Entertainment For Lively Minds
Sonic Youth
Posted by Specs_Beard on 18 April 2009 - 7:09pm.
Taking my lead from the brilliant 'Introduce me gently' thread started by nicktf - can anyone recommend a good album or two to start with from this lot?
Perusing (ahem) one of our favourite magazine's rival publications, I found their article on SY utterly unrevealing - so time to ask those who know.
Thanks!
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daydream nation
they acheived their sound and they haven't moved on much from here that or sister.
DN's good, but
Goo (the one that came after) is better IMHO - less pretentious, more hooks, punchier production. More recently Murray Street has some quite splendid laid-back grooves, and Sonic Nurse some black-as-night pop fun.
I'd suggest
Their most recent - Rather Ripped - which is accessible, noisy and melodic. Sister, Dirty, and Experimental Jet Trash... are all very highly recommended!!
Seconded, with caution.
Bought purely to access the mystery of Sonic Youth, told of it'sease of entry. It's great but I won't bother with more.....
Sister
Sister is probably as conventional as they get - but Daydream Nation has a great lazy sprawl to it. DN is also a fantastic hangover album.
I'd agree
Sister is awesome.
Theres also
a compilation called "Screaming Fields of Sonic Death~" ~I think. It has most of the older good stuff particuarly the wonderful Death Valley 69.
Otherwise Sister or Daydream Nation.
Daydream Nation
the one that got me hooked
Daydream Nation...
it really is very good. Great cover too, courtesy of Gerhard Richter.
Yes...
it's a beauty. Are you a Richter fan, Patrick? Sonic Youth quite often "give good cover" - see also Raymond Pettibon.
Yes... I like his work a lot.
A varied and always interesting artist.
Goo
I loved that album.
Daydream Nation...
...is generally regarded as THE one. Dirty is also great.
DN, Goo both excellent
But also a word in for Washing Machine, which has a stellar final track.
10 minutes final track.
Felt like 30 minutes. Hated it.
On a B Sides and rarities collection called The Destroyed Room they have a 20 minute(?) version. Rather you than me is all I can say.
Start here...
Get yourself on Spotify and listen to 'Stones' from Sonic Nurse and 'Disconnection Notice' from Murray Street...both glorious
Try Dirty
Youth Against fascism is a great song
Too arty for their own good
When they write SONGS they are very good. Sadly they don't like writing songs so instead do extended jams and other stuff for large chunks of each album. The albums listed below are the only four that I'm aware of were they bothered to write more than two songs per album.
1. Rather Ripped - Very solid rock album. Very song centric.
2. Daydream Nation - Artistically ambitious double album. The results more or less equal the ambition. A bit like Exile On Main Street. The extended jams are interesting for once.
3. Dirty - The straightforward rock album. It's good if not consistently good.
4. Goo - Four good songs, the rest is goo.
Everything else I've heard isn't very good. The early days compilation Screaming Fields of Sonic Death suggests that they were awful before they signed to Geffen. Only one good song on it which is "Into The Groove(y)".
The following playlist is culled mostly from the four albums listed above:
Sonic Youth – 1CD Best Of (18 Songs)
Into The Groove(Y)
Teen Age Riot
Candle
Hey Joni
Eric's Trip
Kissability
My Friend Goo
Kool Thing
Dirty Boots
Sugar Kane
Youth Against Fascism
Swimsuit Issue
Chapel Hill
Skip Tracer
Sleeping Around
Lights Out
What A Waste
Incinerate
Bit harsh
Sister and Experimental Jet Trash are both very good - plenty of songs on those last time I checked, along with the trade mark sonic squall and experimentation that you would expect.
I haven't heard Sister and Experimental Jet Trash.
The only other albums I have are Washing Machine (very so-so) and Sonic Nurse which I only listened to once. Torture. Pure torture.
I think I've heard all the Sonic Youth I want and have pretty much put them to bed for now. Although if the new album gets good reviews and is described as being song centric then I would probably buy it.
I listened to my Best Of playlist yesterday on the bus. Great band when they do real songs. Teen Age Riot is one the definitive rock songs.
Sister
Is definitely one to give a listen to - it's right up there, and better than "Daydream Nation" in my opinion.
Avoid at all costs the
Avoid at all costs the out-takes/demos from Thurston Moore's first band, The Coachmen. They were put out on an album called 'Failure To Thrive' on the New Alliance label. Those demos should have been flung to the bottom of the Hudson River. Absolute horseshit.
Wow!
Thanks for all the info, everyone. And, LOUDspeaker - a playlist! You spoil me!
Lots to explore there - much appreciated.
You want playlists? You got 'em.
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/playlist-mania
If you want to check out
If you want to check out another New York City band whose style is off the wall and eclectic, and sometimes downright unlistenable, ask the readers for Alice Donut recommendations. The track I would suggest is called 'Lisa's Father (Waka Baby) on the album 'Bucketfuls Of Sickness And Horror In An Otherwise Meaningless Life'
evol
i don't think this has been mentioned yet - does no-one else rate it? I also have, and rate, sister.
Not as good as Sister
but still has its moments.