Hüsker Dü

Hüsker Dü 和R.E.M.是美国80年代的两支后朋克乐队，他们改变了摇滚乐的方向。R.E.M.成为了超级巨星乐队；Hüsker Dü却一直仅受少数口味独特的人追捧。然而，他们在1981年和1987年之间发行的专辑却被证明是相当有影响的。在上世纪90年代早期他们却为呼啸而来的流行朋克横扫主流音乐打下了基础。他们不仅塑造了音乐声音的形式，而且他们开创了一条从独立团体走向大厂牌到道路；他们让其他乐队看到了在大厂牌发行绝不向主流妥协的音乐并且不会丧失对完整性和创造性的控制的可能性。从the Replacements 到 Nirvana, 从the Pixies 到 Superchunk，在，几乎每一支出名或不出名的另类地下乐队均受了Hüsker Dü的影响，无论他们知道与否。 　　乐队的两名创作者，吉他手Bob Mould和鼓手Grant Hart有一种写歌的诀窍，他们创作的歌曲遵循传统流行歌曲的结构，并带有难忘的美妙旋律，但却仍属于朋克歌曲。Hüsker Dü继承了the Buzzcocks的先锋流行朋克并且变得更加坚硬，兼有音乐性和抒情性。在乐队的整个音乐道路上，Hüsker Dü从未模糊他们的音乐界限，从未关掉他们的放大器，从未妥协他们的音乐。鼓手Hart 和贝斯手Greg Norton赋予音乐无尽的强烈节奏；Mould被证明是十年里最出色的吉他手之一，带有尖锐的节奏，扭曲的声音和优秀的领导，他塑造了一位80年代晚期和90年代对另类吉他英雄形象。
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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 never was more than a cult favorite. Nevertheless, their albums between 1981 and 1987 have proven 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.
The bands 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.
Hüsker Dü formed in Minneapolis, MN, in 1979. Guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould was studying at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, and working at a record store, which is where he met drummer/vocalist Grant Hart and bassist Greg Norton. The three musicians had diverse tastes, but all shared a love for hardcore punk rock. Naming themselves Hüsker Dü after a 50s Danish board game (the name means do you remember), the trio began rehearsing in Nortons basement.
In the early 80s, Hüsker Dü developed a strong local following; nearly every local band, from the Replacements to Soul Asylum, sounded like the Hüskers. Both Mould and Hart wrote songs and sang lead. In 1981, they released their first single, Statues, on the local label Reflex, which was quickly followed by their debut album, Land Speed Record, which was released on New Alliance Records. Recorded live, Land Speed Record boasted 17 songs that lasted a full 26 minutes. Later that year, they released an equally fast and hard EP, In a Free Land.
In 1982, they moved backed to Reflex, where they released Everything Falls Apart, their first album recorded in a studio. By this time, Hüsker Dü had begun touring the United States relentlessly, traveling across the country in a van and playing small clubs. Along with the Minutemen, R.E.M., Black Flag, the Meat Puppets, and the Replacements, Hüsker Dü formed the core of a group of independent rock & roll bands that carved out a reputation for touring ceaselessly and getting their records played through college radio stations; they formed the core of the American rock underground in the mid-80s. Hüsker Dü concerts were a nonstop barrage; the band rarely spoke to the audience and each song segued directly into the next, without interruption. In addition to touring constantly, Hüsker Dü was recording quickly, turning out the Metal Circus EP in 1983.
After Metal Circus, Hüsker Dü developed musically at a rapid pace, with Mould and Hart coming into their own as songwriters on 1984s Zen Arcade, their first album for SST Records and their critical breakthrough. Zen Arcade was a double album — something that was completely unheard of in the underground — that showed the band stretching out musically, writing sharper pop songs as well as lengthy abrasive instrumentals. Critics embraced the record, as did independent rock fans. At the end of 1984, they released Eight Miles High, a cover of the Byrds song; it was only available as a single.
Hüsker Dü continued to record and tour at a blindingly fast speed throughout 1984 and 1985. Mould and Hart were beginning to develop an unspoken rivalry as well as a dependency on alcohol and speed. Nevertheless, the group was at its peak in 1985, turning out two albums. The first, New Day Rising, was released in the spring and showed the band moving closer to concise pop songwriting while accentuating their fierce sonic barrage. Flip Your Wig, released late in 1985, featured their cleanest, most accessible production, without making any concessions to mainstream rock. Both albums received excellent reviews, both in fanzines and some mainstream rock publications.
Following the release of Flip Your Wig, Hüsker Dü became the first of the mid-80s independent post-punk bands to sign a contract with a major label, as they closed a deal with Warner Bros. Candy Apple Grey, the bands first major-label album, appeared in 1986. During that year, tensions between Mould and Hart escalated. Mould began to clean up and Hart continued to sink further into drug and alcohol addiction. Nevertheless, they managed to write and record another double album, Warehouse: Songs and Stories. Although Warner didnt want the band to release another double record, Warehouse was released in the spring of 1987, to uniformly positive reviews.
Hüsker Dü was preparing to launch a series of concerts to support Warehouse when their manager, David Savoy, committed suicide the night before the start of the tour. Hüsker played the tour anyway — they ran through the new album in order every night, without interruption — but Savoys suicide helped the inner-band turmoil reach a peak. Hart showed no signs of sobering — he was developing a heroin addiction — while Mould was clean. Following the Warehouse tour, the band played no more concerts for the rest of the year, which caused speculation that the group was breaking up. Those rumors were confirmed during the winter of 1987-1988, when Hart was fired and the band broke up.
Hart released a solo EP, 2541, on SST later that year, followed by a full-length album called Intolerance a year later. After its release, Hart shook loose his addictions and formed a new band, Nova Mob. Nova Mob released their debut album, The Last Days of Pompeii, in 1991; a self-titled second album appeared in 1994. Norton became a chef in Red Wing. Immediately after the breakup of Hüsker Dü, Mould embarked on a solo career. After releasing two solo albums — Workbook (1989) and Black Sheets of Rain (1990) — he formed a trio called Sugar in 1992. Between 1992 and 1994, Sugar released two albums: Copper Blue (1992) and File Under: Easy Listening (1994). Mould broke up the band in 1995 and returned to a solo career the following year.