The run from Bad Moon Rising through Daydream Nation is perfect (note I have never listened to Ciccone Youth or Master Dik) so this is hard to choose.

But I have to go with Bad Moon Rising because it's the perfect album for listening to on the first cool day of autumn. Not many albums are perfect autumn albums.

What day is it? Wednesday? Then it’s probably Bad Moon Rising. There’s something sinister about that record that suits a Wednesday well.

Jimbo wrote: Wed Dec 22, 2021 5:23 pm The run from Bad Moon Rising through Daydream Nation is perfect (note I have never listened to Ciccone Youth or Master Dik) so this is hard to choose.

But I have to go with Bad Moon Rising because it's the perfect album for listening to on the first cool day of autumn. Not many albums are perfect autumn albums.

Ciccone Youth is worth it for Mike Watts awesome Madonna cover. Master-Dik also a classic. Man, that record used to be around in the shops all the time thirty years ago.

pigeonkill wrote: Wed Dec 22, 2021 4:06 am love the debut.

I am with you on this. As a rule I am not fond at all of 're-releases', but the new digital version of this release includes live tracks and demos which provide more a more enriching document of this period of writing . For example, there is a demo song entitled 'where the red fern grows' which an early working of what became 'I Dreamed I Dream'. I am more fond of the demo version but it is interesting to map out the reworking and see how it progressed their sound.

pb183max wrote:

pigeonkill wrote: Wed Dec 22, 2021 4:06 am love the debut.

I am with you on this. As a rule I am not fond at all of 're-releases', but the new digital version of this release includes live tracks and demos which provide more a more enriching document of this period of writing . For example, there is a demo song entitled 'where the red fern grows' which an early working of what became 'I Dreamed I Dream'. I am more fond of the demo version but it is interesting to map out the reworking and see how it progressed their sound.

Aside from "The Burning Spear," I didn't love the debut when I bought it in the late '80s. That said, the reissue is great and it's much more satisfying to hear the live and demo versions of those songs, which are much less skewed toward the rhythm section and vocals and have a lot more guitar action.

I really wish the band would issue similarly puffed-up, tricked-out versions of the first four LPs.

Speaking of live versions, I might have considered voting for Walls Have Ears if that were on this list. But I'm sticking by my indecisiveness between Confusion Is Sex, EVOL, and Daydream Nation.

Master-Dik, Jesus. Collage-wise, I'd vote for Sonic Death in a heartbeat over that thing. Although I guess the A-Side might be funny the first time.

I just hate sonic Youth to be honest. It just sounds like shit to me. There where so many better bands like DNA, Swans, Foetus, Glenn Branca. We saw Thurston Moore at The Art Institute of Chicago and we walked out fifteen minutes into it feeling it was it was garbage.

Way too hard. I actually like all of their eras. I'm only now getting into their very last stretch, but I like that too. But the 80s stuff I just love.

Daydream is prob. the high mark. Like it or not, it is a helluva unit of artistic realization. The first album by them I found in a Circuit City in Greenville NC on CD. No vinyl records around my world then except Def Leopard or Motley Crue LPs laying around an Uncle's bedroom floor along with all the random socks and pennies. I also got that 1991 concert video, which for all its lesser points contains some great performances from this era of SY (and my first exposure to Dinosaur Jr.).

Even the cover art of Daydream Nation seemed an essential part of the album, and it is such a coherent, cohesive album. I'd stare at that Richter painting with this album on the stereo for hours. It was kinda strange stumbling across that painting in Chicago almost by accident. I really like that artist.


So I dubbed that to tape and endlessly listened to it through bad speakers stuck to the bare floorboards of my car. The other SY of this era was another dubbed tape from a friend. It was Evol playing directly into Sister, or most of it, maybe some other stuff. Love that stretch. Only got a copy of Bad Moon Rising a good while later, but that run is great. I honestly have trouble distinguishing them because I always played them back to back on car trips.

I'm horrible at remembering song names, but a few favorites I recall, probably because they have the name in the song, "I Love Her All the Time"; "Expressway to Yr. Skull"; "Schizophrenia"; "Eliminator Jr."

OrthodoxEaster wrote: Sun Dec 19, 2021 6:58 pmBut for me, Confusion Is Sex and Kill Yr. Idols are the most eye-opening of the lot. There's an alien-sounding, violent edge to this era of the band that didn't exist earlier and became obscured later on. Even though "Kill Yr. Idols" and "Brother James" might be my favorite SY songs, I'm going to vote for Confusion Is Sex b/c it's longer and more varied. And Jim Sclavunos has better feel behind the drums than Bob Bert.

All of this, plus I think Confusion Is Sex is the one record where Kim Gordon feels like the real bandleader, the songs she sings are generally better and the bass is dominant in a lot more of the songs. I really really like lyrics like "fragmentation is the rule / unity is not taught in school" though, so take my opinion for what it's worth to you.

Separately, I made a playlist of all the Lee songs from Sonic Youth's albums if anyone's interested

There is something so special about these 80s SY records. And how insane that by the dawn of the next decade they would be in the mainstream (the ripples of The Nirvana Effect are even more mind blowing in retrospect). As excellent as Bad Moon, Evol and Daydream are, I have to choose Sister. It doesn't keep it's grip as tight for me during the back half, but hearing Catholic Block as a kid was life changing. High octane, but alien and exciting. I love how dark all of those albums before Daydream sound.

Also, Flower is awesome.