Hüsker Dü were very special to me at a certain point during the development of my musical taste. I'm glad people can access their music in any form. They made some truly inspiring rock music which is ultimately timeless. Their output between 1984-85 is almost unparalleled. In the space of a few months they moved from metalliac socio-political hardcore to blistering, conceptual punk rock to pristine power pop. Metal Circus to Flip Your Wig is basically essential listening for anyone interested in independent music. Not as keen on the Warner albums but there's still some good stuff. The end of this band was absolutely surreal. They signed to a major and Bob Mould quit drugs and booze, whereas Grant Hart moved further into addiction. They began to argue relentlessly about the ratio of songs per record and eventually with their label to the extent that negotiations became openly hostile. The stress was so enormous, their manager literally jumped off a bridge. Still, the split was well timed and both songwriters penned an incredible record following the schism. Mould's Workbook and Hart's Intolerance are both superior records to the final two Hüsker Dü albums.
What absolutely mind fuckingly awesome songs these assholes wrote in their day. Side Three of Zen Arcade is one of the best sides of vinyl I can think of off the top of my head. 'Newest Industry' is probably their best song overall. Some of Hart's songs on New Day Rising are the most perfect pop songs and I will betray my younger self by saying that I am kind of sick of Spot's production on that record. Very occasionally I wish I could hear a cleaner version of 'Terms of Psychic Warfare' or 'Books About UFOs'. Comparatively, Flip Your Wig used to be too clean for my tastes but now it goes down just right. A few folks I know cite this record as the beginning of the decline but personally, I think it's the most consistent record they ever made. There can't be many songs as good as 'Divide & Conquer' out there. The one-two punch of 'Flexible Flyer' and 'Private Plane' is probably the best sequencing decision they ever made. There's some terrific material before and after the 1984-85 period but that was the creative peak, no question.
Man did I ever love this band. What a band! Even with their myriad of faults, they wrote such good songs that it was essentially inconsequential.
