Page 2 of 2

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:35 pm
by JGJR
jaybird wrote:Bob does seem like he's pretty unsentimental, and there's plenty of stories floating around out there about him being a legendary dick to his fans and other musicians. But there's just as many stories out there about Grant being completely flaky and unprofessional and an all-around mess. I couldn't have been easy being in a band with either one of them.


I can only go by my own recollections and experiences, but he was as cordial as you could ever hope someone to be to me and my ex-wife when we interviewed him in 2009. I met him again a few years later in 2013 and though he claimed to remember me, I don't think he really did. He was really nice about it, though. Maybe he was more prickly occasionally to fans/journalists decades earlier when he wasn't sober, etc.? I honestly don't know.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:38 pm
by JGJR
The Snake wrote:I also want to make this clear, not that some Grant songs on Warehouse are that bad but they are just not that good comparing to Mould songs on Warehouse and the rest of HD discography.
Still, Warehouse is in my opinion much stronger record than Candy Apple Grey which I love A side but don't think that B side is that great.


"Dead Set on Destruction" and "No Promise Have I Made" are great songs (both Grant tunes). Swervedriver's great B-side "Planes over the Skyline" is basically the same song as the former and they admitted it. And "Hardly Getting Over It" is one of Mould's best, too.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:42 pm
by captain2man
Bob wrote my favorite Husker song (Celebrated Summer)....but, in my opinion, Grant wrote more "better" songs than Bob did....although that's like comparing milk chocolate and dark chocolate - because both are awesome and why would you want to live with only just one?

On Candy Apple Grey.....none of the six songs Bob wrote were better than any of the four songs that Grant wrote.

Bob wasn't a better songwriter than Grant - but he was more consistent and he knew how to write songs that were immediately likable, whereas some of Grant's work took some time to sink in.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:59 pm
by SamDBL
Part of my preference for the bob songs is probably because they sound like a guitar player wrote them as opposed to a drummer. I can almost always tell. Lots of cowboy chords as opposed to more inventive parts.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:02 pm
by The Snake
When I mentioned Candy Apple Grey I wasn't comparing Grant and Mould songs, I just said that I like A side more than the B side
Actually the first four songs on A side are in my opinion great songs and to me the rest of the album is just OK.

Of course, there wouldn't be Husker Du as we know it without any of the two composers, so it's not about who wrote "better" songs, they were both great in writing songs and performing them.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:03 pm
by jaybird
SamDBL wrote:Part of my preference for the bob songs is probably because they sound like a guitar player wrote them as opposed to a drummer. I can almost always tell. Lots of cowboy chords as opposed to more inventive parts.



I'd also add that even Grant's great songs were made even better by Bob's playing. Like, no way did Grant come up with those weird harmonic lead parts on "It's Not Funny Anymore".

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 5:34 pm
by Mark T.
One of my favs.


Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:43 pm
by SamDBL
jaybird wrote:
SamDBL wrote:Part of my preference for the bob songs is probably because they sound like a guitar player wrote them as opposed to a drummer. I can almost always tell. Lots of cowboy chords as opposed to more inventive parts.



I'd also add that even Grant's great songs were made even better by Bob's playing. Like, no way did Grant come up with those weird harmonic lead parts on "It's Not Funny Anymore".


Very true.

Also, thinking back on Warehouse... it's no wonder Bob Mould thought 'fuck these motherfucks. I'm goin' solo'. Amazing batch of songs from his side. Although I can't say he actually matched that album until the Sugar album, consistency-wise.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:12 pm
by JGJR
jaybird wrote:I'd also add that even Grant's great songs were made even better by Bob's playing. Like, no way did Grant come up with those weird harmonic lead parts on "It's Not Funny Anymore".


100 times this. My guess is that he didn't come up with that incredible guitar solo on "Pink Turns to Blue," either.

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:12 pm
by FlexMyHead
As previously mentioned, Husker Du was the combo of all three, even Bob's solo rocking stuff doesn't capture that Du vibe. I played bass in a band that covered "I Apologize" and learning all those parts made me pay attention more to how he added to the songs, no denying that Grant's bass lines also made Du's songs stand out as well.

Bob is/was way more prolific and (imho) a better song writer, hands down. I think he is just a better guitarist/singer in general. Grant's videos he didn't seem to look natural doing both and was very sloppy. I still like Grant's songs and my favorite Du song of his is below. I like it cause his vocal is more emotional and raw than he usually got.


Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:59 pm
by JGJR
FlexMyHead wrote:I still like Grant's songs and my favorite Du song of his is below. I like it cause his vocal is more emotional and raw than he usually got.



That's a good one, but for me the ultimate example of Grant really putting it out there vocally is "What's Going On."

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 1:09 pm
by FlexMyHead
JGJR wrote:

That's a good one, but for me the ultimate example of Grant really putting it out there vocally is "What's Going On."



Gonna go relisten to "What's Going On", but fast forward and listen to 2:10 to 2:39 and tell me that isn't someone singing their fucking lungs out like if they don't get it out it's going to kill them. Gives me chills!

Re: Best Grant Hart song?

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 4:22 pm
by Marc M
Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill