Formed: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Band Bio / Discography
Bob Mould - guitar, vocals
Greg Norton - bass, vocals
Grant Hart - drums, vocals
PART ONE: ADAPTED FROM LINER NOTES TO THE EVERYTHING FALLS APART AND MORE CD:
To say that the musical influence of Husker Dü is pervasive and far-reaching is cliche, but true. Many of today's "alternative" or "indie" bands owe more than a passing debt to this three-piece powerhouse. The essence and foundation of Husker's influence was their relentless do-it-yourself ethic, which began with their foundation of their own Reflex Records in 1980 and continued until their dissolution.
Curiously, Husker Dü seemingly defined the punk ethos circa 1980-83 without necessarily embracing or endorsing it. While many musical peers and those in the press sported political slogans as communication, Husker power-communicated below the surface - their songs asked real questions, explored true feelings.
In the bands formative years, they were an almost angelic, polite, and- dare I say? - "proper" pop unit. God, the first time I saw them, Bob Mould was wearing a tie. That musical journey began in the dimly lit confines of J.'s Longhorn Bar in late 1979. The Longhorn was a daytime steakhouse, serving up local punk and new wave in the evenings. On the advice of Chris Osgood (a local legend himself as a founding member of punk pioneers - The Suicide Commandos), I had come to see this relatively new band with the funny Scandinavian name. Osgood had raved about his rising guitar student, Bob Mould.
As I rounded the corner into the music room and saw them for the first time, they were bashing out a Johnny Thunders cover. The originals that followed, delivered with authority and conviction, simply blew me away. From that moment on, I was hooked. Pulse racing, I moved in closer. I noticed that they didn't talk much. They played a tune, thanked the audience, and moved right on - a tradition they would take to ridiculous extreme on the live album Land Speed Record. A "mere" three-member group, there was nothing and no one for them to hide behind as they bared their thoughts and talents.
The long-out-of-print debut single, "Statues/Amusement," was recorded in 1980 and released on Reflex Records in January 1981. In contrast to the hard-core element that was to emerge later, these two songs showcased the band's talents amid slower tempos and more understandable lyrics. A remix of Grant Harts "Statues"" debuts here, clocking in at an amazing 8:42. The original release was edited to conform to the running time restrictions of the 7" format. Also making its debut is Greg Norton's "Lets Go Die," a previously unreleased studio recording from the statues session. A live version appeared on Land Speed Record.
The year 1981 provided another milestone, the bands now-historic "Children's Crusade Tour," which brought them to the attention of The Minutemen's New Alliance Records, SST Records, and, ultimately, the rest of the world. The much-sought-after In A Free Land single, released on New Alliance in 1982, is interesting for its shift to hard-core and the fact that it contains two of the few overtly "political" songs the band ever released: the title track and "M.I.C." (military industrial complex).
Everything Falls Apart proved that a punk record could be pretty and powerful all at once. In addition to standouts like the title track, 'Target', and 'Wheels', check out the lesser-known 'Gravity,' and you'll know what I mean.
The Mould-Hart songwriting axis and Greg Norton's propelling bass may have provided Husker Dü with a more melodic, hook-laden sound than most of their punk or hard-core brethren, but lurking beneath those hooks was a sense of insecurity, desperation, even finality. Husker Dü took pop despair to new heights. It's been 10 years and more since these tracks were recorded, and they still raise the hair on the back of my neck.
Without demeaning their efforts since, Everything Falls Apart is the way Husker Dü were and never would be again. The power, excitement, and integrity of these songs remain undiminished. If only punk rock could be this god again. Everything Falls Apart And More perfectly and comprehensively captures the band's formative years and clearly hints at greater things to come. Even now, the power and diversity of these songs rival anything from today's alternative camp.
PART TWO:
In 1983, Husker Dü became one of hardcore/alternative bands which - like the Minutemen, R.E.M., the Meat Puppets, and the Replacements - carved out a niche on college radio stations, as they made a move away from pure thrash with the critically acclaimed Metal Circus EP, released on 12" not only in the US, but the UK too. New, more intelligent songs such as 'It's Not Funny Anymore' and 'Diane' (both written and sung by Hart) allowed them to play muscular punk rock at a more normal pace, demonstrating how melodic they were. Other songs, like 'Deadly Skies' and 'Real World' (two Mould compositions), harked back to the furious political shenanigans of 'In A Free Land'.
Husker Dü continued to get better and better. Their 1984 release, Zen Arcade, was their first LP for SST Records. A double set concept album about a boy who moves to the big city and gets fucked up on drugs, Zen Arcade was recorded in 45 hours had it all: completely insane punk blasts, psychedelic pop, backwards effects, the odd acoustic ditty, and the best fourteen-minute instrumental ever recorded. At the end of that year, the band released a scorchingly hot Byrds cover, Eight Miles High, as a stand alone single.
The blinding pace of recording and touring continued through 1984 and 1985, but problems were setting in. Rumour had it that Mould and Hart had alcohol and drug issues and weren't getting on. But in 1985, the group released two albums, New Day Rising was soon followed by Flip Your Wig which both received glowing reviews from critics and fans, and are often considered to be their finest efforts.
After this success, Husker Dü signed with Warner Brothers and in 1986 released Candy Apple Grey, which spawned a couple of explosive singles, Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely, a Bob Mould rocker that could have been on Flip Your Wig, and Sorry Somehow , a Hart composition that featured a very nice organ and some delightfully tortured vocals. The album itself also featured two astonishing ballads, the best of which was the heart-breaking miserablist epic 'Hardly Getting Over It'.
