Published on Jun 12, 1997
Often, tension within a band results in some of the best work
they ever will do. For the Minneapolis punk rock band Husker Du,
the struggle was over leadership of the band, a struggle which
almost always seemed to plague the band. On one side, the
balls-out, decibel-shattering cacophany of guitarist Bob Mould; on
the other, the more pop, hit-song orientation of drummer Grant
Hart. (Caught in the middle of all this is poor Greg Norton, left
to thump away on his bass.)
Amid cries of sell-out when they moved from indie label SST to
the majors, the conflict seemed to come to a head on their major
label debut,
Candy Apple Grey. And while it didn’t have the rawness that
first attracted me to the band, it does feature some of their best
work.
The battle for control is there from the opening notes of
“Crystal,” featuring the orgasmic creams of Mould and the guitar
work that sounds like he’s destroying his instrument as he’s
playing it. In a word, incredible.
But Hart is a formidable songwriter himself; “Don’t Want To Know
If You Are Lonely” and “Sorry Somehow” are solid band efforts that
focus more on the songwriting than the instrumental work.
But the most powerful moment on
Candy Apple Grey belongs to Mould, who shares the spotlight
only with his 12-string acoustic guitar. “Too Far Down” is a slab
of pathos and helplessness that, I don’t think, has ever been
equalled in any genre. This is a song that just would not have
worked with the entire trio, and has remained one of my favorite
tracks.
Mould stays in an introspective mood for “Hardly Getting Over
It,” which features the entire band. More gentle than the typical
Husker Du song, this shift in style is even more powerful than the
band flailing away as fast as they could. If this is a sellout,
then put me first in line for whatever they’re selling.
Unfortunately, when the energy level has been set on 11, it
eventually has to sink. The second half of the album suffers from
this letdown. While “Eiffel Tower High” and “Dead Set On
Destruction” would have stood out on their own on another album,
they pale in comparison to the classics presented here.
So who won the battle for control? On this album, if you go on
the songwriting credits, Mould edges Hart out. But in the end,
everybody lost – Husker Du self-destructed while on tour for their
follow-up album to
Candy Apple Grey. Hart released one solo album and
disappered into obscurity, while Mould went on to success both as a
solo artist and with Sugar.
But
Candy Apple Grey ranks in my book as one of two must-own
albums from Husker Du (I won’t tell which is the other; you’ll just
have to keep reading “The Daily Vault”), and though there are some
weaknesses on this one, it still is a strong effort overall.