Tag Archives: Husker Du

Flashlite #734

Elizabeth Moen

Minutemen’s “Double Nickels On The Dime”, Husker Du’s “Zen Arcade”, Meat Puppets second album… all these records came out within two months in 1984 and today are considered greatest albums of the underground rock movement in the 80s. Another thing they have in common is that they were engineered and produced by SPOT. His portfolio, mainly for SST is nothing short of stunning. He is also responsible for fun etchings in the runout grooves of SST records. Sadly, he passed away on March 4th this year after a stroke. Today’s show is entirely dedicated to his work.

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Husker Du – Eight Miles High
Black Flag – Rise Above
Minutemen – One Reporter’s Opinion
Minutemen – This Ain’t No Picnic
Minutemen – History Lesson Part 2
Husker Du – Somewhere
Husker Du – Pink Turns To Blue
Husker Du – Newest Industry
Meat Puppets – Lost
Meat Puppets – Lake of Fire
Meat Puppets – Up On The Sun
Meat Puppets – Maiden’s Milk
Descendents – Hope
Descendents – Bikeage
Minutemen – The Maze
Minutemen – Definitions
Minutemen – Sickles and Hammers
Husker Du – It’s Not Funny Anymore
Minutemen – 99
Husker Du – If I Told You
Husker Du – Celebrated Summer
DC3 – 98 Malvern St
Rhythm Pigs – Fire
Happy Family – We Love You We Don’t Love You
Tailgators – Pick Up The Deck
Mike Watt (with SPOT) – Hearbeat

Flashlite #512

Tony Joe WhiteWe reported earlier this year that Porcupine over in Minneapolis had recruited Greg Norton from Hüsker Dü as a bass player. Their new album is out and there’s a cover of a Hüsker Dü song Standing By The Sea among other really good originals. Tav Falco also has a new record out. Thalia Zedek is very productive this year. After an album with her new band E, there’s also a new one of her own. We introduce Dee Rangers from Sweden, Grip Weeds from New Jersey, Caddy from Norway and Warm Drag, a duet from Los Angeles. We pay a tribute to Tony Joe White who passed away on October 24th this year.

Cowbell – Nothing but Trouble;
Dee Rangers – Gotta Have a Good Time;
The Grip Weeds – Someone;
Husker Du – Standing By the Sea;
Zuzu’s Petals – Standing By The Sea;
Porcupine – Standing By The Sea;
Caddy – Miracle Turn;
Electric Six – (It Gets a Little) Jumpy;
The Gun Club – Fire of Love.ogg
Warm Drag – Cave Crawl;
Tony Joe White – Soul Francisco;
The Fleshtones – Touch and Go;
R. Stevie Moore – Sentimental Ties;
Snooze In Motion – Sound Trigger;
Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe – French Monday Afternoon;
E – Hollow;
Thalia Zedek Band – Tower;
Tav Falco – Sleepwalk;
Rainer and Das Combo – Sleepwalk.

Flashlite #479

Sue FoleyToday we start with the new music for the three ladies in California, Midnite Snaxxx. Guided By Voices has yet another album and we check out a track that closes it. Mia Dyson from Australia is back with the new record and so are the Londoners Jack Sandham and Wednesday Lyle who are together in Cowbell. Oslobodioci from Serbia have an interesting new cover of the Husker Du tune Sorry Somehow. Lemon Twigs are back with a new song that sounds like a Todd Rundgren song and Lemon Clocks are back with their new psychedelic doings. Lovely Bad Things are a new band for us, lead by Lauren Curtius and Beechwood from New York City closes the show with their new album.

David Nance – Negative Boogie;
Midnite Snaxxx – Greedy Little Thing;
Guided By Voices – Flight Advantage;
Big Eyes – Stake My Claim;
Bat Fangs – Heartbeat;
Mia Dyson – Idyllwild;
Mia Dyson – Fool;
Cowbell – Downlow;
Cowbell – Love Got Me Down;
Earthmen and Strangers – Bartender;
Husker Du – Sorry Somehow;
Oslobodioci – Sto si mi to ucinila;
High Tension Wires – Lose Your Grip;
Jesus Sons – Blowin’ Down The Line;
The Greenhornes – Song 13;
Todd Rundgren – Slut;
The Lemon Twigs – Foolin’ Around;
The Lemon Clocks – Out Of The Grave;
Status Quo – Black Veils of Melancholy;
Lovely Bad Things – I Just Want You To Go Away;
Beechwood – Land of Nod.

Flashlite #450

Grant HartWe lost Grant Hart about a week ago. Grant Hart was a man who lived his life with curiosity of a wide-eyed kid. His poetic and abstract way of writing stood as a counterpoint to the calculated and equally strong songwriting of Bob Mould in Husker Du. His post Du records gave him an opportunity to further explore history, demons and angels, future of man kind. And some records were simply disarmingly beautiful collections of songs. Grant Hart was unrepeatable. This collection is a mixture of odd stuff he has been creating throughout the years and some are rare live recordings too. Maybe this is the kind of obituary he would put for himself, or maybe not. It’s a selection of tunes that I just needed to put together.

Hüsker Dü – It’s Not Funny Anymore;
Hüsker Dü – Diane;
Hüsker Dü – Books About UFO’s (Live in CLE);
Hüsker Dü – What’s Going On (Live in CLE);
Grant Hart – Introduction;
Grant Hart – Diane;
Grant Hart – Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely;
Nova Mob – Children in the Streets;
Nova Mob – Ballad #19;
Nova Mob – No Promise Have I Made;
Grant Hart – Evergreen Memorial Drive;
Grant Hart – Flexible Flyer;
Arsenal – The Letter;
Grant Hart – Remains to Be Seen;
Grant Hart – I Will Never See My Home;
Grant Hart – I Am Death.

Flashlite #444

Julie DoironToday we have Julie Doiron from Canada returning to the playlist with her new band Julie and The Wrong Guys. Also from Canada, The Wasted Potential that we played some time ago through a series of contemporary Hüsker Dü covers are back with a new tune dedicated. The DTs come from Bellingham WA, and hail from Hidden Volume, the same label that also brought us Gorilla* and The Improbables this year. Katy Cole and her Last Daze keep putting out new songs and we are anticipating the new record with great hopes. And we also wait for the new Dream Syndicate record. Meanwhile they are putting occasional tracks from their upcoming album on Youtube. Derrick Anderson from Toledo, OH teamed up with The Bangles for his new single. We also check out Handsome Jack from Lockport, NY live in Cleveland. Brinsley Schwartz lost album It’s All Over Now is finally properly released, so we check that out too.

Sweet Apple – Everybody’s Leaving;
The DTs – Just A Little Taste;
Wasted Potential – Curt Murder Face Rip;
Zerodent – This Time;
Needles Pins – Violet;
Julie and The Wrong Guys – You Wanted What I Wanted;
Last Daze – Daddy Was An Outlaw;
The Americans – Stowaway;
Judy Clay & William Bell – Private Number;
Babe Ruth – Private Number;
Brinsley Schwartz – Private Number;
Derrick Anderson – When I Was Your Man;
Dream Syndicate – Glide;
Blackfoot Gypsies – Gypsy Queen;
Ex-Cult – Hollywood Heatseeker;
Handsome Jack (Live in CLE);
Handsome Jack – Between The Lines.

Flashlite #372

Sheer MagToday we start off with Sheer Mag from Philadelphia with their new, third EP. Then we go to Australia and check the new album for The Murlocs, lead by Ambrose Kenny Smith from King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. Then we visit Moscow, Russia and their new quartet Nikola Tesla and Thee Coils. All Them Witches from Nashville have a new album called Lightning At The Door. Bob Mould from Hüsker Dü also has a new record, called Patch The Sky. We are still very excited by Lilly Hiatt’s new record Royal Blue, and she surprised us pleasantly with four previously unavailable songs. We pay respect to Keith Emerson and George Martin. And, we also have a special announcement, my sister Snežana Žabić has a new book out on Punctum – get it! There’s a lot of incriminating stories involving yours truly inside the book.

All Them Witches – Talisman;
Sheer Mag – Nobody’s Baby;
The Murlocs – Young Blindness;
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – God is In The Rhythm;
Nikola Tesla & Thee Coils – Na Vstrechu;
All Them Witches – When God Comes Back;
The I Don’t Cares – Born For Me;
Paul Westerberg – Born For Me;
Mega City Four – Storms To Come;
Bob Mould – Lucifer and God;
Javier Escovedo – Beaujolais;
Janiva Magness – As Long As I Can See The Light (Live in CLE);
Lilly Hiatt – Haunt You;
The Nice – Flower King Of Flies;
The Beatles – A Day in the Life.

