Whenever I think about this, it always makes me a little sad since Confusion, Bad, and Evol seem to represent three very distinct, very interesting ways that the band could have gone. Then Sister tightens up Evol, for what's generally my vote for strongest album, though you could kind of feel the world catching up with them on that.
good point, interesting ideas, i'm picking up what you're putting down
By Daydream Nation, it's pretty clear what's going to happen to the band going forward. And the noisy bits are starting to sound obligatory, and much less "composed" than they used to.
ya lost me
― some dude, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:20 (fourteen years ago) link
i only have it on vinyl, with no way to convert to digital. *sob*
xps
― Ioannis, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:20 (fourteen years ago) link
"^ great boot"
I thought they put this out on CD themselves for like a fanclub release?
― He was only 21 years old when he 16 (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:21 (fourteen years ago) link
I get the "obligatory" noise comment - that's my main problem with goo, it's like they had to keep making noise cuz they were sonic youth but it wasn't really integrated into what they were doing anymore
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:21 (fourteen years ago) link
here
http://johnnylove-fuzztone.blogspot.com/2009/03/sonic-youth-walls-have-ears-london.html
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:22 (fourteen years ago) link
pssst http://johnnylove-fuzztone.blogspot.com/2009/03/sonic-youth-walls-have-ears-london.html
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:22 (fourteen years ago) link
oh shit xpost, you beat me to it
thanking all y'all kindly. <3<3<3
― Ioannis, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:25 (fourteen years ago) link
the biggest lesson I've learned from these threads is that apparently Sonic Youth have a big on/off switch marked "NOISE" that they flick at will, and that sometimes they do so for the right reasons, and sometimes for the wrong reasons.
― some dude, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:31 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost i might have to DL that one myself -- i have a burned copy of Walls but the sound is kinda bizarre. is the sound just bizarre on everyone's copies or is it a weird mp3 thing on mine?
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:31 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.discogs.com/Sonic-Youth-Live-At-The-Continental-Club/release/1773255
Yeah this was an official release. I had this CD for a while, but I think I sold it during a poorer day.
― He was only 21 years old when he 16 (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:36 (fourteen years ago) link
I got Walls Have Ears on CD some time in the late 90s, I think it sounds pretty good although it's been a while since I've listened to it. The version of Death Valley '69 with Steve drumming is really, really good on that.
― someone who is ranked fairly highly in an army of poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:49 (fourteen years ago) link
1. Bad Moon Rising2. The Whitey Album (as Ciccone Youth)3. Daydream Nation4. Confusion Is Sex5. EVOL6. Sister
(based on impact on high school self; but since I collected them all within the space of a year, they had a cumulative effect ... they're all pretty good)
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 20:54 (fourteen years ago) link
SisterDaydreamBad Moon RisingEVOLConfusionWhitey
― da croupier, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:00 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, being a teenager in the 90s and devouring the band's first 8 albums within the course of a year or two was definitely a "cumulative effect" thing for me too
xpost
― the fool boy Shiplo (some dude), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:02 (fourteen years ago) link
1. EVOL2. Sister3. Daydream4. Confusion5. Bad Moon Rising (CD version w/ Death Valley and the awesome Flower/Halloween single)
― He was only 21 years old when he 16 (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:03 (fourteen years ago) link
I mean, I would drive around to different record stores and only look in the "S" section for a while there ...
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:07 (fourteen years ago) link
s/t, Sonic Death, Bad Moon Rising and Sister on CD; Daydream Nation, Confusion is Sex, Whitey Album and EVOL on cassette; Kill Yr Idols and Master=Dik on vinyl
― Fox Force Five Punchline (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:16 (fourteen years ago) link
There was a brief period in the early 90s when Sonic Youth albums were really hard to find pre-Geffen's reissue program. I made a lot of tapes for people back then.
― He was only 21 years old when he 16 (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:21 (fourteen years ago) link
I got mine on 2nd hand vinyl from Missing in Glasgow around 92/93
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:22 (fourteen years ago) link
once i though Daydream Nation, now i know i was wrong.Sister all the way
― Zeno, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:25 (fourteen years ago) link
i got into SY thru their 90s albums, sister is of course much more raw and shapeless but also, on the whole, sharper and faster... steve shelley is given almost a lead role on a lot of it. my big problem with SY going forward, especially post 00, is how rhythmically uninteresting it is, relatively
― goole, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:29 (fourteen years ago) link
I got Confusion Is Sex, Bad Moon Rising, Daydream Nation & Sister all in the same HMV sale c1997 for £5 each. Thought Sister was the best then and still do.
