Hüsker Dü - The Living End (Live) (1994)

Hüsker Dü was an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart. Hüsker Dü never achieved mainstream success, but attained an influence far larger than its modest sales figures would indicate. Following a series of successful albums, including Zen Arcade (1984) and New Day Rising (1985), the band signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1986, becoming one of the first American underground rock bands to sign with a major record label.

Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a hardcore punk band with thrashing tempos and screamed vocals. The band developed a more melodic musical style as they drifted away from their early sound, helping to develop the early alternative rock sound in the process. Mould and Hart split the songwriting and singing duties; Mould's lyrics were known for being more soul-searching and intense than the often whimsical and cryptic ones of Hart.

Hüsker Dü broke up in 1987 without achieving a popular breakthrough. Mould formed another band, Sugar, in the early 1990s and has embarked on a solo career on various occasions; Hart and Norton have been less active since Hüsker Dü's demise. Although never experiencing commercial success, Hüsker Dü influenced a number of later pop punk and alternative rock bands, such as the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Superchunk, Green Day, New Found Glory and Foo Fighters.

There's no real reason to believe this was anything other than a last little cash-in on the part of Warner Bros., who had the rights to only two studio albums anyway, but whatever the motive, the end results are enjoyable indeed. Stitched together from a variety of shows on the final Hüsker Dü tour in late 1987, The Living End may not be a true representation of the band's sets, but as a collection of tracks by an about-to-crack group still firing on all fours live, it's quite a treat. David Fricke's polished but not revelatory liner notes do contain a number of more elucidating comments from the bandmembers themselves, with Mould capturing the sense of things best: "The music was so strong, everybody got caught up in it. It was easy to say, 'F*** all this other sh*t' for an hour." Or in this case, an hour and a quarter of mostly previously released material, though there were two new songs – "Now That You Know Me" and "Ain't No Water in the Well" – plus a merry rip through the Ramones' classic "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker." Production and assembly by the trio's live soundman, Lou Giordano, certainly helps everything sound technically good – Hart in particular is storming down from the heights – though there are a few instances where backing vocal mixes aren't quite what they could be. Or the leads – calling "Everytime" gutteral is almost too flattering. For the most part the song choices emphasize the quick and immediate numbers rather than those where the band showed a touch more exploratory impulses, and while it's hard to fault the song choices, sometimes they blend into each other a bit too much. However, as with much of their studio material, the sheer power and passion of the band often carries all before it, and certainly the appreciative audiences don't hold back their responses.. ~Allmusic.com