Hüsker Dü: Zen Arcade (SST, 1984)

IF PUNK WAS inherently anti-double-album, early ‘80s hardcore had no such qualms about going into extra time. When mighty Minneapolitans Hüsker Dü journeyed to the LA studio of Black Flag engineer Spot in October 1983, they blasted out these 23 piledrivers in a matter of days – all but two of them first takes. Forget Emo: Bob Mould and his trusty sidekicks Greg Norton and Grant Hart welded melodic anguish to trebly wall-of-guitar intensity 20 years ago, bub.