Husker Du - Eight Miles High (London 1985)

[sartrekk]

This tears my heart out. He's like a shaman.

[jsmi033]

One of the best remakes of any song, ever. So so good.

[lexo30]

Husker Du were fucking kings. I am very quietly proud that in Ireland, where you had to be very, very hip to know about bands like this while they were still making stuff, I wasn't hip at all but somehow I came across them anyway, fell in love with them and bought everything I could find by them. It was 1987, the Warehouse period. My friends liked the Smiths and I liked Husker Du. And I don't regret a second of it.

[jenica2072]

What I would give to have seen that show. Husker Du was kicking ass that night.

[milanotiki]

been there,almost soficated to death in the front row,wonderful,tiki,belgrade

[LeftCoastGator]

Ugh. God, when will this endless obsession with ranking things end? Why does one version of this song have to better than the other? The original is an incredible combination of free jazz riffs combined with emerging psychedelia; this version is a mindbendingly powerful punk subversion of the original. They're completely different and they're both amazing.

[KOSMICKEN09]

great comment. nice to see something intelligent said for a change, other than 'wow music sucks these days' or whatever shallow comments I usually see......and the byrds version is probably my fave song ever...this is cool too.

[drew7z]

Brings back some memories. Loved Husker Du. This is one of the songs that gives me shivers everytime I listen to it. One of the best of the early alt rock scene. Thanks for vid.

[markeesmith]

This is a great cover -- no doubt about that one. Husker Du was brilliant. But to say it transcends the original is to do a major disservice to Gene Clark's stellar songwriting and vision. This was Gene at his near peak.

[paulyastro]

The best cover of all time. Transcends the original version in so many ways. Always loved this cover and this live gem is the best recorded version out there.

[bubblegumkiss2]

One could argue that this wonderful Byrds cover, once dripping with San Francisco's flowery past in late 60's, not only broke the band (though they obviously would have made it any number of other ways .. eventually), but it stands, in my opinion, as the most radical -- and artistic -- cover of the 20th century. I really feel the Husker's studio version of this track created something far, far greater than the sum of it's parts. This one was truly monstrous.

[topherevans]

Fuckin LOVE It !!!!!!!!!!!!

[CorpusHermeticum]

Only the mid-west could have produced THIS! I mean this is the ultimate punk classic - hippie drip transformed for the next generation. Then the fact that 2/3 of them were gay... and to top it off- the str8 guy is the one who actually looks queer. THEY WERE AHEAD OF THEIR TIME and I think still are... HD even had the courage to say they f'ed up by signing to a major label... Corn fed truth and power- love you dudes...

[THEinterrobang]

saw them in New Haven supporting New Day Rising at a shitty little club called the Metro. Still have the flyer and their autographs. Epic show.

[frenzexperiment]

MONOLITHIC

[gattcan]

no flying v? pity

[moezilla68]

Saw em in Pittsburgh, '86; they played the Warehouse Album (which I hadn't bought yet) front to back.

[huskerspew]

Saw Husker Du in '84 when I was at Colorado State University. Still hoping for a reunion. The fact that the Pixies could do it gives me hope.

[craigmac303]

I heard this song on a radio station in Melbourne when i was a 14 year old in the early 80s.the guy played it 3 times in an hour.the best song of all time in my humble opinion.

[Luizy2001]

Saw these guys live several times in the eighties, Soul Asylum opened for them at Brown University in Providence, Defintely one of the best bands live i've ever seen!!!!!

[molloyx]

The current indie rock scene, whatever it is, isnt worth the snot rolling out of Bob Moulds nose.

[charlessale]

That is so very fucking rude. There is good music if you look past the radio.

[JefferySchmitz]

@molloyx I couldn't agree more - and all these snot nosed youngsters dissing the Huskers have no clue

bands of this era made it all happen themselves - what an amazing time

[pwwpwwpww]

@molloyx word

[willthebighead]

This'd be my favourite Husker video if it wasn't for the first line being cut off

[merdez99]

Le plus grand groupe de tous les temps !!

avec après bien sûr Pixies et nirvana !

[mattaki]

i bet frankie stubbs was at this show.

[willthebighead]

I'm not sure about that. Sunderland's pretty far from London :P

[ROHisLife]

Grant Hart is a fucking monster.

[woodoven]

case in point: 0:58

[neildonoghue]

Husker Du and Nirvana 2 bands that could reach musical heights of intense ecstacey if you get me...Maybe Pixies 2 with a track like Tame :)))

[niceace]

Nirvana & Husker are 2 diff bands. Why even compare em? First off Husker were forefathers. i love em both seriously. i wouldnt quite say apples and oranges, so maybe i'll say fiji's and granny smiths.

[decti]

Don't you never,ever compare Husker and Nirvana to Granny Smith and Fiji. The former have no character. The latter simply have no taste. I would rather say Aroma and Åkerø (two of the best types in Norway).

[niceace]

whatever dude. taste is subjective. what someone else finds delicious is nasty to someone else. You completely missed my point by dwelling on something so petty. And why not compare any of them to a granny smith. Theyre both bands that had a similar working class background. And punk was never meant to be some foofi la-la elitist culture. So I would say the apples i chose were rather appropriate.

[mushroomheadsquish]

I saw the Huskers on their Warehouse tour in Toronto. I was pretty drunk. There are 2 songs from the show that night that made it onto their live cd, "The Living End". So I am a part of history. LOL. Get back together before someone dies. The Clash were the only other band that I wanted to see back together that meant anything. Come on guys...

[razvd]

And think i was getting born around the time this was got on film... I arrived late for so many great things, didn't I?

[Houratsu]

Yes.

[elps84]

Thanks for putting this here!

i'm ashamed to admit i never listened to these guys when they were around but this is a fantastic clip. Sorry I missed them.

[mushroomheadsquish]

dude, you can get this whole concert on dvd on pal and get it transfered over. It's from Australia. Or you can talk to me as I already own a perfect copy...

[woodoven]

whats cool here is they're playing on rented out gear, for instance bob isnt playing his yellow flying v, and i guess grant and greg are using different equipment too, which goes to show how kick ass they were, didnt even need their own shit to play!

[colico14]

I think the Explorer fits in pretty well with the Husker's sound as well. Then again, I really like Explorers! Yeah, they could make it happen all right!

[quotidianabstraction]

Bob's face right after the scream (2:30ish) . . . that sums up the emotional intensity of punk rock and the husks for me. Brilliant!

[mushroomheadsquish]

I see what you mean. I once played this single at a house party back in the '80's for 8 hours straight. Not one complaint. Husker Du had it all over Nirvana. This show proves it 10 fold. Sorry for mentioning Nirvana with Husker Du.

[0835SEBO]

I swear, the only band I can name that even comes close to the TITAN that is Hüsker Dü is Fugazi. Such powerful bands.

There are a few things in life that can possibly move me more.

[funkberto]

Si bien suena PUNK, lo paradójico q es un cover de una genial canción de la era HIPPIE- SICODÉLICA DE THE BYRDS (1966).

[proluco]

esta es una cancion con potencia grande BOB MOULD

[rickinbutler]

I did stage security for Husker Du once in their heyday. Smoked some bowls with the drummer before the show and had some beers with them after. Very cool guys. Bob Mould really impressed me with his intellegence and insight. Probably the best band of the '80s.

[Mogeela]

Man, lucky you! The drummer? That'd be Grant Hart, wouldn't it? You smoked bowls with greatness.

[maprangjung]

the studio version is the best cover ever made....

[funkyfoolfromVanNuys]

indeed, it's beautifully distorted and haunting, sheer genius.

[bylcote]

someone stole my 45 of that.

[Mooseboy]

Has anybody else noticed that this guy's guitar playing is very average? Listen to the original by The Byrds if you want to hear some amazing playing (Roger McGuinn)

[JohnnyFriendly]

You just don't get it, do you? *sigh*

[Mooseboy]

Evidently you don't get it either. ;)

[JohnnyFriendly]

Well my point is that music doesn't have to be technically good for it to have value. In Husker Du's case, they wanted 8 Miles High to have a wall-of-noise quality instead of slavishly copying the original. "Amazing playing" wouldn't have worked here.(for the record, I prefer The Byrd's version, but that ain't the point)

[funkyfoolfromVanNuys]

Well, I don't think Mould's playing is anything but amazing on this recording. Being a musician by way of guitar, it's not exactly the easiest song to play due to all the emotion and rage in the playing. On top of that, Bob's playing is extremly varied both with Husker Du and in his other projects. The Byrds version is also amazing, but this is a great way to personalize a cover while keeping true to the experimental roots.

[lexo30]

@funkyfoolfromVanNuys Somebody, I think it was in the NME back in the day, said that Husker Du covered this song 'in very much the same way as a stallion covers a mare', and that always seemed about right to me. I don't much like the original. I think it's a bit lame, especially compared to Coltrane's 'India', which the Byrds were attempting to emulate; but Husker Du took it and reinjected the energy which Coltrane had and which the Byrds so significantly lacked.

[ebisu2001]

@funkyfoolfromVanNuys hey i can only agree....great song and I love the byrds version a lot as well :-)

[funkyfoolfromVanNuys]

maybe you just need to take it as it is, and if you don't like it fine. Yes, McGuinn was a great player, so what?

