Gotta Make Polls for the Polls I Make - ILM HUSKER DU POLL RESULTS

two i would have voted for, so far. and yes, pp, great graphics.

wait, no, three. "in a free land," "divide and conquer," and "i apologize."

-- I think this is the first time I've ever heard "In a Free Land"
-- I also assumed "I Apologize" would be Top 10 (but realize how arbitrary these results can be)
-- "Diane" has always made me think of "Riders on the Storm"
-- "Divide and Conquer" was my #2, and some days it's my #1
-- ditto on the graphics; they're very Husker Du-ish!

I voted for Divide & Conquer. Am I imaginging it or is there kind of a drone thing going on with that song, which gives it kind of raga feel? Cos it's always felt that way to me as well as being this totally rocking tune at the same time.

Only voted for "In a Free Land" so far, but s'cool: Being burned out on a song is not the same as never having loved it.

Lots of Mould guitar has the drone thing going.

so far the only songs i haven't voted for (3 of the 10) are Hart numbers, seems i was right to pick mould as my fave

I was wondering how Hart songs would place considering the surprising amount of diss he was getting in the voting thread.

Can finally see the graphics at home and LOVE them. Riverside Plaza apartments one under "In a Free Land" especially. Where Mary Tyler Moore lived toward the end.

WHAT? Mary Richards never lived in the ghetto in the sky, did she?

I lived in Minneapolis for a brief period and went there to see how much units leased out for. The woman at the desk gave me all of these forms and applications to fill out. I had no idea that by that time, it was a housing project.

I wound up just south of 94 between Chicago and Park. Should've gone with the housing.

sad I missed voting in this poll, good results so far though.

Yeah, Mary went from Kenwood to the West Bank, where she started wearing piercings.

Revising my earlier neutrality: "Diane" is a huge lapse, IMO. Great riff, chorus, guitar solo, but that unfortunate genre of punk song that takes an actual horrifying event and does nothing more than play it out again. And tastelessly uses her real name (you can look it up).

To balance with some kindness: I still love the feedback hippie-punk guitar bounce on the "times, places" refrain of "Flexible Flyer," their Citizen Kane with a happy ending. Ultimately cornball, but I obsessed over it at the time.

I'm not a huge "Divide & Conquer" fan, but I'll admit the lyrics get better rather than worse in retrospect.

I voted "In a Free Land" because it's another great hardcore critique of do-nothing democracy, but with those unexpectedly complex chord changes and flashes of '60s-ish melody.

in a free land's dip into minor chords with "everybody's in authority" kills me every time. but diane has never left me anything but cold.

And tastelessly uses her real name (you can look it up).
ew, did not know

pardon my ignorance
this is what i get for listening and not reading

always heard it as "everybody's an authority". dunno why i didn't vote for it, it's a great song

love the glassiness of bob's guitar sound on it especially

NickB, you are probs right, was just humming it to myself from memory!

the solo is killer. it sounds like the motors or somebody.

Huh, I also didn't know "Diane" is based-on-a-true-story. It makes the song make more sense to me, but I'm still conflicted about the song overall. Oh well. I'll just have to be conflicted.

Probably used her real name 'cause it sounds like "dyin'" xxp

And tastelessly uses her real name (you can look it up).

Aaaand now I kinda wish I hadn't.

I mean, hell Grant. It's not like when Springsteen wrote "Nebraska," he was all "But I'll just kidnap you and kill your parents instead."

It's Grant's delivery that makes it skeevy. In concept, "Diane" is no less blunt than "Jordan MN" or a lot of other songs from the scene and era. Hart is convincing in the song in a way few of his peers were. There not even the thin film of irony you'd get in the Birthday Party or Black Flag.

All my high school friends moved into two 2BR units in the Ghetto In The Sky/Crack Stacks when they went to their first year of college in 1989. 8 dudes in 4 bedrooms.

several xposts

Also, this is copied and pasted from the noms thread but before I forget:

Even the song titles have the same boring rhythm

All This I've Done for YOU
No Promise Have I Made

I totally remember being irked by this when CAG came out. I think of these as their Yoda songs.

I think of these as their Yoda songs.

Haha.

Anyone up for the rollout now or should I wait until 1300 CST like I said I would.

Seemed to peter out in the late afternoon yesterday.

Go ahead. I'm home sick and getting bored with the rest of the things the internet has to offer!

Crazy office shit going down, so yeah, forgive me if I get started a little early.

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Husker%20Du%20Poll/TERMS_OF_PSYCHIC_warfare700.jpg

20. “Terms of Psychic Warfare” - 166 points
• Pretty faithful cover, Dirty Grocers

Perfect song to start off Part II with.

'Nother great Norton bassline.

Will always live side by side with Slade's 'Run Runaway' in my head.

Spotify List Reminder

Everytime I hear someone screaming in the background of the SST records, I never know if it's Spot or not.

This song being an example.

This is too low.

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Husker%20Du%20Poll/whatever700.jpg

19. “Whatever” - 168 points
• Arcwelder's version from Dü Hüskers comp

TOO LOW

drums are crazy here.

i took "Whatever" real personally when i was 17

The use of second person in the verses, separating the narrator from himself, before launching into the first-person barrage at the end is heartbreaking.

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Husker%20Du%20Poll/sorry_somehow700.jpg

18. “Sorry Somehow” - 187 points
• ''Aussie indie popsters'' Pray TV paint-by-numbers cover

Love it (although it didn't make my ballot), but surprised to see it so high. The cassette I bought in 1986 had a drop-out when Grant yells "Yyyeaaah I'm not sorry!" before the solo. It sounds wrong without the drop-out.

that's weird.

It made my ballot. Lots of solitary nights in the car screaming along with this one.

"whatever" and "terms" are cool but i didn't bother voting for them, guessing some of my warner-era nods didn't make the cut then. xpost and then a warner-era track i didn't vote made the top 20.

I only heard "Diane" relatively recently but i love it. Definitely understand if people find it in poor taste or too harrowing, but it's a really gripping, complicated mess of a song. i've read that grant was allegedly friends with edwards, and the casual flippancy of the verses mixed with the agony of the vocal suggests, at least to me, a real horror. obviously no one needs to clap hart on the back for dealing with this shit in a public sphere, though i doubt he thought "oh it'll be great when some irish group takes it to the UK top 30 ten years from now."

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Husker%20Du%20Poll/cybt1700.jpg

17. “Could You Be the One?” - 192 points
• Husker Du play "Could You Be The One" and have a short interview with Joan Rivers.

First HD video I saw on MTV. And during the daytime, no less!

I'm so dumb, I had to read that twice to realize they didn't have high-definition videos back in the late 80s.

It was between this and another Mould track when I narrowed down my ballot to 20. This lost. I expected it would place without my help, and I'm glad it made the top 20.

xp hahaha

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Husker%20Du%20Poll/ill_never_forget_you700.jpg

16. “I'll Never Forget You” - 197 points
• Salbando cover from Dü Hüskers comp.