Zen Arcade

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Even when this Minneapolis trio dabbled in familiar sounds, such as the strummed folk of "Never Talking to You Again" or the Bo Diddley-style R&B of "Hare Krsna," what came out on this swirling 1984 double album was clenched, emotional, and intense. Over 23 short songs that helped define the still-thriving punk subgenre known as hardcore, leaders Grant Hart and Bob Mould screamed their alienation in the fastest language they could possibly produce. Though Mould is the more personal songwriter, lashing out at liars and (presumably) lovers, both Hüsker heads come up with psycho-depression choruses like "What's going on inside my head?" --Steve Knopper --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Amazon.com
They didn't yet have terms like "alternative rock" when Minneapolis's Husker Du made their mark as one of the 1980's most influential bands. With two skilled songwriters--guitarist Bob Mould and drummer Grant Hart--the genre-bending trio (bassist Greg Norton completed the lineup) juxtaposed hardcore punk speed and aggression with pop-leaning melodies. Add their uniformly thoughtful, introspective lyrics, and you've got this stunning 1984 double-length release, a semi-concept album... read more --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Zen Arcade

Average customer rating:

"I've made my world of happiness to combat your neglect."
Troubled and Brilliant
It's 1985, Summer Camp-and everything I ever knew about music was about to change...
must-have punk rock classic.
Greatest Concept Album Ever Made

Zen Arcade
Hüsker Dü
Manufacturer: Sst Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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New Day Rising
Double Nickels on the Dime
Flip Your Wig
Let It Be
Damaged

ASIN: B000000LZS
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Something I Learned Today
Broken Home, Broken Heart
Never Talking To You Again
Chartered Trips
Dreams Reoccurring
Indecision Time
Hare Krsna
Beyond The Threshold
Pride
I'll Never Forget You
The Biggest Lie
What's Going On
Masochism World
Standing By The Sea
Somewhere
One Step At A Time
Pink Turns To Blue
Newest Industry
Monday Will Never Be The Same
Whatever
The Tooth Fairy And The Princess
Turn On The News
Reoccurring Dreams

Amazon.com essential recording

Even when this Minneapolis trio dabbled in familiar sounds, such as the strummed folk of "Never Talking to You Again" or the Bo Diddley-style R&B of "Hare Krsna," what came out on this swirling 1984 double album was clenched, emotional, and intense. Over 23 short songs that helped define the still-thriving punk subgenre known as hardcore, leaders Grant Hart and Bob Mould screamed their alienation in the fastest language they could possibly produce. Though Mould is the more personal songwriter, lashing out at liars and (presumably) lovers, both Hüsker heads come up with psycho-depression choruses like "What's going on inside my head?" --Steve Knopper

Amazon.com

They didn't yet have terms like "alternative rock" when Minneapolis's Husker Du made their mark as one of the 1980's most influential bands. With two skilled songwriters--guitarist Bob Mould and drummer Grant Hart--the genre-bending trio (bassist Greg Norton completed the lineup) juxtaposed hardcore punk speed and aggression with pop-leaning melodies. Add their uniformly thoughtful, introspective lyrics, and you've got this stunning 1984 double-length release, a semi-concept album about youthful rites of passage. It includes such memorable tracks as Mould's "Broken Home, Broken Heart" Hart's "Never Talking to You Again," and the evocative 14-minute instrumental closer, "Reocurring Dreams." --Billy Altman

Customer Reviews:

"I've made my world of happiness to combat your neglect.".......2007-06-13

1984 was a great year for punk, boasting such seminal releases as The Replacements' Let It Be, Black Flag's My War, the Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime and the Meat Puppet's Meat Puppets II. Yet the finest exponent of the year's riches, Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade, was also its most contradistinctive.

The double L.P. format, the concept, the piano interludes, the dreamy fourteen-minute closer, all stood as the very antithesis of hardcore simplicity. The Minneapolis trio's refusal to adhere to rock/punk/hardcore ground rules is what made them so influential.

Recorded and mixed in one 85-hour stretch, all but two of Zen Arcade's twenty-three tracks ('Something I Learned Today' & 'Newest Industry') were first-take recordings. Whilst many tracks feature the Hüsker's signature whirlwind pace, they avoid hardcore cliché, leaning more toward local rivals The Replacements' LSD-infused rockist sound than Minor Threat's straight-edge punk.

The album's concept deals with its protagonist running away from home to escape his rowing parents ('Broken Home, Broken Heart') and deadbeat friends ('Never Talking to You Again'), only to be overwhelmed by the horrors of the outside world. Although something of an allegory for the lives of many hardcore kids, the most profound statement Zen Arcade makes is in its conclusion: there is none. The fact that it was all a nightmare offers the listener no resolution.

The album is often credited with ushering in a new era of 'post-punk' in American music, and due to its sheer scope, signalling the demise of the hardcore genre.

