Husker Du : Classic or Dud, Search and Destroy.

Is there anything keeping the Warner era stuff from getting the reissue treatment?

I mean, I see there were some new vinyl pressings in 2014 but is there a reason why nothing else is happening?

I think it was just the internal workings or lack of agreement within the band itself. WB always paid them royalties in a timely manner, still do, so the band never had any business or professional issues with the label. The only thing they released after they split was that live album (an excellent one even if the mix used too much echo on certain tracks), and it was done while Mould had his hands full with Sugar. Even though Mould signed off on it, he didn't bother to listen to it and claims he still hasn't.

I'm not sure this band left behind a ton of unused stuff, especially toward the end.

I have a 13-track file of Candy Apple Grey demos and a disc of New Day Rising rehearsals, fwiw

Oh, they exist. Just not a lot of unused songs, iirc.

oh sorry, yes I agree that actual unused outtake songs are probably thin to nonexistent

Thanks, was just curious. Even with the slim pickings, I wouldn't mind reissues of those last two albums while we continue to wait for Ginn to get his shit together reissues on the SST stuff.

I don't think the SST stuff will ever happen. It really sucks, but I don't think Ginn has an interest/the wherewithal to commit to a remastering/reissue project, and I don't think Bob's focus is on that period of his career (though if he's kept off the road much longer maybe he'll change his mind). It's frustrating, given Meat Puppets and Dinosaur were able to rescue their SST work, but...

When I was researching my Black Flag book I remember telling Carducci that the absence of any reissued/remastered Husker Du catalogue releases from the SST was a disgrace, and he argued that those CDs sound as good as they'll ever sound, which I strongly disagree with.

I've honestly never had a problem with them. We're not talking, like, "Aja" here.

I mean, I guess I agree with you, but my brother's CD of Zen Arcade sounds pretty wussy compared to my ancient vinyl copy.

I have no doubt different printings have different qualities, but wasn't that album recorded and mixed in something like 48 hours? There's only so good it's going to sound.

I feel like we've gone into the CD vs LP thing here before, consensus is that the LPs are better

I agree that it's no Steely Dan, but stevie is right - my vinyl pressing of Zen Arcade sounds significantly better than my CD. And I say that as no sort of audiophile, but it's a vast improvement. I'm assuming the same might be said for the other SST albums, but I only have those on CD.

I suppose, but it's still shades of aggro blaaaarg. Like, I don't think the albums sound any worse than how all the, say, Minutemen or Sonic Youth or Dino Jr. or whatever albums on SST sound, they're all sort of limited by their, well, limitations. Compared, for the sake of then-contemporary frame of reference, to something like Mission of Burma, which was a lot more sophisticated in its studio conception and benefitted more from getting cleaned up.

I don't think Josh is wrong about this. I'm sure the transfers could be better, especially if they do it in DSD, and for my tastes, it needs some EQ to restore some muscle (bring down the treble and upper mids, nudge up the bass). But these are still lo-fi recordings, and there's only so much room for improvement. I guess some people may want it compressed into a congested mess, but that ain't for me.

Spot gonna Spot

There's a November 1987 rehearsal tape of them playing a bunch of post-Warehouse song ideas, some great stuff in there

I feel like we've gone into the CD vs LP thing here before, consensus is that the LPs are better

fify

I don't think the albums sound any worse than how all the, say, Minutemen or Sonic Youth or Dino Jr. or whatever albums on SST sound, they're all sort of limited by their, well, limitations.

I disagree there, tbh - Sister is a well-produced album recorded in a decent studio. And You're Living All Over Me on SST CD was flat and really shoddy - there was a two-second gap between Kracked and Sludgefeast! - wheras the Merge reissue sounded much, much better. Obviously there's only so much you could polish it, but there's still room for improvement. And I thought the Savage Young Du version of the Everything Falls Apart tracks sounded much better than that Warners reissue from the 90s.

There's a November 1987 rehearsal tape of them playing a bunch of post-Warehouse song ideas, some great stuff in there

oh yikes, where is that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV9RN5HEbxY

Though I'm not sure there's unreleased stuff there. All that comes to mind is "Now That You Know Me" (which Grant released) and ... "Gotta Lotta," which was a b-side? And something Greg sang, I think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJr6GIyUi80

I'll be real here, part of me wants these reissues because I think we are in a time where glorified reissues really help to cement a band's legacy (for better or worse, this is a whole different discussion about how valuable this really might be) and I cannot think of many '80s bands that deserve it more than them. I'm pissed that it couldn't have happened while Grant was still around. Not that Husker Du is some forgotten act or whatever, but I look at something like Matador's great Pavement reissue campaign, something that I think really contributed to the strength of their legacy right now.

And it's not like Bob is completely unafraid to look back, given his recent HUEG solo box set.

