[pantophobia]

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

By the standards of the post before Nefeli's, basically you are allowed to put out shoddy records after you're past your fifties because, you know, you've done enough for queen and country etc etc. If that sort of mentality is to be applied to Sonic Youth, it'd be a right laugh for someone to to stick a medal on their unironed t-shirts after every celebration of past things.

don't misconstrue my post, by your standards the last few have been shoddy records, not by my tastes they haven't. i did say there aren't many that can keep with the rate of good records SY have put out since DDN, and i do include Rather Ripped, look at the Stooges, they got panned for their effort cause it couldn't live up to it's expectations, the new Dinosaur at their best can only be a maybe 3rd or 4th best in their catalog, if My Bloody Valentine actually complete a new record, do people actually expect it to be any good to the standards people hold of them?

if anything being in your 50s puts a lot more pressure based on the bands who have come before and play into their 50s, 60s, or in the Rolling Stones case 120s, most bands who enter that age bracket do start sucking cause their minds begin to close up, mostly cause those bands were extremely reliant on blues and they never expanded pass that, I had an offer to see The Who recently but passed on it cause they actually are coasting by on past glory, if they weren't then they go out billed as "Townsend and Daltry"

but then again alot of this is on your own tastes kropy, i think at times the expectation of innovation and living up to ones own high standard which for you is what? Sister? can cloud one from seeing superb songwriting

you lauded me over my preference of listening to Gumball, well are they innovative?, No, not in the slightest, does that disqualify their songwriting ability? it shouldn't

[Rob Instigator]

JOY

Hang on a sec, when i refer to the quality of the last two records not being that good, i'm not saying that that's because they aren't 'innovative' records. If i think about Washing Machine/ A Thousand Leaves/ Murray Street (all three fantastic records), one thing that struck me about them at first was the quality of the songs and not how much they were innovative, which is not that much to these ears, anyway.

[pantophobia]

in all honesty i wasn't overly impressed with Rather Ripped when i first heard it back in June, but my perception of the record changed after hearing it live so many times, and i do find the material more refreshing and interesting then the last two albums live, but i think alot of that is due to Mark's presence, i liked Jim with the band, but live he always seemed like he had a stomach ache and kinda was just fuddy duddy, no knock on him at all, but when Mark joined up there has been a renewed energy and fun that i haven't seen before since i started seeing them in 02, and overwhelmingly they were on night after night

and these DDN shows, i think people are getting on a little too much that this will become a trend, i highly doubt that, it not like their next album will try to sound like DDN either

one thing i noticed about Sonic Nurse when they released it was how "Sonic Youth" it sounded, mostly cause the tunings they brought on where ones they have used in the past such as GGDDD#D# aka the Bro James one(where as Washing Machine through Murray Street they were using newer ones almost exclusively) it was odd at first, but it melded quite well in the end

i am not an overly critical person as you can tell, and i focus on the best of the things, maybe it is a little overreaching what some of their records have accomplished

the new Stooges for example was rated 1.0 by pitchfork, but metacritic who casts a net of as many reviews as possible determined the consensus was that it's more like a 5 of of 10 from 22 reviews, certainly alot of their tastes from rolling stone to pitchfork are highly suspect at best, critiquing is a very delicate thing and can charge some one as an arbiter of good taste to a straight playa hater from chicago son(far too many haters in the midwest)

[nicfit]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

JOY

you'll be disappointed, they won't play P.J. Harvey's covers!

[jennthebenn]

Originally Posted by pantophobia

in all honesty i wasn't overly impressed with Rather Ripped when i first heard it back in June, but my perception of the record changed after hearing it live so many times, and i do find the material more refreshing and interesting then the last two albums live, but i think alot of that is due to Mark's presence, i liked Jim with the band, but live he always seemed like he had a stomach ache and kinda was just fuddy duddy)

i often thought he looked like someone had
just pissed on his shoes.

[GrungeMonkey]

Originally Posted by pantophobia

how much of a substantial profit have they made? the most significant was lollapalooza in 95 when they made at least 2 mil, and that all went into echo canyon which has now been sold off

They actually said that they did lollapalooza for the money, didn't they? So it could certainly be that they are doing this to pay for a new album/recording studio/ whatever...

I also think that that this tour will raise the public conciousness of Daydream Nation, and I think SY feel that DDN didn't get the recognition/promotion it deserved - that was part of why they moved to Geffen, right?

