"Don't Want To Know..."/"All Work and No Play"/"Helter Skelter," 12" single
Candy Apple Grey, LP
Warner Brothers
Imagine yourself in an airplane about to crash. You're at 20,000 feet and falling fast. You stand by the open door. You can't remember if you're wearing a parachute, and can't look. You want to black out, but don't. In your head plays "Crystal," from Candy Apple Grey.
We knew we wouldn't have to worry about the kings of do-it-yourself selling out on their major-label debut; in fact, this album isn't quite as accessible as Flip Your Wig. The sonic sophistication of last year's record is there, but this is a more downbeat product. It's a "complex" and "thoughtful" thing, filled with raging ballads about anticipating the deaths of relatives and friends, and about depression, and about how hard breaking up is to do, and like that. The sound? Same as usual: Wholegrain hardcore, flat-faced with the stamp of the plains, lines that rhyme but sound as if they shouldn't. Melodies too.
Husker Du. Photo by Daniel Corrigan
As for the single, "Don't Want To Know..." (also included on the album) is an A-level Husker Du rush, but the muddled live cover of "Helter Skelter" and the eight-minute dirgey mantra are, let's just say, far from these guys' best. Get the long-player and ride it out.