POLL YR. IDOLS: The official SONIC YOUTH RESULTS thread!

Goo cover is cool in a "major label record with Raymond Pettibon cover, fuck yeah" way, but he had so many better covers. the "Disappearer" CD single is full of great Pettibon art.

Two later-period songs I also think deserved a little more run were "Sympathy For The Strawberry", which I think is a lovely lovely song, and "Dripping Dream", which admittedly has an embarrassing name and some corny lyrics but has, in my mind, just a great great instrumental section. Best jam on Sonic Nurse for me.

― grandavis, Friday, May 17, 2013 1:39 PM (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm. "Dripping Dream" is for me one of their biggest gaps between "whatever song, amazing instrumental bridge."

Thanks for running, AC!

My ballot:

Hits of Sunshine
Into the Groove(y)
The Diamond Sea
Death Valley 69
Ca Plane Pour Moi
'Cross the Breeze
Slaapkamers met Slagroom
Tokyo Eye
Karen Koltrane
Silver Rocket
The Empty Page
Eric's Trip
Bull in the Heather
The Sprawl
Expressway to yr Skull
Tuff Gnarl
I Dreamed I Dream
Hyperstation
Dirty Boots
Shaking Hell
Youth Against Fascism
Sugar Kane
Eliminator Jr
Having Never Written a Note for Percussion
Female Mechanic Now on Duty
JC
Ticket to Ride/Master-Dik (version)/Introducing the Stars
Snare, Girl
Tom Violence
Piano Piece #13

ALBUMS
1. A Thousand Leaves
2. Daydream Nation
3. Bad Moon Rising
4. Murray St
5. Goodbye 20th Century

SIDE PROJECTS
1. Lee Ranaldo - Between the Times and the Tides
2. Loren Mazzacane Connors, Jean-Marc Montera, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo - mmmr
3. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy

I didn't get much out of Silver Session at the time and ended up selling it. WilliamC's ranking makes me want to reconsider it.

xposts "Dripping Dream" is for me one of their biggest gaps between "whatever song, amazing instrumental bridge."

OTM.

I haven't heard that LM Connors project: interested.

I like some dude's ballot a lot, considering that it's fairly different from mine.

i had it on vinyl, never struck me as an especially good SY improv side project (and enjoyed the Connors solo stuff i've heard more), but haven't listened to it in over a decade (xp)

i like your ballot! wish i had voted for "New Hampshire" too

Ha, actually it's not all that different, looking over it again.

xpost Ha, thanks.

"New Hampshire" is a good song, could have voted for it.

The recent Thurston Moore/Loren Connors record is actually really good imo, there is a good video of the live set on the record from The Stone as well.

Here's my ballot:

1. Expressway To Yr Skull
2. Schizophrenia
3. Theresa’s Sound World
4. Rain On Tin
5. ‘Cross the Breeze
6. Hey Joni
7. Silver Rocket
8. Shadow of a Doubt
9. Pacific Coast Highway
10. Dirty Boots
11. Brave Men Run (In My Family)
12. Death Valley '69
13. Teen Age Riot
14. Tunic (Song For Karen)
15. NYC Ghosts& Flowers
16. Tom Violence
17. Tuff Gnarl
18. Brother James
19. Hyperstation (would have voted for the trilogy)
20. Kissability
21. Sugar Kane
22. Mote
23. The Burning Spear
24. The Diamond Sea
25. Hits Of Sunshine
26. Skip Tracer
27. Washing Machine
28. Paper Cup Exit
29. Karen Koltrane
30. Dripping Dream

Only voted for favorite member, which was Lee (though Steve is the nicest, have talked to him several times and he is great).

yeah i interviewed Steve once and talked to him a couple other times, incredibly nice guy

I interviewed him for my radio station, and I was terrible! I think he was psyched that I asked him about the Lee Hazlewood reissues, but I was so unprepared and awkward that it must have been somewhat of a chore for him. He was incredibly gracious about it though, downright enthusiastic about a lot of it actually.

That was the last interview I ever attempted, it was very evident that I should not be interviewing anyone.

