Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an influential experimental rock band which formed in New Y… Read Full Bio ↴Sonic Youth was an influential experimental rock band which formed in New York City, New York, United States in 1981 and are currently on an indefinite hiatus. The last lineup consisted of Thurston Moore (vocals, guitar), Kim Gordon (vocals, bass, guitar), Lee Ranaldo (vocals and guitar), Steve Shelley (drums) and Mark Ibold (bass).
In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American noise rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American underground that focused more on the DIY ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. As a result, Sonic Youth was pivotal in the rise of the alternative rock movement.
Sonic Youth have expressed a wide variety of influences, ranging from the influential protopunk musician Patti Smith to composer John Cage. The band has been praised for having "redefined what rock guitar could do", using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and preparing guitars with objects like drumsticks and screwdrivers to alter the instruments' timbre.
Formation and early history: 1977-1981
Sonic Youth's history began when guitarist Thurston Moore moved to New York City in early 1976. Interested in punk, Moore joined the Coachmen, a guitar-based quartet, after arriving in the city. Lee Ranaldo, an art student at Binghamton University, became a fan of the Coachmen, and he and Moore were soon friends. Ranaldo was a member of Glenn Branca's electric guitar ensemble, touring throughout the United States and Europe. After the breakup of the Coachmen, Moore began jamming with Stanton Miranda, whose band, CKM, featured local artist Kim Gordon.
Moore and Gordon formed a band, appearing under names like Male Bonding and Red Milk before agreeing upon the Arcadians in late 1980. The band played their first show at Noise Fest in June 1981 at New York's White Columns gallery. Branca's ensemble played at the festival. Their performance impressed Moore, who described them as "the most ferocious guitar band that I had ever seen in my life." After Branca's set, Moore asked Ranaldo if he wanted to join the Arcadians. Ranaldo accepted; the band played three songs at the festival later in the week without a drummer. Each band member took turns playing the drums, until they met drummer Richard Edson.
Moore soon renamed the band "Sonic Youth". The name came from combining the nickname of MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith with the trend of reggae artists, such as Big Youth, featuring the word "Youth" in their names. Gordon later recalled that "as soon as Thurston came up with the name Sonic Youth, a certain sound that was more of what we wanted to do came about."
Early releases: 1982-1985
Branca signed Sonic Youth as the first act on his record label Neutral Records. In December 1981 the group recorded five songs in a studio in New York's Radio City Music Hall. The material was a released as the Sonic Youth mini-LP that, while largely ignored, was sent to a few key members of the US press that gave it uniformly favorable reviews. After their first record, Edson quit the group for a modestly successful acting career and was replaced by Bob Bert.
During their early days as part of the New York music scene, Sonic Youth formed a friendship with noisy New Yorkers Swans. The bands came to share the same rehearsal space, and Sonic Youth embarked on its first tour, a two-week journey through the southern United States starting in November 1982, supporting Swans. During a second tour with Swans of the Midwest the following month, tensions ran high and Moore constantly criticized Bert's drumming, which he felt wasn't "in the pocket". Bert was fired afterwards and replaced by Jim Sclavunos, who played drums on the band's 1983 album Confusion Is Sex. Sonic Youth set up a two-week tour of Europe for the summer of 1983. Sclavunos, however, quit after only a few months. The group asked Bert to rejoin, and he agreed, on the condition that he would not be fired again after the tour's conclusion.
Sonic Youth found themselves well-received in Europe, but the New York press largely ignored the local noise rock scene. Eventually, as the press began to take notice of the genre, Sonic Youth was grouped along with bands like Big Black, the Butthole Surfers and Pussy Galore under the "pigfuck" label by Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau. (Christgau saw these bands as sharing an abrasive, noisy and confrontational aesthetic.) Based on this classification, and on a negative live review by Christgau, a feud developed between Moore and the critic, with Moore renaming the song "Kill Yr Idols" to "I Killed Christgau With My Big Fucking Dick" before the two sorted out their differences amicably.
During another tour of Europe in 1984, Sonic Youth's disastrous London debut (where the band's equipment malfunctioned and Moore consequently destroyed the equipment onstage in frustration) actually resulted in rave reviews in Sounds and the NME. By the time they returned to New York, they were so popular they played shows practically every week. That same year Moore and Gordon were married and Sonic Youth released Bad Moon Rising, a self-described "Americana" album that served as a reaction to the state of the nation at the time. The album, recorded by Martin Bisi, was built around transitional pieces that Moore and Ranaldo had come up with in order to take up time onstage while the other guitarist was busy tuning his instrument; as a result there are almost no breaks between the songs on the record, which feature walls of feedback and pounding rhythms. Bad Moon Rising featured an appearance by Lydia Lunch on the album's single "Death Valley '69", inspired by the Charles Manson Family murders. In contrast to their abrasive, atonal material of the time, the band considered the song relatively conventional. Due to a falling-out with Branca over disputed royalty payments from their Neutral releases, they were signed to Homestead Records by Gerard Cosloy and by Blast First in the UK (which founder Paul Smith created simply so he could distribute the band's records in Europe). While even the New York press ignored Bad Moon Rising upon its release, now viewing the band as too arty and pretentious, Sonic Youth was becoming quite critically acclaimed in the United Kingdom, where the new album had sold 5,000 copies in just six months.
Claiming he was bored with playing Bad Moon Rising live in its entirety for over a year, Bert quit the group and was replaced by Steve Shelley, formerly of the hardcore group Crucifucks. The band was so impressed with Shelley's drumming after seeing him play live they hired him without an audition. Bert has remained on good terms with the group; he and Shelley both appeared in the music video for "Death Valley '69", as Bert performed the drums on the song, but Shelley was the group's drummer when the video was made.
SST and Enigma: 1986-1989
Sonic Youth had a long fascination with influential indie label SST Records. Ranaldo said, "It was the first record company we were on that we really would have given anything to be on." Sonic Youth eventually signed to the label in early 1986 and began recording Evol with Martin Bisi in March of that year.
Evol itself represented an evolution of sorts for the band: in addition to increasingly melodic material and the impact of new drummer Shelley's playing, the record also dealt with themes of celebrity, particularly with songs like "Expressway To Yr Skull" (called "a classic" by Neil Young) and "Marilyn Moore". Signing to SST catapulted the band on to a national stage, something that did not happen to their peers in the New York underground. The mainstream music press subsequently began to take notice of the band. Robert Palmer of the The New York Times declared that Sonic Youth was "making the most startlingly original guitar-based music since Jimi Hendrix" and even People praised Evol as the "aural equivalent of a toxic waste dump." Evol is also notable for a guest appearance by bass guitarist Mike Watt, a friend whom the band coaxed to come to New York after he was deeply depressed by the death of his bandmate, D. Boon.
On 1987's Sister, Sonic Youth continued refining their blend of pop song structures with uncompromising experimentalism. Another loose concept album, Sister is partly inspired by the life and works of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (the "sister" of the title was Dick's fraternal twin, who died shortly after her birth, and whose memory haunted Dick his entire life). Sister sold 60,000 copies and received very positive reviews, becoming the first Sonic Youth album to crack the Top 20 of the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Despite the critical success, the band was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with SST due to concerns about payment and other administrative practices. Sonic Youth decided to release their next record on Enigma Records, which was distributed by Capitol Records and partly owned by EMI. The 1988 double LP Daydream Nation was a critical success that earned Sonic Youth substantial acclaim. The album came in second on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll and topped the year-end album lists of the NME, CMJ, and Melody Maker. In 2006, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. The lead single from the album, "Teen Age Riot", was the first song from the band to reach significant success, receiving heavy airplay in modern and college rock stations. A number of prominent music periodicals including Rolling Stone hailed Daydream Nation as one of the best albums of the decade and named Sonic Youth as the "Hot Band" in its "Hot" issue. Unfortunately, distribution problems arose and Daydream Nation was often difficult to find in stores. Moore considered Enigma a "cheap-jack Mafioso outfit" and the band began looking for a major label deal.
Major label career and alternative icons: 1990-1999
In 1990, Sonic Youth released Goo (their first album for Geffen), which featured the single "Kool Thing" on which Chuck D from rap group Public Enemy guested. "Kool Thing" became the song that many casual music fans associate with the band; it was later featured in the video game Guitar Hero III and was made available as a paid download for the Rock Band video game. The record is considered much more accessible than their previous work. Their 1991 tour with the then relatively unknown Nirvana was captured in the film 1991: The Year Punk Broke.
In 1992, the band released Dirty on the DGC label. Their influence as tastemakers continued with their discovery of acclaimed skateboard video director Spike Jonze, who they recruited for the video for "100%", which also featured skateboarder turned actor Jason Lee. This song, along with the Gordon tune "JC" contain lyrical references to the murder of Joe Cole, a friend who worked with the band as a roadie. The album features artwork by Los Angeles-based artist Mike Kelley. In addition, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise opened on numerous occasions for Sonic Youth in the late 90s. "Dirty" features a guest appearance by Ian McKaye (Minor Threat and Fugazi) playing guitar on the track "Youth Against Fascism".
In 1994 the band released Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, their best charting release in the United States, which peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200. The album was filled with low-key melodies and even produced a hit single, "Bull in the Heather". Moore and Gordon's daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore was born earlier in the year, and many of the songs from the album were never played live because there was never a full tour to support the album due to Gordon's pregnancy.
The band headlined the 1995 Lollapalooza festival. By that time, alternative rock had gained considerable mainstream attention, and the festival was parodied on The Simpsons 1996 episode "Homerpalooza", which featured voiceovers from the band. They also performed the final credits theme for that episode.
Gordon collaborated in Free Kitten, and started a clothing label X-Girl, based in Los Angeles. Ranaldo and Moore have played with many experimental / noise musicians, including William Hooker, Nels Cline, Tom Surgal, Don Dietrich, Christian Marclay and Mission of Burma, among others. Shelley runs the Smells Like Records record label, as well as playing in backing bands for Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Two Dollar Guitar.
From Sonic Youth's earliest days, Gordon had occasionally played guitar with the group. About the time of A Thousand Leaves and Washing Machine she began playing guitar more frequently, resulting in a three-guitar and drums lineup. These songs were something of a shift for the group's sound, and would lead to the introduction of a fifth member a few years later.
The Washing Machine album started a major shift in the band, away from their punk roots, that working with longer noise-jam sections and included two tracks that showed the new approach in full force - the title track "Washing Machine", which is just under 10 minutes long, and "The Diamond Sea", which is over 19 minutes long.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band began releasing a series of highly experimental records on their own Hoboken, New Jersey-based label SYR. The music was mostly instrumental, and the album and track titles and even the liner notes and credits were in different languages: SYR1 was in French, SYR2 in Dutch, SYR3 in Esperanto, SYR5 in Japanese, SYR6 in Lithuanian, SYR7 in Arpitan, and SYR8 in Danish. SYR3 was the first to feature Jim O'Rourke, who went on to become an official band member.
SYR4 was subtitled "Goodbye, 20th Century" and featured works by avant-garde classical composers such as John Cage, Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, and Christian Wolff played by Sonic Youth along with several collaborators from the modern avant-garde music scene, such as Christian Marclay, William Winant, Wharton Tiers, Takehisa Kosugi and others. The album received mixed reviews, but some critics praised the group's efforts at popularizing and reinterpreting the composers' works.
Later DGC period: 2000-2006
On July 4, 1999, Sonic Youth's instruments, amps, and gear were stolen in the middle of the night while on tour in Orange, California (see initial post on Usenet). Forced to start from scratch with new instruments, they recorded NYC Ghosts & Flowers and opened for Pearl Jam during the east coast leg of their 2000 tour.
In 2001 Sonic Youth collaborated with French avant-garde singer and poet Brigitte Fontaine in Fontaine's album "Kékéland".
When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred, several members of the band were blocks away, Jim at their NYC studio (Echo Canyon on Murray Street), and Ranaldo and his wife Leah nearby at home. After the attacks, they curated the first U.S. outing of the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in L.A. The festival was originally scheduled for October 2001, but it was delayed until March the following year due to the attacks.
In the summer of 2002, Murray Street was released; many critics heralded a "return to form for SY", seemingly revitalized by the addition of Jim O'Rourke, who became a full member during this period, playing bass guitar, guitar, and occasionally synthesizer. This was followed in 2004 by the release of Sonic Nurse, an album similar in sound and approach to its immediate predecessor that also received positive reviews. "Pattern Recognition", a song named after the 2003 William Gibson novel, finds the band once again using Gibson's work for inspiration. The band also showed their pop culture commentary and sense of humor with the track "Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream", a faster-tempo song sung by Gordon, which spoofed Carey's life, including her short-lived relationship with rapper Eminem, which originally appeared on a 2003 split 7" with Erase Errata (on the album cover, the reference to "Mariah Carey" in the title was replaced by "Kim Gordon" due to potential copyright issues. Sonic Nurse had decent sales, in part due to performances on TV talk shows including Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The band was also slated to perform in 2004's Lollapalooza tour along with acts such as The Pixies and The Flaming Lips, but the concert was canceled due to lackluster ticket sales. When the band toured later that year, they played extensively from their 1980s catalog.
On October 6, 2005, Los Angeles CityBeat reported that some of the gear stolen in 1999 was surprisingly recovered and that it might be used for recording of the next album, then tentatively titled Sonic Life. The report also said that Jim O'Rourke might be leaving the band soon; his departure was confirmed by Lee Ranaldo in an interview to Pitchfork Media. In May 2006, the group announced on their website that ex-Pavement member Mark Ibold would play bass for the band on their upcoming tour.
Rather Ripped was released in Europe on June 5, 2006 and in the USA on June 13, 2006. Compared to previous Sonic Youth recordings, the album features many short, conventionally structured, melodic songs and fewer feedback-fuelled left field improvisations (the band's avant-garde tendencies nowadays have been largely exorcised through SYR releases and solo outings rather than band albums). Later that summer, Sonic Youth played the 2006 Bonnaroo Festival, as well as Lollapalooza, promoting the album. In December, Rolling Stone made it their number three Album of the Year 2006.
The band released The Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities in December 2006. It features tracks previously available only on vinyl, limited-release compilations, b-sides to international singles, and some material that had never before been released. This marked the band's final Geffen release.
Independent agents and signing to Matador: 2007–2013
In 2007, the band became one of the earliest big-name rock bands to play in China when they were brought in for a tour by the music company Split Works. In 2008 they released a compilation album on Starbucks Music, called Hits Are for Squares, with the tracks selected by other celebrities. Later in 2008, Sonic Youth ended their relationship with Geffen, due to dissatisfaction with how the label had promoted their last several albums. They then signed with independent label Matador Records, which released the album The Eternal in 2009. During this period they collaborated with John Paul Jones on the soundtrack for a performance at Merce Cunningham Dance Company to honor the company's founder. In 2010 the band scored and composed the soundtrack of the French thriller-drama Simon Werner a Disparu, which premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival. The soundtrack was released in 2011 as SYR9: Simon Werner a Disparu, an entry in experimental SYR series.
Disbandment: 2011–2013
On October 14, 2011, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore announced that they had separated after 27 years of marriage. Sonic Youth's label Matador explained that plans for the band remained "uncertain", despite previously hinting that they would record new material later in the year. Sonic Youth performed their final concert on November 14, 2011, at the SWU Music & Arts Festival in Itu, São Paulo, Brazil. The following week, Lee Ranaldo stated in an interview that Sonic Youth would be "ending for a while".
Post-disbandment activities: 2013–present
In November 2013, Ranaldo said in response to the question of a possible reunion, "I fear not. Everybody is busy with their own projects, besides that Thurston and Kim aren't getting along together very well since their split… Let [the band] rest in peace."Thurston Moore updated and clarified the matter in May 2014: "Sonic Youth is on hiatus. The band is a democracy of sorts, and as long as Kim and I are working out our situation, the band can't really function reasonably." In her 2015 autobiography Girl in a Band, Gordon refers several times to the band having "split up" for good.
In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonic Youth sold official face masks based on the artwork from the album Sonic Nurse, with proceeds going to charities Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, Bed Stuy Strong, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's COVID-19 Relief Fund. The same year, an extensive archive of live recordings from throughout the band's history was released on Bandcamp.
In January 2022, a new single "In & Out" was released ahead of the March release of the rarities EP In/out/In.[84] The five-track EP featured previously unissued outtakes recorded between 2000 and 2010.
In October 2023, Sonic Life: A Memoir, a hardcover memoir written by Thurston Moore, was published by Doubleday.
Musical style and influences:
Alternative tunings
Sonic Youth's sound relies heavily on the use of alternative tunings. Scordatura on stringed instruments has been used for centuries and alternative guitar tunings had been used for decades in blues music, and to a limited degree in rock music (such as with Lou Reed's Ostrich guitar on The Velvet Underground & Nico), but Sonic Youth began using a variety of tunings more radical than nearly anything in rock music history. The tunings were painstakingly developed by Moore and Ranaldo during the band's rehearsals; Moore once reported that the odd tunings were an attempt to introduce new sounds: "When you're playing in standard tuning all the time ... things sound pretty standard." Rather than re-tune for every song, Sonic Youth generally use a particular guitar for one or two songs, and can take dozens of instruments on tour. This can be the source of much trouble for the band, as some songs rely on specific guitars that have been uniquely prepared.
Influences
Besides Branca, French avant-gardist Brigitte Fontaine, Patti Smith, Public Image Ltd (PiL) and The Stooges, another influence was 1980s-era hardcore punk; after seeing Minor Threat perform in May 1982, Moore declared them "the greatest live band I have ever seen". While recognizing that their own music was very different from hardcore, Moore and Gordon, especially, were impressed by hardcore's speed and intensity, and by the nationwide network of musicians and fans. "It was great," said Moore, "the whole thing with slam dancing and stage diving, that was far more exciting than pogoing and spitting.... I thought hardcore was very musical and very radical."
Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo have expressed on numerous occasions their admiration for the music of Joni Mitchell, such as this quote by Thurston Moore: "Joni Mitchell! I’ve used elements of her songwriting and guitar playing, and no one would ever know about it." Additionally, Joni Mitchell has always used a number of alternative tunings, as does Sonic Youth. The band named a song after her, "Hey Joni."
Members of the band have also maintained relationships with other avant-garde artists from other genres and even other media, drawing influence from the work of John Cage and Henry Cowell. For a 1988 Peel Session, Sonic Youth covered three songs by The Fall and "Victoria" by The Kinks, also covered by The Fall. Sonic Youth has featured album art by several well-known avant-garde visual artists, such as Mike Kelley and Gerhard Richter, whose paintings from his "Candles" series was used as artwork on Daydream Nation.
Members:
Thurston Moore - guitar, bass guitar, vocal;
Lee Ranaldo - guitar, vocal;
Kim Gordon - bass guitar, guitar, vocal;
Mark Ibold - bass guitar;
Steve Shelley - drums.
Former members:
Anne DeMarinis - keyboards;
Jim O'Rourke - guitar, bass guitar;
Bob Bert - drums;
Richard Edson - drums;
Jim Sclavunos - drums.
In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American noise rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American underground that focused more on the DIY ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. As a result, Sonic Youth was pivotal in the rise of the alternative rock movement.
Sonic Youth have expressed a wide variety of influences, ranging from the influential protopunk musician Patti Smith to composer John Cage. The band has been praised for having "redefined what rock guitar could do", using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tunings, and preparing guitars with objects like drumsticks and screwdrivers to alter the instruments' timbre.
Formation and early history: 1977-1981
Sonic Youth's history began when guitarist Thurston Moore moved to New York City in early 1976. Interested in punk, Moore joined the Coachmen, a guitar-based quartet, after arriving in the city. Lee Ranaldo, an art student at Binghamton University, became a fan of the Coachmen, and he and Moore were soon friends. Ranaldo was a member of Glenn Branca's electric guitar ensemble, touring throughout the United States and Europe. After the breakup of the Coachmen, Moore began jamming with Stanton Miranda, whose band, CKM, featured local artist Kim Gordon.
Moore and Gordon formed a band, appearing under names like Male Bonding and Red Milk before agreeing upon the Arcadians in late 1980. The band played their first show at Noise Fest in June 1981 at New York's White Columns gallery. Branca's ensemble played at the festival. Their performance impressed Moore, who described them as "the most ferocious guitar band that I had ever seen in my life." After Branca's set, Moore asked Ranaldo if he wanted to join the Arcadians. Ranaldo accepted; the band played three songs at the festival later in the week without a drummer. Each band member took turns playing the drums, until they met drummer Richard Edson.
Moore soon renamed the band "Sonic Youth". The name came from combining the nickname of MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith with the trend of reggae artists, such as Big Youth, featuring the word "Youth" in their names. Gordon later recalled that "as soon as Thurston came up with the name Sonic Youth, a certain sound that was more of what we wanted to do came about."
Early releases: 1982-1985
Branca signed Sonic Youth as the first act on his record label Neutral Records. In December 1981 the group recorded five songs in a studio in New York's Radio City Music Hall. The material was a released as the Sonic Youth mini-LP that, while largely ignored, was sent to a few key members of the US press that gave it uniformly favorable reviews. After their first record, Edson quit the group for a modestly successful acting career and was replaced by Bob Bert.
During their early days as part of the New York music scene, Sonic Youth formed a friendship with noisy New Yorkers Swans. The bands came to share the same rehearsal space, and Sonic Youth embarked on its first tour, a two-week journey through the southern United States starting in November 1982, supporting Swans. During a second tour with Swans of the Midwest the following month, tensions ran high and Moore constantly criticized Bert's drumming, which he felt wasn't "in the pocket". Bert was fired afterwards and replaced by Jim Sclavunos, who played drums on the band's 1983 album Confusion Is Sex. Sonic Youth set up a two-week tour of Europe for the summer of 1983. Sclavunos, however, quit after only a few months. The group asked Bert to rejoin, and he agreed, on the condition that he would not be fired again after the tour's conclusion.
Sonic Youth found themselves well-received in Europe, but the New York press largely ignored the local noise rock scene. Eventually, as the press began to take notice of the genre, Sonic Youth was grouped along with bands like Big Black, the Butthole Surfers and Pussy Galore under the "pigfuck" label by Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau. (Christgau saw these bands as sharing an abrasive, noisy and confrontational aesthetic.) Based on this classification, and on a negative live review by Christgau, a feud developed between Moore and the critic, with Moore renaming the song "Kill Yr Idols" to "I Killed Christgau With My Big Fucking Dick" before the two sorted out their differences amicably.
During another tour of Europe in 1984, Sonic Youth's disastrous London debut (where the band's equipment malfunctioned and Moore consequently destroyed the equipment onstage in frustration) actually resulted in rave reviews in Sounds and the NME. By the time they returned to New York, they were so popular they played shows practically every week. That same year Moore and Gordon were married and Sonic Youth released Bad Moon Rising, a self-described "Americana" album that served as a reaction to the state of the nation at the time. The album, recorded by Martin Bisi, was built around transitional pieces that Moore and Ranaldo had come up with in order to take up time onstage while the other guitarist was busy tuning his instrument; as a result there are almost no breaks between the songs on the record, which feature walls of feedback and pounding rhythms. Bad Moon Rising featured an appearance by Lydia Lunch on the album's single "Death Valley '69", inspired by the Charles Manson Family murders. In contrast to their abrasive, atonal material of the time, the band considered the song relatively conventional. Due to a falling-out with Branca over disputed royalty payments from their Neutral releases, they were signed to Homestead Records by Gerard Cosloy and by Blast First in the UK (which founder Paul Smith created simply so he could distribute the band's records in Europe). While even the New York press ignored Bad Moon Rising upon its release, now viewing the band as too arty and pretentious, Sonic Youth was becoming quite critically acclaimed in the United Kingdom, where the new album had sold 5,000 copies in just six months.
Claiming he was bored with playing Bad Moon Rising live in its entirety for over a year, Bert quit the group and was replaced by Steve Shelley, formerly of the hardcore group Crucifucks. The band was so impressed with Shelley's drumming after seeing him play live they hired him without an audition. Bert has remained on good terms with the group; he and Shelley both appeared in the music video for "Death Valley '69", as Bert performed the drums on the song, but Shelley was the group's drummer when the video was made.
SST and Enigma: 1986-1989
Sonic Youth had a long fascination with influential indie label SST Records. Ranaldo said, "It was the first record company we were on that we really would have given anything to be on." Sonic Youth eventually signed to the label in early 1986 and began recording Evol with Martin Bisi in March of that year.
Evol itself represented an evolution of sorts for the band: in addition to increasingly melodic material and the impact of new drummer Shelley's playing, the record also dealt with themes of celebrity, particularly with songs like "Expressway To Yr Skull" (called "a classic" by Neil Young) and "Marilyn Moore". Signing to SST catapulted the band on to a national stage, something that did not happen to their peers in the New York underground. The mainstream music press subsequently began to take notice of the band. Robert Palmer of the The New York Times declared that Sonic Youth was "making the most startlingly original guitar-based music since Jimi Hendrix" and even People praised Evol as the "aural equivalent of a toxic waste dump." Evol is also notable for a guest appearance by bass guitarist Mike Watt, a friend whom the band coaxed to come to New York after he was deeply depressed by the death of his bandmate, D. Boon.
On 1987's Sister, Sonic Youth continued refining their blend of pop song structures with uncompromising experimentalism. Another loose concept album, Sister is partly inspired by the life and works of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (the "sister" of the title was Dick's fraternal twin, who died shortly after her birth, and whose memory haunted Dick his entire life). Sister sold 60,000 copies and received very positive reviews, becoming the first Sonic Youth album to crack the Top 20 of the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Despite the critical success, the band was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with SST due to concerns about payment and other administrative practices. Sonic Youth decided to release their next record on Enigma Records, which was distributed by Capitol Records and partly owned by EMI. The 1988 double LP Daydream Nation was a critical success that earned Sonic Youth substantial acclaim. The album came in second on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll and topped the year-end album lists of the NME, CMJ, and Melody Maker. In 2006, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. The lead single from the album, "Teen Age Riot", was the first song from the band to reach significant success, receiving heavy airplay in modern and college rock stations. A number of prominent music periodicals including Rolling Stone hailed Daydream Nation as one of the best albums of the decade and named Sonic Youth as the "Hot Band" in its "Hot" issue. Unfortunately, distribution problems arose and Daydream Nation was often difficult to find in stores. Moore considered Enigma a "cheap-jack Mafioso outfit" and the band began looking for a major label deal.
Major label career and alternative icons: 1990-1999
In 1990, Sonic Youth released Goo (their first album for Geffen), which featured the single "Kool Thing" on which Chuck D from rap group Public Enemy guested. "Kool Thing" became the song that many casual music fans associate with the band; it was later featured in the video game Guitar Hero III and was made available as a paid download for the Rock Band video game. The record is considered much more accessible than their previous work. Their 1991 tour with the then relatively unknown Nirvana was captured in the film 1991: The Year Punk Broke.
In 1992, the band released Dirty on the DGC label. Their influence as tastemakers continued with their discovery of acclaimed skateboard video director Spike Jonze, who they recruited for the video for "100%", which also featured skateboarder turned actor Jason Lee. This song, along with the Gordon tune "JC" contain lyrical references to the murder of Joe Cole, a friend who worked with the band as a roadie. The album features artwork by Los Angeles-based artist Mike Kelley. In addition, Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise opened on numerous occasions for Sonic Youth in the late 90s. "Dirty" features a guest appearance by Ian McKaye (Minor Threat and Fugazi) playing guitar on the track "Youth Against Fascism".
In 1994 the band released Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, their best charting release in the United States, which peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200. The album was filled with low-key melodies and even produced a hit single, "Bull in the Heather". Moore and Gordon's daughter, Coco Hayley Gordon Moore was born earlier in the year, and many of the songs from the album were never played live because there was never a full tour to support the album due to Gordon's pregnancy.
The band headlined the 1995 Lollapalooza festival. By that time, alternative rock had gained considerable mainstream attention, and the festival was parodied on The Simpsons 1996 episode "Homerpalooza", which featured voiceovers from the band. They also performed the final credits theme for that episode.
Gordon collaborated in Free Kitten, and started a clothing label X-Girl, based in Los Angeles. Ranaldo and Moore have played with many experimental / noise musicians, including William Hooker, Nels Cline, Tom Surgal, Don Dietrich, Christian Marclay and Mission of Burma, among others. Shelley runs the Smells Like Records record label, as well as playing in backing bands for Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Two Dollar Guitar.
From Sonic Youth's earliest days, Gordon had occasionally played guitar with the group. About the time of A Thousand Leaves and Washing Machine she began playing guitar more frequently, resulting in a three-guitar and drums lineup. These songs were something of a shift for the group's sound, and would lead to the introduction of a fifth member a few years later.
The Washing Machine album started a major shift in the band, away from their punk roots, that working with longer noise-jam sections and included two tracks that showed the new approach in full force - the title track "Washing Machine", which is just under 10 minutes long, and "The Diamond Sea", which is over 19 minutes long.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band began releasing a series of highly experimental records on their own Hoboken, New Jersey-based label SYR. The music was mostly instrumental, and the album and track titles and even the liner notes and credits were in different languages: SYR1 was in French, SYR2 in Dutch, SYR3 in Esperanto, SYR5 in Japanese, SYR6 in Lithuanian, SYR7 in Arpitan, and SYR8 in Danish. SYR3 was the first to feature Jim O'Rourke, who went on to become an official band member.
SYR4 was subtitled "Goodbye, 20th Century" and featured works by avant-garde classical composers such as John Cage, Yoko Ono, Steve Reich, and Christian Wolff played by Sonic Youth along with several collaborators from the modern avant-garde music scene, such as Christian Marclay, William Winant, Wharton Tiers, Takehisa Kosugi and others. The album received mixed reviews, but some critics praised the group's efforts at popularizing and reinterpreting the composers' works.
Later DGC period: 2000-2006
On July 4, 1999, Sonic Youth's instruments, amps, and gear were stolen in the middle of the night while on tour in Orange, California (see initial post on Usenet). Forced to start from scratch with new instruments, they recorded NYC Ghosts & Flowers and opened for Pearl Jam during the east coast leg of their 2000 tour.
In 2001 Sonic Youth collaborated with French avant-garde singer and poet Brigitte Fontaine in Fontaine's album "Kékéland".
When the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred, several members of the band were blocks away, Jim at their NYC studio (Echo Canyon on Murray Street), and Ranaldo and his wife Leah nearby at home. After the attacks, they curated the first U.S. outing of the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in L.A. The festival was originally scheduled for October 2001, but it was delayed until March the following year due to the attacks.
In the summer of 2002, Murray Street was released; many critics heralded a "return to form for SY", seemingly revitalized by the addition of Jim O'Rourke, who became a full member during this period, playing bass guitar, guitar, and occasionally synthesizer. This was followed in 2004 by the release of Sonic Nurse, an album similar in sound and approach to its immediate predecessor that also received positive reviews. "Pattern Recognition", a song named after the 2003 William Gibson novel, finds the band once again using Gibson's work for inspiration. The band also showed their pop culture commentary and sense of humor with the track "Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream", a faster-tempo song sung by Gordon, which spoofed Carey's life, including her short-lived relationship with rapper Eminem, which originally appeared on a 2003 split 7" with Erase Errata (on the album cover, the reference to "Mariah Carey" in the title was replaced by "Kim Gordon" due to potential copyright issues. Sonic Nurse had decent sales, in part due to performances on TV talk shows including Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The band was also slated to perform in 2004's Lollapalooza tour along with acts such as The Pixies and The Flaming Lips, but the concert was canceled due to lackluster ticket sales. When the band toured later that year, they played extensively from their 1980s catalog.
On October 6, 2005, Los Angeles CityBeat reported that some of the gear stolen in 1999 was surprisingly recovered and that it might be used for recording of the next album, then tentatively titled Sonic Life. The report also said that Jim O'Rourke might be leaving the band soon; his departure was confirmed by Lee Ranaldo in an interview to Pitchfork Media. In May 2006, the group announced on their website that ex-Pavement member Mark Ibold would play bass for the band on their upcoming tour.
Rather Ripped was released in Europe on June 5, 2006 and in the USA on June 13, 2006. Compared to previous Sonic Youth recordings, the album features many short, conventionally structured, melodic songs and fewer feedback-fuelled left field improvisations (the band's avant-garde tendencies nowadays have been largely exorcised through SYR releases and solo outings rather than band albums). Later that summer, Sonic Youth played the 2006 Bonnaroo Festival, as well as Lollapalooza, promoting the album. In December, Rolling Stone made it their number three Album of the Year 2006.
The band released The Destroyed Room: B-Sides and Rarities in December 2006. It features tracks previously available only on vinyl, limited-release compilations, b-sides to international singles, and some material that had never before been released. This marked the band's final Geffen release.
Independent agents and signing to Matador: 2007–2013
In 2007, the band became one of the earliest big-name rock bands to play in China when they were brought in for a tour by the music company Split Works. In 2008 they released a compilation album on Starbucks Music, called Hits Are for Squares, with the tracks selected by other celebrities. Later in 2008, Sonic Youth ended their relationship with Geffen, due to dissatisfaction with how the label had promoted their last several albums. They then signed with independent label Matador Records, which released the album The Eternal in 2009. During this period they collaborated with John Paul Jones on the soundtrack for a performance at Merce Cunningham Dance Company to honor the company's founder. In 2010 the band scored and composed the soundtrack of the French thriller-drama Simon Werner a Disparu, which premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival. The soundtrack was released in 2011 as SYR9: Simon Werner a Disparu, an entry in experimental SYR series.
Disbandment: 2011–2013
On October 14, 2011, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore announced that they had separated after 27 years of marriage. Sonic Youth's label Matador explained that plans for the band remained "uncertain", despite previously hinting that they would record new material later in the year. Sonic Youth performed their final concert on November 14, 2011, at the SWU Music & Arts Festival in Itu, São Paulo, Brazil. The following week, Lee Ranaldo stated in an interview that Sonic Youth would be "ending for a while".
Post-disbandment activities: 2013–present
In November 2013, Ranaldo said in response to the question of a possible reunion, "I fear not. Everybody is busy with their own projects, besides that Thurston and Kim aren't getting along together very well since their split… Let [the band] rest in peace."Thurston Moore updated and clarified the matter in May 2014: "Sonic Youth is on hiatus. The band is a democracy of sorts, and as long as Kim and I are working out our situation, the band can't really function reasonably." In her 2015 autobiography Girl in a Band, Gordon refers several times to the band having "split up" for good.
In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonic Youth sold official face masks based on the artwork from the album Sonic Nurse, with proceeds going to charities Brooklyn Community Bail Fund, Bed Stuy Strong, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's COVID-19 Relief Fund. The same year, an extensive archive of live recordings from throughout the band's history was released on Bandcamp.
In January 2022, a new single "In & Out" was released ahead of the March release of the rarities EP In/out/In.[84] The five-track EP featured previously unissued outtakes recorded between 2000 and 2010.
In October 2023, Sonic Life: A Memoir, a hardcover memoir written by Thurston Moore, was published by Doubleday.
Musical style and influences:
Alternative tunings
Sonic Youth's sound relies heavily on the use of alternative tunings. Scordatura on stringed instruments has been used for centuries and alternative guitar tunings had been used for decades in blues music, and to a limited degree in rock music (such as with Lou Reed's Ostrich guitar on The Velvet Underground & Nico), but Sonic Youth began using a variety of tunings more radical than nearly anything in rock music history. The tunings were painstakingly developed by Moore and Ranaldo during the band's rehearsals; Moore once reported that the odd tunings were an attempt to introduce new sounds: "When you're playing in standard tuning all the time ... things sound pretty standard." Rather than re-tune for every song, Sonic Youth generally use a particular guitar for one or two songs, and can take dozens of instruments on tour. This can be the source of much trouble for the band, as some songs rely on specific guitars that have been uniquely prepared.
Influences
Besides Branca, French avant-gardist Brigitte Fontaine, Patti Smith, Public Image Ltd (PiL) and The Stooges, another influence was 1980s-era hardcore punk; after seeing Minor Threat perform in May 1982, Moore declared them "the greatest live band I have ever seen". While recognizing that their own music was very different from hardcore, Moore and Gordon, especially, were impressed by hardcore's speed and intensity, and by the nationwide network of musicians and fans. "It was great," said Moore, "the whole thing with slam dancing and stage diving, that was far more exciting than pogoing and spitting.... I thought hardcore was very musical and very radical."
Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo have expressed on numerous occasions their admiration for the music of Joni Mitchell, such as this quote by Thurston Moore: "Joni Mitchell! I’ve used elements of her songwriting and guitar playing, and no one would ever know about it." Additionally, Joni Mitchell has always used a number of alternative tunings, as does Sonic Youth. The band named a song after her, "Hey Joni."
Members of the band have also maintained relationships with other avant-garde artists from other genres and even other media, drawing influence from the work of John Cage and Henry Cowell. For a 1988 Peel Session, Sonic Youth covered three songs by The Fall and "Victoria" by The Kinks, also covered by The Fall. Sonic Youth has featured album art by several well-known avant-garde visual artists, such as Mike Kelley and Gerhard Richter, whose paintings from his "Candles" series was used as artwork on Daydream Nation.
Members:
Thurston Moore - guitar, bass guitar, vocal;
Lee Ranaldo - guitar, vocal;
Kim Gordon - bass guitar, guitar, vocal;
Mark Ibold - bass guitar;
Steve Shelley - drums.
Former members:
Anne DeMarinis - keyboards;
Jim O'Rourke - guitar, bass guitar;
Bob Bert - drums;
Richard Edson - drums;
Jim Sclavunos - drums.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Sonic Youth Lyrics
"Mad" Groove And you can dance for inspiration Come on, I'm waiting Get …
"Sacred Trickster" I want you to levitate me Don't you love me yet? Press…
''Cross The Breeze Let's go walking on the water Come all the way please I…
(I Got a) Catholic Block [Thurston] I got a catholic block inside my head I let it go…
(She's in a) Bad Mood [Thurston] She's in a bad mood But I won't fall for it I…
+Kool Thing Kool Thing sittin' with a kitty Now you know you're sure…
- Diamond Sea Time takes its crazy toll And how does your mirror grow You…
- Disconnection Notice Did you get your disconnection notice? Mine came in the…
- Theresa's Sound-World Like girl come walkin' through the cornfield Like blue vibra…
01-Sacred Trickster I want you to levitate me Don't you love me yet? Press…
01. Winner's Blues [Thurston] ...ifor by the away, go out not today (?) move ba…
02 swimsuit issue I'm just here for dictation, I don't want to be…
02. Anti-Orgasm Mission control to brain police Free lucky energy Penetrat…
03-Leaky Lifeboat Leaky lifeboat, slips ashore They were sailing backwards to…
03. Eric's Trip (Hatred) (I hate the past) I can't see anything at all, all…
05 Pipeline/Kill Time Stretch me to the point where I stop Run ten thousand…
06 Dude Ranch Nurse Keep on running in the dark Dude ranch dream has fallen…
07.Sympathy for the Strawberry Let me introduce you Since you saw my shadow self…
08 hot wire my heart Insulation In my circulation I'm a mating rhythm Sick …
08. Orange Rolls Angel's Spit She got you, got you good didn't have a chance Pretty…
09.Quest For The Cup Your the thrill of a million Walking down the sidewalk Fee…
100 I can never forget you the way you rock the…
11. Death Valley '69 Groooooahhh! Coming down Sadie, I love it Now now now Death…
1a3bf3bd01f73c27ec9b65e8ee1fca8d.js So messed up, I want you here In my room, I…
2 anti-orgasm Mission control to brain police Free lucky energy Penetrat…
2 Brother James Take my hand he said to me Follow now or you'll…
A-Master Dik One two, one two, one two titty I know every nook…
Against Facism Another can of worms Another stomach turns And yeah, your …
Androgynous Mind [Thurston] Hey sad angel walks, and he talks like a girl Out…
Animals Talkin' to a punker priest Just doggin' the breeze Bout be…
Antenna My darling cruises the streets for pleasure Skyscrapers in t…
Anti Orgasm Mission control to brain police Free lucky energy Penetratio…
B) Hyperstation Falling outta sleep I hit the floor I pull on some…
Bad Mood She's in a bad mood But I won't fall for it I…
Beat on the Brat 1,2,3,4 Beat on the brat Beat on the brat Beat on the brat…
Beautiful Plateau Going back to these origins City is a natural scape Order …
Beauty Lies in the Eye There's something in the air there Makes you go insane Bring…
Becuz Wish I could change the way that you feel Standing with…
bee-bee's song In my head, head, I'm really tall My eyes are big,…
Blink I can see My body move It goes without me What I used…
Blonde Redhead [various kim noises] ????? Blonde redhead, say goodbye to y…
Blow Job MMIIILLLDDREEEEDDDD PIEEEEEEERRRCEEEEEEEEEEE...... [Mildred…
Bone Dry as a bone, take it to heart Don't look back,…
Bookstore I'm down in the daytime out of sight Comin' on in…
Brave Man Run Seven days and seven nights I dreamt a sailor's dream at…
Brave Men Run (in My Family) [Kim] Seven days and seven nights i dreamt a sailor's dream …
Brave Men Run (In My Family) (live in Chicago '85) Seven days and seven nights i dreamt a sailor's dream at…
Brother Jam-z "Take my hand" he said to me Follow now or you'll…
Brother James Take my hand he said to me Follow now or you'll…
Bubble Gum Here comes baby, are you ready for her? My name is…
Bubblegum Here comes baby, are you ready for her? Her name is…
Bull In The Heather Ten, twenty, thirty, forty Tell me that you want to hold…
Burning Farm Burning farm, burning farm Burning farm, burning farm... …
Burning Spear I'm not afraid to say I'm scared In my bed…
C.B. Claude Bessy: I'm the emcee, um... so I'm supposed to be…
Ça plane pour moi Wam! Bam! Mon chat, splatch Gît sur mon lit A bouffé sa lang…
Calming the Snake Come on down, down to the river Come on down I…
Candle I see a dog start divin' at his magic, snatchin' Keeps…
Catholic Block I got a Catholic block Inside my head I let it go…
Chapel Hill A-back in the days when the battles raged And we thought…
Cinderella's Big Score If I could give you anything I would give you a…
Come & smash me Boy with the Magic Penis The open end is here The key is on the carpet You…
Compilation Blues 2 3 4 This is for Kato For his compilation It's really rare…
Computer Age 1989, the bridge: neil young tribute, caroline records (1374…
Confusion I maintain that Chaos is the future And beyond it is freedom…
Contre Le Sexism Describe the touch, no it's the thought It's warm and…
Conversation Lee: ...god, that really sounds incredible. well actually, t…
Cool Thing Kool Thing sittin' with a kitty Now you know you're sure…
Cork Mountain Incident [Instrumental]…
Corky If I could give you anything I would give you a…
Cotton Crown Love has come to stay in all the way Its gonna…
Coughing Up Tweed [instrumental]…
Crčme Brűlče Aaaah-oooo! Whooo! Ha! Ha! Riding down the road it nea…
Creme Brulee Aaaah-oooo! Whooo! Ha! Ha! Riding down the road it nearly s…
Cross The Breeze Let's go walking on the water Come all the way please I…
Death to Our Friends [Instrumental]…
Death Valley ''69" Groooooahhh! Coming down Sadie, I love it Now now now Death…
Death Valley '69 (feat. Lydia Lunch) (feat. Lydia Lunch) Coming down Sadie I love it Now now now…
Death Valley 69 Groooooahhh! Coming down Sadie, I love it Now now now Death…
Diamond Sea Time takes its crazy toll And how does your mirror grow You…
Dirty Boots Here we go to another candle I know All the girls…
Dirty Boots II Here we go to another candle I know All the girls…
Disappearer Here it comes again, out of the rain Seems to have…
Disconnection Notice Did you get your disconnection notice? Mine came in the…
Do You Believe In Rapture Stand behind his drunken imp Stand behind his light of love…
Do You Believe in Rapture? Stand behind his drunken imp Stand behind his light of love …
Do You Believe In Rapture_ Stand behind his drunken imp Stand behind his light of love…
Doctor's Orders [Kim] take one, to come doctor's orders, no more borders tak…
Dripping Dream Single fold sick insert design in junk Grocery bag sleeve a…
Drunken Butterfly Smile like a sun, back over time Crazy for you, pleasure…
Du 2 Kool thing, you're sittin' with a kitty Now you know you…
Dude Ranch Nurse Keep on running in the dark Dude ranch dream has fallen…
DV2 [This track doesn't feature a performance of No Part II, ins…
Early American Nothing but a savage bird In your face In your land The w…
edges You go to my head....... Mention of you....... The ver…
Electricity 1988, Fast `N' Bulbous - A Tribute To Captain Beefheart,…
Eliminator Jr Tears cruise away, packed and then took a shit The sky…
Eliminator Jr. Kids cruise away, pack of chickenshits This guy is ours, dar…
End [sugar cane cd5] [kim] You're not telling what you feel You…
Eric (Hatred) (I hate the past) I can't see anything at all, all…
Expressway We're gonna kill The California girls We're gonna fire the e…
Eyeliner Eyeliner was so cheap It was free it was easy to…
Eyes & Teeth The reception was at Italia Conti Academy of Theater Arts Pl…
Female Mechanic Now on Duty I want to shut you down Love your sight and…
Flower Support the power of women Use the power of man Support the…
Four Let's go Let's go Let's go Let's go…
Four6 Let's go Let's go Let's go Let's go…
Fourth Day of July And it came to pass on the first day of…
Four⁶ Let's go Let's go Let's go Let's go…
Free City In a free lane Ghosts passing time Heat rises Lights thru th…
free city alt In a free lane Ghosts passing time Heat rises Lights thro…
Free City Rhymes In a free lane Ghosts passing time Heat rises Lights through…
Freezer Burn / I Wanna Be Your Dog So messed up, I want you here In my room, I…
French Tickler Free time, free time I have got it gonna get…
Full Chrome Logic [Instrumental]…
G-Force [Kim] Shit don't be a fool girl he's takin' me…
Genetic Let me tell you every thought that I've come to When…
Ghost Bitch Slowly pour the liquid down For miles and miles it flows…
Giggles [Kim] close your eyes, make a wish cross yourself, see yours…
Green Light I kneel before the green light Of her singing crayon eyes An…
Green Love I kneel before the green lights Of her singing crayon eyes A…
Hallowe'en There's something shifting in the distance Don't know what i…
Hallowed Be Thy Name 1986, 5/18, john peel session, bbc radio one [thurston] (Go…
Halloween Support the power of women Use the power of man Support th…
Having Never Written a Note for Percussion [ INSTRUMENTAL ]…
Heather Angel Never gonna ya do it A world below Heather angel…
helen lundeberg Helen Lundeberg... Illusory landscape, five decades of pain…
Hendrix Necro [100% cd5] [kim] You think 'cause I'm a girl You think you …
Herinneringen Blow up, blow up Blow up, blow up Searchin searchin search t…
Hey Joni Hey Joni, put it all behind you Hey Joni, now I've…
Hits Of Sunshine Today I Said goodbye To my conflicted goddess Her lush…
Hits of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg) today i said goodbye to my conflicted goddess her lush eyes …
Hoarfrost I put my feet deep in the tracks that you…
Hot Wire My Heart Insulation In my circulation I'm a mating rhythm Sick wit…
Hyperstation Falling out of sleep, I hit the floor Put on some…
I [kim] Look before you leap, okay? Do you read me? May all yo…
I Am Right You were always cunning like the game you played Cuz yr…
I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You 1 2 3 4! I don't wanna walk around with you I…
I Don't Want to Push It You gave your line You fell in love You feel…
I Don'\''t Wanna Walk Around With You 1 2 3 4! I don't wanna walk around with you I…
I Dreamed I Dream [kim] Look before you leap, okay? Do you read me? May all yo…
I Know There I know so many people who think they can do…
I Love Golden Blue Dead boy stares Strange to meet you Dead boy cares…
I Love Her All The Time She comes into my mind Twisting through my nerves I don't …
I Love You Golden Bee Dead boy stares Strange to meet you Dead boy cares…
I Love You Mary Jane Sugar come by and get me high [Repeat x9] Look…
I Wanna Be Your Dog So messed up, I want you here In my room, I…
I'm Afraid Of Americans Johnny's in America Low techs at the wheel Nobody needs …
I'm Insane Love starved backwood teaser farm girl hot eyed bride Stone …
I'm Not There Things are crashing down, she's all too tight In my neighbor…
III Thurston: are you ready? are you ready? [then a much longer…
In The Kingdom They were Aaaah He did what he had to do He asked no…
In The Mind Of The Borgoeois Reader Seaside never gonna rock the boat Gonna roll it up fat…
In the Mind of the Bourgeois R Seaside never gonna rock the boat Gonna roll it up fat…
In The Mind Of The Bourgeois Reader Seaside never gonna rock the boat Gonna roll it up fat…
Incinerate I ripped your heart out from your chest Replaced it with…
Ineffable Me Can't catch me I'm syntax free I'm preconceived Preternat…
Inhuman Oi Aha [repeat ten times] My body is a pastime My mind is…
Into The Groove Music can be such a revelation Dancing around you feel the…
Into the Groove(y) music can be such a revelation pass around and do the…
Into The Groovey Music can be such a revelation Dancing around you feel the…
Invito Al Cielo (Kim) Da da Da da Da da da da da Da da da…
Is It My Body [Sugar Cane CD5] [Kim] what have I got that makes you want …
It's My Body what have I got that makes you want to love me is…
I’m Insane Love starved backwood teaser farm girl hot eyed bride Stone …
J'accuse Ted Hughes Long way... A long way... A long way home... Take a long way…
Jams Run Free Blasted earth All immersed Golden cave The blondes come firs…
Jams Runs Free Blasted earth Om immersed Gold in cave The blonds come fi…
JC Always cost a pair of hose Spaces pressed together, Rose Arm…
Junkie A hundred dollars used to be more than enough And now…
Junkies Promise A hundred dollars used to be more than enough And now…
Justice Is Might This song this song this song is called This song okay Thi…
Karen Koltrane Karen's moving out Out into the sky Karen trips on…
Karen Revisited Heard your name the other day It's been a long, long…
Kill Your Idols I don't know why You wann' impress Christgau Ahh let that sh…
Kill Yr Idols [Thurston] I don't know why you wann' impress Christgau ahh…
Kill Yr. Idols I don't know why you wann' impress Christgau ahh let that …
Killed Kicked Off I don't know why You wanna impress Christgau Ah let that shi…
Killin Yr. Idols I don't know why you wann' impress Christgau ahh let that sh…
Kim Gordon & The Arthur Doyle Hand Cream Your bounce to the ounce makes us want to pounce You're…
Kissability Look into my eyes, don't you trust me? You're so good,…
Kool Thing Kool Thing sittin' with a kitty Now you know you're sure…
Kotton Krown Love has come to stay in all the way It's gonna…
Leaky Lifeboat Leaky lifeboat, slips ashore They were sailing backwards to …
Lee Thom these days I feel so displaced Nothing feels like anyth…
Lee Is Free [Instrumental]…
Lightnin Lightnin' Lightnin' strike Lightnin' strikes Lightnin' strik…
Lights Out She scans the room, For a star to consume When eye contact…
Little Troble Girl Ready? go, one, two, three, four If you want me to I…
Little Trouble Girl If you want me to, I will be the one that…
Loudmouth Thurston: 'this song is called "We're Sonic Youth and you're…
M Love starved backwood teaser farm girl hot eyed bride Stone …
Machine Yeah, I take my baby down to the street and…
Madonna Sean And Me [thurston] We're gonna kill The california girls We're gonna…
Magic Wand put love in a big hole of mud then we jump…
Making the Nature Scene Going back to these origins The city is a natural scape Orde…
Malibu Gas Station Malibu gas station Pumps up the nation A tough cross to bear…
Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Hand Cream Your bounce to the ounce makes us want to pounce You're…
Mariah Carey and the Arthur Doyle Handcream Your bounce to the ounce makes us want to pounce…
Marilyn Moore Sound asleep till right until day Frustrated desire turns y…
Mary Christ Talking to a punker priest just doggin' the breeze 'bout…
Massage the History Oil dripping on my head Let's go back to bed Bring you…
Master-Dik One two, one two, one two titty I know every nook…
Mildred Pierce Mildred Pierce Mildred! Mildred Pierce! Mildred Pierce! No! …
Moist Vagina She has a moist vagina I particularly enjoy the circumferenc…
Moon In The Bathroom [thurston] Every time I look at my life I think of…
Mote When you see the spiral turning through alone And you feel…
mt friend goo My friend Goo has a real tattoo She always knows just…
My Arena Pass me a joint [joint joint joint] It's time to anoint…
My Friend Goo My friend Goo has a real tattoo She always knows just…
My Friend Goo (8-track demo ve My friend Goo has a real tattoo She always knows just…
My New House 1988, 10/19, john peel session, bbc radio one Notes: the fal…
M�te Love starved backwood teaser farm girl hot eyed bride Stone …
Nevermind Best and sexy what was it anyway Jean-Michel what was it…
Nevermind (What Was It Anyway) Best and sexy, what was it anyway? Jean-Michel, what was it…
New Hampshire Trace paper fly onward Trace paper fly onward Wake, city's t…
New White Kross Burning inside I cross myself, it doesn't help Because I'm…
Nic Fit Get it up, get it in Sonic tooth, sonic truth Nic fit,…
No Queen Blues Hey! hey! where you're goin' in such a hurry? Take it…
No Way Sweet temptation came today Time for angels to kneel and pra…
Number One Here it comes again out of the rain Seems to have…
NYC Ghosts When the phone rang, 3 in the morning Dead middle of…
NYC Ghosts & Flowers When the phone rang, 3 in the morning Dead middle of…
O.J.'s Glove or What? [Instrumental]…
On the Strip Every time you look my way You shine a light in…
Or In your mouth, a wad of cash Moist roll of hundreds Finger…
Orange Rolls Angel's Spit She got you, got you good didn't have a chance Pretty…
Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit She got you, got you good Didn't have a chance Pretty lady…
Pacific Coast Highway Come on get in the car Lets go for a ride…
Panty Lies Don't just stare, 'cause she's not wearing underwear Em-em-e…
Paper Cup Exit Skimmin' the tops of tall trees Through the clear light of…
Part 2 [This track doesn't feature a performance of No Part II, ins…
Part 3 Thurston: are you ready? are you ready? [then a much longer…
Pattern Recognition I'm a cool hunter making you my way Like a brand…
Pay No Mind Tonight the city is full of morgues And all the toilets…
Peace Attack 3 Feb 03 peace Peace attack Early book, whistling Whistling …
Personality Crisis Wa wa wa wa wa wa wa No no no no…
Pink Steam I just come by to run you over I just come…
Pipeline Stretch me to the point where I stop Run ten thousand…
Plastic Sun Plastic girl with plastic gun Plastic smile under plastic su…
Poison Arrow Paintings they fall off the walls When you come in traipsing…
Poison Arrow. Paintings they fall off the walls When you come in traipsin…
Protect Me You Protect me from ravagement I'm ten years old I don't know wh…
Providence "Watt here I'm downstairs F-from your, if you're up I get te…
Psycho Mafia 1988, 10/19, john peel session, bbc radio one Notes: the fal…
Purr Wa-hoo! I love you baby 'cause you're back in time I love…
Quest for the Cup Your the thrill of a million Walking down the sidewalk Feel …
Radical Adults Lick Godhead St Send the moon through the skylight Bells together outrageous…
Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style Send the moon through the skylight Bells together outrageou…
Radio-Amatoroj (instrumental)…
Rain King Rain King ensures there's nowhere to go It's jetstream, dayd…
Rain on Tin We all hope To signal kin Days of gold Now rain on tin Gathe…
Rapture Stand behind his drunken imp Stand behind his light of love …
Rats When the rats run riot, And the screen door slams When the…
Razor Blade Mess my hair, take me down Yeah you know, yeah you…
Reena You keep me coming home again You keep me coming home…
Renegade Princess Jet black hair Tangled stare Blood inside Silent stare …
Rewolf [Rewolf is literally Flower backwards. It's the regular stud…
Ringo ringo.....ringo.....ringo can i have a couple of words with …
Rowche Rumble Rowche Rumble Rowche Rumble It's valium Valium Valium R…
Sacred Trickster I want you to levitate me Don't you love me yet? Press…
Santa Doesn't Cop Out on Dope Sometime anywhere and from any phone Mistakes were made but …
Satan Is Boring What are you waiting for? Satan flirts I'm prepared It's no…
Saucer Like Swirling whirling through the city of ages You sink a bit…
Schizophrenia I went away to see an old friend of mine His…
Scooter + Jinx [ INSTRUMENTAL ]…
Screaming Skull SST, superstore Society, Screaming Skull Lemonheads, superst…
Secret Girl My mother used to say You're the boy that can enjoy…
Self Obsessed And Sexxee I remember when you first arrived Magic marker on yr belly…
self obssesed and sexxee I remember when you first arrived Magic marker on yr belly…
Self-Obsessed and Sexxee I remember when you first arrived Magic marker on yr belly…
Shadow of a Doubt Met a stranger on a train He bumped right into me I…
Shaking Hell She's finally discovered she's a... He told her so She's fin…
She Is Not Alone She is not alone She is not alone today She is not…
She's in a Bad Mood She's in a bad mood But I won't fall for it I…
Shoot Can I have some money? I'm gonna go to the…
Side One 00:00 - 05:05 Side one fades in with an extended version…
Side Two Meet me on the corner Thursday Wear your Special Underwe…
Side2Side Meet me on the corner Thursday Wear your Special Und…
Silver Rocket Snake in it, jack into the wall TV amp on fire,…
Silver Son [Thurston] Snake in it Jack into the wall TV amp on fire Blo…
Six Let's go Let's go Let's go Let's go…
Six for New Time You go to my head....... Mention of you....... The ver…
Skink Here, there Here, there Down to the bottom and round on the…
Skip Tracer This she did in public for us to see She came…
Sleepin Around Sleepin' around sleepin' around What will the neighbors say …
Small Flowers Crack Concrete Small flowers crack concrete Narcotic squads sweep through …
Snare I'm here for you Can't you see what I'm doin…
Society Is a Hole Society is a hole It makes me lie to my friends It's…
Song For Karen Dreaming, dreaming of a girl like me Hey what are you…
Spahn Ranch Dance Coming down Sadie I love it Now now now Death Valley '69 …
Stalker Got me prowling like a police car I'm stalkin' and walkin'…
Star Power Spinning dreams with angel wings Torn blue jeans a foolish…
Starfield Road The turbo goes to rocket put yr kiss in my…
Starpower [kim] Spinning dreams with angel wings Torn blue jeans + a f…
Stereo Sanctity Seven Seven I'm keeping my commission to faith's transmissi…
Stones Lights on the stones on backed up drain Warped lovers loosed…
StreamXSonik Subway Flipped on my perceptik cogs Checked in with the future gods…
Sugar Kane You're perfect in the way, a perfect end today You're burnin…
Sunday Sunday comes alone again A perfect day for a quiet…
Superstar Long ago And oh so far away I fell in love with…
Sweet Shine I hear my angel mounted baby Pretend to everlast a lady Marl…
Swimsuit Issue I'm just here for dictation, I don't want to be…
Sympathy For The Strawberry Let me introduce you Since you saw my shadow self…
Tabla in Suburbia 1997, suburbia soundtrack, geffen [instrumental]…
Teen Age You're it No, you're it Hey, you're really it You're it No I…
Teenage Riot You're it No, you're it Hey, you're really it You're it …
Ten Age Riot You're it No, you're it Hey, you're really it You're it No, …
That's All I Know My nerves are buzzing and my heart is God I think...…
That's All I Know (Right Now) [Thurston] My nerves are buzzing and my heart is God I think…
The Burning Spear I'm not afraid to say I'm scared In my bed…
The Destroyed Room [youth against fascism cd5] [kim] You're not telling what y…
The Diamond Sea Time takes its crazy toll And how does your mirror grow You…
The Dripping Dream Single fold sick insert design in junk Grocery bag sleeve a…
The Dynamics Of Bulbing [instrumental]…
The Empty Page These are the words But not the truth God bless them all Whe…
The End of the End of the Ugly [sugar cane cd5] [kim] You're not telling what you feel You…
The Good and the Bad [Instrumental]…
The Ineffable Me Can't catch me I'm syntax free I'm preconceived Preternat…
The Neutral There's not a dreamer or a schemer Running away from me Ther…
The Sprawl To the extent that I wear skirts and cheap nylon…
The Trilogy: Hyperstation Falling out of sleep, I hit the floor Put on some…
The Trilogy: The Wonder See flashing eyes They're flashing cross to me Burnin up t…
The Velvet Plug [instrumental]…
The Wonder I see flashing eyes And they're flashing across to me And bu…
The Word Thurston: flower, go into it! flower, go into it!! ... This…
The World Looks Red Push it away The world looks red People with fish eyes The g…
Theresa Like girl come walkin' through the cornfield Like blue vibra…
Thunderclap for Bobby Pyn We did not fade from noise meditation We stopped abruptly w…
Titanium Expos [Thurston] Waking up I see you dreaming of a drive in Open…
Titanium Exposé Waking up I see you dreaming of a drive in Open…
Today yr. Love Tomorrow the World 1 2 3 4! I'm a shock trooper in a stupor,…
Tokyo Eye Tokyo eye, Tokyo crying somewhere Seeking inside, supermen s…
Tom Violence My violence is a dream A 'real dream' A skinny arm A crush…
Total Trash It start at the top Now it's spiraling down Works best when…
Touch Me I'm Sick (One, two) Oh Wow Oh I feel bad, and I've felt worse I'm a c…
Trilogy See flashing eyes They're flashing cross to me Burnin up the…
Trilogy (Wonder The Hyperstat See flashing eyes They're flashing cross to me Burnin up t…
Trilogy: a) The Wonder See flashing eyes They're flashing cross to me Burnin up the…
Trilogy: a) The Wonder b) Hyperstation z) Eliminator Jr. (Thurston Moore) See flashing eyes They're flashing 'cr…
Trilogy: b) Hyperstation Falling out of sleep, I hit the floor Put on some…
Trilogy: Eliminator Jr Kids cruise away, pack of chickenshits This guy is ours, da…
Trilogy: Hyperstation Falling out of sleep, I hit the floor Put on some…
Trilogy: The Wonder See flashing eyes They're flashing cross to me Burnin up t…
Trilogy: z) Eliminator Jr Kids cruise away, pack of chickenshits This guy is ours, dar…
Tuff Gnarl He's running on a tuff gnarl in his head He's got…
Tuffgnarl He's running on a tuff gnarl in his head He's got…
Tulip Fire 2 [instrumental]…
Tunic Dreaming, dreaming of a girl like me Hey what are you…
Tunic (Song for Karen) Dreamin', dreamin' of a girl like me. Hey, what are you…
Tunic Song For Karen Dreaming, dreaming of a girl like me Hey what are you…
Turquoise Boy ("Haha, OK, dog") Turquoise boy, I must confess to you, Swe…
Unmade Bed Look who's come back home again Loser looking for his lucky…
Unwind Lay down your lucky hand, upon her heart Morning becomes a…
Victoria Long ago life was clean Sex was bad and obscene And the…
Waist Guess who came round today X-Girl and the girl snoo-pee Tw…
Walkin Blue Hey now, whats the news? I heard you've been seen walkin'…
Washing Machine Yeah, I take my baby down to the street and…
What a Waste Hey, give me hollow stimulation It's so sleazy to be free Le…
What We Know I'm in a state of shock I'm creeping up and down…
White Cross Burning inside (I cross myself It doesn't help) Because I'm …
White Cross-1 Burning inside (I cross myself It doesn't help) Because I…
White Kross Burning inside (I cross myself it doesn't help) because I'm …
Wild Flower Soul Sing your children Your children song Sing your love child L…
Wildflower Soul Sing your children Your children song Sing your love child…
Winner's Blues [Thurston] ...ifor by the away, go out not today (?) move ba…
Wish Fulfillment I see your wishes on the wall and that's all…
Wish Fulfillment (Previously Unrele I see your wishes on the wall And that's all right…
WishFulfillment I see your wishes on the wall, and that's all…
Within You Without You We were talking about the space between us all And the…
World Looks Red Push it away The world looks red People with fish eyes The g…
Youth Against Facism Another can of worms Another stomach turns Yeah your ghett…
Youth Against Fascism Another can of worms Another stomach turns Yeah your ghetto …
Youth Against Fascism (Previously U Another can of worms Another stomach turns Yeah, your ghet…
Z) Eliminator Jr. Kids cruise away, pack of chickenshits This guy is ours, dar…
’Cross The Breeze Let's go walking on the water Come all the way please I…