The Living End (Live)

Recorded during Hüsker Dü's final tour in 1987, The Living End is a welcome look at one of alternative rock's most important bands of the '80s. The mixes are strong, and in some instances clearer and more revelatory than the studio releases. "New Day Rising" and "The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill" bring the vocals to the front while also making quite the case for Grant Hart's drumming power. The band's more mannered pop moves (especially from Warehouse) are given rougher edges. "Hardly Getting Over It," a sullen, emotive track from Candy Apple Grey, slows the band for a moment, but mostly it's pure momentum. "Books About UFO's" pumps up the band's pop angle even further, but "Celebrated Summer" balances the hooks with the band's initial punk power. Two new tracks—"Now That You Know Me," "Ain't No Water in the Well"—prove the group still had gas in the tank. A fiery attack of "What's Going On?" and a committed take of The Ramones' "Sheena Is Punk Rocker" further mine the group's punk roots.