Flashlite #326

Useless EatersWe start off today with a tribute to Husker Du. Two Canadian bands, Red Arms and Wasted Potential put their resources together and made a coll tribute to Husker Du. The whole thing is on their bandcamp account, available for a free download. Another free download that you might want to consider is by The Babies – a really cool band from Zagreb who had a wonderful vinyl LP 10 years ago and now, the band offers it officially in a digital format. The Babies are long time defunct, but some of their members how play as Thee Melomen. They also have a cool cover of Husker Du! We also have new tunes by Built Do Spill from Boise ID and Warm Soda from Austin TX. We also have a nice block from Danny Kroha (ex Gories), with music from his new album and recent performances live in Cleveland. We also check out Mink Deville live CD and the new album from Becca Stevens Band. At the end of the show, we pay tribute to Ben E King (ex Drifters) and Jack Ely (ex Kingsmen).

Irma Thomas – I Count The Tears;
The Babies – Watching You;
Thee Melomen – Do you remember;
Red Arms And Wasted Potential – Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely;
Wasted Potential – How Young Is Too Young;
Red Arms – Quiet Resolution;
Built To Spill – Living Zoo;
Warm Soda – Just Like Me Before;
Danny And The Darleans – Boo-da-lye (Live in CLE);
Danny Kroha – KC Blues (Live in CLE);
Danny Kroha – Holy Ghost Don’t Laeve Me;
Brother Will Hairson and Washboard Willie – Alabama Bus (Blues Alphabet);
Mink Deville – Love Me Like You Did Before;
Boz Scaggs – Cadillac Walk;
Boz Scaggs – I’m So Proud;
Becca Stevens Band – Be Still;
Ben K King – Don’t Play That Song (You Lied);
Kingsmen – Louie Louie.

Flashlite #282 – Vinyl Junkyard 10

Byrds - Time BetweenToday’s show is a part of our Vinyl Junkyard serial in which we dedicate time to one LP that I’ve found dirt cheap collecting dust in some bargain bin box. The one we grabbed today is a tribute to the Byrds, called Time Between. It came out on Communion records in 1989 and it collected the cream of the crop when it comes to the alternative rock scene of the day, covering Byrds exclusively the songs written by the main original Byrds: McGuinn, Clark, Crosby and Hillman. In my mind, the highlight of the record is Thin White Rope’s version of Everybody Has Been Burned, but nearly every song marks more than a decent attempt at revising the old Byrds sound. This LP, together with the Husker Du single covering Eight Miles High did a great job of turning the younger audience to Byrds. And I was one of them.

Hukser Du – Eight Miles High;
Byrds – Eight Miles High;
The Moffs – Eight Miles High;
The Mock Turtles – Time Between/Why;
Byrds – Time Between;
Byrds – Why;
The Cateran – She Don’t Care About Time;
Byrds – She Don’t Care About Time;
Giant Sand – Change is Now;
Byrds – Change is Now;
Dinosaur Jr – I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better;
Byrds – I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better;
Thin White Rope – Everybody Has Been Burned;
Byrds – Everybody Has Been Burned;
The Barracudas – King Apahty III;
Byrds – King Apathy III;
Nigel and The Crosses – Wild Mountain Thyme;
Byrds – Wild Mountain Thyme.

Flashlite #228

PondWe start off today with Pond – a band from Australia with ties to Tame Impala. We continue with another song from the Pop Depression compilation album Pesme ispod pokrivaca, this time it’s ŽeneKese from Belgrade with their version of the Hüsker Dü classic Flexible Flier. Then we check out the new albums for Willie Nile and Queens of The Stone Age. We also have Neko Case as a guest singer on the new musical written by Stephen King, T Bone Burnett And John Mellencamp. Finally, we introduce the new duet from Belgium Iris and the Deadly Flowers, which consists of a 16 year old girl and her father.

