Favourite SST Release of... 1986

EVOL > all.

hey, someone other than Husker Du will win this one!

EVOL's gonna walk away with it.

hey, someone other than Husker Du will win this one!

Guess who will win this one :)
Favourite Hüsker Dü Album?

Ah fuck, I love EVOL like everyone else, but Thinking of Empire is just exquisite.

I also really dig Kill Tunes; it's the best Leaving Trains album IMHO. That Lawndale rocks too, and the Sacramental Element tape is PaganIcons + Surviving You, Always = FUCKING AWESOME.

But Thinking of Empire it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvZ50kX_5t8

And yes I think that is Tom Watson in a pastel T-shirt and white jeans. Which makes it a million times better!

EVOL, to join the majority. I Against I would be a close runner-up for me.

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/71a2367737d5e408e8008a27d5b01c0f/51307.jpg

Oh no! Not another God Damned Zoooogz Rift Album...

It's the Island of Living Puke, you asshole!

welcome to Clancy's Jack in the Crack, may I take your order...

What I thought then (in the most indie year of my life, probably):

albums
8. gone - gone II but never too gone
21. sonic youth - evol
25. bad brains - i against i
43. dc3 - the good hex
72. sacharine trust - we became snakes
74. gone - let's get real real gone for a change

singles
9. sonic youth - starpower/bubblegum/expressway to yr skull

EPs
26. meat puppets
33. das damen
39. minuteflag

probably not really the 125 best albums of 1986

Listed Saint Vitus Hallow's Victim #87 on my album list, but that one apparently technically came out in '85; maybe I actually meant Born Too Late, which is the one I remember actually liking (it's in my metal book), though I'm pretty sure that one came out in '87. (Wiki lists '86 for it, though -- confusing.)

Surprised Slovenly didn't make my top 125 albums -- they made my singles list at #30, and I interviewed them for Spin a year later. Also surprised that I actually once kind of liked a Sacharine Trust album.

Anyway, there are a bunch up above I wouldn't mind hearing again (Slovenly, Divine Horsemen, etc.) And I should probably vote Gone II for old time sake, but I'm gonna be boring and go with Evol (even though I think it's not as good as Sister, in retrospect.)

Ok, for all the mofos who've been brainwashed by the secret marines, here's Zoogz in all his glory:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3495149/Island%20Of%20Living%20Puke.rar

Evol...bunch of goths 'n' hippies confusing pedal point + screetching for noise rock. Meh. I shouldn't even be here. I hate wasting my time voting in polls. I could be home dubbing tapes or doing music.

EVOL is my favourite album by one of my favourite bands, and top 20 of all time for me, so of course...
I'm calling St. Vitus vs. Bad Brains for 2nd place

chuck, as an unrepentant corny indie fuck, I really love that list you linked to (I just got Off the Beaten Track). Do you have any more?

Uh is there a Vitus album on this poll?

CUZ IF NOT WHY AM I IN THIS THREAD

have you got a crystal ball? vitus is the next poll!
xp

i had to go double then triple check I hadn't missed a vitus album (im using wikipedia)

Oh wow, I just looked up that Always August album and realized I see a copy of that about once a week.

xp: yeah, i didn't think there was an applicable Vitus album, but people kept mentioning them and I thought there was secret invisible text.

will Minutemen fans auto-vote for fIREHOSE?

xp haha me too obviously.

Oops, missed this one on my top 125 albums list:

123. (various) - lovedolls superstar

hadn't missed a vitus album (im using wikipedia)

Well, in that case, Wiki (which calls Born Too Late 1986 on the Saint Vitus discography page) is contradicting itself.

Do you have any more?

More lists? Well, there are a couple other threads with similar titles for different years, if that's what you mean. Anyway, glad you like it.

lol whoops i thought Vitus there for a second..I guess I meant SY wins this poll & the next, and I'm calling Bad Brains to runner-up here, and SV to runner-up the next

Alter-Natives -- Hold Your Tongue

This one didn't sound remotely familiar, but I just did a Google image search, and can confirm that I have actually seen that LP cover before.

So what I wanna know is, who would win a Das Damen vs. Painted Willie poll? (They both basically predated "grunge" by turning '70s sludge rock shitty, right? But Green River were already doing it better in Seattle by then.)

Aside from fIREHOSE and (obviously) Evol (and Zoogz Rift, which I just downloaded), which of these should I check out soonest?

Bad Brains

the black flag album is one of their better live albums too

woah, i had totally forgotten about Lawndale. Gone had their moments too.
Desperate Teenage Lovedolls is tempting - but gotta go w/ I Against I.