I cannot think of many '80s bands that deserve it more than them

*cough* MINUTEMEN *cough*

but yes, point taken and I agree

Thanks Josh!

Oh for sure, Minutemen are a close second in my book, now that The 'Mats has been covered.

The Minutemen are even more tricky because their catalog can feel confusing and sprawling to a newcomer.

You think? I think it's pretty well organized and accessible!

idk Politics Of Time and Ballot Result and all the weird singles and EPs do kind of confuse the straightforward Punch Line - Start Fires - Double Nickels - 3-Way-Tie narrative

It's accessible, but all the EPs and comps and singles felt really baffling when I first dove in.

lol xp

most of the warners era b-sides are not all that (although i do have a soft spot for 'all work and no play'), but i always thought this song was amazing, sounds like it could have been off 'torch of the mystics' or something:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1OJo0oEf9g
Husker Du - Fattie

incredible, never even heard of that, thanks!

neverending drone and those waves of sound, so good!

Love that!

all the EPs and comps and singles felt really baffling when I first dove in

That's why the Post-Mersh series was such a gift; all the various EPs, plus one of their albums, on one CD.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71qa5jZckAL.jpg

So baffling pre-internet circa early 90s walking into a record shop and being like "I want to get into Minutemen, what's the best intro?", though (which is why my first was the not-very-satisfying 3-Way-Tie)

Yeah, I had the albums but I usually kept the Post-Mersh collections in the car. Are they out of print?

I think I posted this in the Savage Young Du thread but I ended up running into Terry Katzman at a bar before he passed and he said there's no way the SST reissues happen

They tried to get the masters from Ginn with the same lawyers who handles Meat Puppets and Dino, but apparently there was some particularly onerous details in their contact even worse than the others

He said obviously at a certain point money can make anything go away but didn't get the sense Mould (the only one with serious dough) wanted to spend that much when he's got his solo career

The way Grant put it to others (and, once, to me) was that Mould used that as leverage. That is, he was all for working that stuff out but he wanted a much bigger share of the rights in return, which Grant was not willing to give up. In the end it's all just a matter of will. I remember interviewing Dean Wareham once, years ago, and asking about the (then) out of print Galaxie 500 albums being stuck in legal limbo or whatever, and his response was essentially, um, no, I've got the masters, it was just a matter of getting around to re-releasing them.

The Post-Mersh comps were my introduction to the Minutemen, though there is also a 1998 comp called Introducing the Minutemen; I don’t own it so so idea if it keeps as much context as the others.

Where's the Savage Young Du thread?

At this point I’m more at peace with the way the SST stuff sounds - I do think they are the worst sounding of the big bands at the label - but there’s a charm there I guess coupled with the whole limitations as aesthetic thing

I don’t see why something couldn’t be done for the Warners stuff; they sound awful for what were their big major label statements and sonically, I’m often left wondering - why even make the leap to WB? There were plenty of albums on independent labels in that 86/87 period that sound better than those two

the perfect Minutemen intro is actually the cassette-only release My First Bells, forgot about that one!

https://www.discogs.com/Minutemen-My-First-Bells-1980-83/release/1043613

ums that's a bummer abt that Katzman story, but vmic for Ginn unfortunately

NickB, great post. I'd never heard that b-side.

glad you like it! i love it when they do that more textural stuff

I sincerely appreciated your replies a few months ago when I was fishing around for info on the proto-"Isn't Anything" vibes on the bridge of "No Reservations".

ah, that's nice of you to say so! :)

going back to terry katzman, does anyone have any thoughts or feelings about the rest of the reflex records catalogue?

Hüsker Dü - Statues (7") Reflex A, 1981
Various - Barefoot And Pregnant (Cass, Comp) Reflex B, 1982
Various - Kitten Kompilation (Cass, Comp) Reflex C, 1982
Hüsker Dü - Everything Falls Apart (12") REFLEX D, 1983
Rifle Sport - Voice Of Reason ‎(LP, Album) Reflex E, 1983
Man Sized Action- Claustrophobia ‎(LP) Reflex F, 1983
Final Conflict - Final Conflict ‎(7") REFLEX G, 1983
Hüsker Dü - Metal Circus (EP) REFLEX G, 1983
Otto's Chemical Lounge - Otto's Chemical Lounge (7", EP) REFLEX H, 1983
Ground Zero - Ground Zero (LP, Album) Reflex I, 1984
Articles Of Faith - Give Thanks (Album) REFLEX J, 1984
Man Sized Action - Five Story Garage (LP) Reflex K, 1984
Minutemen - "Tour-Spiel" EP (7", EP) REFLEX L, 1985
Ground Zero - Pink (Album) REFLEX M, 1985

Give Thanks (and all earlier AOF) totally fucking rules, haven't heard any of the others