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Hüsker Dü
United States - Minneapolis, MN


NEW DAY RISING LP

01. New Day Rising
02. Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
03. I Apologize
04. Folk Lore
05. If I Told You
06. Celebrated Summer
07. Perfect Example
08. Terms of Psychic Warfare
09. 59 Times the Pain
10. Powerline
11. Books About UFOs
12. I Don't Know What You're Talking About
13. How to Skin a Cat
14. Whatcha Drinkin'
15. Plans I Make

Label: SST Records
Cat #: SST 031
Format: LP
Released: 1985

Label: Aggressive Rockproduktionen
Cat#: AG 0044
Format: LP
Year: 1985

Label: Fringe Product, Ltd.
Cat#: FPL 3017
Format: LP
Year: 1985

Reviews:

This is certainly not the brilliant opus that was but it's damn close. The Hüskers have to be the most prolific and outstanding band that the punk/hardcore genre has to offer today. The work they have done has always been of the highest quality and they're never afraid to branch out in different musical and lyrical directions. This LP follows along these lines and they try love songs ("The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill"), acoustic ballads ("Perfect Example"), rock'n'roll ("Terms of Psychic Warfare"), traditional Hüsker Dü ("I Don't Know What You're Talking About"), guitar-noise-thrash ("Plans I Make"), electronic noise ("How to Skin a Cat") and they're even showing their pop sensibilities ("Books About UFOs"). All through these songs there is the unmistakable cutting buzz of Bob Mould's guitar and the growling vocals that never let you forget you're listening to the Hüskers. My favorite is still Zen Arcade but all of their releases are superb (except maybe "Land Speed Record") and should be heard. Go to the record store right now and get anything with Hüsker Dü written on it.
-Greg C. (from Task #1, March 1985)

What more can be said about these guys--even traditional rock critics like them. That shouldn't be held against them, though, because they have more brilliant ideas up their sleeves than 50 normal bands, and they can play rings around the competition. Here, they come up with yet another platter full of classics that combine innovative structures, every exciting species of guitar noise, loads of intensity, and diversity of mood. Ace all the way, and "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" is amazing.
-Jeff Bale (from Maximum Rocknroll #22, February 1985)

In terms of history, Hüsker Dü has a pretty tough act to follow. When your last double-LP, Zen Arcade, was hailed as the next White Album, how could you even attempt to follow that up when you've got the eyes and ears of the entire pre- through post-punk generation breathing down your neck? Instead of retiring to the studio for 7 years and pulling an ELO, Boston, or Dead Kennedys, you quickly release an album that has even more punch that its predecessor. New Day Rising evokes the same first-person themes as their other releases, only this time the focus is sharper, even without the Quadrophenia-type opus tying it all together. The range is still from psychedelic to acoustic hardcore. If you can consider Zen Arcade the result of a group just coming into its own, then New Day Rising is the product of a trio whose time has most definitely arrived.
-Steve Alper (from Ink Disease #9, Summer 1985)