Daydream Nation 33 1/3 Book
 

Lots of threads about when it's being released but now that it finally has, not much seems to have been said about it on here.

Got the book and the deluxe ed. CD on the same day, so great to read and listen at the same time.

Great job on the CD, but enough has been said about that already.

Anyway, found the book almost unreadable. The author keeps banging on about how 'dangerous' the album is: making SY out to be some kind of noise-rock Baader Meinhoff, or something. This quote sums up the tone:

'To listen to [the album's producer] Sansano talk about a recording session with Sonic Youth is like listening to a soldier talk about the experience of frontline warfare.'

The discussions of individual tracks are just as silly. Take for example his account of 'Rain King', in which, 'The lyrics are a volcanic torrent of language meant more as artillery in a battle being waged against an opponent (who is this Rain King?) that can no longer be ignored or tolerated.'

God knows what the band itself must think of it all.

i read through pantophobia's copy a few weeks ago...it's fucking horrid.
it's like the guy put the album on his stereo, fucked a thesaurus, and
ejaculated the book.

kills me that a band so influenced by, and champions of, quality literature
have thus far had only one book ("i dreamed of noise") worthy of them,
and even then that was just a collection of quotes and photos. "sonic
life" is kind of a trifle, and "confusion is next" just kinda dry.

and oh yes...HE GETS LYRICS WRONG. taking umbrage with his style is
one thing, that's a readers opinion, but to actually fuck up some of the
content of this work of art you're purporting to write a definitive word on?
mortifying.

Jenn, you're a national treasure! :)

I liked confusion is next... and I haven't read this (or any other 33 1/3 book). I tend to think analysis of any kind of music is usually going to be kinda awkward, unless the musician himself gave lots of information of what he was trying to convey or what techniques he used in making the music. Music means different things to different people... and certainly, with lyrics like SY has, one can't always be clear of what the message really is; taken literally, there are contradicting statements on some of their songs. So, yeah, any description of the music -- especially things like "the guitars sound like a torrent of rabid wolves that stop to admire themselves in the mirror" or some other purple-prose-type garbage -- is probably going to be disagreeable. That's why I read mark prindle's review; he focuses on facts and he just tells why he likes or dislikes someting, rather than trying to be the be-all end-all source of album analysis (though he does occassionally offer brilliant rock insights; his reviews of "Trout Mask Replica" and "Spiderland" are amazing).

Anyway, "Who is this Rain King anyway?" probably sums up the book enough for me to realize that I don't need to check it out.

I am interested in the Loveless 33 1/3 book, though, only if it offers a lot of insight into the creations of the songs (which it probably doesn't).

One other thing.. and I'm sure this can be fact-checked really quickly, but.. does Daydream Nation HAVE an official lyrics sheet (besides this site's song database)? Because.. I mean, does he get the lyrics REALLY wrong or just misses a few words here are there? I know you're making the point that he is trying to write a detailed analyis of an album he's heard plenty of times and should know the lyrics by heart, but we mishear lyrics sometimes, so... just wondering.

he messes up some on "silver rocket", which admittedly is not thurston at
his enunciative peak..."total trash" as well. what makes the lyrical errors
stick out is that he uses them to further whatever theory he has for that
song. he hears "grease the crack" as "increase the crack", and then
decides the song is a meditation (partially) on drug-ravaged '80s NYC.

per the site songbase, the "confirmed" intro words to "eric's trip" are
"achoo...brancafest." stearns decides it is in fact "i hate the past."
and proceeds to hammer THAT interpretation into the ground.

honestly, i feel even if he had done proper lyric research (like, shit, ask
the lyricists) his writing style is just such it couldn't have salvaged the
book--to me.

couldn't agree with jenn anymore about this book, its only kinda nice to look at on a shelf, and even that its pocket size anyway.

DN was never gonna be an easy album to write about and I admire Stearns for having a go. But he seems too in awe of it to give it a fair account. At times he's like some kid that's convinced his fave album will just be too much for people, that they won't be able to 'take it'. Hey, we're talking about Daydream Nation here, not Metal Machine Music. This is an album that's had tracks performed on Letterman without mass psychosis gripping America.

word.

a horrible book indeed. the author forces all kind of post-structuralist b.s. on the record and doesn't say anything meaningful.

I've read a fair amount of bad reviews for these 33 1/3 books...which are the good ones?

I really wanna check out the Double Nickels book.

I've nothing to add, except my opinion that the book is utter shite. I tried reading it, honest I did, but I couldn't bothered trying to struggle through the mountain of words to find any meaning. I ended up giving it away.

Thank god I did not buy it. Or will now.

I won't get it either. Thanks for the warning boardies.

Don't worry, Jenn, this time next year you won't be able to move for SY books.

The Loveless one is ok, but just ok. At least there are a few interesting interviews with Shields in it, although no particularly startling insights.
The Daydream Nation one really is horrible. Its like a badly contextualised O-Level English Lit paper.

this sounds so bad it might actually be funny.

i do get a strange sort of kick out of the pathetic incompetence of others.

i am placing much faith in david browne's bio, being a fan of the previous
articles and reviews he's written about the band.

That's true, but when I turned it up really loud, it sounded like "I hate the past." Maybe the author is correct on this one, and the posted lyric is a joke?

Yes you did...Thanks again :D

I thought the beginning chapters were quite inspired as they focused on the general tone of the album and his own romantized memories surrounding DDN. However as the book went on I found myself bemused by his analysis of the individual songs. Some of what he wrote particularly towards the end was utter bollocks. Still overall it was an enjoyable read.