Husker Du- "Flip Your Wig"

Husker Du
"Flip Your Wig"
SST Records
1985

Riding the endless amphetamine wave, Hukser Du entered the studio 2 months after the release of “New Day Rising” to record their follow-up. Even poppier and expanded melodic arrangements (but not in any wimpy way), “Flip Your Wig is the third in a series of powerhouse SST Records releases, and probably the third best of the bunch. It’s also their swan song of the indie circuit, as at this point the cigar-puffin’ corporates had begun knocking on their door, promising riches and palm trees instead of dumpy flannel and Minnesota snow drifts.

Writing brighter material that still retained a dark, daring, and angry tone, Husker Du put out another minor-chord onslaught of their most accessible material. Well, maybe “Green Eyes” wasn’t so angry. That song’s a little sappy, but hey it’s damn good. But I digress. By this point, Grant Hart and Bob Mould were scrambling to out write each other at a steady pace, which explains the brevity in between full lengths. There was a compulsive need to get it all out NOW. Time is of the essence when you’re off being punk rock Beethovens. The inflated sense of songsmith is particularly visible in the album’s credits, which are just bloated with ego. I mean, does Grant Hart really need to list that he played slide-whistle on this album? Good for you Greg Norton, simply listed as: bass.

After the brittle, lo-fi production on “New Day Rising,” Hart and Mould, being the self-identified geniuses they were, decided to produce the record themselves. “Flip Your Wig” features improved production, with Mould’s guitar still rigid but easier to decipher. The album still sounds dated with all that ‘80s reverb on the drums. Gotta make that deep snare ring out forever, baby!

So the songs. YES, the SONGS. Wow, “Flip Your Wig,” packs a bunch of grade A songs in between a few average-at-besters. But damn do those A plus songs shine. The opener, and title track, ends with between Mould’s lead vocals and Hart melodically shouting in the background, this all after an aggressively catchy build-up and fantastic, tasteful guitar solo. How about “Makes No Sense at All,” Mould’s best pop song thus far? Or “Divide and Conquer,” Mould’s best song EVER!? I defy you to listen to “Divide and Conquer” without kicking a hole in a wall and then hugging the person whose wall you’ve just damaged. What weird emotions these are! The giddy bounce of “Hate Paper Doll,” the carefree swing of “Flexible Flyer,” more airplane references with “Private Plane”? Damn, the strengths are boundless in spots, and apparently Husker Du fancy aviation titles.

So what sucks about this album? “BABY SONG.” One minute of silly filler that Grant Hart thought would be a good idea. I take this as Grant’s coming-out-of-the-closte song. Their can be no other way to describe it. Listen for yourself and just hide your cherub cheeks in embarrassment. I guess they were trying to exhaust the last of their tape reels at this point, probably while wearing Brian Wilson fire-fighter hats. Also, Hart’s “Keep Hanging On,” is a bland radio friendly rocker suitable for a truck driver in need of an emotional pump-up. The record closes with two instrumentals which is a weak choice, although they’re not bad. Mould’s “The Wit and the Wisdom” is a particularly dark and strange instrumental, but the finals tracks leave you wanting a final statement.

Side-A also stacks up so much better than Side-B, so flipping the record over is a bit anti-climactic. It makes me wonder why they didn’t place “Divide and Conquer” as the intro to Side-B. Instead, it’s buried 6th on the first side. I don’t know. The final fizzle out of the record causes the album to fall in the mighty ranks of their impressive discography, although at times, Bob’s from-the-gut (bahhzzing) vocals really make you want to declare this their best ever. But every time I find myself sitting through the first 14 tambourine-cursed seconds of “Find Me,” before the song gets awesome I remember why “New Day Rising” feels a little purer.

And thus concludes their indie cred and royalty hemorrhaging on SST Records. It’s time to loose more money in the MAJOR LEAGUES.

8/10