LogFAQs > #923378622

I'm going to add another theme idea for this topic. Today I will be talking about my favorite album of all time. I suggest you do the same! You dont have to get as in depth as me, but fuckin talk about it. I'll listen, at least.

My album without a doubt is Zen Arcade by Husker Du. 1984 on SST records.

At some point before this album, guitarist and co-singer/songwriter Bob Mould told a music journalist they were going to do something different beyond just making a record and touring. They made a record and toured, but the sheer weight of this album is massive. Husker Du is, by Dave Grohl's own admission, the biggest reason Nirvana even existed in the first place. Husker Du was the biggest band, just about, that came up before grunge existed that was instrumental in its formation. This album in a way I wouldn't even call a stretch is directly responsible for changing music history.

This album contains 23 tracks over roughly 75 minutes. Some have said this is a true punk headphone album(guy from therapy?), and it really is. It does sound good in that sense. It also tells a loosely connected story. It also contains several genres of music(at a bare minimum - psychedelic, hardcore, acoustic, "free jazz?" Piano interludes, stuff like that.) Its a massive listen on every scale.

The story, as far as I can tell, has always been told as a boy who is not content with his home life, so he runs away, only to realize the real world is even worse, so he returns home, singing the song of

"whatever you what, whatever you do, where ever you go, whatever you say"

Then there is a story by Bob Mould himself, who I would consider to be an authority on the topic of albums he's made, which is way cooler

"According to Mould, Zen Arcade is about a young computer hack from a broken home who dreams about killing himself after his girlfriend dies of a drug overdose. Instead, he lands in a mental hospital where he meets the head of a computer company who hires him to design video games. Then he wakes up and goes to school, Mould said. The only thing we never agreed on was the name of the video game. We thought it was Search.

So, like, the story isn't 100% coherent, but there is yet another level to this album.

So, who are Husker Du? Theyre a punk band from Minnesota. To this point theyve made pretty decent hardcore with the occasional flair for something dramatic. They were heavily inspired by earlier pop music, such as the beatles(covered ticket to ride ), the byrds(covered 8 miles high) and the mary tyler moore theme song, as it was set in Mn. They like it hard and fast, but sometimes soft. This kinda made them a small influence on the later emotional hardcore and emo genres. What made this album as unusual as it is? Probably meth and or other drugs. This was recorded and edited in one massive 80 hour session for only a few thousand dollars, because they werent rich. Every song on the album is a first take recording but two. That is some meth shit right there.

The album is hard when it wants to be, soft when it wants to be, and weird when it wants to be. It starts off with 4 songs I consider to be the best opening tracks in music history because they all sound good but that also tell ac story. It begins with the fast and catchy "Something I Learned Today" that is followed by "Broken Home, Broken Heart" which I sets the tone for the album: somebody is deeply hurt. This theme is followed up throughout the album. Next is "Never Talking to You Again" which is an acoustic track that sounds raw and stripped and again, he's hurt. Next is "Chartered Trips" which is a catchy and solid listen that furthers the arc. So right off the bat we have-

Person has:
1. found out something bad about you.
2. been hurt.
3. vowed to never speak to you again.
and
4. has begun the process of leaving.
5. 30 minutes to remove his cube.