[Washing Machine]

Firstly the Daydream Nation Saturday show in London is going to be my very first Sonic Youth gig. Daydream Nation is also my favourite album. So the gig will be 'life changing'. I can hardly wait....what better way to start Uni eh?

I think people are perhaps reading to much into this. No matter what your personal opinion is on which album is Sonic Youth's crowning achievement, you have to recognize that DDN was the album that changed everything. It was the album that fundamentally changed Sonic Youth's position in the Rock world. That is not to say that their work previously or since has been inferior or lacking in anyway. Its just to appreciate that the DDN era was important not only in Sonic Youth's history but in how it influenced what came later, in particular the alternative explosion in the 1990's. Sonic Youth will continue to innovate and create exciting new music for years to come i'm sure. But at this point its seems particularly relevent to go back and re-examine the music particularly since we are approaching DDN's 20th birthday.

You may not for whatever reason agree that DDN is SY's best album, but it is the album most people associate with the band. The reason Daydream Nation is being performed is the same reason we still perform Bach's Brandenburg Concertos or Dvorak's New World Symphony....they are untouchable works of huge cultural, musical and personal importance. Or perhaps its because a 14 year old can still pick up the record in a store and find as much meaning and life affirming joy within its groves as everyone did 20 years ago...

[pantophobia]

Originally Posted by GrungeMonkey

They actually said that they did lollapalooza for the money, didn't they?

no they don't ever really do it for the money, that was just bonus for them

[Rob Instigator]

the money they earned from lollapaloza went towards building their studio. so YES, they did do it for the money

What is wrong with them using their talent to also make money? Money buys you the ability to make music and feed the kids all at the same time.


How come Roberta didn't say 'SoNIC YOUZZZ RULEEZZ MAANN!!'

Sonic Life!

[Rob Instigator]

you people are all fucking crazy

how is playing daydream nation, a record which sold UNDER 250 thousand copies since it came out in 1987, a corporate or sell out or "for the money" move?

I think it is a band giving their fans something that most have never had the chance to hear. iT IS A beautiful thing. enjoy it for what it is.


and while sonic youth are certainly a forward thinking progressive, future aimed band, they are a ROCK BAND, and they wanna ROCK

Sonnicc Youzzzz Ruleezzzz!!

[sonicl]

If SY want to ROCK, why don't they make a new ROCK album?

[Rob Instigator]

SONIC YOUTH RUUULLEEZZZZ MAAANNNN!!!!!


SONIC LIFE!!!


and the only answer that matters as to why sonic youth is playing daydream nation at shows is

BECAUSE THEY WANT TO!

[Rob Instigator]

Originally Posted by sonicl

If SY want to ROCK, why don't they make a new ROCK album?

every album they have ever made is a ROCK album.

do you not understand that tours are PROMOTIOONAL????

that rock tours are done to promote ALBUMS??????? (NOT vice versa)
and that daydream nation REISSUE is due out later this year?

DUH?

DUH???

(not aimed at anyone specific there)

[screamingskull]

Originally Posted by Washing Machine

Firstly the Daydream Nation Saturday show in London is going to be my very first Sonic Youth gig. Daydream Nation is also my favourite album. So the gig will be 'life changing'. I can hardly wait....what better way to start Uni eh?

mee tooo, i start uni in september!!!, i'm going to all three though . see you on the saturday!!!

I think some of you are being pretty disrespectful to the band.

[Washing Machine]

Originally Posted by screamingskull

mee tooo, i start uni in september!!!, i'm going to all three though . see you on the saturday!!!

I think some of you are being pretty disrespectful to the band.

I know, damn Indie kids!

what uni you going to screamingskull?

[scottheron]

Surely all they're doing is taking part in a groundbreaking event run by ATP, who they've always supported?
What about all the other bands who've taken part in the Don't Look Back series - Dinosaur Jr, Low, Tortoise, Gang Of Four, Mudhoney, Stooges - are they all sell-outs too? Or are they just taking part in a unique series of shows?
And as the London shows sold out so quickly, people obviously want to see DN live, so playing it elsewhere makes sense more than playing a standard tour... doesn't it?

[screamingskull]

Originally Posted by Washing Machine

I know, damn Indie kids!

what uni you going to screamingskull?

UCE in birmingham to study photography, you?

Originally Posted by scottheron

What about all the other bands who've taken part in the Don't Look Back series - Dinosaur Jr, Low, Tortoise, Gang Of Four, Mudhoney, Stooges - are they all sell-outs too? Or are they just taking part in a unique series of shows?

don't forget the lemonheads. thats the only don't look back concert ive been to.