I Against I is amazing, but yeah EVOL.

Another vote cast for Slovenly here.

arrrggghhh whos got the 10 1/2 vs i against i

I JUST DONT KNOW

chuck, what am i missing when i listen to Gone? never loved em...

some great albums on this poll:
040 Das Damen Das Damen [will probably vote triskaidecaphobe when it arises]
048 Saccharine Trust We Became Snakes
049 Meat Puppets Out My Way
059 Sonic Youth EVOL
060 Black Flag Who's Got the 10½?
062 Various Artists Lovedolls Superstar [is this the one with sonic yoof covering 'hallowed be thy name'?
065 Bad Brains I Against I

really between EVOL and 10 1//2 and I Against I for me. probably plump for EVOL in the end, though Sister is better.

EVOL! but I might vote Starpower - such a concentrated hit of SY. must've played it 1000 times in 86. at the time I also loved Kill Tunes by Leaving Trains, can't remember why.

Because it's good, maybe? It is!

It is!

Still voted EVOL tho

yeah I thought so too but now I can't remember at all what it sounds like - sloppy country-punk? gonna try streaming some of it soon & see

Actually 1986 is less of a fistfight for me than I was expecting - EVOL obv a great choice but going Bad Brains this time out.

- Lawndale, because in 86 HC had already turned into something kind of limp.
- Bad Brains count only for their first 12" (the album cover speaks truth).
- mentioning Zoogz is not fair - he's always out of competition on *any* list (in a positive way)

Apex of their celeb/LA/trash aesthetic, most successful attempt at conjuring mood over an album, actual idea of how to use Kim Gordon's vocals best - EVOL it is, not for this poll, but as SY's best.

chuck, what am i missing when i listen to Gone?

Well, if you would've asked me in 1986, I would have insisted that they were some exicting and funky new kind of harmelodic jazz-metal, an instrumental missing link between "Supernaut" and On The Corner or something. I was probably full of shit though. But since I haven't owned the album in forever, I can't say for sure one way or the other.

And yeah, Leaving Trains were kinda rootsy/vaguely Stonesy falling-apart punk, led by sometime music critic and Courtney Love husband Falling James Moreland. Don't think I ever listened to their '86 SST, but I've still got 2001's Emotional Legs around here somewhere.

"A WARNING FROM THE PROGRAMMER: EXTREME CAUTION is mandatory with all use of this psychic program material, for while - with proper use - this program information will tune the listener to sufficient destructive capability to get any job - no matter how dirty - done. If mishandled, this psychic fuel program (Program: Annihilator) may overload the Subject's receptive capacity, which could result in indiscriminate violence of an intensity the Programmer can only assume the Subject will consider undisirable. THE PROGRAMMER THEREFORE HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACTIONS OF THOSE WHO WILLINGLY MAKE THE DECISION TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF Program: Annihilator."

075 Alter-Natives Hold Your Tongue

I really liked this one at the time - skronky, possibly be-bopish, instrumental jazz-core. Not as great as Tar Babies or Universal Congress Of though.

I actually liked a Tar Babies EP in 1986 -- Respect Your Nightmares, on Bone Air Records, presumably a Wisconsin label. But iirc I thought their later SST stuff wasn't as good. (And yesterday I just realized that I've got a 45 by a different band called the Tar Babies that I used to think was the Wisconsin guys -- "Rejected At The High School Dance" on Bona Fide, feat. Greg Prevost of the Chesterfield Kings. Single was recorded in the '70s but didn't come out until '89.)

evol is top 10 alltime for me but I'm throwing my vote at the awesome + underrated we became snakes. if you told me jazz punk was a viable option in '86 I'd have told you get f'kd. that is, until I heard this album. "frankie on a pony" is an execrable lowpoint but every other song on it brings the goods. it's one of the last quintessential SST releases in that it contains all the elements that made the label's classic period great; genreless, postpunk/HC music captured in a flat, just-the-facts production with some incredible playing and a taste for boho freedom.

will prolly vote blind idiot god in the next poll, just because

SST polls are getting over 100 votes, Evol will walk this poll, will Evol be the 1st album in an ILM poll to get 100+ votes?

After EVOL I found Sister and Daydream to be bitter disappointments, total cop-outs by this band who seemed to promise such a fascinating balance on EVOL. I've softened on that a little since then, but still rate EVOL two shelves higher than any other SY I know.

However, I'm feeling an unexpected surge of affection for the 1st firehose. I listened to that thing 8 million times that year; the mere fact that it happened was so WTF and cheering.

And Bad Brains deserves votes just for the riff on 'Reignition'.