Dancing Hoods – Impossible Years;
Pond – Hey Joe;
Pond – Fantastic Explosion Of Time;
Tame Impala – Elephant;
Hüsker Dü – Flexible Flyer;
ZeneKese – Supersonicne sanke;
Willie Nile – Welcome to my Head;
Willie Nile – This Is Our Time;
Cobra Verde – Was It Good (Live in CLE);
Queens of The Stone Age – If I Had A Tail;
My Boddy Moose – Lack Of Imagination;
Neko Case – That’s Who I Am;
The Band of Blacky Ranchette – Getting It Made;
The Stan McMahon Band – Crystal;
Iris and the Deadly Flowers – Stop Me;
Turf War – 100 Years.

Nova Mob – The Last Days of Pompeii: Special Edition

Nova MobWhen the story of Husker Du ended in 1988, Grant Hart briefly started a solo career, only to put together a new band in 1990 called Nova Mob with two of his Minneapolis friends: Tom Merkl on bass and Michael Crego on drums. The group’s first album was something nobody wanted from Grant Hart in 1991. It was a rock opera with a seemingly bizarre libretto. It was a make believe story with real life characters about the engineer of the Nazi V8 bomb and one of the leaders of the US space program, Wernher Von Braun. In the opera, Von Braun finds himself towards the end of the World War Two on a losing side with a desire to escape. In a prayer to Germanic god Woton, Von Braun asks for an ability to travel in time, which Woton grants through a gateway. Von Braun first travels in future, he learns out about all the space achievements which he would end up contributing in the 50s and 60s. In his adventures, Von Braun runs into the Roman lawyer Pliny.

They both end up traveling back to past to the ancient Rome and city of Pompeii, witnessing the eruption of the Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD which turns the city and a whole civilization to ashes. Yes, you may think to yourself, pretty wild story. But when it came out in 1991, it made a lot of sense to me. I lived in Yugoslavia at the time and my city saw destruction similar to what happened to Pompeii, although disaster wasn’t natural – it was due to the war. So I could easily work Von Braun into the whole story. I loved the record and I still do, very much!

Of course, as it usually happens in this world, complex work of art doesn’t get a deserved notice. Original “Last Days of Pompeii” saw a shaky distribution through a newly established indie label Rough Trade International. My print of the LP contained bumps, although it otherwise had a pretty good sound. “International” was the part that didn’t work in the name of the label. Distribution was poor and interest for the record was also pretty low. But luckily, Grant Hart decided to reissue the record in 2011, twenty years after it first came out.

So, this review is dedicated to the new reissue, which came out on Cond’or Records, distributed in the USA by MVD Audio. Again, the news about the record was very slow and interest of the audience was poor. I only found about the reissue recently by a chance. Although, it seems quite logical for Grant Hart to make this move, since he’s about to release his second rock opera called “The Argument” based on the Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. Perhaps he wanted to prepare the audience for the new complex work, which is being announced these days as a double album.

The reissue of The Last Days of Pompeii is not your average reissue. Ok, it has a few bonuses, which is pretty normal for reissues. But, it is not a remaster, it is in fact an entire re-mix of the original record. Some songs sound radically different than the original tunes. While some songs like “Admiral of The Sea (79 AD)” and “Space Jazz” definitely benefit from the new remixes, two of the songs “Where You Gonna Fall” and “Lavender and Grey” receive makeovers that do not fit entirely. For instance, vocal mix in “Lavender” and guitar distortion on “Where You Gonna Fall”, were better on the original record. Still, the discovering all the new sounds on the record is a great fun if you are familiar with the old mix. To my knowledge, nothing was re-recorded, only original tapes were used in the new mix, although I could be wrong. We should check with Mr. Hart.

The vinyl print of the reissue is very well done. It’s a heavy weight record, with nice and clean grooves, in a nylon inner sleeve (not just paper!), excellent fidelity and it contains a free download. The mastering and printing was done in Cleveland’s Gotta Groove Records, which is clearly being established as one of the best plants for record printing at the moment.

Lastly, the record cover is completely different. It is an abstract collage with a falling tower, roman remains, statues, mountainous landscape and a building that hangs in the air. The original record had a chaotic collage of tiny newspaper clippings, cuts and rips. Both are done by Grant Hart who has several exhibitions of his collage work in galleries over in Minnesota.