Garage Sale last week. Good shit. I never really checked Zen Arcade.
That Azarrad book was excellent. The Ian Mackaye/Fugazi/Minor Threat stuff was the best for me.
I got this & the Minutemen's Double Nickels within a couple weeks after they came out. Everyone made fun of me because, for about a month, these were the only two albums I listened to. I'm with Gabe on New Day Rising, but Zen Arcade has more sentimental attachment for me.
Oh ho hoooo... I was in high school in mpls from 80-84 and I saw the Huskers umpteen times (yeah, I win!). What an awesome band they were. New Day Rising is still a chill inducing record in my mind. They do a wonderful cover of the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore show. The old bass player runs (or ran, it's been a while) a great restaurant down in Red Wing. Warehouse is the record that many original fans didn't like. It was major label and relatively poppy. I, for one, love that record.
Here's a bonus for ya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7KeX7vdGpE
That's Grant Hart's band Nova Mob.
Yeah Clark wins. Still think that Warehouse record is a turd, though if you like Mould's solo work you'd probably dig it.
I was in 3rd Coast Coast Guitars in Chicago this past winter and Greg Norton's old SVT cab was sitting around there. What a relic! I had to go touch it.
I only have 12 albums on vinyl and this is one of them. I'm going to a Bob Mould show. Dude from Fugazi on drums, and maybe a Husker song or two. rock n roll 4 life!
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