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

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.

http://www.melson.nl/ILM/sypoll/029.jpg
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.

http://www.melson.nl/ILM/sypoll/028.jpg
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!

http://www.melson.nl/ILM/sypoll/027.jpg
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).

http://www.melson.nl/ILM/sypoll/026.jpg
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

http://www.melson.nl/ILM/sypoll/025.jpg
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.

http://www.melson.nl/ILM/sypoll/024.jpg
24. Sugar Kane
Dirty, 1992
(238 points, 17 votes)

I like it but never thought of it as one of the better songs on Goo.

it might be my fave!

I really love "Dirty Boots"! One of their better pop tunes with a good beat. The instrumental passages are beautiful and really well-structured. A surprise that it ends with a soft ambient section.

xpost It's the only song on Goo that I voted for.

Oh, you were talking about "Tunic".

'Sugar Kane' at 24 — exactly where it was on my ballot!

'Disappearer' was my #3, 'I Dreamed' was my #8. Three of my top ten has showed now. I have a feeling at least one song in my top ten will not show at all. Hrrmm.

"Sugar Kane" my #21, so not too far off. Such a great jam, but probably right about where it should be. Getting close to where I can imagine what is coming up I think ....

sunday, tuff gnarl and the 2 murray street songs were on my ballot.

Stereo Sanctity was my #1. I never really understood why it isn't more widely considered one of the best Sonic Youth songs. When I was younger, this was the sonic youth song I would play to all my friends who didn't know about them.

Sugar Kane was also my 24! I guess that's where that song needs to be.

Another fun thing about stereo sanctity is that I bought Sister and started reading VALIS around the same time and there was this weird and awesome moment where I pieced together that the best song on this album I keep listening to is about this amazing book that I'm reading.

Wow, that is cool silverfish!

love "Sunday" – in my top fifteen.

"Stereo Sanctity" kind of makes me feel like I'm in this situation (credit to Granny Drainger):

if they landed on some swingin planet with some alien babes, bourbon flowing in rivers, whip cream covered mountains, dr pepper falling as rain, sign me up

Somehow I just didn't think about it when I was making my ballot. Weird, I'm listening to Sister and it sounds like it could be the best. Basically, I think in the end, the first five albums are all about equally great.

OK, I think I'm back to my previous opinion that it's just a notch lower than the very best. "Stereo Sanctity" is awesome though.

tunic was my #1, it is such a great complex song, the tune is extremely psychedelic and sad at the same time. the guitar sound is so heavenly, so immaterial. i am quite surprised nobody else put it at #1 as for me it is light-years in front of their other songs.

Was hoping Sunday and Wildflower Soul would rank higher. And Tuff Gnarl's relatively poor showing is highly disturbing.

Anyway, "Schizophrenia" is definitely #1. Also, I underrated "Master=Dik" when voting.

Think since essentially every song on Sister is gonna place for the most part, a lot of votes for individual songs suffered. Top 30 ain't too bad, but I would've thought it would be closer to top 20 material. There's a LOT of good stuff still to come though.

Tuff Gnarl was my #3.

When Lee's lead guitar comes in (~28s) is one of my favorite things this band ever did... totally hair-raising.

There are still at least 4 songs from Sister yet to place, hard to imagine that any of them will miss at this point. Not going to start predicting top 2 or 3, hope to be surprised, but at this point I can only really imagine two songs competing, so will be greatly surprised if one of them isn't it.