The Rise of Sonic Youth!

I support this opinion.

I used to love Dirty when it was released but really gone off it. However the 10 inch colour vinyl singles are pretty lovely.

Goo and DY I always state as my favourites but I need to go back to things like Sister.

I like pretty much all of them but Bad Moon Rising is still my favourite I think

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I pretty much got into Sonic Youth immediately as soon as I listened to Daydream Nation for the first time. Pretty much already decided I liked them after hearing the opening song, Teen Age Riot. Also helped that I had previously heard of them through bands they influenced like Radiohead, and the iconic album cover (which was on the Simpsons episode with Smashing Pumpkins) - which is why I chose to listen to them. Can’t imagine any other album being a better entry point.

Sister is good as well but I’m glad I listened to Daydream Nation first. As for EVOL, I haven’t even properly got into it yet. I don’t think those albums are as accessible (or as good, but I’m not really a full Sonic Youth fan).

Goo and Dirty. Goo was my entry into SY. Remember John Peel playing Dirty Boots before the album came out, really nothing like a typical SY song or album but I doubt I’d have been ready for the earlier stuff as a 15 yo. Really liked The Eternal and Rather Ripped. Nobody mentions Experimental Jet Set Trash and No Star, is that because no one likes it or can’t be arsed to spell it?

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JAGgers need to take note from these guys. Make it seem effortless.

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I’m pretty sure if they could have afforded a full set of tuning forks, they’d have been able to write some pretty great tunes. It’s a shame, cause they always seemed quite talented, otherwise.

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They were clearly creatively talented. I mean, they did a lot of things I would never have thought of. I always thought it was like they got into the wrong thing though, if you know what I mean. Like maybe in a parallel universe they took up pottery and made these wild wacky pots that people thought were groundbreaking. Or fingerpainting, something like that. I just don’t think music was the best fit.

That’s pretty much how I feel too, but to me it feels like instead of sorting through those discoveries and assembling the good ones into a cohesive album equal to or greater than the sum of its parts, they keep and present everything indiscriminately. There’s a certain energy / focus / purpose in those first few songs on Daydream Nation where they show the capability, which makes them all the more frustrating to me.

And spot on about his lyrics, they were killing me each time I tried his latest solo album.

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Did you just reply to yourself agreeing with yourself?

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Shit band, no tunes.

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I’m definitely on board with your suggestion re: regarding the finger painting. I should imagine each member of the band could make quite the living, travelling to tourist hotspots and setting up competing finger painting caricature stalls.

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yeah this is my favourite SY phase. i’d even include the jammier stuff on Rather Ripped

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Cross The Breeze is awesome.

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I hate Murray St. I think it’s their worst, even with NYC whatever and whatever in consideration.

I really like Goo and I know I’m really not meant to.

i much prefer it to Goo. Sugar Kane and JC are two songs that are up there with anything else they did. there’s probably 3 too many songs on the album though and the production wears on you by the end.

i like it a lot but the Kim track (not the closing track) really brings it down, it’s so out of place.
Rain on Tin though, amazing track.

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they weren’t songwriters though. if you’re coming at it from that angle then no wonder you’re unimpressed.

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Lee is the closest thing to a songwriter in the band and he usually had only one or 2 songs per album (often the most melodic ones)

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