Two later-period songs I also think deserved a little more run were "Sympathy For The Strawberry", which I think is a lovely lovely song, and "Dripping Dream"

^^definitely

yeah great track. i'm gonna do a playlist of awesome songs that somehow missed the top 100.

my ballot - only one track didn't make it!

1. The Diamond Sea
2. Karen Koltrane
3. Sunday
4. Schizophrenia
5. Expressway To Yr Skull
6. Kool Thing
7. Starpower
8. Death Valley 69
9. Karen Revisited
10. Sugar Kane
11. Mote
12. I Love You Golden Blue
13. Teen Age Riot
14. Wish Fulfillment
15. Cross The Breeze
16. Androgynous Mind
17. Kotton Krown
18. 100%
19. Stereo Sanctity
20. Screaming Skull
21. Theresa's Sound-World
22. Silver Rocket
23. Shadow Of A Doubt
24. Skip Tracer
25. Brave Men Run
26. Kill Yr Idols
27. Dirty Boots
28. Bull In The Heather
29. She's In A Bad Mood
30. Flower

Regret somewhat not voting for "Flower" and "(She's In A) Bad Mood".

they did place, though!

True. A top 100 sure gives one a feel-good relationship to their ballot for the most part.

Mainly I'm relieved and impressed most of you love or have grown to love 2000s-era SY.

Cool ballot, da croupier. Somehow I expected your ballot to be more popist, ha.

1. Candle
2. Catholic Block
3. Kotton Krown
4. Teenage Riot
5. My Friend Goo
6. Hoarfrost
7. Winner's Blues
8. Theresa's Sound-World
9. Green Light
10. Total Trash
11. Kool Thing
12. Youth Against Fascism
13. Dirty Boots
14. I Love You Golden Blue
15. Rain on Tin
16. Incinerate
17. Androgynous Mind
18. Schizophrenia
19. Death Valley '69
20. Sunday
21. Pacific Coast Highway
22. Peace Attack
23. Pink Steam
24. Swimsuit Issue
25. Cross The Breze
26. Shadow of a Doubt
27. Paper Cup Exit
28. Or
29 Hits of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg)
30. Tunic

ALBUMS

Sister
Daydream Nation
A Thousand Leaves
Dirty
Sonic Nurse

As usual, abbreviated--the five songs I really love from the six or seven albums I've got:

1. "Teen Age Riot" (40)
2. "Kotton Krown" (36)
3. "Theresa’s Sound-World" (33)
4. "Kool Thing" (30)
5. "Superstar" (27)

I would have bet money on "Teen Age Riot" finishing first, which is why I think "I Feel Love" should be in the disco poll--you never know.

Shit! We're done?

Gotta get caught up....

Good luck. Definitely will make work a little "easier" next week having this behind me.

Good ballot by the way Alfred. Looks very much like a personal take on the band, which is cool. Wonder how many other "My Friend Goo" votes there were?

Thanks! Can't think of any other way to poll.

Yeah, me neither, but when I look at my ballot I still see a lot of stuff that is not very unexpected.

Lastly, it just really set me down the road of thinking that there may never be a band like Sonic Youth again, and perhaps they are utterly singular even now, in regards to maintaining a quality and consistency to their catalogue over as long a stretch of time as they have. They never stopped putting out records that didn't suck (in my opinion of course, but at this point I at least like to love every damn one of them) for pretty much 30 years, which is truly just nuts.

grandavis sounding presidential here

things I plan on re-listening to:

Dirty
Goo
EJST&NS

things I plan on tracking down:

Silver Sessions
SYR9

Silver Sessions definitely deserves at least one (1) listen. Very relaxing.

