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

September 18, 2017

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

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

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!

2 responses to “Classic Albums: Candy Apple Grey by Hüsker Dü + Remembering: Grant Hart”

Anna Deneau

September 18, 2017

One of my favorite bands. I wore out the Metal Circus EP (cassette, of course) I played it so often in my car. Cassettes… nostalgia.

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1. William
  
  September 18, 2017
  
  So it’s more the early stuff for you? I don’t know what it is about CAG but it’s my go tooooooo album from them!
  Cheers again 🙂
  
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