Massage The History is really fantastic. This is a Sonic Youth record that deserves repeated listenings, but this song stands out from the rest. One of those 'wow! how did they do it?' moments. I'm so happy to have been proven wrong.

^^ Happy Porky! cool.

Sacred Trickster, Calming the Snake, No Way, and Malibu Gas Station are certainly standouts.

i voted for anti-orgasm!

After listening to the album about 7 or 8 times, these are the songs I look forward to hearing each time:

Sacred Trickster
Anti-Orgasm
Antenna
What We Know
Thunderclap
Walkin Blue
Massage the History

And I don't dislike any of the others. Great album.

man, nobody loves leaky lifeboat. i think it's a fun song

i do. leaky lifeboat, malibu gas station and poison arrow are the best - they are something new, fresh and funny.

What We Know and Calming the Snake for me. Antenna, Massage the History and Anti-Orgasm are pretty great too.
Leaky Lifeboat is a bit weak IMO, but its a great album overall. Probably their best since Goo, but I need some more time with it to decide for sure.

Best since Goo? You are kidding right. They have released better albums than Goo. ATL, Murray Street, even Sonic Nurse. I have to say that Goo and RR are one of the so-called "bad" albums they have released. Even though my favorite song has to be Kool Thing.

No, I'm not kidding at all. I think they lost their way big time after Goo and took a while to get it back again. ATL is a great album, Sonic Nurse is pretty good and I like RR more than most seem to; Murray Street is a little patchy IMO.
So, The Eternal is potentially the best thing they've done for a long time. I need to hear the proper version and spend some time with it to be sure though.
Everything they did before Goo is massively superior, of course, but to still be producing quality albums at this stage of their career is pretty amazing.

I've listened to it twice now, and so far Antenna is my fav.

antenna
enna
enna
eh
eh
eh

I can't wait to get this album!

My initial least favorite has become my favorite.
Calming the Snake all the way!

The ferocity of the live version seems like an experience, and I can't wait for it on July 6th. The studio version, I think of as a different version completely. Kim sounds much more restrained, which is what turned me off at first. But... it still works, and I find myself listening to it repeatedly.

^^^ I agree. While "Poison Arrow," "Anti-orgasm," "Antenae" are all great (plus the others, too--really not a bad song on the album), I think that I would've felt something was missing if "Calming the Snake" wasn't on there. Most of the other songs have a noisy/detuned-sounding section as part of their structure (in between the more "normal," straightforward sounds), whereas "Calming the Snake" really is full-on old school SY weirdness (reminds me of the harshly chiming sounds on Sister, like "Tuff Gnarl" or "Cotton Crown"). There's a lot going on it that song, and hearing the early live version on youtube (where the guitar parts were not distinguishable) just made me think it was hastily thrown together noise (not that there's anything wrong with that).

That being said, I'm glad to see the love for "Bobby Pyn." It's probably my least favorite, and aside from the noise section I think it's kind of dull. But to see others list it as their favorite just shows there must be something I'm missing. And I'd rather feel that way than simply blase. As long as someone's being moved by it, they've done their job!

Anti-Orgasm is my favourite

i like massage the history best of the best

I havnt been able to hear MassagedHistory yet, the version i downloaded gave me "theDiamond Sea" where Massage the History is supposed to be.

Yeah..



hahahahahahaha.

Ummmmm... has anyone told him yet?

He knows.

calming the snake SLAYS but malibu puts that shit away!

funny how the 5 favorite songs are the 5 longest...
and funny too how the most disliked albums (jet set + rather ripped) are made almost of short songs...

ha. ha.

Upon initial plays my favorite song is anti-orgasm but that might change the more i listen to it. There are just so many good songs on it like sacred trickster, antenna, calming the snake, what we know and that awesome late lee number "walkin blue" that really showed a side of lee i hadnt before.

Close call between Antenna and Massage the History, but I went with the former.

I did! My REAL copy of the Japanese import came last Thursday.

I voted for Leaky Lifeboat. After viewing the poll results, I find that I'm pretty much in the minority. Sad

i love malibu gas station

and sacred trickster


kim is really on point on the eternal

Walking Blue

YESSSS

Should've left off Massage, and we could've had a "what song do you like 2nd to Massage" thread. Since Massage already won the Eternal Survivor thread a few months ago.

What we Know

leaky lifeboat, still clicks with me

was a hard choive between walking blue and massage the history. I am really into the walking blue lyrics though so that's my choice.

Haha. "beck"

sacred trickster!

still think leaky lifeboat is a good tune off this album. catchy as fuck too

this is not even a question, unless you ask best SY songs of all times

cause Massage the History rises above all the normal matter into the realm of Diamond Sea, Schizophrenia, etc I knew it the instant I heard it this song was special, just didn't know how special