Hello reader,
Welcome back. Or welcome to SWT if this is your first time.
The following fact may anger some and disappoint others, but unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see Hüsker Dü live. I was born a generation later, so while I was not one of the diehard Minnesotan/Midwesterners fortunate enough to see them play lightning-fast hardcore punk songs like they did in ’79 and the early 80’s or the more alternative and post-hardcore ballads of their mid to late 80s era, the bands collection of music made me a fan when I first began listening in the late 2000’s while in my mid to late 20’s. I immediately fell in love with the band’s songs, their melodies, and their playing style. At this time, around 20 years from their last album release, Hüsker Dü wasn’t receiving much radio airplay on my favorite local stations in my neck of the woods of the upper Midwest. Fortunately, Michael Azerrad’s gem, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991, which I mentioned early on in SWT’s existence, was able to spark my interest in Hüsker Dü. And several others. And in a significant way, the book became an integral part of SWT’s origins.
Discussing and discovering new Hüsker albums and EPs became a series of great bonding moments for my music-loving friends, especially with my long-time friend, Brett. There genuinely hasn’t been a bad release of Hüsker Dü. Many bands have “bad” albums, but Hüsker’s worst album was still good. They are a group that is underappreciated. I fell in love with their punk rock and hardcore sound early on—the SST label stuff. Land Speed Record (1982) and the Metal Circus EP (1983), featuring the hauntingly true story of “Diane” among other fantastic songs, were followed by the critically acclaimed, one of the best double albums of that year and all time, Zen Arcade (1984) and the critically acclaimed, New Day Rising in 1985, which both cemented the band as one of my favorites. Several times, I’ve gone back and forth between which one of Zen Arcade and New Day Rising I liked more, much like Hüsker Dü diehards must have when the band was making new music in the 80s. And like many critics have in lists of the greatest albums of the ’80s, and top X Number of best/greatest album lists.
While the 1980s were a great decade for music, 1984, in particular, was truly phenomenal across all genres. If you’re unfamiliar with the greatness of that year, please take the time to look up the albums that were released. While we often advocate for newer music here on SWT, we’ll also advocate for learning about recorded music history.
Bob Mould (lead vocalist, guitarist, songwriter), Grant Hart (lead vocalist, drummer, songwriter), and Greg Norton (bassist) comprised the Minneapolis-based punk trio Hüsker Dü for its entire run from 1979-1988, and based on their discography and legacy to generations after them to this day, I’d argue that it’s one of the great trios in music history. They truly are a band that, if you’ve never heard of, it’s time to read up on and listen to their music. And maybe you’ll discover other projects that Mould (solo, Sugar), Hart (solo, Nova Mob), and Norton (Grey Area, Gang Font feat. Interloper, Porcupine, Ultrabomb, and others) have been involved in after Hüsker Dü. Before Hart passed away from cancer at 56, a good documentary about him was released, titled Every Everything: The Music, The Life & Times of Grant Hart (2011).
While in Hüsker Dü, Mould and Hart were both closeted to the public. While they were creating excellent music, they were also not fully comfortable in their own skin. Mould and Hart came out as gay and bisexual, respectively, later in their lives. They served as role models for younger fans and musicians in the Queer community who knew back then and since. Sexuality and the band dynamic and flaws are among many topics that the reflective Mould and Azerrad covered in Mould’s autobiography, See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody. Also worth your time.
The great music scribe, one of my favorites, Stephen Thomas Erlewine in his Hüsker Dü bio on Allmusic.com, summed up the band and their intrigue far better and more concisely than I could, saying, “The band’s two songwriters, guitarist Bob Mould and drummer Grant Hart, both had a knack for writing songs that essentially followed conventional pop structures, complete with memorable melodies, but were still punk songs. Hüsker Dü took the Buzzcocks’ pioneering punk-pop and made it harder, both musically and lyrically. Throughout their career, Hüsker Dü never lost their edge, never turned down their amplifiers, never compromised their music. While Hart and bassist Greg Norton were an unfailingly strong rhythm section, Mould would prove to be one of the most influential guitarists of the decade. With his slashing rhythms, distorted strumming, and blazing leads, he set the stage for the alternative guitar heroes of the late ’80s and the ’90s.”
Erlewine further explained the band’s impact along with a certain influential group from Athens, Georgia, saying, “Hüsker Dü and R.E.M. were the two American post-punk bands of the ’80s that changed the direction of rock & roll. R.E.M. became a superstar band; Hüsker Dü was never more than a cult favorite. Nevertheless, their albums between 1981 and 1987 proved remarkably influential; they provided the sonic blueprint for the roaring punk-pop hybrid that crossed over into the mainstream in the early ’90s. Not only did they shape the sound of the music, they shaped the way independent bands made the transition to the major labels; they showed other bands that it was possible to record uncompromising music on a major label without losing any integrity or creative control. From the Replacements to Nirvana, the Pixies to Superchunk, nearly every major and minor band that appeared in the alternative underground in the late ’80s and ’90s owed a major debt to Hüsker Dü, whether they were aware of it or not.”
