"did you find your shit? you gotta watch the motin', thurston ; your fuckin' memory just goes out tha' window."
Inexplicably, given a back catalogue vast enough now to rival even The Fall's, "Providence, Rhode Island" has long been the one Sonic Youth track I revisit most frequently, despite the fact "Daydream Nation" has easily been supplanted in my affections by many later albums.
The track itself is not indicative of their sixth release itself, on the whole, but has come to embody their 1988 double LP very clearly in my mind.
After the synth driven loops and rhythms of their temporary incarnation as Ciccone Youth, the band returned to terra firma to work on this new studio release launched on the back of a North American tour which quickly evolved into a serious attempt for global domination with dates in the USSR and Japan in early 1989, and a subsequent whirlwind tour of Europe where Sub Pop's Mudhoney were unleashed on support to very favourable response.
This was the album which not only consolidated their reputation, but went a good deal further into establishing Sonic Youth as a 'brand name'.Last year I went back to see the album performed in its original entirety at a cinema in Glasgow as part of the group's contribution to ATP's "Don't Look Back" series. Throughout the frenetic two hour long set - performed, I seem to recall, in their original stage 'costumes' too - "Providence" refused to be relegated as the particular highlight for me; a curiosity of quietly epic proportion.
Recorded and Mixed at Greene Street Recording, July - August 1988, New York City. Cover image, "Candle" by artist, Gerhard Richter, 1983.
Not quite "Eric's Trip", perhaps, but certainly a nod in the direction to a walk in the park in the footsteps of eccentric luminary, Erik Satie.
▼ SONIC YOUTH: PROVIDENCE from "Daydream Nation" 2 x LP (Enigma / Blast First) 1988 (US)
PURCHASE DAYDREAM NATION (DELUXE EDITION)
10 comments:
I totally loved "Baboon Rising", so to me, "Daydream Nation" was a bit of a return back to that style after the dissapointment that was "EVOL" and "Sister". Not that I really cared that much about Sonic Youth by then, anyway-- though I do still have my original copy of "Daydream Nation" even now...
Funny how this post made me recall this:
Did You Find Your Shit?
Plus, you dropped a mention of "Eric's Trip", and I started working on a post about Eric's Trip (the band) a couple of days ago...
Coincidences.
"Baboon Rising"! Ha! Yeah, that was a good one. Don't know if i'd agree "Evol" & "Sister" was that much of a disappointment; I quite liked "Schizophrenia" especially, though I seldom play it today.
I followed that link back to "Sidearm Delivery" - I wouldn't have got it, probably, without the prompt but seeing now that the post concerns Hartford v. Providence elevates it's cool! Nice.
Looking forward to that post on Eric's Trip, the band. "Coincidence" is a much better word than "synchronicity"...
You will realise, of course, that I'm way too distracted to have reached the line, "Yes, occasionally I'll explain where these dumb post titles come from" with its accompanying link!
Did somebody just mention "Attention Deficit Disorder" ?
I was really dissapointed with most of Sonic Youth's immediate post-Homestead output, "Sister" especially...
Sonic Youth had this thing back then where they'd do a local show and play the entirety of their new album a few weeks before it actually came out, so I saw them play "Sister" at Maxwell's in New Jersey that way. The live set was amazing, but then when the record came out it sounded tinny and it was a big letdown...
I was a huge Sonic Youth fan up til then, but after that I moved onto other things.
The sound was quite tinny, I agree.
I think it's healthy to move on to other things, regardless. The biggest surprise - in hindsight - is that which you gravitate back to, or find a liking rekindled for in light of newer things.
Regards Sonic Youth specifically, these days I seem to prefer the material where Thurston Moore appears to display more of a guiding hand. Not always, but a lot of the time.
"Gravitate back to", yes-- when I listened again to "Daydream Nation" a year or so ago, I found myself appreciating it a lot more than I did when it first came out.
I saw them touring "Dirty" in 1992 in Belgium. I was living in Holland (very briefly) at the time. The primary motivation in going to see them was Pavement were with them on support ; "Slanted & Enchanted" had just been released and I was in love with their sound.
I watched both sets from the stage wing and took some photographs - which failed to expose properly. Sonic Youth were amazing, but I was genuinely astounded to see what a huge, well-oiled machine they'd become. Thurston had a rack of pre-tuned guitars on hand, and the backline rivalled Pink Floyd's.
Sonic Youth was not a band I ever explored. Having given it a listen it is something I'll look into more when I return from holiday. A week in Bishopbriggs followed by a week in Wales. Au Revoir for now
Bishopbriggs ? Unusual holiday destination, peewit. Have a great time, both there and in Wales! See you in a couple of weeks.
not a personal choice but that's where the mother-in-law lives! Having said that it is a good base for touring around Loch Lomond, the city Edinburgh Callander etc
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