1. total trash
2. expressway to your skull
3. skip tracer
4. the wonder
5. hyperstation
6. disconnection notice
7. dude ranch nurse
8. catholic block
9. cotton crown
10. death valley 69
11. the empty page
12. the sprawl
13. candle
14. cross the breeze
15. wish fulfilment
16. washing machine
17. karen revisited
18. teen age riot
19. schizophrenia
20. sunday
21. becuz
22. no queen blues
23. bull in the heather
24. diamond sea
25. star power
26. tuff gnarl
27. reena
28. youth against fascism
29. nevermind (what was it anyway)
30. inhuman

1. daydream nation
2. murray street
3. sister
4. washing machine
5. sonic nurse

Tracks (8 didn't place)

1 Tunic ( Song for Karen )
2 Youth Against Fascism
3 Dirty Boots
4 Into the Groove(y)
5 I Love You Golden Blue
6 Sunday
7 Teen Age Riot
8 Kool Thing
9 Kotton Krown
10 Nic Fit
11 Star Power
12 Moustache Riders
13 Chapel Hill
14 100%
15 Little Trouble Girl
16 Schizophrenia
17 The Diamond Sea
18 Becuz
19 Incinerate
20 Au Café
21 The Burning Spear
22 Tuck N Dar
23 Stones
24 Bull In The Heather
25 Purr
26 On The Strip
27 Drunken Butterfly
28 Tremens
29 Turquoise Boy
30 Cross the Breeze

Albums
1 Dirty
2 Goo
3 Daydream Nation
4 Sonic Nurse
5 Sister

Side project
I’d say Chelsea Light Moving if that counts. They sound like a pretty solid continuation of Sonic Youth by their main band member.

Band member
Thurston, he is the still the coolest.

Album cover
Gerhard Richter’s painting Kerze on Daydream Nation

This lurker's ballot:

Cotton Crown
Sweet Shine
Washing Machine
Becuz
Disappearer
Kissability
Little Trouble Girl
Pacific Coast Highway
Dude Ranch Nurse
I Love You, Golden Blue
Snare, Girl
Saucer-Like
No Queen Blues
Quest for the Cup
Sugar Kane
Candle
Rain King
Total Trash
Incinerate
Confusion Is Next
The World Looks Red
Inhuman
Unwind
French Tickler
Karen Koltrane
Mary-Christ
The Diamond Sea
My Friend Goo
Reena
She Is Not Alone

5 favorite albums:
1. Washing Machine
2. Daydream Nation
3. Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
4. Goo
5. A Thousand Leaves

Kim is my fave member, as is probably obvious from the above. Didn't vote on side projects as I've only heard a few, but might have chosen SYR5.

i didn't miss out on schizophrenia, it was rubbish what i posted upthread.

01 Wish Fulfillment
02 Brave Men Run (In My Family)
03 Cross The Breeze
04 Mote
05 The Burning Spear
06 The Diamond Sea
07 Shadow Of A Doubt
08 Genetic
09 Eliminator Jr
10 Hey Joni
11 Making The Nature Scene
12 Skip Tracer
13 Kill Yr Idols
14 Karen Revisited aka Karenology
15 Kissability
16 Catholic Block
17 Shaking Hell
18 Sunday
19 The Sprawl
20 Star Power
21 Anagrama
22 She Is Not Alone
23 Rats
24 Drunken Butterfly
25 Hoarfrost
26 Expressway To Yr Skull
27 The World Looks Red
28 NYC Ghosts & Flowers
29 Computer Age
30 Master=Dik

Thanks heaps for running this, AC - great rollout & fantastic images! It's been really great getting to grips w/the albums I didn't really know - the first EP was a great discovery, and coming back to their pre-Evol stuff a decade later after internalising a lot more Throbbing Gristle-y stuff has been really rewarding (likewise with actually knowing a bunch of classic rock rather than coming to them from a snotty Year Zero perspective). Wish I'd voted for a few more late tracks but didn't quite get the time to delve into them before submitting a ballot.

Lastly, it just really set me down the road of thinking that there may never be a band like Sonic Youth again, and perhaps they are utterly singular even now, in regards to maintaining a quality and consistency to their catalogue over as long a stretch of time as they have. They never stopped putting out records that didn't suck (in my opinion of course, but at this point I at least like to love every damn one of them) for pretty much 30 years, which is truly just nuts.

grandavis sounding presidential here

― j., Friday, May 17, 2013 5:20 PM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol read it aloud in an Obama voice

Very interesting. Genuinely surprised by the high placings for "Diamond Sea" and "Rain On Tin". Though I didn't squeeze in a single track post-"JC" so my perspective was always going to be hopelessly '80s-centric.

