Needles & Grooves

@dirty hands The Eternal, IMO, is a substandard SY album. For some reason it just never did much for me.

I love A Thousand Leaves and Murray Street, and wish I hadn’t got rid of my copy of Sonic Nurse years ago. Rather Ripped has some killer tunes as well. As for the earlier stuff, it’s hard to look past the EVOL-Sister-DN-Goo run (Goo being my favorite of that bunch).

Which reminds me: I need Goo on vinyl.

I was obsessed with "Incinerate" when I first got into SY because it's probably the catchiest SY song.

I never understood the universal love for Goo. I mean it’s good, but more middle of the road. Idk, I know I’m in the minority on this one…

@Sonicpharmacist I agree! It's maybe my 5th or 6th favorite SY album

I've managed to ignore all periods of Sonic Youth so far, so you're doing better than me!

Yeah, some of their best work came after 2001. Murray St., Sonic Nurse, and Rather Ripped are about as good as anything in their catalog.

@avecigrec if they were good enough for Sun Ra maybe you should give ‘em a go?

Oh, they've been on my to-do list for quite awhile now - it's just a very big list and I get distracted by shiny things!

TBH I’ve barely listened to any Sonic Youth. Where do I start?

@scotthilk start with Daydream Nation, It’s their classic. From there I would first work forward to Goo and Dirty then go back to Sister and EVOL. If after that you are still digging it, skip forward and give Murray St., Sonic Nurse, and Rather Ripped a listen.

Also, @scotthilk here is a playlist I made of my fave SY songs you can use as a primer if need be…

Added the playlist to my library, thanks @TenderLovingKiller®

Just a heads up, I have some of SY solo albums and Side Projects on that playlist also, noticeably absent is Kim Gordon’s solo album from a few years ago which is really good but quite a departure from SY soundwise so I left that off since the tracks sound so out of place.

Not to hijack this thread but while we are on the subject of Sonic Youth; @avecigrec you should check out their SYR released albums. They are longer improvised instrumental pieces that are the bands version of Free Jazz.

@scotthilk My introduction to SY was Daydream Nation, but idk if it’s the best place to start…it has longer tracks with extended “jams” where the songs devolve. It’s a great album, just not sure about as a starting point. I think Goo, Dirty, or even Murray Street/Sonic Nurse might be better for the uninitiated. If you like those, then move outwards.

@Sonicpharmacist Daydream was my first SY album and maybe that’s why I am bias towards that but I remember the first time I listened to it all the way through and being blow away. I had heard other SY songs prior but it wasn’t until I heard Daydream Nation that it all clicked into shape for me..

@TenderLovingKiller® funny, I didn’t really *get* Daydream Nation at first. I think the first song that really resonated with me was Teenage Riot, but the rest was harder for me to sink my teeth into. Then I think I saw the videos on MTV for Dirty Boots and Kool Thing, and everything changed.

I’ll also add that I think they’re such a unique band with such varying styles, everyone kind of has to find their own path with their extensive catalog. Like No Wave, start at the beginning. Prefer a grungier vibe, Goo or Dirty. A more abstract music fan, Daydream Nation