by Ally In Exile on Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:15 am
i have nothing against Husker Du, but i've never been a huge fan.
for me there are a lot of "seminal" bands like this, bands that i can appreciate from time to time, bands whose albums i own and sometimes listen to, but bands that i don't consider anywhere nearly as monumental as people make them out to be; ultimately, bands that i more or less like but don't particularly care about. perhaps this is a credit to the common sentiment, that it's "just music"? i dunno... but i've got plenty of records in my collection that are a hell of lot better and more inspired than Zen Arcade. (sure, it's got some great moments, and a few awesome songs, but on the whole it's a blustery hodge-podge. you can tell it was made in a day or so. when people declare it one of the fifty best albums ever, i can't help but cringe.)
i've heard most of their other early records as well, and though i recall them being all right, i honestly see no good reason why Husker Du should be cannonized for all eternity. maybe they were stellar live, or people like them so much because of their personlities/history/regional significance/etc., but i'm just not sold on Husker Du's alleged genius.
not crap, but hardly worth the endless superlatives heaped on their legacy.