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Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
I must be the only one that saw o'rourke as DILUTING the sonic youth "sound".
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Meh. Jim ENHANCED that sound. He came in in 1997/98 and was in my opinion part of the genesis of A Thousand Leaves/NYC Ghosts and Flowers/Murray Street/Nurse which all have a similar sound. Those albums are more free-associative and jammy than other things. I think Jim was as important a shift in direction and evolution as was bringing in Steve. While I actually really like RR (especially live, those were some great shows) and The Eternal, it is clear that the band wasn't quite sure which direction to go without him, those albums sounded like a Washing Machine era revival, which I think perfectly reflects how much Jim changed the sound.
The catch is its very different music than the 80s/90s Sonic Youth. If THAT era is what you dig, like a lot of folks here, than the Jim era is a let down or distraction. Me? I think the that 1998-2005 is the ZENITH! Its like they combined Day Dream Nation and Washing Machine and then let it sit around and play guitar on mushrooms..