Ep515: Greg Norton - Hüsker Dü's Miracle Year & more

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Hüsker Dü & UltraBomb bassist Greg Norton discusses the Miracle Year of 1985, vinyl rarities, the archive fire, Reflex records, the making of Zen Arcade, the Punk Rock Museum and more

See Greg at the Punk Rock Museum Sept 9 | Preorder "Hüsker Dü - The Miracle Years" here

Topics Include:

• Greg Norton announces September 9th Punk Rock Museum guided tour and performance
• Norton discusses favorite museum pieces including Joe Strummer's guitar and burned DOA Stratocaster
• Band's archive mostly intact despite Grant Hart's 2011 house fire destroying materials
• Norton used to own 7,000 vinyl records but downsized after difficult moves
• Hüsker Dü formed through Minneapolis record store connections at Melody Lane and Cheapo
• Band members met when Bob Mould heard Grant Hart blasting Ramones music
• Northern Lights record store basement became their rehearsal space after hours
• Twin Tone rejected their demo, leading to self-releasing on Reflex Records
• Band assembled and sold first singles themselves, no distribution deals initially
• BREAKING NEWS: Numero Group announces "Hüsker Dü 1985: The Miracle Year" box set
• Previously unreleased First Avenue live recording from January 1985 finally gets release
• 1985 was pivotal year with 150 shows, multiple album releases across continents
• Band road-tested new songs before recording, sometimes writing during soundchecks
• Most basic tracks recorded in one or two takes maximum
• Zen Arcade conceived as rock opera double album from the beginning
• Minutemen rushed Double Nickels release to match Zen Arcade's double format
• Producer Spot mentored Hart and Mould while engineering at Total Access Studios
• Jello Biafra praised Zen Arcade as bringing "self-indulgence back to rock"
• Current band Ultra Bomb working on third album with rare vinyl issues
• Norton hopes to finally tour Australia after decades of missed opportunities

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Photos by @insomniac199

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