Hüsker Dü's debut album is anything but the melodic punk that became the group's forte. It's a loud, aggressive, punishing album that lives up to its title. It slams through 17 songs in less than a half hour and hardly stops for breath. Recorded live in the band's hometown of Minneapolis, Land Speed Record has become a classic of hardcore punk at its most extreme. Drummer Grant Hart's "Data Control" slows things and points to the band's more experimental side, and a few melodies can be heard under the din—but the overall feel here is one of the most uncommercial endeavors imaginable. Hardcore punk wasn't interested in reaching out to the masses, preferring to insulate itself with a code of sound and attitude that's hard for outsiders to penetrate. However, if you love the sound of a whirring buzzsaw struggling to cut an oversized log, then Land Speed Record should satisfy your every need.