1. Eight Miles High 7″. Hoewel Zen Arcade m’n favoriete album is, en vermoedelijk een van de sleutelplaten in m’n leven, is het beste wat ze ooit opnamen de cover van “Eight Miles High” van The Byrds. De song werd als single uitgebracht en is niet op een album of compilatie terug te vinden. Ooit schreef ik er dit over: ” If you thought that the original version already had an eerie, paranoid vibe to it, I dare you to check out the devastating cry of anxiety that Hüsker Dü’s version is. Although you could label it ‘hardcore punk’, ‘alternative guitar rock’, ‘modern psychedelica’ or whatever, it’s more than just a piece of music. It’s a statement, a gut-turning blast of emotion, a sonic thunderstorm and one of the most intense things you’ll ever hear. The bass intro is replaced by Mould’s distorted guitar, which rages on throughout the entire song. To today’s standard, the song sounds horrible, the Gibson sounds like a blanket of confused noise, the drums sound trebly and the vocals are muffled, but MAN… The Byrds never recorded anything this intensely melancholic, insane and desperate. Mould’s vocals become increasingly manic and by the time he gets to the third verse, he’s barely understandable. During the second part, his vocals might as well be meaningless, nothing but an outcry, howled passion over a dense guitar racket. As Azerrad also argues: at this point, the band went way beyond the confines of “punk”, they were making music you could cry to, music that could turn you upside down, make that made you feel you were alive and alter your perception of music. It’s exactly the core of the song, the honest, bare-naked passion and intensity that’s the key element of all the rock ‘n’ roll that I love. Music doesn’t have to be measured in insane dB-levels, but when its intensity and sincerity are thisreal, it makes more of an impact than any amount of amplifiers can conjure up. Never ever has any song by any artist made such an impression on this guy.” Hey, ik was wat jonger en nog onnozeler dan nu.
2. Zen Arcade
3. New Day Rising
4. Warehouse: Songs And Stories
5. Flip Your Wig
6. Metal Circus
7. Candy Apple Grey
8. Everything Falls Apart
9. Land Speed Record
10. The Living End
NP: John Zorn – Femina
Boleuzia 