The Living End (Hüsker Dü album)
| The Living End | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by Hüsker Dü | ||||
| Released | April 7, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | On tour, October 1987 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Hüsker Dü, Lou Giordano | |||
| Hüsker Dü chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[3] |
The Living End is a Hüsker Dü live album recorded at various venues in October 1987 but not released until 1994. It spans the band's entire recorded output, from "Data Control" off Land Speed Record, the band's debut, to a number of songs from the band's last studio album, Warehouse: Songs and Stories. There are also some unreleased tracks and a cover of the Ramones' "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker."
Recording and reception
Guitarist Bob Mould and drummer Grant Hart handled the overwhelming share of songwriting duties in the band. Greg Norton has solo credit for "Everytime" . The track listing is reflective of the band's set lists. "New Day Rising" was a common choice to open shows. As explained in the liner notes, the band preferred to group like-minded songs into what they called "packs of three." Examples of these "packs" include "Standing in the Rain" followed by "Back from Somewhere" and "Ice Cold Ice," as well as "Terms of Psychic Warfare" followed by "Powerline" and "Books About UFOs."
Over half of the songs were recorded at Le Spectrum in Montreal. Songs from seven different performances were compiled by producer and long time Husker Du sound man, Lou Giordano.[4]
The album was deleted from the Warner Bros catalogue in 2003, and reissued through Rhino Entertainment's Encore imprint in June 2008. In an interview with Spin magazine in January 2008, Bob Mould stated that he has never heard this album.[5]
The liner notes were written by rock critic David Fricke and discuss the band's disintegration. The liner notes also mention several songs that were considered for inclusion on the album, but were left off due to space reasons.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "New Day Rising" (Washington 10/21/87) | Bob Mould/Grant Hart/Greg Norton | 3:06 |
| 2. | "Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Hart | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Standing in the Rain" (Toronto 10/13/87) | Mould | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Back from Somewhere" (Washington 10/20/87) | Hart | 2:25 |
| 5. | "Ice Cold Ice" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Mould | 4:19 |
| 6. | "Everytime" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Norton | 2:39 |
| 7. | "Friend, You've Got to Fall" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Mould | 3:11 |
| 8. | "She Floated Away" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Hart | 3:30 |
| 9. | "From the Gut" (Providence 10/16/87) | Mould/Norton | 1:33 |
| 10. | "Target" (Washington 10/20/87) | Mould | 1:46 |
| 11. | "It's Not Funny Anymore" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Hart | 2:11 |
| 12. | "Hardly Getting Over It" (Toronto 10/13/87) | Mould | 5:54 |
| 13. | "Terms of Psychic Warfare" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Hart | 2:01 |
| 14. | "Powerline" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Mould | 2:27 |
| 15. | "Books About UFOs" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Hart | 2:25 |
| 16. | "Divide and Conquer" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Mould | 2:56 |
| 17. | "Keep Hanging On" (New York City 10/17/87) | Hart | 3:23 |
| 18. | "Celebrated Summer" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Mould | 4:36 |
| 19. | "Now That You Know Me" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Hart | 3:31 |
| 20. | "Ain't No Water in The Well" (Toronto 10/13/87) | Mould | 2:47 |
| 21. | "What's Going On" (New Haven 10/18/87) | Hart | 3:21 |
| 22. | "Data Control" (Providence 10/16/87) | Hart | 5:09 |
| 23. | "In a Free Land" (Toronto 10/13/87) | Mould | 3:35 |
| 24. | "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (Montreal 10/14/87) | Joey Ramone | 3:13 |
References
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. "allmusic ((( The Living End > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan. "Hüsker Dü". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 398, cited March 18, 2010
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Hüsker Dü". robertchristgau.com, Retrieved on March 18, 2010.
- ↑ Earles, Andrew (2010-11-15). Husker Du: The Story of the Noise-Pop Pioneers Who Launched Modern Rock. MBI Publishing Company. pp. 286–. ISBN 9781616739799. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ↑ Steve Kandell (January 28, 2008). "The Spin Interview: Bob Mould". Spin magazine.