There is no way “Timothy” will ever be topped as the greatest song of the week evah, but JPK will try (also too, I am more of a Candy Apple Grey person)….
Hüsker Dü, “Pink Turns to Blue” (1984)
I suspect I’m in the minority on this now, but I still count the best Hüsker Dü (and hey, I went to a lot of trouble to get those umlauts right) as the big double-LP concept album this comes from (Zen Arcade) and the two EPs that preceded it (“Everything Falls Apart” and “Metal Circus”). Something alchemical was going on during that period of approximately 1982-1984. I was living in Minneapolis at the time and fortunate enough to watch it happen. The shows transformed virtually overnight from exhausting abrasive assaults to exhausting abrasive assaults with grace. I haven’t seen much else like it ever. And as if it weren’t enough to sweeten the hardcore attack with pop melody (Grant Hart managed it slightly better than Bob Mould, hence this pick), they went ahead and included a 14-minute workout. Dare I say, hippie style? Good grief, is nothing sacred?
Stretching out: “Reoccurring Dreams”
More stuff at Can’t Explain.