Classic Albums: Candy Apple Grey by Hüsker Dü + Remembering: Grant Hart

Well, this makes two blog posts in a row about remembering someone who’s passed away in the last week. Grant Hart died on September 13, 2017 after a long battle with cancer at the age of 56 and was a great songwriter and half of the writing team of Hüsker Dü. I’ve made my love for hardcore punk totally obvious here on my blog but picking out a HD album, it just has to be say the more mellow or chilled out Candy Apple Grey record. I guess, acoustic guitars and the like were on the earlier albums but it seem to more here on this one.

Both the two single lifted from it was Sorry Somehow and Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely were written and sung by Grant Hart. Leading to even more problems with Bob Mould but I don’t what to go on and on about that in this post so maybe go somewhere to read about that, if you don’t know the full story by now.

So the basic fact about the record Candy Apple Grey, it was the fifth album but second last before the big break-up. Released early 1986 after being on indie label on all past ones it was first major label album. Contained ten perfect songs in a little less than forty mins. also producer by both Bob Mould and Grant Hart too.

Green Day once did a cover of Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely on a B-Side but I never liked them. Ryan Adams did cover two of Mould’s on a 7″ single once with the artwork somewhat a tribute to Candy Apple Grey not that the two songs were from this album but he’s not even close to my to fave artist, he’s a bit of a dickhead really. Talking about a dickhead and fave artist all in one, it would be Mark Kozelek and his last great album from only just last year remind me of HD because it was long time since hearing the name and Mark’s wired, tense, edgy lyrics from a song called Sally on the Jesu/Sun Kil Moon album started like this:

Once met a girl from Roanoke, Virginia
her eyes were green her hair was red
she was 24, I was 19
we’d fuck like bunnies all day on her waterbed

we listened to Husker Du’s
Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse Songs and Stories
so many times that my ears bled

Once again my intro to them was on the Aussie late night TV show called Rage and I think pretty much would have been Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely but most likely a few years after 1986.

I can’t forget to give kudos to Greg Norton the bass player and the greatest mustache in indie rock or even for that matter in rock!

Too much death lately and maybe I didn’t focus on Grant that much above but it’s just too sad to do so. Sorry, I’ve also got Harry and Grant mixed up or in the wrong order too but hopefully my next post isn’t remembering someone who not with us anymore!

Candy Apple Grey track listing, songwriter and times:

1. Crystal – Mould – 3:28
2. Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely – Hart – 3:29
3. I Don’t Know For Sure – Mould – 2:27
4. Sorry Somehow – Hart – 4:25
5. Too Far Down – Mould – 4:37
6. Hardly Getting Over It – Mould – 6:02
7. Dead Set On Destruction – Hart – 2:59
8. Eiffel Tower High – Mould – 2:49
9. No Promise Have I Made – Hart – 3:39
10. All This I’ve Done For You – Mould – 3:09

All my Classic Albums posts are in that link or they’re all linked below too!

• Tales From The Australian Underground – Volume 1 & 2 by Various Artists
• Station To Station by David Bowie
• Unplugged In New York by Nirvana
• Rust In Peace by Megadeth
• Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins
• Henry’s Dream by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Whatever You Love, You Are by Dirty Three
• Gala Mill by The Drones
• Black Monk Time by The Monks
• Ex Tropical by Lost Animal
• Work (Work, Work) by HTRK
• In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra
• The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd
• Songs Of Love And Hate by Leonard Cohen
• Warm Leatherette by Grace Jones
• The White House by The Dead C
• Silence Is Sexy by Einstürzende Neubauten
• Lulu by Lou Reed & Metallica
• Kaira by Toumani Diabaté
• Kings Of The Wild Frontier by Adam And The Ants
• Drowning In The Fountain Of Youth by Dan Kelly And The Alpha Males
• Aerial by Kate Bush
• The Future by Leonard Cohen
• Rock For Light by Bad Brains
• Last Splash by The Breeders
• Sex by The Necks
• Emergency Ward by Nina Simone
• Paradise by My Disco
• Batman by Prince
• Sings Christmas Carols by Mark Kozelek
• What Are Rock Stars Doing Today by Magic Dirt
• Love Of Life by Swans
• Big Name, No Blankets by Warumpi Band
• Blue Valentine by Tom Waits
• In The Pines by The Triffids
• Where Joy Kills Sorrow by Various Artists
• TV Sky by The Young Gods
• King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime by Faith No More
• Jean Lee And The Yellow Dog by Ed Kuepper
• Law Of Nature by Laughing Clowns
• (I’m) Stranded by The Saints
• Super Ape by Lee “Scratch” Perry & The Upsetters
• The Soft ‘N’ Sexy Sound by Dave Graney ‘N’ The Coral Snakes
• Mutiny/The Bad Seed by The Birthday Party
• Bahdeni Nami by Omar Souleyman
• Ascension by John Coltrane
• The Definitive by Blind Willie McTell
• Rid Of Me by PJ Harvey
• Horses by Patti Smith
• Vespertine by Björk
• Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall
• Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood by DMX
• I’m New Here by Gil Scott-Heron
• Charcoal Lane by Archie Roach
• In My Own Time by Karen Dalton
• Stay Sick! by The Cramps
• Primary Colours by Eddy Current Suppression Ring
• Veedon Fleece by Van Morrison
• Trainspotting by Various Artists
• After School Session by Chuck Berry
• Body Language by Kylie Minogue
• Bricks Are Heavy by L7
• Trailer Park by Beth Orton
• Arular by M.I.A.
• Moon Pix by Cat Power
• White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground
• Y by The Pop Group
• The Human Jukebox by Scientists
• The Shape Of Things by Pere Ubu
• Congotronics by Konono Nº1
• High Voltage by AC/DC
• Self-tilted by The Seeds
• His Best by Bo Diddley
• Embracism by Kirin J Callinan
• Benji by Sun Kil Moon
• Betty by Helmet 
• Late Registration by Kanye West
• Under The Western Freeway by Grandaddy
• What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have by Sarah Blasko
• Regret Is An Inevitable Consequence Of Life by Ricaine
• Tu-Plang by Regurgitator
• Hourly, Daily by You Am I
• In A Bar, Under The Sea by dEUS
• Gurrumul by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
• Twin Peaks by Angelo Badalamenti
• Some Girls by The Rolling Stones
• Adult Themes For Voice by Mike Patton

Basically the idea is write a little about each of my fave albums but I don’t know why really I titled/tagged them all as classic albums? Please feel free to leave a reply about this one or any of them or all of them all, Thank you!