Golden Blue by a fair distance. Damn good album tho.
― notes on camping (Pillbox), Sunday, 31 July 2011 07:01 (twelve years ago) link
it seems to to me, but maybe i'm sensitive to it because for me it's absolutely the SY record i least want to hear of the ones i listen to (everything from 'evol' on); i don't think any of the ones i do listen to are bad in the way that i hear some people saying some are good, some bad; and a lot of people think it's 'best since DN'. so it's, like, the one aberration for me.
i was surprised to see MS do better on the ilx 00s SY poll though.
― j., Sunday, 31 July 2011 07:09 (twelve years ago) link
some food 4 thought:
NYC Ghosts & Flowers (2000)104th in Pazz & Jop3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone2 1/2 stars from Allmusic0.0 from Pitchfork
Murray Street (2002)20th in Pazz & Jop4 stars from Rolling Stone4 stars from Allmusic9.0 from Pitchfork
Sonic Nurse (2004)37th in Pazz & Jop3 1/2 stars from Rolling Stone4 stars from Allmusic8.5 from Pitchfork
Rather Ripped (2006)12th in Pazz & Jop4 stars from Rolling Stone4 stars from Allmusic7.5 from Pitchfork
The Eternal (2009)4 stars from Rolling Stone4 stars from Allmusic6.8 from Pitchfork
― best of the badman log (some dude), Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:42 AM (2 years ago) Bookmark
this post from that thread kinda sums up the relative acclaim of each of their last few albums (The Eternal placed 20th on Pazz & Jop)
― some dude, Sunday, 31 July 2011 14:04 (twelve years ago) link
hm, do love this record from start to finish but except for unmade bed and golden blue i can't really tell the tracks apart.
― sonderangerbot, Sunday, 31 July 2011 14:11 (twelve years ago) link
Paper Cup Exit - "It's later than it seems".
Lovely song - that line has always made me think of the band itself, releasing great records well beyond the time great rock bands should be allowed.
I made a comp. of the last four albums for a couple of friends with that very title.
― kraudive, Monday, 1 August 2011 00:01 (twelve years ago) link
my comp of the later years is called JAMS RUN FREE and is full of mostly 7+ minute joints
― some dude, Monday, 1 August 2011 00:06 (twelve years ago) link
Paper Cup Exit - "It's later than it seems".Lovely song - that line has always made me think of the band itself, releasing great records well beyond the time great rock bands should be allowed.I made a comp. of the last four albums for a couple of friends with that very title.― kraudive, Sunday, July 31, 2011 8:01 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark
― kraudive, Sunday, July 31, 2011 8:01 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark
Enjoy Yourself (It's Later than You Think)"Enjoy Yourself" is a popular song published in 1949, with music written by Carl Sigman and lyrics by Herb Magidson.The most popular version of the song, recorded by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, was made on November 27 (some sources give November 28), 1949. The recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24825. The record first reached the Billboard charts on January 13, 1950 and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #10.[1]Another recording, by Doris Day, was made on January 13, 1950 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38709.Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra made a recording on February 2, 1949 which was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3375.
― Iago Galdston, Monday, 1 August 2011 00:25 (twelve years ago) link
"New Hampshire" is probably a lesser track but I always liked it. Voted for that one.
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Monday, 1 August 2011 01:08 (twelve years ago) link
i listened to this again today after quite a long time, and i did notice some new things. i don't think i had appreciated what was going on in the guitars. it sounds like they made a deliberate effort to place all three guitars in colloquy with each other on the same level, and they kind of circle around each other in space, maybe more than the more-linear back-and-forth that's typical of their two-guitar setup. it makes the songs more interesting. but maybe in the past i didn't hear that as much because the sound is pretty booming on the low end (shelley is really loud on this one!) and the broad-stroke lines of the songs aren't as… riff-shaped as i'm used to, so that the whole thing can take on the aspect of being kind of lifeless if you don't really pick up on the triple-interplay.
i think someone on one of the sonic nurse threads made a comparison to 'washing machine'—maybe that's a helpful comparison for the kind of interplay they're after. off the top of my head i can't really imagine what's going on with kim's playing on 'murray street', i would guess she kind of does texture or fillery stuff. but on 'nurse' she seems to have more of an audibly equivalent role to thurston and lee. (are they still generally L and R on all the tracks?)
(a lot of that seems to change again on 'rather ripped': who is usually playing the texturey / distorted / treated part there?)
― j., Monday, 1 August 2011 01:54 (twelve years ago) link
No can do - Sonic Nurse is one of those albums where i don't pay much attention to the individual tracks - the whole meal gets et at once. Hell, i've listened to this album at least 50 times and didn't recognize one of their titles. In fact, i started cruising through the tracks on grooveshark to see what might jump out - nothing really did. So i said "screw it" and played the album straight through --- ahh, delightful. So, by default, my vote goes to the lead track.
