Turning someone on to SY
 

If you could only pick 5 songs to give someone to turn them on to SY what would they be?

Mine would be

Teenage Riot
Kool Thing
Inhuman
Sugar Kane
The Diamond Sea

Teenage Riot
Dirty Boots
Schizo
Theresa's
Mote (this one is the real test)


Kool Thing is a good choice too, but I had to pick 5, so...

Anything off Goo or Dirty. Teenage Riot got me into them, but I played it to a friend, and after listening actually said she "didn't get it".

It depends on the type of music the person likes. The first Sonic Youth song I heard was Mote, and that definitely turned me on to them. At that point I was into hard rock/punk. I think your everyday person would initially like stuff off of Dirty the best (100%, Chapel Hill, Sugar Kane, Purr). Someone who's into indie rock could probably start out with Schizophrenia, Tom Violence, Teenage Riot, Stereo Sanctity, etc...

depends on the persons interests, but in general:

teenage riot
sugar kane
kool thing
schizophrenia
mote/or genetic

they at least need to hear everyone sing

Hmm:

Teenage Riot -> JC -> Star Power -> Skip Tracer -> Expressway to Yr Skull

although I'd possibly throw on something off RR or SN, to show A) theyve still certainly got it B) how relevant they still are.

inhuman would be the worst choice possible.
ive been a sy fan for 14 years and i still dont get that shit.
expressway
shadow of a doubt
schizophrenia
teen age riot (deffinetly)
some instrumentals
- melodic songs that have the specific sonic flavour.

Hmm, Mote, I'm always surprised when people say that's the song that hooked them or the one they got into first off Goo. When I first got that album I detested it for a long time, loved the outro but the first half got on my nerves big time. Something about the vocals, took me a long time to adjust to Lee's voice. Anyway, I got over it, which was nice.

Anyway:

Teenage Riot
'Cross the Breeze
Sugar Kane
Expressway
Diamond Sea (if I thought they were up to it.)

5 songs to turn on the novices to sonic youth greatness

teenage riot
death valley 69
tuff gnarl
Mote
cross the breeze

depends on the person you're trying to turn on to sonic youth

for the most part though, I agree with schizophrenicroom
dirty and goo have some pretty "normal" songs that first time listeners might be able to appreciate
dirty was my first album, but then I immediately got nyc ghosts + flowers and I liked it right away
I don't think a first time listener could handle nyc ghosts + flowers, but maybe

people that I would think would like sonic youth don't
and people that I would never think would like them do
strange

And they tend to like the wierdest stuff too. It generally isn't the 'normal' songs that get them.

I ACTUALLY HAVE turned formerly loserly music listening friends of mine on to Sonic Youth. It's a damn good feeling when they say "man, fuck Green Day/Good Charlotte" (or whatver shitty band they listen to), "Im a SY fan now!" MMMM, satisfying.
The songs that i have picked int he past and will pick again for future references are:
1. Sugar Kane
2. Eric's Trip
3. Expressway To Yr. Skull
4. Teenage Riot
5. Diamond Sea
The trick is to introduce them to Sonic Youth's more accesible ""pop" works first and ease them into the more experimental avant-garde material. This way they won't be immediatley alientated by the out of the ordinary artistry. Cuz let's face it, folks, as good as Sonic Youth are, they just will never be as popular as Shinedown or Shitfoot er....i mean Switchfoot; Freudian slip =),
or Green Day or any of this other bullshit music, so you need to use rock and roll diplomacy to sneak people back across the punk border to set them free in the Nation of Rock. Or something like that.....

I know!
One of my friends loves Contre Le Sexisme, but won't ever give any other song a chance.

Schizophrenia
100%
Kool Thing
Swimsuit Issue
Stones

I definately wouldn't go with Inhuman or anything off their earlier albums, but that's my favorite stuff by them, so I'd probably work my way into them.

i would play "touch me i'm sick" 10 times in a row.

that should do it.

yeah, me too.

oh my
lol
hehe

teenage riot, androgynous mind, disconnection notice, she's in a bad mood, diamond sea

Schizophrenia
Teenage riot
Wish fulfillment
On the strip
Self-obsessed and sexxee

Catholic Block
SugarCane
Total Trash
The Diamond Sea
Making The Nature Scene
Teenage Riot