My Sonic Youth "Best Of" for a begginer friend. Tracklisting?
 

Okay, so a friend, or girlfreind of a friend rather, has recently discovered Superstar and Bull In The Heather. Now, say what you will of these tracks, it has prompted her to take me up on an offer of an SY best of/greatest hits CD-R. SY are a notoriously difficult band to make a "best of" for, because in my case what I consider genius from them in pointless noise to others. So I set out to put together an hour's worth of their best short and simple pop/rock tunes. This is what I came up with:

Reena
Sunday
Kool Thing
100%
Dirty Boots
What A Waste
Jams Run Free
Renegade Princess
Theresa's Sound World
Candle
Unmade Bed
Hoarfrost
Shadow Of A Doubt

Its fairly standard stuff, apart from some of the last tracks, but this is the way forward for someone who enjoys catchy rock songs. Right choices? Your advice would be appreciated on the tracklisting, I havn't burnt it to CD-R yet. Thanks!

Include "Tuck N Dar." It's a straight-ahead song, you like it immediately, and it's awesome. Plus if she's like "oh I like this Tuck N Dar song" you can be like, "Oh that's a deep cut. From an OOP soundtrack." Hottt.

Also the single edit of "Diamond Sea" seems appropriate. As well as "Starpower."

Kudos on "Reena."

Ha ha I like the Tuck N Dar suggestion, but it's not THAT great as a straight-ahead song is it, really. Also I don't want to appear showing off with my extensive collection of SY obscurities, y'know. Its an idea, but I can't justify culling one of the tracks to replace it with that, sorry.

Seriously??? God. It's been like one of my all time SY tracks ever. (though I should say that MADE IN USA was my 2nd SY album strangely).

brother james!

schizophrenia!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnqust1z-cg

If they love schizophrenia she will

Yeah, "schizo" is pretty easy to feel.

What a Waste?
Jams Run Free?
erm ...

I LOVE "Jams Run Free!" But "What A Waste," meh.

Well those two and Reena are, in my opinion three catchy bubblegum-pop tunes that will appeal to the lady in question. Maybe having all three is a little much though..... hmmm...

Yeah, whata waste is terrible.

Rain on Tin!!!!!!!!! How can anyone not love that song?

Empty page,
I don't like Kool Thing

Stones

No one does, except that awesome riff near the end.


CROSS THE BREEZE

I don't understand the love for Superstar. As for the best of CD, I agree and think three Kim tracks from Rather Ripped is too much. I'd add Expressway to Yr Skull although I know you're looking for shorter tracks, but it's catchy. Other suggestions: definitely Schizophrenia like someone mentioned and maybe another from Dirty like Wish Fulfillment? (I didn't see you already had two, I'd choose Wish Fulfillment over Theresa's Soundworld.) You should add at least one track that's not so straight forward, just to see what she thinks. My good friend loved Free City Rhymes when I put it on a mix CD for her.

The love for "Superstar" should be obvious. It's an amazing cover.

I mean, if it's association with JUNO rubs you the wrong way or something, then that's one thing. But I dont think you can deny that it's an especially great rendition of a song that could have easily been an embarrassing mess of an attempt.

the album called dirty is kind of a best of. just give her that

my list for beginner:

1. do you believe in rapture?
2. hits of sunshine
3. i love you golden blue
4. the diamond sea (edit)
5. on the strip
6. teenage riot
7. bull in the heather
8. tom violence
9. the sprawl
10. 100%
11. the empty page
12. jams run free
13. schizophrenia
14. peace attack

I've to burn cd with this tracks for myself by the way :)

I hate to quasi-agree, but DIRTY is a really good entry album. Though it doesnt quite create a snapshot of their evol-ution and various phases, either.

i think free city rhymes is a pretty good one actually... its longer and more discordant, but its catchy in parts too...

don't put reena on it, it's not representative of their music at all.

^^and that track is one of the worst they ever did

hell no. reena is good, and it's representative too, tricky with their style on brake. so don't say this. and for beginner it's good.

but it puts sy in the wrong light. that song is so damn alt-rockish...
please and especially not as the opener

I've never seen Juno, but I don't know... Superstar wouldn't even be in my top 200 of Sonic Youth songs. Thurston's sort of whispery voice rubs me the wrong way. He sounds great on Tokyo Eye, but in this cover, he sounds all too pretentious. I do enjoy the Carpenters version though. It's one of my mom's favorite songs.

Starpower
Expressway to Your Skull
Schizophrenia
Catholic Block
Stereo Sanctity
Teenage Riot
The Sprawl
100%
Drunken Butterfly
Becuz
Saucer Like
Sunday
....
It really depends on his musical tastes.

this looks like a more accurate representation of sonic youth.

Yeah, but I think their "easy-listening" songs (Rather Ripped...) are not their best.
And I think SY is not a kind of band you could get into immediatly, for a lot of poeple.

To be honest, if I wanted to truely represent what Sonic Youth to means to me, I'd just shove Andre Sidre Af Sonic Youth on a CD-R and give it to her. But it'll put her off the band for life, all I want to do is provide her with some catchy tunes at act as that initial springboard into her discovering that shit for herself, maybe... one day. I mean, I started off with Dirty, and now I love Silver Session more than anything...

just put on it what feels best for you and her. you know her best, what might will catch her attention. the backkatalog of sy is just to big and different in its whole to give a 100% sure shot tracklist

Exactly, when you get a CD like this from someone, besides enjoying the music, by the end of it you want to feel you've learnt something about their style and their music. If I put Invito Al Cielo, Bull In The Heather and Lightnin' on there it'd just confuse the hell out of her, and she'd be back to square one in terms of understanding what the band are about. I'd rather just give her as thorough as I can introduction to one element of SY's music, and she can explore the others in time.

Sister is a sure thing.

Yes I know, and I'm starting to feel I should take at least one of Kim's Rather Ripped tracks off and replace it with Schitzophrenia. I don't know why that didn't occur to me before, it was, afterall, the first SY track I truely loved. Probably cos I havn't listened to Sister or Washing Machine in some time...

sure you dont want to scare her. and like its with all good artists you shouldnt start with the most advanced groundbreakin stuff. cause it can be hard to understand for someone thrwon in the cold water.

one thing maybe...
put on some longer tracks which evolve to the more abstract sonic youth after starting more pop like.
something like diamond sea or karen koltrane/revisited
so she can maybe start to follow the Idea of SY aestetics

Hmmm, I listened to the Residents and Can before I even went near Sonic Youth, and I still don't think I'd have had much patience with these tracks if I'd heard them first. Sonic Youth back then, even to a fan of long-winded experimental music, were just a band I didn't really give a shit about, not gods like now. You tend not to have much patience with bands you don't know, is what I'm trying to say. And just because this girl like Pink Floyd shant make her much different I feel.

yes you are right maybe. but maybe put some of these tracks as the closer or something. for me some of their best songs are the long ones. I just would not leave them completely off

I dunno why exactly you're making this comp for her with only their most fun pop songs. That doesn't reflect them at all and she'll never be truely into the band if she can't handle say, Daydream Nation.