Release Year: 1982
Tracks:
1. The Burning Spear
2. I Dreamed I Dream
3. She is Not Alone
4. I Don't Want to Push it
5. The Good and the Bad
Lineup:
Thurston Moore
Lee Ranaldo
Kim Gordon
Richard Edson
General Commentary:
Though this album foreshadows many Sonic moments that its successors have, it does not sound Sonic Youth to me. There's a heavy reliance on groove that is very rarely placed in their later records. Much of it sounds rather tribal and hippy-ish. "The Burning Spear" and "She is Not Alone" make rare live appearances. The other three never made it out much past the early years.
It was given the deluxe reissue treatment in 2006--several alternate versions and other early songs were added to the original five.
Top Five Moments:
1. The sound of the drills playing the guitars on "The Burning Spear".
2. The meandering drone with the poorly produced drums in "The Good and the Bad". Moody and insane! This is the sound that would become Sonic Youth.
3. The romping intro to "I Don't Want to Push It"/the entry of Thurston's lyrics on the same song.
4. Kim repeating "fucking youth; working youth" on "I dreamed, I dream"
5. Thurston's vocals on "She is Not Alone". Not great, but dreamy and moody.
Personal Connection:
I found this album at a small record store in Glen Ellyn when I was (I think) a junior in high school. It was funny because my sister had always said that a record store in Glen Ellyn would be a million dollar idea. It turns out that it was a flop. The best thing that came from it was that I picked up this very rare and hard to find album there.
I was friends with Brad Hillesheim back then and hung out most days at his cousin's house (he had to babysit). I played this record much to the chagrin of everyone there. I remember that I distinctly didn't like it besides "The Burning Spear" (which even most people that normally despise Sonic Youth even like).
I played it out semi-frequently--eventually getting into a couple of these tracks, but it never became a favorite. I doubt I've listened to it more than three times in the last ten years.
"The Burning Spear" was the first song played at the Riviera show in 2000. I had just gotten an offer to teach at Montini, Chris and Matt were in town, and I was seeing my favorite band. Emotions were high. There was much drinking, a stint at a hotel beforehand, and much stupidity during the opener Stereolab (I vaguely remember giving a ripped in have dollar bill to a bartender we nicknamed "Fat Lizzy"--God, I was an asshole back then). Matt had to pay 80 dollars for his ticket from a cockroach because we didn't know any better. All of it was worth it when Thurston busted out this song as a totally unexpected opener. The crowd went totally berserk and I got swept up. T played the guitar with the drum sticks--everything was perfect. "The Burning Spear" still remains my favorite opening song of any concert I've ever seen, and that show remains a top ten.
Overall Grade: (5.4) It is a solid first release, but it never quite grabbed me. I'm glad they didn't maintain the direction it seems they're going on this record--it would be a completely different band. I've always wanted to like this more, but I just couldn't do it.
Track By Track:
1. The Burning Spear: (7)
This is a great opening track and has many redeeming elements. I love the cymbal crash that leads into the uber-funky and dancey opening. Some really strange guitar sounds on this. Heavy bass line that drives the song. And of course, the drills playing guitars.
The lyrics are wonderful as well: "I'm not afraid to say I'm scared/In my bed I'm deep in prayer/I trust the speed; I love the fear/The music comes... The burning spear". Not many of them, but perfect nonetheless. "I'm not afraid to say I'm scared" is one of my favorite ironic-type lyrics of all time.
2. I Dreamed I Dream: (5)
There is a neat opening to this song as well. I guess that's where the album excels. It's sleepy, creepy, and lulling. The drums really make this track weak--the production value is so low on them.
Much of the quintessential Sonic Youth sound can be heard on this. Also, there are layered vocals from Lee that are pretty cool. Kim's talk/sing approach is done well here. I would like to see how they would rework this one if they ever played it live again.
3. She is Not Alone: (4)
This song continues to occasionally open up concerts. I haven't seen it, and even though I'm not crazy about it, I have a feeling that it would be pretty powerful live.
Again, the drums sound rather ridiculous here, but the song itself has a fairly interesting structure. It's apparent there was a sound they were going for; it's just not one that I'm especially crazy about. It does have a nice creepy atmospheric vibe to it that is appealing. This is the most spaced out and "druggy" song on the album.
4. I Don't Want to Push It: (6)
This song is a close second to "The Burning Spear" in its catchiness and funkiness. Very listenable and catchy. The intro--with its guitar wash and bongo like drum action sets a nice tone to the song. It builds up to a feverish pace before Thurston slows it down with his mellow vocals. Solid lyrics, thought a bit undecipherable. This is a cool song that simply suffers from having nothing especially memorable about it.
5. The Good and the Bad: (5)
The interlude on this one sounds the most like the future Sonic Youth. The long break with the dissonant guitar buildup sounds like Sonic Youth should sound. Again, the drums are just terrible, though. They do create a creepy vibe that, I guess, sets them apart, but with a little better production and the addition of lyrics, this instrumental track could have been a whole lot better.
No comments:
Post a Comment