I love Respect Your Nightmares (put out by Paradise Records, the Madison punk store) but Fried Milk is better. I'm with you on Tar Babies' subsequent SST albums.

1986 sucks. I'm curious about all these albums now, but outside of Sonic Youth (or Beat Happening, as I later found out) it seemed like punk rock really hit a wall, and was so much less interesting than Run-DMC, Blue Velvet, Prince, the Smiths, etc. It wasn't until Fugazi that I started caring again. That said, I still own Out My Way and I Against I and Ragin', Full On. I wanted to believe.

No no no and no. 1986 was just when the other labels started taking over from SST. Big Black, Buttholes, Thin White Rope, Naked Raygun...

What year did Neurotica come out? That and Pussy Galore and discovering the 80's Rhino single-disc Nuggets records kinda killed off hardcore for me at that point.

i liked that christmas album. i had the tape. i saw it recently on vinyl for two bucks and didn't buy it. maybe i should have.

oh yeah atomizer and just keep eating too. those were big faves. and holy money. and the queen is dead. and master of puppets. and the colour of spring.

and throwing muses debut. 1986 was a very good year.

and express. and the good earth. and filigree and shadow. and brotherhood.

interesting thread, I fall right into Edward and Jon Lewis's timeframe for the most part (was 18 in '84 and a hardcore kid to the hilt). Die Kreuzen ruled in Indiana then but a couple of years later their biggest fans were also listening to Celtic Frost. I went into noise and never really got the metal bug. So by '87-88 I was checking out everything on RRRecords, Japanese stuff, and the whole Nurse With Wound axis. Laughing Hyenas, Firehose, and the Feelies were big local draws in clubs. Dino Jr was pretty huge as well.

by 90 or 91 Thinking Fellers were definitely on the radar, then came Ajax mailorder and Xpressway and the whole 90's indie 7" flood.

I saw SY on the EVOL tour in the summer of this poll and it was way up there in all time best.

Yeah, that summer SY tour! They were still trying to figure out how to present themselves, how to transition from being a constant noise-source (adding a barrage of noise or a played tape deck between songs as segue) to something more like a band with tunes. I think the Bad Moon Rising & older songs got more of the noise segue treatment, most of EVOL got the latter. At Metro they looked like they were having a real argument about whether to encore or not (JAMC influence maybe?), Lee stormed off the stage. But they came back. They had things pretty well ironed out by the end of the year though. Dinosaur/Firehose/Sonic Youth, $5 in the dining commons, nice. This thread is bringing back so much noise and nostalgia!

relating old dudes to indie rock. i was going to post my list when people were ragging on 86 yesterday so i'll add Victorialand and Rembrandt Pussyhorse and Greed and Dry Lungs and Gods Favorite Dog and...

i was just Ragin' and rememberin' the life-altering Firehose/(Wurm or DC3)/Always August show at the Apocalypse Monster Club, a huge storage space/warehouse/punk club so the vans were parked inside. we got there wicked early and totally starstruck talked to fIREHOSE and gave Mike Watt our tape and t-shirt (which he wore for the show!). Always August were like the first real hippies I'd seen up close and they played fucking Santana between bands. My band tried to 'jam' for the first time soon after and I decided to grow out my hair...

1986: Big Shot Chronicles, Made To Be Broken, All Night Lotus Party got played to death. In Excelsior Dayglo too! Tom Waits doing Franks Wild Years at the Steppenwolf. "It was a very good year ..."

The Apocalypse Monster Club!

I just looked to see if I had a flier from that firehose show, but I don't. I wonder if I was there. I remember talking to Mike Watt outside, and it feels like it was at the AMC, but it could have been with the minutemen at the Lawndale.

Made me look at my old fliers from 84-87. D.O.A. and Beyond Possesion, Corrosion of Conformity, 7 Seconds with Verbal Assault and Mellow Cats, all at the AMC. I remember seeing MDC there and some kid cracked his head and had seizure or something. I saw Black Flag at Cardi's in that time frame. Henry Rollins came out to the edge of the stage and talked to us with his long hair and black running shorts.

Hardcore all the time in those days. Grunge gradually took over.

Houston HxCx represent! Cardi's...that was the name of that place, i was at that show too, Painted Willie opened iirc. my first hardcore night was Dead Kennedys/Scratch Acid/Culturcide at cardi's then onto the Cabaret Voltaire for some local noise. yeah, Lawndale, Pik'n'Pak, The Axiom, Butthole Surfers at the Maceba Theater melting the best minds of my generation....I still have a bunch of my Funhouse Show tapes. good fuckin times, bro.

