HÜsker DÜ - Zen Arcade

Hüsker Dü were one of the loudest and most thrashy acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Then they decided to move away from pure hard metal thrashy rock into hard rock and pop. This didn’t exactly thrill some fans (Bob Mould got booed more than once when he stepped out on stage with an acoustic guitar), but the decision led to this album which arguably remains the band’s masterpiece.

First released as a double album in 1984, the music ranges from very heavy thrash rock to delicate piano numbers and almost everything in between.

The all acoustic number “Never Talking To You Again” sits between the hard rocking songs “Broken Home, Broken Heart” and the incredible “Chartered Trips”. “Monday Will Never be the Same” and “One Step at a Time” contain simple and mellow piano/synth music. “Indecision Time”, “I’ll Never Forget You”, “Beyond the Threshold”, and “Pride” all thrash cathartically hard with abrasively screamed lyrics. It sounds like the Hüsker Dü of the past. The creepy “The Tooth Fairy And the Princess” approaches psychedelia with its backward tracks and whispered vocals. Not to mention the sleigh bell-laden “Hare Krishna”. “Newest Industry” and “Turn on The News” sound like the Hüsker Dü to come. “Zen Arcade” definitely represented a transition for the band.

Full Album Tracks Listing
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1. Something I Learned Today [download]
2. Broken Home, Broken Heart [download]
3. Never Talking To You Again [download]
4. Chartered Trips [download]
5. Dreams Reoccurring [download]
6. Indecision Time [download]
7. Hare Krsna [download]
8. Beyond The Threshold [download]
9. Pride [download]
10. I’ll Never Forget You [download]
11. The Biggest Lie [download]
12. What’s Going On [download]
13. Masochism World [download]
14. Standing By The Sea [download]
15. Somewhere [download]
16. One Step At A Time [download]
17. Pink Turns To Blue [download]
18. Newest Industry [download]
19. Monday Will Never Be The Same [download]
20. Whatever [download]
21. The Tooth Fairy And The Princess [download]
22. Turn On The News [download]
23. Reoccurring Dreams [download]