Troubled and Brilliant.......2007-06-05

In 1985 I was searching for something and Husker Du helped me find it. I was bored with cheesy metal bands and classic rock. Then I discovered college radio - what would later go by name, Alternative. College radio beat the hell out of Top 40 and Album rock of the day but still sometimes lacked the intensity I was seeking....until they played Husker Du! My first exposure to Husker Du was from Flip Your Wig and then later I purchased New Day Rising and Zen Arcade. I love all three but Zen Arcade has always been the most difficult for me to love. There is so much of everything that Husker Du was capable of that it sometimes seems cluttered with the unnecessary. The brilliance of the band and the strength of the songs overcomes any weaknesses. Zen Arcade has it all - acoustic guitars, mind tearing speed punk, a splash of piano, and several songs that are clearly the genesis of alternative and punk music to follow. Stand out tracks are Never Talking to You Again, the truly amazing I'll Never Forget You and of course the prophetic Newest Industry. Zen Arcade is the seeming troubled child of the pre-Warner releases. As such it requires more attention for it's genius to be appreciated but it is certainly there.

It's 1985, Summer Camp-and everything I ever knew about music was about to change..........2007-04-23

My friend Dan gave me a cassette of Zen Arcade. He told me: Listen to it a few times before you pass judgement...best advice ever...

I had no idea who the Du were...were they a bunch of Hare Krishnas? Were they some cult? What the hell was that sound the guitar was making-why was the drumming so fast and how in G-d's name could that bass line get any thumpier (is "thumpier" even a word?)

I was 16, a CIT at an arts camp in Connecticut and a NY City kid just gave me a tape that would change my life...

On the third listen I heard the melodies and lyrics through the wall of sound.

Sure I already loved the Beatles, Hendrix, basic punk (Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols) and New Wave including Bowie & the Cure...but this-oh man-this was so freakin' different.

Hearing the story line, the bouncing from ballad to hardcore at its purest-this album changed me. Soon every cent I had went to buying every cassette of Husker Du I could-and I was not disappointed.

I saw them that fall in 1985 and OH MAN-the stage at Irving Plaza in Manhattan was full of energy...a nearly introverted Mould turned into an extroverted Mould once the feedback was full-on; then came Norton jumping all over stage-he was crazier on stage than Townshend in his best of days-finally the long-haired hippy drummer Hart who alternated vocals with Mould and his bare feet pounding the hi-hat and bass drum at insane speeds...

I'd seem them that winter in 1986 and again a few times before the imploded in 1987...

I remember running to the store to get Candy Apple Grey the Tuesday it came out on Warner Bros. (My friend Ari, as a lark, even plagiarized the lyrics for "Too Far Down" for his creative writing class in 12th grade causing the teacher to speak to him after class to make sure "things were okay and that he wasn't going to do anything to himself..." but I digress).

Anyway-this album is even better than the hype.

Listen to it 3 times-the third time is really the charm...and you'll hear a masterpiece, a true diamond in the rough...a seminal album about a runaway and a band on a runaway train (okay so I saw Soul Asylum open for Husker Du-and also Dwight Yokum...)

Oh the songs----Pink Turns to Blue may be the best song of a hooker on junk ever written-and you just want to sing along...Dreams Recurring and Recurring Dreams-maybe the first and last punk jam-and highly listenable if you have the time...Something I Learned Today-gets the album started-and Never Talking to You Again---maybe an ode from Hart to Mould...ironically they played it on stage one last time in 2004...

Anyway-that's all for now-buy this album!!!!!

must-have punk rock classic........2007-03-05

first off, let's thank modern technology for this album. talented as these 3 young lads were, despite their vision, they could not have made this music with lutes and harpsichords. no sir. walls of beserk electric guitar were just the ticket to get their creativity across. a pure adrenaline rush assaults the listener, making one wonder "how much strong coffee were they drinking in the studio?" it actually took about 4 listens before the brilliance of this record sunk into my heart and skull, and i will insist that listening on headphones is the best way to experience this beast of a cd ( there are many nuances and subtleties within this onslaught of aggression and anger that are picked up easier through headphones. and bob mould's incredible guitar mayhem placed straight into your head is a blast!). a classic punk album. angst, alienation, cathartic wailing, all swirling within a rush of mighty sound. must-have music for all rock and roll collections.

Greatest Concept Album Ever Made.......2006-12-04

Punk music has become difficult to fully define. It's often labeled "fast" (think Dead Kennedy's "Buzz bomb"), loud (think Black Flag's "My War") and angry (again, "My War"), but these labels overlook the variety and depth of feeling many punk bands were capable of. Husker Du is no exception. Zen Arcade's "Pride" is the typical punk song but more like the first Monet; it is so purely punk that it is beautiful. They're actually throwing folding chairs in the recording room at the end of the song just to add to the chaos! Where "Pride" and "I'll Never Forget You" are your typical punk scorchers, the band takes punk in directions that deepen the expression.

First, Zen Arcade is a concept album. In sum, the story is about an unhappy teen who leaves home with a "Broken Home, Broken Heart", enjoys drugs on his "Chartered Trips" brushes against the "Hare Krishna" street religion, discovers himself sexually conflicted in a "Masochism World" then realizes that his dream of freedom and success may be in vain as he has to return home amidst the "Biggest Lie". The concept ends with the kid waking up at the end of the album by the "Tooth Fairy and Princess" realizing the entire experience was one of many "Reoccurring Dreams". Unlike the Beatle's Sergeant Pepper's, this concept album is strongly cohesive from start to finish yet still manages to avoid loosing it's musicality along the way as Pink Floyd's the Wall did.

