1985: the incredible year of the Hüsker Düs

There are bands, in the history of music, become of worship for their ability to expand the boundaries of a genreto dare, to break down walls so that others can enter that new world and explore it. They are bands that often have gods moments of peak Well defined and crossed by blinding lights, like the rays of a supernova. 1985 for the Hüsker Dü It was a glorious, “miraculous” year, as defined by the New collection “1985: The Miracle Year”. A special album, released in a physical version on November 7th, by number Group, focused on an entire set of the band that took place on January 30, 1985at the First Avenue in Minneapolis, restored by Beau Sorenson, and beyond. The project, of which several parts can already be heard on the platforms, It also includes twenty extra live songs of the same year e A booklet which describes that incredible period for a training that has introduced, in the punk and hardcore universe, Fundamental existentialist sounds and issues for the evolution of a certain genre.

The live performances captured in these recordings I am a snapshot of the band at the height of his power: the Hüsker Dü had published “Zen Arcade” the previous year, followed by “New Day Rising” In January 1985 (shortly thereafter would have come out at the end of the year too “Flip Your Wig”). Both albums are punk classics. “Zen Arcade” is a double LP concept album, An unusual factor for punk trainingcharacterized by a strong experimentation and musical contamination, and marked the detachment from the hardcore beginnings that in the subsequent “New Day Rising” and “Flip Your Wig”, was definitive: The band virled towards a more melodic and introspective style, an “alternative rock” premonitory of the grungewith suffered, powerful and far from simple or immediate texts as often provided by the genre.

Always in the balance between discomfort and hope. “Diane”, a masterpiece piece taken from the EP “Metal Circus”, for example, speaks of a rape from the controversial point of view of the culprit, with a choked and disturbing voice that throws the listener a feeling of devastating pain. 1985 for some “punk Taliban” was also the last year of the “purity” of the Hüsker Dü Stock under contract by Warner Bros.in 1986, in fact opening the way to the phenomenon of the growing attention of the majors towards independent bands. Yet even in that case they remained headlights, denying the gossips and keeping their identity. In general, without the Hüsker Dü, they would probably have been there Pixies, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Green Day And many others, in the form we know.

On January 30, 1985, Minneapolis marked a temperature of -11 °. Yet the 1500 spectators of the First Avenue would not even need a t-shirt to experience the emotional fire of that live: from the first moments of “New Day Rising” it was clear that Bob Mould, Grant Hart and Greg Norton They were there to move every single molecule of the room. The lineup offered a waterfall of explosive songs taken from “Everything Falls Apart”, “Metal Circus”, “Zen Arcade” and “New Day Rising”, together with five new songs that would then appear in “Flip Your Wig”. There was no lack of gifts to their predecessors and masters of rock: a lightning version of “Eight Miles High” of the Byrds, a turbulent “Helter Skelter” by Beatles with Dave Pirner of the Soul Asylum, a pop-Punk remake of “Ticket to Ride”, always of the Beatlesand to close their famous cover of the musical theme of Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Love is all around”. These ribbons capture those three scratched boys and dreamers at the maximum of their energy, still years Before consecrating itself as an essential model for future rock. They are the Hüsker Dü in purity. “When I think of that period – said Greg Mould – they come to mind Three guys who did what they loved, had fun and, above all, showed that you can remain faithful to yourself and your musicwithout folding for fashion or expectations. And to create something really big ”.