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I'm still working my answer out but so far it's headed in this direction:
Many people will say "Daydream Nation" but others will say "Goo" and still others will pick something from their early years, like "Confusion is Sex". There's definitely a debate about this!
My personal favorite is Confusion is Sex, but I think Daydream Nation might be the "best" but its a long player and the reason the question was asked is because her friend is getting a younger nephew a "music education" gift pack. SO the question in my mind is what is the best Sonic Youth album for that person, maybe "Goo" then.
I'm with the many people. Daydream Nation by far, but I wasn't a teen when it came out. As a teen, Bad Moon Rising was in regular rotation and it was meaningful to me, especially I Love Her All the Time and I'm Insane.
Was Bubblegum on an EP?
Have you seen the AskMe about "best album to introduce myself to SY"?
The consensus opinion is definitely 'Daydream Nation,' and, depending on what year it was when they started liking 'em, other people will say 'Goo,' or even 'Dirty' or 'Washing Machine' or 'NYC Ghosts and Flowers.'
The thing to keep in mind is that Sonic Youth have had a long, long, varied career. 'Daydream Nation' is the best, and maybe the most representative, of the records from their pre-Geffen years (though 'Bad Moon Rising' is my personal favorite, or, when I want cred, the 'Made in USA' soundtrack). Trying to understand the entirety of that career by listening to one album, though, is pretty much doomed to fail, the way I see it anyway.
Jon, I think you are probably right. I was worried that maybe the consensus had shifted overtime to another album. Here's what I ended up saying back:
I'm partial to two eras of Sonic Youth (early and mid career, so I won't
cover their later / more recent stuff despite the fact that some people
really enjoy it. To me it sounds like SY doing the Grateful Dead).
Many people will say "Daydream Nation" but others will say "Goo" and still
others will pick something from their early years, like "Confusion is Sex".
There's definitely a debate about this!
Let me put it this way then:
Daydream Nation: long CD, very smooth and space-rockish for them, but still
excellent, coherent as an album with individual tracks that stand out as 'almost singles'. This is the Sonic Youth album I'd probably recommend to you if you hadn't heard it yet.
Confusion is Sex: early, raw, noise. My personal favorite, but not what I'd
recommend for the first time listener unless they were some kind of "No
Wave" devotee or said they really liked early Seconds, early Ex Models or
early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or early Liars -- I also can't believe I now have to
preface all of these bands output with "early" now.
Goo: To my mind it's the album that broke them out of the 'college radio' section. Chuck D
guests on it. Well crafted "Pop" from SY, so maybe the best album for a
first time listener / younger type. Kool thing, indeed.
Maybe I'll PS her with a note that says most people still consider Daydream Nation to be their best.
Thanks. I also have to agree with box about the doomed to failure aspect of such an approach to her friends project. Though I admire and commend the notion that this person is trying to turn on her nephew to some great music. The thing I kept thinking was: if this is supposed to be a 'music education' package gift...as the 'educator' shouldn't you know the answer to this question to begin with? In other words, wouldn't it be more meaningful if the person said to their nephew: "this is my favorite Sonic Youth album, I hope you like it too.." or something like that.
Upon further reflection, I might think that the right answer to this question is either the deluxe reissue of Goo (one release) or the 'Screaming Fields of Sonic Love' compilation (one disc).
I mean, Dirty. Why? Because it RAWKS. Goo (my least favorite Sonic Youth album) makes sense as a teen pick because it's probably their most accessable album but to me it sounds very dated, very early 1990s, like The Breeders.
My personal faves, and the albums I think of when I think of Sonic Youth, are Sister, Evol, Daydream Nation and Bad Moon Rising.
odd bit of trivia: Thurston Moore once (unironically) described Motley Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls as 'really great.' I'm not a big Crue fan, in fact I thought they were posers most of the time but on that album the music caught up with the image, so Thurston must've heard that as well.
This has been great. Thanks. I've emailed her like four times with all kinds of amendments and extra bits of insight from you all.
on preview: I can't remember the interview or the exact quote but Moore once responded about the mid-career stuff that he doing his version of 'the hard rock / metal chord' all the time, and Lee was like "really? I didn't get that at all..." [from his playing].
I'm surprised that nobody said Schizophrenia. I actually think it's the perfect album for mixing the early craziness with the Daydream Nation smoothness. Plus, although I'm not a huge PKD fan, I like all the literary allusions.
Ciccone Youth is lots of fun, but I might prefer Lee's improv albums with William Hooker, and I'm a big sucker for that Kim/Ikue Mori/DJ Olive project.
tough question. i love sonic youth, but there hasn't been a single album of theirs that i didn't have to skip over at least one or two crap tracks since sister.
it's kinda sad, really, how inconsistent their stuff has been over the last ten years or so.
hmm. I guess I like Bad Moon Rising for personal, college-oriented reasons. But I always liked Sonic Death alot and the Sonic Youth EP is really good ("I'm not afraid to say I'm scared"). And of course, there's no denying the attraction to Daydream Nation and Goo. And no love for EVOL here?
And I'm with PST on the Branca thing. Also, I always wanted Lee's locked groove record, I sort of assume I'd love it even though I've never heard it.
i have a copy of from here to infinity that needs to be replaced. i've beaten it up pretty bad over the years during dj/noise sets... it's one of my favorite records.
The only one I listen to regularly is The Whitey Album, but I suppose it's technically not Sonic Youth. Fucking great cover of Addicted To Love, though.
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