I first heard the album in the late 80's and then, as now, was blown away by a few numbers on the albums. As far as generic punk goes, I think Pride and I Will Never Forget You are the genre's Shakespeare. They are bold, fast and scorching but most importantly, they're honest. They do not pose to be chaotic- they are chaotic, but somehow remaining fun and raw. I still can't get over the idea of chair throwing as a musical instrument. It seems more sincere and heartfelt than say Pete Townsend and his hordes of followers who've dashed a guitar in mock anger, or whatever it is they're dashing guitars for. Aside from these, other stand out songs include:

Hare Krishna. A little repetitive after a minute or so yet effective in blending an inane chant with western, punk-a-billy rock and guitar work that is what any guitar player can only hope to spit out- fast, berserk, original, simple and powerful.

Chartered Trips: Beautiful lyrics (as usual). Mould's voice seems like a child struggling to express the most important thing in his life as it nearly cracks. The guitar paints an even, up-beat canvas along steady, simple drums.

Where "Pride" scorches "Beyond the Threshold" tackles the frustration of small town isolationism and grinding routine perfectly.

There were only a handful of labels that supported punk acts, SST records being one of the biggest. Due to that, Husker Du were able to borrow one of the lead singers from Black Flag (Dez) to write one of the best party songs since "Six Pack". "What's Going On" captures the same football anthem, party feel but at the same time it is more philosophical. The singer recognizes, in his own confusion, that the problem isn't so much the outside world as his own perspective; a great "WTF am I doing?" song, like when you look for a leak in the roof and accidentally fall through the ceiling.

Masochism World- Mould's simple, repetitive guitar rhythms along with heavy echo vocal effects create a wall of sound that is beautifully punctuated with angelic female vocals in the center contrasting with his screaming. A true 'battel of the sexes' in punk duet form. Frank Black of the Pixies is often quoted for his ad he attracted Kim Deal by. I really think this song was what he had in mind when he wrote that ad. It just kicks.

The Tooth Fairy and the Princess- pure childlike psychedelic meets punk. Repetitive along the lines of Hare Krishna, but still beautiful and daring.

Dreams Reoccuring/Reoccuring Dreams: Two songs, the first which helps open this concept album and the later which closes with 14 minutes of instrumental work. The first (Dreams Reoccurring) splices a forward track with back masking of the same, providing a dream-like sense of misdirection, as if to suggest the main character is in a dream. The second is straight-forward power rock, with solos by everyone along a consistent, fast beat. Reoccurring Dreams is really the gutsiest piece on the album, or perhaps, of any album made in the last 20 years- but some might find it self-indulgent egotism. Here, Mould plays everything he feels and everyone backs him up as though they were a seasoned jazz trio. At one point he hits a note and allows the feedback to run for over a minute like an air raid siren. One minute of SOLID FEEDBACK! For guitarists, this is a dream. Metal heads will always have Van Halen's "Eruption", but true punks will always have Reoccurring Dreams.

What makes this album a treasure, along with all great albums, is that we get so much from the artist. While Husker Du may label it a concept album, it is very difficult to disassociate the main character with the band itself- thus within a single album they capture the full spectrum of teenage triumph, aspiration, dreams, remorse, regret, pain and beauty. True, they take two albums (23 songs) to do it, but again, it's one very cohesive work. If many bands owe a debt to Nirvana and Nirvana owes a debt to the Pixies, then even more owe a long unrecognized debt to Husker Du who put out a gutsy, beautiful statement that stands the test of time better than the punk labels they were tagged with.

Du Huskers: The Twin Cities Replay Zen Arcade

Average customer rating:

Great tribute!!

Du Huskers: The Twin Cities Replay Zen Arcade
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Synapse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Compilations | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

1980s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

I learned Today
Broken Home, Broken Heart
Never Talking To You Again
Chartered Trips
Lies Incorporated/TVBC Dreams Reoccuring
Indecision Time
Hare Krsna
Beyond The Threshold
Pride
I'll Never Forget You
The Biggest Lie
What's Going On
Masochism World
Standing By The Sea
Somewhere
One Step At A Time
Pink Turns To Blue
Newest Industry
Monday Will Never Be The Same
Whatever
The Tooth Fairy And The Princess
Turn On The News
Reoccuring Dreams
Bonus Track: Eight Miles High

Customer Reviews:

Great tribute!!.......1999-10-05

This is the best tribute-record I've ever heard. Hüsker Dü was one of the most influental bands of the the previous decade. This album doesn't make the mistake to try to sound too much like Hüsker Dü the bands really play in their own kind of style to the most avantgarde punk to the more popkind of bands like The Blue Up that replays the incredible LSD-anthem "Pink turns blue", woow!! All in all buy this album and you won't possibly regret it.

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