I loved fuckin Christmas! I haven't heard In Excelsior Dayglo in decades... it never made it to CD iirc.

Fish eye sandwich = worst thing in the world.

yeah, try finding a copy of ultra prophets of thee psykick revolution online!

<3 this song. 12" single had a cover of "ring my bell" on the b-side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzn1gw0ex4Y

for the in excelsior dayglo fans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW55n1JLBUQ

ok, so maybe you guys know wtf was up with the Psychic TV parody on Ultra Prophets cover/concept. it always struck me as odd since it's not like Gen&crew were even well known enough to goof on, esp. in the US (i dunno, maybe they were huge in Boston with Sleep Chamber and all).

and I totally forgot they became Combustible Edison

There used to be a couple of really nice live Christmas clips on youtube, but they seem to have vanished. I should have copied them when I had the chance.

I have Ultraprophets on CD luckily. Yeah the album concept was impenetrable to me, but it resulted in Liz being sort of naked on the inner booklet so I approve.

otm

back to SST...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE8d6yUpDG0&feature=related

Ah, just discovered who the guy who reviewed Excelsior in Spin back in '86 was (he called it, like, the best album ever)...Don Howland of Great Plains, Gibson Brothers, etc. Thanks Don!

Oh, sorry SST. Back to voting for Zoogz...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-5XRdBDA-w

I remember that review! Ha Great Plains-- THEIR album got stellar reviews from OPtion, in turn.

Wait who are you, dlp9001?

thank you ILM, for making me get out In Excelsior Dayglo on this rainy day. Tommy The Truck!

Who will j0hn punch this poll?

Is there a connection between Zoogz Rift & Bob Mould both being involved in pro wrestling? Or is did two SST weirdos just naturally gravitate to the WWF separately?

I think it was separate. I don't know about Zoogz, but Mould was an AWA fan in the '80s (he's wearing a Rage in the Cage long-sleeve on the cover of the Eight Miles High/Makes No Sense At All EP). Then in the very late '90s he joined WCW as a writer during that company's worst ever creative period. If you think wrestling's ridiculous enough already...

j0hn won't punch any of you unless and until he can punch all of you

a punch fap

Minnesota loved its AWA Wrestling, Bob was no different

Like all red blooded Minnesotans, Mould wanted Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan to die in a fire.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

UnAutomatic thread bump

It's weird, being a Brit I never think of Sonic Youth as being an SST band as they were on Blast First over here. Same way I never think of Big Black or the Butthole Surfers as being Touch & Go bands.

Albums on this list I once owned : 22 (approx, can't really remember which exact Zoogz Rift albums I bought)
Albums on this list I still own : 1 (fIREHOSE, who get the vote by default)

sonic youth are one of my favorite bands and were hugely important to me at the time, but i'm still gonna pick i against i over evol

evol's fascinating, but it tends to bum me out and/or irritate me more often than not. and while i Against i is far from perfect, I'm basically always in the mood for it. up there with sister, damaged, happy nightmare baby, born too late, you're living all over me, meat pups II, new day rising and double nickels in my list of things for which I owe SST (& Ginn/Dukowski) an eternal debt.

I'm really hoping EVOL gets 100+ votes...

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it did, although a lot of people have said they're voting Bad Brains (maybe because they know everyone else will vote Evol). I cant wait to see the results to see how close it is.

I would be surprised if EVOL gets over 50.

KIRA'S GOT THE 10.5

don't know most of these. went with EVOL

i get the feeling that sums this poll up

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

no 100 vote winner

High placement for '10 1/2' probly the surprise of this thread for me.

Five votes for Slovenly! For anyone who hasn't heard it, and I'm sure there's a lot, it's really worth your time if you can find it.

And don't let all those zero votes fool you, there's some prime wheat among that chaff.

What do you recommend?

The Gone records get a bad rap around here but Ginn's done much worse. Angst's Mending Wall is the best of theirs I've heard; it's not as folky as their other stuff to my ears. The Alter-Natives' Hold Your Tongue is good hyperactive jazz rock. And The Divine Horsemen are also worth a listen, but Chris D's first/main band The Flesh Eaters were better.

080 Sonic Youth Starpower 4

ok 4 jokers love the single that is 2/3rds songs on the album (3/3rds if you count the reissue) more than the album? fuck outta here.

maybe they only like the 1 track?

Favourite SST Release of... 1987

4 jokers love the single that is 2/3rds songs on the album (3/3rds if you count the reissue) more than the album? fuck outta here.

sometimes less is more

Evol is the best SY album though

^thank you

no worries