Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade

They didn't yet have terms like 'alternative rock' when Minneapolis's Husker Du made their mark as one of the 1980's most influential bands. With two skilled songwriters-guitarist Bob Mould and drummer Grant Hart-the genre-bending trio (bassist Greg Norton completed the lineup) juxtaposed hardcore punk speed and aggression with pop-leaning melodies. Add their uniformly thoughtful, introspective lyrics, and you've got this stunning 1984 double-length release, a semi-concept album about youthful rites of passage. It includes such memorable tracks as Mould's 'Broken Home, Broken Heart' Hart's 'Never Talking to You Again,' and the evocative 14-minute instrumental closer, 'Reocurring Dreams.'