While I hope this 1985: The Miracle Year box set garners thousands of new Hüsker fans and the band becomes more than a “cult favorite” to some, I know that the diehards, the Hüsker lifers, will love it. As will the vinyl completionists. Another set of albums to add to the shelf and their discography. We’re fortunate to have heard the recordings within, as a house fire in early 2011 consumed a portion of the Hüsker Dü archive.
From the box set’s press release, more context of the setting and what you’ll hear within is provided: “Witness the transcendent Minneapolis punk trio tearing into the most incendiary year of its existence, captured live on stage at First Avenue in perhaps the highest fidelity recordings of the band’s lauded SST era. 1985: The Miracle Year includes Beau Sorenson’s restoration of an entire January 30, 1985 set, plus 20 extra live tracks from the year’s touring schedule, and a deluxe booklet detailing twelve months of history-making Hüsker Dü.”
The blue and white splatter vinyl variant is sold out, as is the solid blue vinyl, and the CDs. The black vinyl variant shown below is available, as is the digital download, both of which are available here. I love the look of this, especially the booklet.
The box set’s press release shed more light on that chilly night, saying, “On January 30, 1985, Minneapolis reached -11° at show time, marking 19 points of mercilessly dropped mercury from the day’s 8° apex. The 1500 attendees inside First Avenue, however, wouldn’t be needing so much as a T-shirt, let alone the nearest fiberfill parka: from the first blinding moments of “New Day Rising,” it was clear that Bob Mould, Grant Hart, and Greg Norton had arrived intent on setting every molecule in the room alight. Their setlist displayed a night-long cascade of fireballs chosen from Everything Falls Apart, Metal Circus, Zen Arcade, and New Day Rising, and five new songs that would reappear later on Flip Your Wig. They also made several nods to the band’s rock forbears, with a ballistic take on The Byrds’ ‘Eight Miles High,’ a turbulent spin on The Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’ featuring Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner, a pop-punk remake of ‘Ticket To Ride,’ and closing with their signature cover of Sonny Curtis’ Mary Tyler Moore theme ‘Love Is All Around.’”
The box set’s press release leaves us with a quote from one of the band members himself, Greg Norton (who is still an active musician in other bands), opining of that era in his life, “When I think of that time it was three guys doing what they loved, having fun, and basically showing other people that you can be true to yourself, true to your music, and not have to bow down to fashion or expectations to make something really great.”
Listen to a little bit for yourself here before the box set’s official release on Friday, November 7th, via the fabulous Numero Group.
Ultimately, the 1985: The Miracle Year box set release is a gem. The sonic quality of these live recordings, featuring a frenzied and supremely talented band in its heyday, with the crowd noise adding enthusiasm and energy to the songs, enhances the experience—chef’s kiss. I think this release will make new fans of Hüsker Dü. I would welcome more live Hüsker Dü releases, matching what their contemporaries and city mates, the Replacements, have done in recent years. The song selection includes many of Hüsker Dü’s better-known tunes, with a few deeper cuts and some covers. Thus, it’s a decent selection, but not one that will fully satiate hunters of the obscure only. Those folks may have to look towards other releases. Whether you’re new to Hüsker Dü or a longtime fan like myself, this box set is worth adding to your collection.
The cover art for 1985: The Miracle Year box set.
The tracklist for 1985: The Miracle Year box set:
Minnesota Miracle
SIDE A
1. New Day Rising
2. It’s Not Funny Anymore
3. Everything Falls Apart
4. The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
5. I Apologize
6. If I Told You
7. Folklore
SIDE B
1. Every Everything
2. Makes No Sense At All
3. Terms Of Psychic Warfare
4. Powerline
5. Books About UFOs
6. Broken Home, Broken Heart
7. Diane
SIDE C
1. Hate Paper Doll
2. Green Eyes
3. Divide And Conquer
4. Pink Turns To Blue
5. Eight Miles High
SIDE D
1. Out On A Limb
2. Helter Skelter
3. Ticket To Ride
4. Love Is All Around
More Miracles
SIDE E
1. Don’t Want To Know If You’re Lonely
2. I Don’t Know For Sure
3. Hardly Getting Over It
4. Sorry Somehow
5. Eiffel Tower High
SIDE F
1. What’s Going On
2. Private Plane
3. Celebrated Summer
4. All Work And No Play
SIDE G
1. Keep Hanging On
2. Find Me
3. Flexible Flyer
4. Sunshine Superman
5. In A Free Land
6. Somewhere
SIDE H
1. Flip Your Wig
2. Never Talking To You Again
3. Chartered Trips
4. The Wit And The Wisdom
5. Misty Modern Days
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site: scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions!
Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
