Early Sonic Youth

Favorite new record? Favorite old record? Got a band? Post it here.
User avatar
SadFuzz
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:12 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by SadFuzz » Sun Nov 25, 2018 7:47 am

https://www.instagram.com/sceneinbetwee ... bovwzf7czt

Appears to be Super Reverbs. Could've used different stuff in the studio but who knows...
icerinkband.bandcamp.com

User avatar
Telemnemonics
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 217
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2018 1:02 pm

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by Telemnemonics » Sun Nov 25, 2018 8:39 am

I saw them play in a bar in maybe '87, can't remember the gear very well but it seems like there was a Tele.
I had put down guitar for a while and was playing electric cello in my band, focus was more on the music than the gear.
What they were doing could have been done with almost any guitars and amps, it was more about violence and musical anarchy, at a time when music needed some smashing apart IMO.
Interesting though to look back at how the tools changed but really didn't change that much.
I might have learned something then about the relative insignificance of the gear compared to the approach, but I went on to buy mod and build an awful lot of different guitars.

I really miss the growing experimental music scene that held a lot of promise but then kind of lost momentum and focus.
SY kept on though...

User avatar
zepset
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 70
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:21 pm

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by zepset » Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:14 pm

Takes me back, a girl in high school tried to get me to listen to them. I tried but couldn't get into it. Maybe I should give it another shot.

User avatar
Larry Mal
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 19673
Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2010 4:25 pm
Location: Saint Louis, MO

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Nov 26, 2018 4:37 am

zepset wrote:
Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:14 pm
Takes me back, a girl in high school tried to get me to listen to them. I tried but couldn't get into it. Maybe I should give it another shot.
Early Sonic Youth is very hard to listen to stuff, I have all of it, I can't really get into any of it. A few OK songs here and there.

Daydream Nation is the only really great thing they've ever done that I've ever heard, I'd just get that.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

User avatar
scottT
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2426
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 11:39 am

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by scottT » Mon Nov 26, 2018 5:36 pm

I just like Daydream Nation too. I have more, but I never did get into the early stuff. I saw them in '90 touring behind the release of Goo. (Some band called Nirvana opened for them...they did a lot from Bleach and some Nevermind which was yet to be released). Anyway, I just remember Lee playing through a Fender amp with a target painted on the grill. The size would match a 4x10 (like a super or concert). Looking at the list of their stolen gear, it mentions a Concert with a target painted on it. Could have been it.

Looking at pics going all the way back to their time with Glenn Branca, it's Fender offsets or Strat or Japanese copies, and in all the pics of Sonic Youth you see lots of Fender Amps--Super Reverbs. I don't think they changed much through the years. A lot of their gear was old and cobbled together. I'm sure you have already, but check out their stolen gear list, and the Sonic Youth gear page, and even their Reverb store where they are liquidating a lot of stuff. The sold stuff is still on there and there is some interesting history and answers you may be able to infer.

User avatar
MattK
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3569
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:51 pm
Location: Hobart, Australia

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by MattK » Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:38 am

Oh boy you guys and gals are going to like this - nothing much, just Lee Ranaldo taking a tour of the SY gear warehouse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVMo4F2H0dY

User avatar
SadFuzz
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:12 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by SadFuzz » Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:37 am

Seen the Blood On Brighton Beach footage. Thurston and Lee both using SFMV Twin Reverbs. Other footage from this time shows them with them as well.
icerinkband.bandcamp.com

User avatar
danbind
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 659
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: VA - US of A

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by danbind » Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:56 pm

"Sister" is what introduced me to SY, and it fundamentally changed the way I thought about music. It really is a great pop album. "Daydream Nation" is great, but Sister is just beautiful.
remember / to kick it over

User avatar
SadFuzz
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:12 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by SadFuzz » Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:32 am

https://www.instagram.com/sceneinbetwee ... vur01985l6

Anyone know the amp next to kim's bass amp? Its Thurston's I think.
icerinkband.bandcamp.com

User avatar
panoramic
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16925
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: baltimore, md.

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by panoramic » Fri Apr 05, 2019 10:16 am

evol is the record that got me into them in 1987 or 1988 I forget which year it was, i bought the starpower 10inch on a whim and ever since i've owned more stuff by them than any other 3 bands combined.
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

User avatar
SadFuzz
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 468
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 12:12 pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by SadFuzz » Fri Apr 05, 2019 10:19 am

Yeah I own tons of their stuff.
I love the first three albums, after Goo, not so much.
Those albums have such an expressive energy, they're addictive.
icerinkband.bandcamp.com

User avatar
panoramic
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 16925
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:09 pm
Location: baltimore, md.

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by panoramic » Fri Apr 05, 2019 10:44 am

SadFuzz wrote:
Fri Apr 05, 2019 10:19 am
Yeah I own tons of their stuff.
I love the first three albums, after Goo, not so much.
Those albums have such an expressive energy, they're addictive.
after goo came Dirty which i still enjoy quite a lot....I found that years down the line they recaptured my ear with Murray street and rather ripped.
after goo though they had a hard time contending with their own discography
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

User avatar
higgsblossom
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1066
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2014 2:55 am
Location: Mannheim, Germany

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by higgsblossom » Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:27 pm

I still prefer “Experimental Jet Set...” because it’s the record that introduced me to SY. To me it’s perfect... early SY is brutal, I can only imagine that’s it was great live but I don’t want to listen to it on record.
"500€? That's the price of a J Mascis Jazzmaster!"

User avatar
øøøøøøø
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 5984
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:26 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by øøøøøøø » Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:02 pm

I don't get the sense that their gear at this early stage was especially intertwined with process or output (read: "important").

In a sense it can be an interesting historical footnote, but I wouldn't look to uncover any particularly-important insight or secrets about the music of "Evol" or "Bad Moon Rising" from getting answers to gear questions.

Obviously some of the later stuff is different... The particular and distinct sound of the Ludwig Phase II is a really important component of "The Diamond Sea", for instance. But the most important thing about "Evol" etc. was the way they approached music at that time.

User avatar
FrankRay
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1543
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:54 am
Location: east london

Re: Early Sonic Youth

Post by FrankRay » Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:45 pm

A I understand it, around the time of EVOL/Sister, Lee would mainly use his thinline tele, whilst Thurston used various Ibanez Roadstars. That's the classic Schizophrenia/Starpower sound, anyway.
Love those albums. less keen on anything much later, but Dirty and the Diamond Sea are still pretty good, I guess.

Post Reply