― suspecterrain, Monday, 1 August 2011 04:41 (twelve years ago) link
i think the album has individual standouts but there is something true about how it holds together as more than the sum of its parts -- when i did my best-of mix, i was surprised to find myself using more songs from Rather Ripped than Nurse, which i consider a better album, but RR has shorter songs that stand alone more naturally.
― some dude, Monday, 1 August 2011 11:22 (twelve years ago) link
Last great SY album for me, voting 'Unmade Bed' but it could've easily been 'Pattern Recognition', 'Golden Blue' or 'New Hampshire' too. Great record.
― I for one am (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 1 August 2011 11:33 (twelve years ago) link
i think i listen to this one more because none of the songs are long enough that they are cut off on spotify and my sy cds are under a bed in a guest room in my parents' house
that said 'pattern recognition' puts me in a bad mood from the off: "i'm a cool hunter making you my way / like a brand name you'll replay" ugh
to what extent when listening to sonic youth do people make an effort to let what the songs are 'about' register w/them? kind of curious about this
― thomp, Monday, 1 August 2011 12:23 (twelve years ago) link
bad mood rising
― (am0n), Monday, 1 August 2011 15:08 (twelve years ago) link
I liked this record a lot! and listened to it a lot! and now I seriously couldn't tell you anything about any of the songs on it
― pathos of the unwarranted encore (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Monday, 1 August 2011 15:09 (twelve years ago) link
This was tough, it was between Unmade Bed, Stones, and Golden Blue. Had to go with Stones...it's epic and reassuring and it rocks! I may like this record more than Murray Street but it's certainly a toss-up.
― chewy, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 13:29 (twelve years ago) link
yr selections echo mine exactly. My favorite SY album.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 2 August 2011 16:00 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdO3AEV6g1Athis one was a bonus track on some versions of sonic nurse (showed up on destroyed room too). might vote for this if it was an option!
― tylerw, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 16:03 (twelve years ago) link
prefer this lp to Eternal and Ripped. would probably go for Pattern Recognition
― Jamie_ATP, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 16:05 (twelve years ago) link
rating in order
StonesGolden BluePattern Recognition Unmade BedNew HampshirePaper Cup ExitDude Ranch NursePeace AttackDripping DreamMariah Carey
...though I'm glad I don't have to rank them. Also I think the sequencing is quite good, which sometimes is a weak spot with them IMO.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 2 August 2011 17:05 (twelve years ago) link
Hardly ever.
― jaymc, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 17:27 (twelve years ago) link
...this reminds me how little ive listened to the last three youth records.
― king of torts (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Saturday, July 30, 2011 7:54 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark
^^ this.
i keep trying with these albums and they just don't stick
― goole, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 17:31 (twelve years ago) link
Ha, I listened yesterday and "New Hampshire" does sound slight. Not sure which I'd single out though... "Unmade Bed"?
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Tuesday, 2 August 2011 18:54 (twelve years ago) link
I Love You Golden Blue
― da croupier, Tuesday, 2 August 2011 20:00 (twelve years ago) link
I listened to this for the first time yesterday: it was only okay for me. And I really expected to like it. It has traces of both Murray Street's mellow jam-band meanderings and Rather Ripped's clean-cut guitar pop, though I mostly this album sounds like vague atonal classic rock...
Looks like the poll is down to Unmade Bed vs. I Love You Golden Blue. I'm voting Thurston, a relatively rare occasion.
― shastakrautpasta (Drugs A. Money), Tuesday, 2 August 2011 20:17 (twelve years ago) link
keep trying with these albums and they just don't stick
― goole
xpost funny, RR and the E sounded mostly immediately great to my ears and they've fared well with repeat listens. nurse hadn't done as much for me until this week/poll when i've been rotating it in constantly and now i think i slightly underrated it. i'm lousy with sy song titles in general and don't think i'm voting but ilm comes through again (in a way)
― Marquis de Sade (outdoor_miner), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 00:35 (twelve years ago) link
I kind of hate "Peace Attack". I'm not sure exactly why. Musically, it feels like a retread of one of Moore's solo tracks, which haven't ever really been truly essential material in the first place. The vocals seem especially lazy and somehow grating for me in the sing-song nature, I dunno?
― EveningStar (Sund4r), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 02:36 (twelve years ago) link
I love Sonic Youth but does anyone like them for their lyrics? Other than Kim's which are pretty good sometimes. I can't think of a band more loved with less to offer word wise
― Iago Galdston, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 02:43 (twelve years ago) link
Light the way...candle
― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 02:49 (twelve years ago) link
lyrics to "the wonder"/"hyperstation"/"eliminator jr." trilogy are some of my faves ever
― king of torts (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 03:11 (twelve years ago) link
also "i can't get laid 'cuz everyone is dead." c'mon.
― king of torts (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 03:14 (twelve years ago) link
the trilogy are indeed the best lyrics i can remember, thanks for reminding me
― Iago Galdston, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 03:19 (twelve years ago) link
how much i enjoy, comprehend, pay attention to or ponder Sonic Youth lyrics varies pretty wildly from song to song, from album to album, from singer to singer. obviously it's not priority #1 with them but they've got some pretty evocative gems here and there.
― some dude, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 03:38 (twelve years ago) link
lyrically i do prefer early jokey nihilist waiting for mutually assured destruction s.y. to placid hippie grandparents catching a vibe s.y.
― king of torts (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 03:40 (twelve years ago) link
old man thurston on the farm is hilarious
― some dude, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 03:42 (twelve years ago) link
"new hampshire." there's a good live version on youtube... nimble, propulsive track.― Lowell N. Behold'n, Sunday, 31 July 2011 02:26 (3 days ago)
― Lowell N. Behold'n, Sunday, 31 July 2011 02:26 (3 days ago)
never caught them live during the tour of this album but i love thurston's vocal switch for this track live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0i7H-ALg2o
― Bastards of Young Dro, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 04:02 (twelve years ago) link
the drums on that song are so dope
― some dude, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 04:21 (twelve years ago) link
ah, mariah, you're endless.
― j., Wednesday, 3 August 2011 04:37 (twelve years ago) link
listening to this now front to back, which i never do for any albums anymore, and this still sounds great
keys: headphones, don't play it too softly
― markers, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 06:10 (twelve years ago) link
because i started appreciating 'sonic nurse' i have decided to listen to every single SY album through in order. (i listen to them front to back all the time, but i don't know if i've ever played all of them first to last.)
― j., Wednesday, 3 August 2011 07:48 (twelve years ago) link
listened to this on the way to work this morning. main thing -- guitars are beautifully recorded/mixed. just a really wonderful tangle of sound that's somehow dense without being super-heavy. only song i'm not really fond of is the mariah carey one, has to be kim's most irritating vocal. kind of wish dripping dream was an instrumental -- love the music, sort of can't stand thurston's vocal/lyrics. last two tracks are a great pair. not sure what to vote for -- probably either "stones" or "golden blue"?
― tylerw, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 15:43 (twelve years ago) link
both good choices -- i wonder how much of the technical stuff is due to o'rourke's involvement -- iirc he wasn't involved in rather ripped & it sounds much more bricked and less interesting/pleasing 2 meh
― markers, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 18:09 (twelve years ago) link
Somebody put the question to Thurston in another SY thread.
― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 3 August 2011 22:07 (twelve years ago) link
lol i think i asked whoever that was to ask thurston iirc
― markers, Wednesday, 3 August 2011 22:09 (twelve years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Friday, 5 August 2011 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Saturday, 6 August 2011 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
well
― markers, Saturday, 6 August 2011 23:26 (twelve years ago) link
http://masters-of-photography.com/images/full/cunningham/cunningham_bed.jpg
― I for one am (Le Bateau Ivre), Saturday, 6 August 2011 23:29 (twelve years ago) link
I love you, golden poll
― livin in my own private Biden hole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 6 August 2011 23:29 (twelve years ago) link
pretty otm results
i love how this song is full of all these long jams and then "Unmade Bed" boils down the same kind of epic feel into a 4-minute track.
― some dude, Sunday, 7 August 2011 00:03 (twelve years ago) link
i was so fucken pissed that 'pink steam' didn't walk this but. . . o ya, that was a different album.
this one's good too, tho.
― Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Sunday, 28 June 2020 04:44 (three years ago) link
sorry if this is weird but "paper cut exit" is my favorite lee song of all time
― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 28 June 2020 05:33 (three years ago) link
"Paper Cup Exit" is so good. I love that song sincerely, and don't think you are off-base there. And as fans an idea of "favorite" needs to be different than "best" in some ways. Like, who cares what Lee's "best" song is, it doesn't matter. It is more fun to listen to people talk about what their favorites are and why. I personally think "Paper Cup Exit" is up there for Lee SY songs too.
― grandavis, Sunday, 28 June 2020 05:46 (three years ago) link
Their best LP imo, at least, it's the one I've played the most over the years.
― justice 4 CCR (Sparkle Motion), Sunday, 28 June 2020 05:49 (three years ago) link
I saw them on the tour for this album and the sound from the stage was so good, it sounded like they were plugged into my brain. It's a great great record. I adore "Stones", it just washes me away.
― assert (MatthewK), Sunday, 28 June 2020 08:44 (three years ago) link
My favorite of their '00s albums.
― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn),
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 28 June 2020 10:08 (three years ago) link
I still prefer Murray Street, but this album is magnificent.
― Pinche Cumbion Bien Loco (stevie), Sunday, 28 June 2020 10:57 (three years ago) link