Well, since Troutman got Copper Blue, I'm going to scoop this one now.
For our fifth pick, in the 1980-1985 category, team 'Are you sure you're a doctor?' picks
Zen Arcade by Husker Du.
This record scared the hell out of me when I first heard it. I was a Sugar fan, and knew that Bob Mould had been in a punk rock band in the 80s. I tracked down a copy of this at Hot Wax but just wasn't prepared for it. The word 'intense' is probably about the most overused adjective that gets applied to music, but it's really fitting for this one. It's genuinely emotionally harrowing listening to this record. Everything is so raw, the playing is so desperate, and Mould and Grant Hart just strip themselves naked to the listener.
At the same time, the song writing is incredible. You go through two simultaneous trips on this record: an emotional one, as the band starts confused and angry and then completely collapses and builds itself back up. And there's a musical one - you start with really gritty 80s hardcore punk rock, work through some sonic experimentation, and then get introduced to a whole new kind of music. Something that's familiar to all of us now in the post Pixies world, but at the time wasn't common.
This is a record that I've come back to time and time again since first hearing it 12 years ago, and always get something new out of it.
Something I Learned Today:
Chartered Trips:
Pink Turns To Blue: