Goo #75 of Guitar World's 100 Greatest Albums
 

What's really amazing is that the list was assembled by readers rather than the editors.

Here's what they had to say:

"#75: Goo-Sonic Youth, 1990: Sonic Youth's 1990 major label debut helped launch the Alternative Nineties, bringing the arty rebelliousness of Manhattan's avant-garde post-punk scene into the mainstream. Guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo used a wild array of alternate tunings on an even stranger selection of pawnshop specials and other strategically art-damaged guitars. The result was a toxic cloud of electric guitar meltdown, from which Goo's 11 diamond-hard rock songs emerge like some tatooed downtown Venus with a skateboard in lieu of a half-shell. With all its relentless experimentalism, Goo is nonetheless 100 percent rock at it's dirty, cranked-up best.

WHAT THEY SAID: Thurston Moore: 'We decided from the start always to stay true to the idea of experimenting in music. That's what keeps it interesting for us.'"

Okay, so it wasn't number 1 (that honor went to Led Zeppelin IV) and was bested by some crap (Green Day's American Idiot actually beat it by one), but at least it was on there, and some other good stuff was on there as well, like The Beatles' Revolver, Tool's Aenima and 10,000 Days (which they accidently listed as 10,000 Years), and Radiohead's OK Computer.

is there a link you can put to the entire article? i'd enjoy reading it.

I have a theory that major publications(and their fanbase) purposely put weird shit directly in front of SY on lists

this time Green Day (on a guitar list no less)

Korn was one spot ahead of them on the VH1 Hard Rock countdown

the worst is the local shit rock station DC101, did a countdown of their best artists, they put of all bands Limp Bizkit right in front of them, i nearly kicked the shit out of my radio, which i need to do anyways since DC radio sucks

Back in 1990, the same magazine named "Daydream Nation" the #16 guitar record of the 80's and called Thurston Moore one of four "guitarists who will matter in the 90's." I believe it was the writers, not the readers who came up with that. That was the first I ever heard of Sonic Youth, and that's what got me interested.

As for the new poll, had it been done by writers or critics, instead of readers, I suspect Daydream Nation would have been on there instead of Goo.

yeah the only reason goo was there it's because its the most pop next to rather ripped.

Goddamn I hate Green Day. Led Zeppelin IV is still a great album though.

It's nice Sonic Youth was even mentioned. Theyn usually aren't on lists like this.

It's from the magazine, I believe.

what no magik markers or hair police in the top 5 of all time.. travesty, complete travesty..
im presuming loveless was in there tho!

don't hold your breath, it primarly directed towards the metal crowd, they tend to give daily rimjobs to steve vai and joe satriani, and let malmsteen fuck THEM in the ass

it's once in a blue moon they mention people like kevin shields or j mascis, let alone derek bailey, glenn branca, or john fahey

dont you love a bit of twiddley twiddley clean distorted guitar solos!!!

go yganwie go!!!!

Sorry, no Loveless, though maybe if they had done 200 there might've been.

The only good ones IMHO that made the list:

1. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (obviously)
3. Are You Experienced, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
4. Master Of Puppets, Metallica
5. Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
6. Paranoid, Black Sabbath
8. Nevermind, Nirvana
10. Revolver, the Beatles
11. Cowboys From Hell, Pantera
14. Aenima, Tool
22. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
23. Who's Next, The Who
25. Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, Megadeth
28. OK Computer, Radiohead
29. Reign In Blood, Slayer
34. The Joshua Tree, U2
36. Vulgar Display Of Power, Pantera
38. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins
45. Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden
61. Dirt, Alice In Chains
70. London Calling, the Clash
71. Rust Never Sleeps, Neil Young with Crazy Horse
72. Abraxas, Santana
75. Goo, Sonic Youth
76. Pinkerton, Weezer
91. 10,000 Days, Tool
99. Band Of Gypsys, Jimi Hendrix

I'm surprised they even had them on there.

why is 10,000 days on there?

Wow. Talk about lack of variety. I think that as a rule, you should not be allowed to list the same band twice. Force them to think beyond their 25 endorsed bands.

oh, cool. that kind of makes me laugh. like he didn't matter in the eighties or something?

this list is depressing. yay for goo, though. i guess. i vastly prefer dirty.

NEXT.

I love Goo. I remember in an old Guitar Player article it said that Joe Satriani picked it as his favorite album of the year.

Hendrix should have been in the # 1 and #2 slots. #1 with Are You Experienced? and 2 with Band of Gypsys. Then Led Zepppelin IV could take the third spot. I disagree with Nirvana's Nevermind being on the list, or at least so high up on it. #8? Are you kidding me? I think In Utero is a much more daring and inventive album. If that took the #8 spot in place of Nevermind, I wouldn't disagree so much. I don't think U2 should be there at all. They are not a very talented band. The Edge is an ok guitarist, but I really don't see what is so appealing about his musicianship.

I have that issue on the shelf behind me.

Thurston: "Whoa, that's so weird! Are we like a novelty pick, or what?"
Lee: "We don't really identify with what he does.."

What the fuck were they smoking?

Goo was the best album that year it should of been number 1. I think Goo was the best album of the 90's the only one better was Nevermind by Nirvana.

anyway, sy deserve to be on the list.

They sure do, but they should have been much higher up on the list. Way past Megadeth and all that other filler crap. SY are inventive and crazy. Megadeth may be good guitarists but they sound just like every other thrash metal band in the 80's. Sy deserve a lot more points for originality.

that magazine is tripping. Of all the sonic youth albums to make such a list, they pick goo? I wouldn't honestly put goo in my list of top 1000 albums.

I might put it in the top 100. But it certainly isn't one of SY's best records. Daydream Nation, EVOL, Washing Machine and Murray Street should have taken it's place. Any of them would have been suitable in place of Goo.

76. Pinkerton, Weezer

...Huh?

Great album but uh.. it's talking about great GUITAR albums, right?...

Yeah, not Wanker...ahem....I mean Weezer. Sorry, Freudian slip.

How do you consider U2 to be good.

what's appealing is that during the eighties he was one of the few guitarists to avoid the whole 'lead gutarist - lead solo' wankery. He carved out an original style and completely original sound. Listen to "New years day" or "Gloria" and you'll notice there's not one other guitarist who sounds like him.

if you need further proof of Edge's genius, check out this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWJC_qr2610&search=u2%2011%20o%27clock%20t ick%20tock

The Edge is hardly a genius. He is a capable guitarist who's biggest asset is the Electro Harmonix Memory Man. Without it, he would just sound like another guitar wanker.

U2 were just a bad New Wave band that lasted way too long because they had no real life skills.

And what the fuck was up with Bono's hair in that video? He looks like belongs in Oingo Boingo or some other awful, awful 80's band.

i'm sorry to degrade good bands..but he sounds (tries to) just like Johnny Marr, among countless other new wave or postpunk gtrists..

I watched the video and it could hardly be considered to be "genius". If you want guitar genius, then listen to Jimi Hendrix, J Mascis, John Lennon, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Mercury Rev, Ronald Jones, and basically anybody who isn't The Edge. Plain and simple, U2 were vastly overrated and never should have ammounted to anything musically. The inly real musician in the entire group wa the Edge and he was only a mediocre guitarist in respect to his capabilities as a popular musician.

Don't be sorry. U2 are not a good band and you can give any credible, accurate criticism you like. The Edge is a derivative of Johnny Marr. They never should have gotten so big when much more engaging, talented artists were doomed to obscurity and financial ruin.

U2 are terrible. PERIOD.

The Edge is not a derivative of Johnny Marr. U2 started before the Smiths.

It kills me inside to know that U2 are more popular than Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Mudhoney, and all the other great rock bands form the 80's and 90's thgat had tons of more musical integrity and talent. U2 suck and that's the end of it.

integrity is meaningless and invalid.

True, The Smiths may have formed a few years after U2 did, but they were much much more talented than them. Im not a big Smiths fan, but they are much better than U2.