Zen Arcade
| Zen Arcade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by Hüsker Dü | ||||
| Released | July 1984 | |||
| Recorded | October 1983 at Total Access Recording in Redondo Beach, California (except "Standing By The Sea", recorded during the Metal Circus sessions, Dec 1982) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 70:23 | |||
| Label | SST | |||
| Producer | Hüsker Dü, Spot | |||
| Hüsker Dü chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Chicago Tribune |  |
| Q |  |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 10/10 |
| The Village Voice | A− |
Zen Arcade is the second studio album by American rock band Hüsker Dü, released in July 1984 on SST Records. Originally released as a double album on two vinyl LPs, Zen Arcade tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an unfulfilling home life, only to find the world outside is even worse. The album incorporates elements of jazz, psychedelia, acoustic folk, and pop, and also features piano interludes, all of which are rarely touched on in the world of hardcore punk.
Zen Arcade and subsequent Hüsker Dü albums were instrumental in the creation of the alternative rock genre; the band would later abandon the hardcore aesthetic entirely in favor of a post-hardcore style of melodic, guitar-driven alternative rock. While not commercially successful, the influence of Zen Arcade has stretched beyond the underground music sphere. It is frequently included on lists of the all-time best rock and roll albums and it continues to have a cult following.
Hüsker Dü had gained notice in the American indie music scene of the early 1980s as a fast, aggressive hardcore punk band. They were the first non-West Coast signing to the California independent record label SST Records, which at the time specialized in releases by hardcore bands, most notably Black Flag. However, the trio's music was becoming more melodic and nuanced with each album; songs such as "Diane" (from the EP Metal Circus), a true story about the rape and murder of a young woman, covered subjects not addressed in hardcore at the time, and the band indicated an interest in 1960s rock by covering The Byrds' "Eight Miles High".
...
Wikipedia