''Metal Circus'' is an EP by American punk rock band

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

, released in 1983. As one of their early

records A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

, it was largely rooted in the band's initial hardcore punk style. However, signs of a new, poppier influence emerge on ''Metal Circus'', particularly in the songs sung by

Grant Hart Grantzberg Vernon Hart (March 18, 1961 – September 13, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-songwriter for the punk rock band Hüsker Dü. After the band's breakup in 1988, he released his first solo album '' ...

("It's Not Funny Anymore" and "Diane"). It also features some of

Bob Mould Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar in the 1990s. Early years Born in Malone, ...

's most passionate singing and shows further development in his guitar playing. Harmonic, chorus-type effects applied to Mould's guitar are more prominent. The change from the furious hardcore moments of ''

Land Speed Record The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...

'' and ''

Everything Falls Apart ''Everything Falls Apart'' is the debut studio album by Hüsker Dü released in January 1983 by Reflex Records. Critical reception In a 1983 ''Trouser Press'' review, Jon Young said, "Yeah! Hyperspeed agression!...Buzzsaw guitars! Shouting! A ...

'' towards increasing melodicism hints at the groundbreaking new approach that was to be seen on the band's next release, ''

Zen Arcade ''Zen Arcade'' is the second studio album by American punk 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 unf ...

''. The horrific murder depicted in the anguished "Diane" is based upon the murder of West St. Paul waitress Diane Edwards by Joseph Ture in 1980. The song was covered by

Coffin Break Coffin Break was a hardcore punk band from Seattle, Washington. History Coffin Break was formed in Seattle in the late-1980s, at the start of the grunge era. The group released its first two full-length albums and a compilation on C/Z Records. S ...

in 1989, Irish band

Therapy? Therapy? are a Northern Irish rock band from Larne, formed in 1989 by guitarist-vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing. Therapy? recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar. To complete the lineup, the band r ...

in 1995,

Superdrag Superdrag is an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. They are best known for their 1996 single, " Sucked Out", off their album ''Regretfully Yours'', for which a video was played on MTV. The original lineup r ...

in 1998 and Gravenhurst in 2004 . While only 21 seconds shorter than their debut studio album ''Everything Falls Apart'', and generally viewed as an EP, ''Metal Circus'' was almost released as a 30-minute album with 11 songs. The

outtake An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DV ...

s were "Standing by the Sea" (later used on ''Zen Arcade''), "Today's the Day", "You Think I'm Scared", and "Won't Change" (which later appeared on the compilation ''

A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse ''A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse'' is a 1985 no wave compilation released on the Giorno Poetry Systems Founded in 1965, Giorno Poetry Systems was an American artist collective, record label, and non-profit organisation founded by poet ...

''). In 2017,

The Numero Group The Numero Group is an archival record label that creates compilations of previously released music, reissues original albums, and creates album reconstructions from a variety of musical genres. The label, known as Numero, was founded in 2003 b ...

released a compilation of early Hüsker Dü material. A bonus edition of the compilation, called ''Savage Young Dü'', was packaged with a 7" entitled ''Extra Circus'' containing outtakes from the EP's sessions. In a 1984

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

review, John Leland said the band "flirts with heavy metal, but also reveal strains of folk and psychedelia. The metal ventures (noisy lead guitars) expand Hüsker Dü's sound without getting sludgy or bombastic. On the slower tunes,...the guitars drone like a supercharged

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. On the fast tunes they smoke."

Track listing

Side One # "Real World" (Mould) – 2:27 # "Deadly Skies" (Mould) – 1:50 # "It's Not Funny Anymore" (Hart) – 2:12 # "First of the Last Calls" (Mould) – 2:48 Side Two #

"Lifeline" (Mould) – 2:19 # " Diane" (Hart) – 4:42 # "Out on a Limb" (Mould) – 2:39

Personnel

Liner notes adapted from the album sleeve. ;Hüsker Dü *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

– vocals,

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Greg Norton Gregory James Norton (born March 13, 1959) is an American musician, formerly of the band Hüsker Dü. Early life Norton was born in Davenport, Iowa, as this was the most local Catholic hospital to his family’s home in Rock Island, Illinois. He ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

; Technical * Hüsker Dü – producer *

Spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot (produ ...

– producer, engineer * Fake Name Graphx – album cover

References

{{Authority control 1983 EPs Hüsker Dü albums Albums produced by Bob Mould SST Records EPs