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

yeah, you or someone else said that earlier, and it's otm. i had a period where i was head over heals for "disappearer", but in the long run it feels a bit slight (appropriate, i suppose). i prefer "theresa's sound world", which more fully develops a similar idea. spookier, too. even on goo, it's overshadowed by "tunic" and "mote".

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32. JC
Dirty, 1992
(207 points, 13 votes)

amazing song, my #2. wish it was higher, but i guess that's pretty high.

Fuck, how are we already at 32? Damn. Good stretch. "Brother James" is too low though. The recorded version pales to some of the live ones, but it is such a relentless song, super powerful and rocking as hell. To me it's the pinnacle of that early style, before they tightened up and streamlined the approach on Sister etc. (guess Death Valley '69 is the real indication of what was to come).

Whoever said that "Disappearer" sounds like a Lee song is OTM. I still expect his voice to appear on that song sometimes.

lotta good stuff today, and from here on out I imagine.

Disappearer my #3, JC my #2. Both songs huge linchpins of my adolescence

"Brother James" is definitely the pre-Shelley song that got the most firepower out of his addition

^ version on Walls Have Ears, wow

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31. I Dreamed I Dream
Sonic Youth, 1982
(209 points, 12 votes)

sweet, was wondering when that would show up. cool how Lee and Kim both had their first vocals on the same song, one a record w/ otherwise all Thurston vocals.

Yeah, Walls Have Ears is a cool record, some day I will shell out the cash and procure a copy of it (the radio station I used to DJ had it and I would play the hell out of that thing). But agree that Shelley really beefed up "Brother James", it is more powerful at a faster speed for one thing. Forgot to say that I regret not finding room on my ballot for "Shaking Hell", glad to see it place relatively high. That is another song that I think is better live (totally devastating live actually), and agree with it being one of the most successful "scary" songs in the SY catalogue. Really glad that they pulled this one out live in some of the late-period shows, as well as "Brother James", cause they ratcheted up my fan-boy giddiness in absurd ways when trotted out.

sold my walls have ears ages ago :(

it is sad he was purple

i dreamed i dream was my #2

wish it were higher (of course), but just seeing it here makes me absurdly happy

Man, someone stole my vinly copy of the S/T record. Glad to see at least one song from it place this high (and maybe not the last?) Gotta say that the run "The Burning Spear>I Dreamed I Dream>She Is Not Alone>I Don't Want To Push It" is a helluva opening statement from a band.

I had JC at #19, admittedly too low even there

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30. I Love Her All The Time
Bad Moon Rising, 1985
(210 points, 12 votes)

Great song! Sure wish I could have seen a BMR-era tour where they did the segues between all the songs. Love the way the song casually rises out of the murk following the degraded Stooges swipe. Very late cut for me, but again, was hard for me to take individual songs from BMR.

One of my choices.

It's classic for sure. Love the bassline.

My number 2! Such a jam.

Weird tidbit: I heard Camper Van Beethoven's cover first. It was also my introduction to Sonic Youth.

I heard this song first via the Camper Van Beethoven cover, and spent a lot of time trying to reconcile that with the SY that I knew via Evol. Was pleasantly surprised on finally getting BMR.

Jinx, buy me a coke!

heh.

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29. Karen Revisited
Murray Street, 2002
(212 points, 11 votes, 1 #1)

My #23. "I Love Her All the Time" was my #7.

Wow, good song but surprised that it placed so high! (Awesome reuse of the pic here Arch!) Glad to see more "Murray Street" (and Lee) show up regardless of which song.

Did not vote for it though, went with the other Karen.

The buildup to "ask me if I care" is pretty epic. Not usual for an SY song to get so direct, almost makes it shocking in a way. Does anyone know the story, i.e., is Karen a real person?

Feel like I should stick up for 'Disappearer' a bit as I had it at #4 - it's my favourite of their gauzy melancholia songs and probably the closest they got to sounding like actual shoegaze (ymmv as to whether that's a good thing...). It's basically 'Beauty Lies in the Eye' with a groove and a Thurston vocal. Probably my favourite SY video too.

I like "Disappearer" a lot, a good reason to listen to Goo for sure. It's breakdown seemed like a blueprint for a lot of the cool instrumental breaks on Dirty ("Dirty Boots" as well).

Wish they had decided to put the version of "Mildred Pierce" from the Goo demos on the record, or a similarly unhinged one. Would have added a welcome bit of chaos to what is a relatively controlled record. I mean, I still love Goo plenty, but it doesn't quite hit as hard as it should for me sometimes.

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28. Tunic (Song for Karen)
Goo, 1990
(212 points, 17 votes, 1 #1)

Wow.

ew.

I feel like I'm disappearing
Getting smaller every day
But I look in the mirror
I'm bigger in every way

I don't know much about anorexia so correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it closer to the opposite of this?

i.e. you can tell that you look too small but you feel like you're too big?

used quite well in Irma Vep.

XP Hah, I never paid much attention to the lyrics, but I guess you're right!

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27. Tuff Gnarl
Sister, 1987
(221 points, 11 votes)

Had no idea Tunic (Song for Karen) was so well liked. I like it but never thought of it as one of the better songs on Goo.

Tuff Gnarl is so good.

the Watt version of tuff gnarl (carla bozulich vox) is real good, too.

Voted for both of these! (#14 and #17) "Tunic" may have gotten points for how heavy it was was to me as a teenager, though I still love it for sure. Kind of powerfully melancholy to me, and I love the progression of the song (and the guitars, but whatever, that is like every SY song). Don't know, it's a hard song to love and I can see why many don't, but it just works for me on a deep level. Really like Kim's vocals on it too, so understated and perfect for the song imo.

"Tuff Gnarl" is just a joyous blast, so tuneful and triumphant! "strange and raging" indeed (the melody guitar part during the first "chorus" is one of my favorite moments in any SY song).

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26. Dirty Boots
Goo, 1990
(221 points, 14 votes)

And there's another one, my #10. Would have thought that this and "Tuff Gnarl" may have placed higher, but there are so many good songs left that may be a silly thing to say from now on. Still think "Dirty Boots" is great, as silly as some of the lyrics are. Musically I find it irresistible.

I never got along with "Dirty Boots" for some reason.

I used to have the same Mudhoney t-shirt the guy in the Dirty Boots video is wearing.

"Tunic" and "Dirty Boots" have the two highest vote totals so far btw

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25. Sunday
A Thousand Leaves, 1998
(227 points, 15 votes)

Gotta go for a few hours. I'll post the last three for today when I get back.