Tension in the band, however, remained high, and another double album - 1987's Warehouse: Songs and Stories - turned out to be their last. Their manager David Savor committed suicide just before a major US tour. Mould took over his role, and this did not help. Nor did Norton's getting married. Nor did Hart continuing with his regime of heavy drug and alcohol use while Mould stayed sober. Things in fact got worse. In 1987, Hart was either sacked or quit (depending on where you read about it), and the band broke up.
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles / Albums
| Statues (7", 1981) |
Land Speed Record (LP, 1982) |
In A Free Land (7", 1982) |
Everything Falls Apart (LP, 1983) |
Metal Circus (12", 1983) |
| Eight Miles High (7", 1984) |
Zen Arcade (2xLP, 1984) |
New Day Rising (LP/CD, 1985) |
Makes No Sense At All (7", 1985) |
Flip Your Wig (LP/CD, 1985) |
| Sorry Somehow (2x7"/12", 1986) |
Candy Apple Grey (LP/CD, 1986) | Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely (7"/12", 1986) |
Warehouse: Songs and Stories (2xLP/CD, 1987) |
Could You Be The One? (7"/12", 1987) |
| Ice Cold Ice (7"/12", 1987) |
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Extraneous Releases |
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| Eight Miles High / Makes No Sense At All (10"/CDS, 1990) |
Everything Falls Apart And More (CD, 1993) |
The Living End (CD, 1994) |
Live Featuring J.C. (CDS, 2008) |
Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely (7", split with Green Day, 2011) |
 |
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Amusement |
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (Live) (7", split with Ramones, 2015) |
Minneapolis Moonstomp 1985 (2xLP, 2016) |
Savage Young Dü (4xLP+7"/3xCD, box set, 2017) |
Extra Circus (7"/CDS, 2017) |
Promos |
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| The Warehouse Interview (2xLP, 1987) |
Do You Remember? (CD, 1994) |
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| Note: There are also the following promo singles, which I will add if anyone wants to send scans of them: From Zen Arcade (12", 1984), Celebrated Summer (7", 1985), Flexible Flyer (7", 1985), Tell You Why Tomorrow (12", 1987), She's A Woman (And Now He Is A Man) (12", 1987). | ||||
Bootlegs |
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| The Early Years (7", 1985) |
Makes No Sense At All (LP, 1985) |
Lynndale's Burning (LP, 1986) |
Books About UFO's (LP, 1986) |
Pogo Of The Halfdead (LP, 1988) |
| Drug Party (7", 1990) |
Live At The 1st Avenue Club, Minneapolis, 1985 (LP, 1992) | Minneapolis Is Burning (CD, 1992) |
Live in Boston 1986 (CD, 1993) |
PsychePowerPopAPunk (CD, 1993) |
| Live On The Joan Rivers Show 1987 (7", 1993) | Now And Zen (CD, 1994) |
Supernova (CD, 1994) |
Up In The Air: Studio Outtakes (CD, 1996) | Boston 1986 |
| Ultracore (LP, 1997) |
Do You Remember? The Early Years 1980-1982 (LP, 2002) |
Spin Radio Show |
Every Everything (CDR, 2004) |
Early Demos (12", 2005) |
| Spot's Arcade (LP, 2010) |
The Truth Hurts: Early Demos And Recordings 1979-1980 (LP, 2010) |
Do You Remember Radio? |
The Complete Spin Radio Concert (LP/CD, 2015) |
Live... First Avenue '85 (CD, 2015) |
| Minneapolis Moonstomp (CD, 2015) |
Euphoria Portland Broadcast 1981 (CD, 2018) |
Live In Minneapolis, August 28th 1985 (LP, 2017) |
The Archives (3xCD, box set, 2018) |
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Various Artists
Charred Remains US Tape 1981 (Noise Records): Bricklayer
Barefoot & Pregnant US Tape 1982 (Reflex): Target / Signals From Above / Let's Lie
Kitten Kompilation US Tape 1982 (Reflex): It's Not Fair (Live)
Underground Hits 2 Germany LP 1983 (Aggressive Rockproduktionen): Deadly Skies / Lifeline
The Blasting Concept US LP 1983 (SST): Real World
Code Blue US Tape 1984 (Last Rites): In A Free Land / Target / It's Not Funny Any More
Tellus #10: All Guitars US Tape 1984 (Tellus): Bob Mould Soundcheck
Bang Zoom #6 US Tape 1984 (Bang Zoom): Out On A Limb (Live)
A Diamond Hidden In The Mouth Of A Corpse US LP 1985 (Giorno Poetry Systems): Won't Change
NME'S Big Four UK 7" 1986 (NME): Ticket To Ride
The Blasting Concept Volume II US LP 1986 (SST): Erase Today
The 7 Inch Wonders Of The World US Tape 1986 (SST): Eight Miles High / Masochism World Makes No Sense At All / Love Is All Around
Smack My Crack UK LP 1987 (Giorno Poetry Systems): Won't Change
Duck And Cover US LP/CD 1990 (SST): Eight Miles High
Links
HÜSKER DÜ DATABASE - Excellent mine of info (and where I grabbed the publicity shots and flyers from)
MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - Dü collection
BOB MOULD - Official site
THE NORTON'S - You might still be able to eat at Greg Norton's restaurant, but I don't know for sure
WIKIPEDIA - Bandpage
FLEX! HARDCORE - Lots of reviews etc, but nwo you need to fork out for the books (which are excellent)
MARK PRINDLE - Reviews and abuse
MYSPACE - Bandpage
