jason_from_volo wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 8:54 am

penningtron wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 8:46 am Wasn't Frank Black's initial ad seeking band members something like "..must like Husker Du and the Mamas and the Papas"

Definitely included Hüsker Dü. A quick search online seems to indicate "Peter, Paul and Mary" was the second artist.

Lucky for the Pixies! Kim Deal effortlessly exceeds that criteria.

rsmurphy wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 1:49 pm You only get to hear "I'll Never Forget You" for the first time one time.

Not Crap

Also my favorite. Plays non-stop in some part of my subconscious at all times, often bubbling to the surface no matter what I am doing nor whom I am with.

Ok, 13 year old me is listening. 24 year old me is saying to himself "Zen Arcade is really depressing". 28 me tunes out. That being said it is music I enjoyed, but like Joy Division and Mission of Burma it was a time and place in my life. I won't say that I will never listen to them again but there is so much else. I will be 41 in June and just discovered Magma. Feeling a little cheated about that. All this being said I know I will be listening to ALL of the Mission of Burma albums till I'm dead or deaf. I think that last time I listened to Husker Du was when that thing came out with them in a car on the cover, which seemed more interesting. New Day rising is good. I also like Candy Apple Gray so that might make my opinion less viable.

Candy Apple Grey was my first. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.

I'm not especially committed to Hüsker Dü, but there are days where I just listen to New Day Rising on repeat for a couple of hours at least. If I had to explain rock music to some alien life form, I'd probably pick that song. A perfect morsel of essential life energy.

NC.

Listening to New Day Rising again I can see some of what OP was talking about. Something about the drums is approaching unpleasant. The drum sound turned me off from Flip Your Wig and later. I won't hear anything about the guitars though.

Zen Arcade sounds perfect to me.

Husker Du was one of the first bands I discovered when I started to expand from industrial music into indie rock and metal type stuff - Blonde Redhead, Isis, Death Cab, Mew, Flaming Lips. It's not the kind of music I want to listen to right now, but these songs, they are all good.

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Does Candy Apple Grey have a reputation as not being as good as the other albums?


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Maybe? That song that goes "sorry, somehow" is great. I just recall getting a lot of shit bringing up that album to a guy at Record Swap when I was young. New Day Rising is my favorite I think. Really all their music is pretty good but I just don't find these records things that I will just throw on when I'm hanging out with people or myself.

rsmurphy wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 1:49 pm You only get to hear "I'll Never Forget You" for the first time one time.

Not Crap

DaveA wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 1:56 pm Was just thinking of that very song, how it's one of the most hilariously angry things anyone's ever tracked. He was so angry he couldn't even wait till the chorus to start singing it.

This and this

I saw them several times in the 80s and they took my head clean off every single time. The recordings are actually decent by the standards of the day, its just that Bob had a really piercing guitar sound because he used that Yamaha solid state head into the that weird marshall cabinet. standing 4 feet from it in a crappy bar in east boston, or hamtramck, yeah, that's what it sounded like.

plus, the guys got along pretty well. they wouldnt have stayed together as a band for 10 years if they didn't. I spent time with them on several occasions and they were always fine, and friendly. Of course this was back before bob quit drinking and grant started shooting skag (I think).

And think back to the late 70s - early 80s if you can - J Giels Band, Foreigner, Eagles, REO Speedwagon and Phil Collins on the radio. To start a band and make THAT music, that people actively disliked, you had to be three hard MFers. Salut, Bob, Grant, Greg. And they toured like Vikings. They were right there with Black Flag and DOA as true road warriors.

so, Not Crap at all.

Just a side note because a couple people have mentioned Yamaha solid state amps.

I have a few:
Twenty-Five 112
Fifty 112
Hundred 410

These are some of the best sounding amps I have owned and I use them constantly.
Amazing amps.