I just heard Rather Ripped for the first time
 

I didn't enjoy the entire thing but what I did enjoy blew me away. Reena, Jams Run Free, Helen Lundeberg, Pink Steam, Or. Those songs are better than anything I've heard on Murray Street or Sonic Nurse. Anyone else just recently hear it?

All the love for Pink Steam bugs me. Yeah I liked it at first too but it gets pretty boring. The only bad song on it is What a Waste and even then it isn't entirely awful. I'd still take Sonic Nurse over Rather Ripped though.

Pink Steam is an excellent Sonic Youth song. I understand though, sometimes I get sick of really good songs

I liked this album. Some wasn't that great though. The songs I really liked are Incinerate, Jams Run Free, Pink Steam, + Reena.

Outrageous claim:

Whilst Rather Ripped would never make it into my top 5 SY albums, Helen Lundeburg and Eyeliner are the best tracks they have released in the past 10 years.

my RR did come with the bonus tracks, i DLed them and thought that they were boring.
jams run free, reena, pink steam, incinerate FTW

I like it better than I like EVOL, suck it.

Jams Run Free is the best song on there, hands down.

And Sleepin' Around is the worst

I still maintain that it's a good album.

Not their best, but certainly not the Antichrist of quality some people have claimed it to be.

Upon first listen, I really liked Rather Ripped. I don't find myself listening to it much anymore. "Or" is my favorite track.

'Or' is probably the only track on that album I (quite) like. As an album I really don't see how RR can be considered anything other than a failure. I can honestly say that had it been my first encounter with SY I'd not have bothered to explore them any further. The same with Sonic Nurse.

I found Or was a bore. Pink Steam & Helen Lundeberg FTW

The cover art has to be worst of all Sonic albums, for sure.

Kim's songs on this album are some of her best, no doubt, but Thurston needs to be slapped silly for 'Lights Out', 'Do You Believe In Rapture?', 'Incinerate' and 'Pink Steam'. Completely boring music and lyrics that didn't need to be recorded. He sort of atoned for this with the amazing work on the Helen Lundeberg/Eyeliner 7".

I suppose it was worth buying for 'Rats'.

Eyeliner has to be my least favourite track, too in yr face.

I hated the bonus tracks.

'Incenerate' and 'Reena' are fun but unspecial within their catalogue, 'What a Waste' and 'Sleepin' Around' are tracks I immediately skip with quite a bit of distaste, 'Lights Out' and 'The Neutral' are just boring to me, as is the majority of 'Turquoise Boy,' 'Rats' I'm not a fan of and this is the first time that a Lee song hasn't been one of the best on the album, and I completely hate 'Or.'

The only tracks I'd say are memorable within their catalogue are 'Pink Steam,' 'Jams Run Free,' and 'Do You Believe in Rapture?' And 'Do You Believe in Rapture?' is the only song on the album that I felt displayed a positive creative step forwards.

That said, one of the things I love about Sonic Youth is that there is very little consensus on what's their best work and everyone has their own favorites. In addition, they've never given me any reason to worry about them as a band. They basically just do what they want, and even if I'm not a fan of a particular album I know it's not a permanent trend... they always eventually follow up with another great one. And, while I'm loving that particular album, I'm sure someone else is poo-pooing it.

Que?

Anyway, don't we have already enough "I love/hate Rather Ripped"- topics?

haha, antichrist of quality.

I like "Eyeliner."

I don't really remember this album anymore. I blocked it out of my mind.