My only tracks not to place were "Master Dik" and "Lee Is Free". No surprises on that front.

Thanks ArchCarrier!

coming back to their pre-Evol stuff a decade later after internalising a lot more Throbbing Gristle-y stuff has been really rewarding

I like this. Perhaps the exact same reason I voted CIS the #1 LP, whereas it would have been struggling to make my top 5 twenty years ago.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! I had a great time running this poll and seeing all of you get together to discuss my alltime favorite band. Sorry I had to leave immediately after I posted the top 3, but I had a bus to catch for a Beethoven / Orff double bill. Here's the full list of songs:

1. Schizophrenia (909 points, 34 votes, 5 #1)
2. The Diamond Sea (707 points, 33 votes, 5 #1)
3. Expressway to Yr Skull (685 points, 29 votes, 4 #1)
4. Shadow of a Doubt (656 points, 28 votes, 3 #1)
5. Teen Age Riot (519 points, 24 votes, 2 #1)
6. 'Cross the Breeze (463 points, 23 votes, 1 #1)
7. Death Valley '69 (415 points, 23 votes, 1 #1)
8. Kotton Krown (412 points, 21 votes, 2 #1)
9. Mote (401 points, 21 votes, 1 #1)
10. Theresa's Sound World (378 points, 20 votes)
11. Candle (375 points, 18 votes, 2 #1)
12. (I Got a) Catholic Block (342 points, 18 votes)
13. Brave Men Run (in My Family) (329 points, 16 votes)
14. Rain on Tin (313 points, 18 votes, 1 #1)
15. Wish Fulfillment (297 points, 15 votes, 1 #1)
16. Total Trash (297 points, 14 votes, 1 #1)
17. Star Power (267 points, 14 votes, 1 #1)
18. Pacific Coast Highway (259 points, 17 votes)
19. Tom Violence (257 points, 18 votes)
20. Eric's Trip (254 points, 13 votes)
21. The Sprawl (250 points, 14 votes)
22. Hey Joni (249 points, 14 votes)
23. Silver Rocket (249 points, 12 votes, 1 #1)
24. Sugar Kane (238 points, 17 votes)
25. Sunday (227 points, 15 votes)
26. Dirty Boots (221 points, 14 votes)
27. Tuff Gnarl (221 points, 11 votes)
28. Tunic (Song for Karen) (212 points, 17 votes, 1 #1)
29. Karen Revisited (212 points, 11 votes, 1 #1)
30. I Love Her All The Time (210 points, 12 votes)
31. I Dreamed I Dream (209 points, 12 votes)
32. JC (207 points, 13 votes)
33. Disappearer (206 points, 8 votes)
34. Disconnection Notice (204 points, 10 votes, 1 #1)
35. Brother James (202 points, 13 votes)
36. Hyperstation (191 points, 12 votes)
37. Stereo Sanctity (184 points, 10 votes, 1 #1)
38. Shaking Hell (183 points, 11 votes, 1 #1)
39. Bull in the Heather (182 points, 12 votes)
40. Inhuman (181 points, 10 votes, 2 #1)
41. Wildflower Soul (176 points, 8 votes)
42. Karen Koltrane (172 points, 12 votes)
43. Beauty Lies in the Eye (172 points, 11 votes)
44. Skip Tracer (172 points, 11 votes)
45. Washing Machine (169 points, 11 votes, 1 #1)
46. Halloween (159 points, 10 votes)
47. Pipeline / Kill Time (158 points, 10 votes)
48. The Empty Page (157 points, 10 votes)
49. Kill Yr. Idols (155 points, 12 votes)
50. Youth Against Fascism (151 points, 9 votes)
51. Hits of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg) (145 points, 9 votes, 1 #1)
52. Becuz (143 points, 8 votes)
53. Hoarfrost (139 points, 9 votes)
54. I Love You Golden Blue (138 points, 9 votes)
55. Titanium Exposé (136 points, 7 votes, 1 #1)
56. Kool Thing (135 points, 7 votes)
57. The Burning Spear (124 points, 7 votes)
58. Green Light (120 points, 6 votes)
59. Eliminator Jr. (119 points, 9 votes)
60. Society is a Hole (115 points, 7 votes)
61. Unmade Bed (114 points, 10 votes)
62. Incinerate (113 points, 10 votes)
63. Protect Me You (110 points, 6 votes)
64. The World Looks Red (108 points, 8 votes)
65. Kissability (108 points, 7 votes)
66. Drunken Butterfly (107 points, 7 votes)
67. Making the Nature Scene (106 points, 7 votes)
68. Tokyo Eye (100 points, 5 votes)
69. Superstar (97 points, 5 votes)
70. Free City Rhymes (94 points, 8 votes)
71. Jams Run Free (89 points, 7 votes)
72. Macbeth (89 points, 6 votes)
73. Cinderella's Big Score (88 points, 5 votes)
74. Into the Groove(y) (88 points, 5 votes)
75. Chapel Hill (87 points, 6 votes)
76. Death to Our Friends (85 points, 3 votes)
77. Ghost Bitch (84 points, 4 votes)
78. Rain King (82 points, 6 votes)
79. Providence (82 points, 4 votes)
80. Sweet Shine (81 points, 7 votes)
81. 100% (81 points, 6 votes)
82. Flower (81 points, 6 votes)
83. Androgynous Mind (80 points, 4 votes)