[dexdrexler]

I prefer the album version cos Bob Mould just steps off the cliff and absolutely unleashes in that version, but thanks heaps for the upload.

[Lamvesp]

In complete agreement. I might put the album version up on here since no one else has. That completely blows me away.

[dexdrexler]

that would be awesome if you did :-)

[dylearium]

this entire concert is amazing. The first 20 minutes are warm up, and the rest sets you on fire.

[JMoran14]

I love how at 2:30 Bob just screams his voice right out of action. You can tell just by looking at him. Fucking great!

[ragozhin]

indeed the bands are aweful today!

too many nicklebacks and linkin parks-

[dexdrexler]

totally agree, but you gotta get off commercial radio and dig deeper for the good stuff my friend :-)

[ragozhin]

its becoming more difficult- i still listen to indie radio but its getting sqeezed!

gimme suggestions!

[napper1977]

Great stuff. I never realised how influential the band was....

Nap

[solord]

Between REM, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Meat Puppets and ESPECIALLY HUSKER DU (and a few others) -- these bands laid the foundation for most of the commercial so-called "alternative" music that has been hitting the radio the past 17 years. And bands like Nickelback and Linkin Park while they have the skill are basically retreads and doing the same stuff that was already being done in the '60's,' 70's, and the college-underground-punk-hardc­ore music scene in the 1980's.

[NUKEMTWICE]

only just got internet and seeing husker du live is great after last seeing them at the newcastle riverside in 1987

[cumofo]

Not Slam Dancing? Not Moshing? Just Jumping up and down? OH NO!!! IT MUST BE EMO!!!! Shit they covered "Love Is All Around" (i.e. the Mary Tyler Moore theme song)in 1984 go figure. Here, I thought I was punk. fuck me, i hate myself.

[nickca420]

"Emo" was a music scene centered around Washington, DC in the late 80s to early 90s, and you probably weren't even born when Husker Du broke up. Go listen to your Blanks 77 records, dork.

[oldphoque]

I`ll never understand why Bob chooses a flying V or explorer over a LP or a strat. Being the lead and rhythm, you need something special. Oh well, just a random thought.

[Potatish]

Heh, is this a joke? A Les Paul is goddamn *basic* as a lead instrument. Explorers and Flying Vs are the special ones, as not many lead guitarists use them by comparison.

[oldphoque]

It was just a thought. I just think a LP, depending on which model, neck and pickups you have is a more versitile. I also like the strat for the 2 single coils and a humbucker, 3 pu selection. It also has the illusion of a double cutaway. A real do all guitar. What I don`t like is the neck is usually not set. I just think of the explorer as a rhythm slat and the V as a metal noise machine. At the end of the day it realy is what you do with it. It obviously works for them or I wouldn`t listen.

[sup3rdeluxe]

best f*cking cover of all time. but i do agree with the guy that said pink pop's performance was better.

seens he's singing to not die. intense at maximum

[CortoArmitage]

Just watch the bands today, going through the motions and wonder- What the hell went wrong?

[jim68000]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee­esssssssssssssssssssssssssssss­sssss!

Cool they're playing a song about London in London too.

[astrophell]

Awesome. Just rips the Byrds version apart!

[briteness]

Great to see this. They take it a little fast here for my tastes, but their single version of this song is one of my favorite recordings of any band, period. I don't think they ever made a better record.

[djcvarme]

check out the other at pink pop fest, its even better.

[buttgeret]

one of my favorite songs

[gggturcott]

Wow, good quality video. Great cover! What a great band.

[krudefilm]

great post...i'm proud to say i was at this gig. had just moved to london and my mate angus dragged me along. they were feckin great!!!

[joesooner87]

absolutely. the hallmarks of what makes a great cover. take a song...play it your way.(green day...i'm talking to you.)

[swaneman]

One of the best versions of this song!

[Egurenkone]

When I think about good covers, or more precisely, what a cover is about, I always come back to this. It's amazing.

[dumbek]

Best. Cover. Ever.

[ELSORD83]

an excellent cover version, beats the original though the original is still great.and before any byrds fans complain, look at how many dylan songs they massacred

[forakiller]

fukin sound men . yet again trying ot be the heros

[disco2disco]

yes, its from the Byrds..thou almost unrecognizable in this husker du rendition. They published this as a 7" too.

[rafael28]

is this a byrds covver?

[mikewattdisciple]

Thanks, this is one of the best Husker clips I've seen so far.

[btnikk]

They are bloody genius... Norton, Hart, and Mould. Please reunite the band and come to Korea for gig before I die,,,

[stevemcduffie]

Thank you for posting this. Bob Mould is a bloody genius.

[husker666]

not only is he a genius he's a nice guy as well as I've met him a few times after concerts and he is really approachable