Did you ever have one of those bands that everyone was into and was all excited about when they came to town and when a new album came out, and you were curious as to what the deal was and you went and bought and listened to the records and didn't care?

And then you're at a party or driving or whatever and someone plays a song or a record and you're like "Holy crap THAT was Sonic Youth" and you find out what record or song it was and buy it and listen to it over and over and it's totally boring?

This has happened with just about every album by Sonic Youth.

I have found enjoyable experiences with SY as soundtrack, but really only around the Daydream Nation, Goo and Murray Street albums. And live, once out of a couple times.

And only 10% of anything that has to do with Kim Gordon's vocal choices and stylings.

It's a sorry personal realization, but

Sonic Youth = Crap

This was a tough one, but they haven't moved me in quite a long time. Even listening to their early records doesn't do so much for me anymore. Maybe I've heard better, maybe I'm just over that "phase", I don't know. I'll go with CRAP, even though it was great to have them around.

It doesn't take a genius to make your own tuning then bang your guitar around.

This, though, is not a good argument. It doesn't take a genius to play in regular tuning and strum a few chords, either, but plenty of people do it well.

I pretty much agree with sixteenrev, except that I think that Murray Street is one of their best albums.

not crap by a long shot

"Sister" and "Evol" alone give them a teflon 'not crap' rating, no matter what else they do.

Not crap.

I had to bump this one up.

Yesterday for the first time in eons, I got out the SY records that I've in the past thought to be "bad". These included: Bad Moon Rising, Ciccone Youth (if that counts) Experimental Jetset, A Thousand Leaves, NYC Ghosts and Flowers. The conclusion I came to was that Sonic Youth never made a bad record. There are some that aren't as good as others (Bad Moon Rising) and there are some I simply don't like (NYC Ghosts and Flowers), but none of them are bad, and they are still much better than a lot of other bullshit that is allowed to exist. So while I've never thought SY was anywhere near overall crap, my realization that they've never been even remotely close to crap, even for one record's time, merited resurrecting this thread to issue a resounding NOT CRAP.

Salut! Sonic Youth

Oh, and P.S.: I also realized I really funking love A Thousand Leaves.

If it wasn't for my discovery of this band when I was 13, then I'd probably have ended up in a Creed-esque hard rock band.

NOT CRAP

Angriest_Dragon wrote:If it wasn't for my discovery of this band when I was 13, then I'd probably have ended up in a Creed-esque hard rock band.

NOT CRAP

I thought you had a beard to look like the guy from Nickleback?

If I hadn't discovered discovered Nickelback at age 24, I'd probably be in a noisy indie rock band.

I think I might be the only person on earth who feels this way but I think Murray Street and 1000 Leaves are the best shit they've done....
The only record they've made that just sucks huge cocks is NYC Ghosts and Flowers, that is total crap from start to finish....aside from that pretty much everything else they've done is pretty fuckin great, if you ask me...
Live, they are either great or horrible. The 2 shows at the metro a few years ago fuckin' fantastic....a few months later at goose island fest? Complete crap...