84. NYC Ghosts & Flowers (79 points, 6 votes)
85. I'm Insane (74 points, 4 votes, 1 #1)
86. Genetic (72 points, 6 votes)
87. Stones (72 points, 6 votes)
88. Reena (64 points, 7 votes)
89. She's in a Bad Mood (64 points, 6 votes)
90. Dude Ranch Nurse (63 points, 3 votes)
91. The Wonder (63 points, 3 votes)
92. In the Kingdom #19 (62 points, 3 votes)
93. Anagrama (60 points, 8 votes)
94. Little Trouble Girl (60 points, 6 votes)
95. Pattern Recognition (60 points, 5 votes)
96. The Neutral (58 points, 4 votes)
97. Computer Age (57 points, 4 votes)
98. Paper Cup Exit (55 points, 4 votes)
99. Saucer-Like (52 points, 3 votes)
100. Secret Girl (50 points, 4 votes)
101. Mildred Pierce (48 points, 4 votes)
102. Lee Is Free (48 points, 3 votes)
103. Master-Dik (48 points, 3 votes)
104. Sympathy for the Strawberry (46 points, 4 votes)
105. White Cross (45 points, 3 votes)
106. Kim Gordon and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream (45 points, 2 votes)
107. Do You Believe in Rapture? (44 points, 4 votes)
108. Unwind (42 points, 3 votes)
109. Pink Steam (40 points, 3 votes)
110. Silver Panties (40 points, 1 vote, 1 #1)
111. Peace Attack (39 points, 4 votes)
112. Winner's Blues (39 points, 2 votes)
113. Snare, Girl (34 points, 3 votes)
114. Purr (33 points, 3 votes)
115. Slaapkamers met slagroom (33 points, 3 votes)
116. Dans Les Bois Monsieur Rabier (33 points, 1 vote)
117. Female Mechanic Now on Duty (32 points, 3 votes)
118. Antenna (31 points, 6 votes)
119. On the Strip (31 points, 4 votes)
120. Or (31 points, 3 votes)
121. Swimsuit Issue (31 points, 3 votes)
122. What a Waste (31 points, 2 votes)
123. She Is Not Alone (30 points, 4 votes)
124. My Friend Goo (30 points, 2 votes)
125. New Hampshire (30 points, 2 votes)
126. No Queen Blues (27 points, 2 votes)
127. Ça Plane Pour Moi (27 points, 1 vote)
128. Crème Brûlée (25 points, 2 votes)
129. Having Never Written a Note for Percussion (25 points, 2 votes)
130. Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit (25 points, 2 votes)
131. Satan Is Boring (24 points, 1 vote)
132. Blink (22 points, 2 votes)
133. Quest for the Cup (22 points, 2 votes)
134. Shoot (22 points, 2 votes)
135. Side2Side (22 points, 2 votes)
136. Personality Crisis (22 points, 1 vote)
137. Nic Fit (21 points, 1 vote)
138. Addicted to Love (20 points, 1 vote)
139. Invito Al Cielo (19 points, 2 votes)
140. No II (Part 4) (19 points, 2 votes)
141. In the Mind of the Bourgeois Reader (19 points, 1 vote)
142. Moustache Riders (19 points, 1 vote)
143. The Ineffable Me (18 points, 2 votes)
144. Self Obsessed and Sexxee (17 points, 1 vote)
145. Kim's Chords (16 points, 1 vote)
146. Confusion Is Next (13 points, 2 votes)
147. Screaming Skull (12 points, 2 votes)
148. G-Force (12 points, 1 vote)
149. Au Café (11 points, 1 vote)
150. Hot Wire my Heart (11 points, 1 vote)
151. Loud and Soft (11 points, 1 vote)
152. The Bedroom (10 points, 1 vote)
153. Tremens (9 points, 2 votes)
154. Six for New Time (9 points, 1 vote)
155. Tuck N Dar (9 points, 1 vote)
156. Walkin Blue (9 points, 1 vote)
157. Fire Engine Dreams (8 points, 1 vote)
158. Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style (8 points, 1 vote)
159. Rats (8 points, 1 vote)
160. French Tickler (7 points, 1 vote)
161. Loop Cat (7 points, 1 vote)
162. Massage the History (7 points, 1 vote)
163. Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening to Neu (7 points, 1 vote)
164. Malibu Gas Station (6 points, 2 votes)
165. Marilyn Moore (6 points, 2 votes)
166. Mary-Christ (6 points, 2 votes)
167. Plastic Sun (6 points, 1 vote)
168. Small Flowers Crack Concrete (6 points, 1 vote)
169. Panty Lies (5 points, 1 vote)
170. Sacred Trickster (5 points, 1 vote)
171. Freezer Burn/I Wanna Be Your Dog (4 points, 1 vote)
172. Justice is Might (4 points, 1 vote)
173. Poison Arrow (4 points, 1 vote)
174. Skink (4 points, 1 vote)
175. Ticket to Ride/Master-Dik (version)/Introducing the Stars (4 points, 1 vote)
176. Nevermind (What Was It Anyway) (2 points, 1 vote)
177. StreamXSonik Subway (2 points, 1 vote)
178. Turquoise Boy (2 points, 1 vote)
179. What We Know (2 points, 1 vote)
180. Dripping Dream (1 point, 1 vote)
181. Piano Piece #13 (Carpenter's Piece) (1 point, 1 vote)
182. Theme d'Alice (1 point, 1 vote)

