Customer Reviews

Land Speed Record

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is definitely an album to be picked up only by those who can listen to bootleg recordings and still find the genius in them despite godawful production "values." Because, essentially, that's what Land Speed Record is-- a productionless mass. But that doesn't make it any less brilliant. If this had been recorded straight off the board and remixed, it'd be on Amazon's extensive list of "essential Husker Du CDs" (as if that weren't a redundant term).

But there's some fantastic stuff here. This was a staple during my days as a college DJ; "Ultracore," "Do the Bee," and "Bricklayer" (since we certainly couldn't get away with playing the intelligible studio version!) were in heavy rotation every time we were on the air. But the true reason to part with your hard-earned cash for this release comes right after the seemingly neverending barrage of thirty-second songs, as the Huskers end their set with a song that deserves classic status, "Data Control." The version on the curiously anemic The Living End doesn't even begin to do this song justice. It's the perfect fusion of metal and hardcore years before other bands thought that might be a good idea. But then, it just goes to show that, no matter how early in their career you look, Husker Du broke all the rules, and everyone else followed them into the gap.

I recently listened to this record again after many years and I'm struck by how incredibly powerful it is. I can only speculate at how much it blew the people in the audience away (those who were lucky enough to be there). This a document of a band that was discovering itself...that was screaming to be heard...and actually had something to say. The anger is definitely there. And the power...but so is the melody. "Don't Try to Call" and "Let's Go Die" have tunes that are discernible under the electric din and give us a small taste of what was to come from this seminal punk band. Husker Du is the band that created grunge and taught punk to love itself (or hate itself a little less). Just get it.

This is a must-have for any Husker Du fan and a fan of hardcore. People who do not like this album are people who do not like hardcore. Husker Du was hardcore, get over it, like it, enjoy it.

Land Speed Record contains great music! Anyone could argue it doesn't, but they'd be wrong! If you don't like the fact that Husker Du started out as an intense hardcore punk band, you won't like this. Better just stick with the alternative pop-rock stuff they put out. Don't get me wrong, I like that too,(mostly) but Land Speed Record was their foundation and what got them to the dance. Just look at the intense, stark nature of the cover art. What kind of music would you expect? It screams harcore! And to say the music doesn't hold up over time is asinine. To this day, I have still not heard anything like it. Is the recording quality good? No. But it's not as bad as these other reviewers claim. It's live, raw, fast, emotional gut-bucket, hardcore rock-n-roll. To be honset, these 2 star reviews I've read piss me off. What a bunch of creeps. Gimmee a break! These guys rocked! I just wish there was more Husker Du material from this era.

First off, anyone who doesn't worship this album is a total knob! Second of all, if the sound quality isn't good enough you need to turn it up full blast until it is! To this fortyish punker who was lucky enough to see these guys in a friend's basement in West Philly, this is TRUE Husker Du. Before Warner Bros. and all the bickering there was his band with such energy and promise they forged their own path right from the beginning. 18 or so thrash songs blended into one nonstop blur of total fury and energy, Grant's drums plowing through the din like a runaway train, Moulds chorused-out Flying V ringing out chords more bizarre than any attempted by their hardcore peers, and Greg Norton's roaring bass ripping through it all like Lemmy on 78 RPM! Most of these songs are stupid but in a great way; ditties about such topics as dropping bricks off of rooftops onto random people's heads and wanting to live on Gilligan's Island so you can have sex with Ginger and force The Professor to make recreational drugs for you. Cap it all off with the magnificently hypnotic dirge of Data Control and you have a thrash hardcore masterpiece! I cannot recommend this enough!***************************************************!!!!!

Not for the faint of heart(or Green Day fans),this is the sound of three musicians nearly overdosed on truck-stop speeders,who wanted to raise a lot of hell-If you can get past the poor production(it's not loud enough)you'll be wishing you were really there-Takes a few listens to "get" it,but when you do you probably won't be the same-At the end of the first program you hear a guy shout out,"Bravo!";he has some good taste in music!-This was not made to be played on the radio or to impress the new wave crowd,this was made to change life,music,art and the world-May it always!

This album is about as fast as they come. This is an early live concert with bootleg material on it. This is Husker Du at their very early stages. Unfortunately this album went out of print. By the time it came back into print it became a sloppy mess. The cd that is available now has only two tracks listed. This can be very annoying if u don't wanna use the time fast forwarding and trying to figure out where you are , to get to your favorite song. I am fortunate enough to own an original copy of this album with the songs listed seperately. Nevertheless this album still displays extreme power from one of the most influencial and greatest bands of all time. If you can get by the bad mistake of SST Records in not individually numbering the songs, you will definately like this album. Other reccomendations are "Everything Falls Apart and More", New Day Rising, "Flip Your Wig", hell, every album by these guys were a masterpiece.

This is a good album. I agree that it lacks any production whatsoever, but what would you expect from an album that took $(dollar amount) total to make and put out on record. I have over 40 CD's by Huskers and their offshoots and it took me a while to warm up to LSR. The enthusiasm and actual real punk attitude in the album is unmistakable though. It may take you awhile, but it deserves that time.

...for the sound alone. After releasing a mini-LP, an EP, and a single, all on their own label (all of which are collected on Everything Falls Apart and More), Husker Du signed to SST and released this live album (an entire set from a recent show) as their first proper album. The sound is not terrible, but leaves a little to be desired. And the way the CD is sequenced, you get "Part 1" and "Part 2", which are each 12-14 minutes long and contain a ton of songs. So you can't really pick an individual number. However, this is absolutely balls-to-the-wall hardcore punk that kicks you in the face, chest, and crotch all at once. It is absolutely storming in its power. Some of the best songs are Data Control, Ultracore, Let's Go Die, and Bricklayer. However, the whole album is just savage. Not for everyone, but for the true Husker Du fan, a great document.

Husker Du was a great band, one of my favorite rock bands of all time, but Land Speed Record is nearly incoherent. Even the band's energy is lost, totally wasted, due to the overall sound of this record. L.S.R. sounds like the band playing in doubletime, aboard the deck of a sinking ship.

Husker Du's songwriting got better, and their playing got better, AFTER this record was released. There's nothing much to recommend this, except the fact that it was released by Husker Du.

Fans might argue that their mightiest, fastest, and most energetic release was Land Speed Record.

I would say that Land Speed Record was the record that Husker Du released just before they learned how to write a good song.

For Husker Du completists only.