― someone who is ranked fairly highly in an army of poo (Colonel Poo), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:29 (fourteen years ago) link
my big problem with SY going forward, especially post 00, is how rhythmically uninteresting it is, relativelywas actually thinking the same thing while listening to The Eternal (which i like quite bit) -- Shelley seems reigned in these days, whereas he used to be a hell of an exciting drummer. I think he still does interesting stuff occasionally, but it's nothing compared to how thrilling some of his stuff was back in the day.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:31 (fourteen years ago) link
experimental jet set was the first album of theirs i bought, and i've listened to it all of twice (tho these threads have made me want to go back to it). confusion is sex came next iirc
― all we hear is lady o'gaga (donna rouge), Tuesday, 14 July 2009 21:38 (fourteen years ago) link
yea i feel like shelley has just been coasting since, well, 'goo' basically. has made it difficult for me to care that much about 90s-00s SY tbh.
― mark cl, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 12:35 (fourteen years ago) link
He's still an excellent drummer, though, even if he's not showy. Lots of crisp locked-in beats.
― sad-ass Gen Y fantasist (jaymc), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 12:50 (fourteen years ago) link
I'll be a contrarian and vote for what now appears to be the underdog, Daydream Nation.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 13:35 (fourteen years ago) link
EVOL, please. It was the first SY album I heard, after being put off the band for years by 'Little Trouble Girl'.
― wronger than 100 geir posts (MacDara), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 14:16 (fourteen years ago) link
it's interesting to see how varied people's rankings are, here's mine:
EVOLBad Moon RisingConfusion Is SexSisterDaydream NationThe Whitey Album (as Ciccone Youth)
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 15:22 (fourteen years ago) link
found a link to that Paradiso 86 show mentioned above :D http://www.guitars101.com/forums/f90/sonic-youth-1986-05-11-amsterdam-sbd-87396.html
― tylerw, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 16:02 (fourteen years ago) link
my ranking:
Daydream Nation/Sister (to pick one of these is just about impossible)Bad Moon RisingEVOLConfusion is sexWhitey
― sonderangerbot, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 16:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Bad MoonSisterDaydreamEvolConfusion
― ian, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:02 (fourteen years ago) link
daydreamsisterbad moonconfusionevol
― (*゚ー゚)θ L(。・_・) °~ヾ(・ε・ *) (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:03 (fourteen years ago) link
i think there are songs on bad moon/confusion/evol that are among sonic youth's best, but as albums, daydream and sister work as stronger statements.
― (*゚ー゚)θ L(。・_・) °~ヾ(・ε・ *) (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah the earlier albums are hella lopsided imo. I love the idea of Evol but "Tom Violence" bores me to hears.
― the fool boy Shiplo (some dude), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:07 (fourteen years ago) link
Top 10:
1. Sister2. Walls Have Ears3. Confusion Is Sex4. Evol5. Bad Moon Rising6. Daydream Nation7. Kill Yr Idols8. Sonic Youth 9. Master-Dik Beat On The Brat10. The Whitey Album
Never heard Made In The USA
― xhuxk, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:17 (fourteen years ago) link
I have a hard time choosing between BMR and EVOL, but I went with the former.
― BusDriverStu (Bus Driver Stu), Wednesday, 15 July 2009 17:47 (fourteen years ago) link
what the heck:
1. Walls Have Ears / Sister3. Daydream Nation4. Confusion Is Sex5. EVOL 6. Bad Moon Rising7. The Whitey Album (as Ciccone Youth)
― Ioannis, Wednesday, 15 July 2009 19:35 (fourteen years ago) link
i used to have loads of SY 80s boots. Probably got them on a dvdr somewhere. They were on an external hd with loads of other bootlegs from bands that died last year.
― pfunkboy (Herman G. Neuname), Thursday, 16 July 2009 00:52 (fourteen years ago) link
what bands died last year
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 16 July 2009 01:45 (fourteen years ago) link
Daydream NationSister
The rest
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 16 July 2009 01:52 (fourteen years ago) link
Confusion SisterEvolBad Moon
Ciccone
Daydream
― dlp9001, Thursday, 16 July 2009 01:57 (fourteen years ago) link
There were supposed to be more spaces between Ciccone and Daydream...
― dlp9001, Thursday, 16 July 2009 01:58 (fourteen years ago) link
the code auto-detects challops
― (*゚ー゚)θ L(。・_・) °~ヾ(・ε・ *) (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 16 July 2009 02:07 (fourteen years ago) link
There are bivalves on ilxor?
― dlp9001, Thursday, 16 July 2009 02:53 (fourteen years ago) link
sisterdaydreamevolconfusionbad moon
― dan, Thursday, 16 July 2009 03:58 (fourteen years ago) link
I love EVOL's ominous quietness, and its breakthrough quality remains intact, at least for me. I still listen to it more often than the inarguably boss Sister and Daydream Nation. Confusion Is Sex would be a close second.
― DLee, Thursday, 16 July 2009 21:24 (fourteen years ago) link
― kornrulez6969,
Finally some sanity!!
― Kevin John Bozelka, Thursday, 16 July 2009 21:49 (fourteen years ago) link
Leaving aside the fact that I like Confusion best of all, there can't be many bands where most people really seem to think album number six is actually the best.
― Soukesian, Thursday, 16 July 2009 22:24 (fourteen years ago) link