Oops, forgot to mention the ties, but you get the idea.

the low placement of "Unwind" is the only thing I'm really, truly surprised by.

FWIW, if you total up the "Trilogy" entries, it'd come at #12 at 373 points / 24 votes.

7 ppl wear white power sneakers

(Little sad side note: I have to say I'm disappointed that no one spotted the *star* in my 'Star Power' image...)

Awww, Mildred Pierce just missed the rollout.

Wow. Just logged on and must say I'm surprised by the results. Many thanks to Mr. ArchCarrier for running this poll. There will always be a place for it in the Pacific Coast Highway of my heart.

Here is my ballot:

Tracks

1. Teen Age Riot
2. Total Trash
3. Silver Rocket
4. Candle
5. Eliminator Jr.
6. Tuff Gnarl
7. Cotton Crown
8. Hey Joni
9. Intro/Brave Men Run
10. White Cross
11. Schizophrenia
12. Sunday
13. Wildflower Soul
14. The Wonder
15. Hyperstation
16. Chapel Hill
17. The Empty Page
18. Computer Age
19. Do You Believe In Rapture?
20. Kool Thing
21. Bull In The Heather
22. Sugar Kane
23. Star Power
24. Pacific Coast Highway
25. Expressway To Yr Skull
26. The Diamond Sea
27. Reena
28. Incinerate
29. Jams Run Free
30. Pipeline/Kill Time

Real life lol at some dude's Obama remark.

Who gave the other vote to "Invito al Cielo"? I owe you a beer next time you're in Saskatchewan.