[Infinite Spark]

Originally Posted by AssBlaster

No weaknesses? No songs in the same league as SY's Lightning? You mean no songs that are fucking amazing.

Lightning was a definite 11/10.

I'm coming from the POV of my opinion, i'm not trying to be the some great wise old sage on here or nothing, i've been back for less than 3 hours don't forget. I just never really 'got' lightning in relation to the brilliance of the rest of NYCG&F

[Daycare Nation]

Originally Posted by Infinite Spark

I'm coming from the POV of my opinion, i'm not trying to be the some great wise old sage on here or nothing, i've been back for less than 3 hours don't forget. I just never really 'got' lightning in relation to the brilliance of the rest of NYCG&F

Yeah, Lightning is probably the worst song in their whole catalogue.

[atari 2600]

Originally Posted by Tokolosh

the word ‘filler' for a Sonic Youth album, but this song just laid there for me.

10) The Neutral

A great track with clever lines. It's about how one being banal and ‘neutral' is the "perfect sin." The character being sung about is not a dreamer, entertainer, cowboy, poet, nothing. He's neutral and within that vexing and hard to define, yet sad and worthless at the same time.

Lyrical Revelations

So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." --Rev. 3:16

[atari 2600]

Cool take...I was realting it (obviously) to the whole Rapture dealie/....

I knew I should have listened to it before I made the last post...

[atsonicpark]

haha.

"rather ripped, worst album since dirty!"

[jetengine]

It's the best commercial album since Dirty, if not Goo. It's built around more traditional rock 'n' roll song structures. Like I've said in another thread, comparing Rather Ripped to Murray St. and Sonic Nurse is like comparing Goo or Dirty to Sister and Daydream Nation (or Experimental Jet Set to A Thousand Leaves and NYC Ghosts & Flowers, for that matter).

Frankly, in my 18 or so years of listening, I've never encountered a new SY record that was disappointing. The first thing I learned about SY is that there are so many strands and nuances to their music that you have to be prepared for literally anything. The fact that they could release Master-Dik, Daydream Nation, the Ciccone Youth Whitey Album and Goo back to back to back to back demonstrated this for me from Day One, and primed me for anything they can come up with. What's next? An electronic dance album? Acoustic vocal jazz? Black metal? Inuit throat-singing? "Sundays...holidays...vacation time--we must be ready every day, all the time.... You may be in your schoolyard, playing, when the signal comes. That sound means for you to drop whatever you're doing and get to the nearest safe place fast. Quick! Duck and cover!"

[Disgruntled Youth]

I'm sorry if you think this is the best ulbum since Dirty you must not know much about the youth. I know I'm about 5 pages late into this discussion but in the words of Big you're dead wrong!

[jetengine]

Originally Posted by Disgruntled Youth

I'm sorry if you think this is the best ulbum since Dirty you must not know much about the youth. I know I'm about 5 pages late into this discussion but in the words of Big you're dead wrong!

I'm afraid you're simply not reading carefully. I said it was the best commercial album since Dirty, or possibly even Goo. As far as my own Sonic Youth preferences go, I prefer the artsier and more improvisational albums from the '90s and '00s, like Washing Machine, Goodbye 20th Century and A Thousand Leaves--the latter especially.

[king_buzzo]

no freaking way...

[jetengine]

Originally Posted by king_buzzo

no freaking way...

Well then, What do you consider to be their best commercial album since Dirty (or Goo)...? As I see it, you have only one other real choice, discounting the EPs: Experimental Jet Set. That's the only other full-length album that can be construed as 'commercial' that they've done since Goo and Dirty. Some might also include Murray St. as a commercial effort, but I'm rather skeptical; from where I stand, that's more of an 'in-between' or balanced artsy-rock album, like Sister, Daydream Nation, Washing Machine or Sonic Nurse.

[Disgruntled Youth]

Originally Posted by jetengine

I'm afraid you're simply not reading carefully. I said it was the best commercial album since Dirty, or possibly even Goo. As far as my own Sonic Youth preferences go, I prefer the artsier and more improvisational albums from the '90s and '00s, like Washing Machine, Goodbye 20th Century and A Thousand Leaves--the latter especially.

wans't about you but the person who started this.

[jetengine]

Originally Posted by Disgruntled Youth

wans't about you but the person who started this.

Oops! Blame it on my egocentrism.

[khchris(original)]

In my opinion, RATHER RIPPED is SY's best album since Dirty although Washing Machine makes a very good argument because:

a. they got back to what they're good at before they started the "thousand leaves" 7 minute epics. SY were always about energetic alive guitar, straight-to-the-point, great hooks and riffs, melody and disonance. After Washing Machine, you saw SY overextend songs that easily could've been cut in half and possibly would've been better.

b. range in song style. almost all the songs are very different but still sound within a system and associated with eachother. I think this is what made Dirty an incredible record...alot of the songs were very different from eachother but had a feeling of being in a system. Washing Machine was one of them too. I think because of the diversity in song styles in those areas, it made albums like A Thousand Leaves and Murray Street very predictable and at times boring (i wouldn't call A Thousand Leaves boring, but definitely Murray Street).

c. I've seen an reemergence of Sonic popularity that I haven't seen since Washing Machine. Younger kids still dig SY and they're still growing newer and younger fanbase, something I didn't see during the NYG&F-Sonic Nurse era.

But that's just my opinion, which probably is predicated on which sonic era I grew most attached to.

I would find it hard to believe any new fans made during the NYG&F-Sonic Nurse era would choose Rather Ripped over what they naturally were first introduced to, so that's totally understandable why there is always going to be those who strongly favor a certain SY era over another SY era.

[Everyneurotic]

rather ripped = rushed demos.

[guitarpro]

I can't get enough of Rather Ripped its a great album.

[nature scene]

i still must be missing the greatness. It's a shame, after seeing SY's lack of energy on the rather ripped tour (and after hearing them play very little material outside of RR) I've kinda stopped listening to them so much. Maybe they can get it back.

[Protectmeyou]

I just can't understand how you can say that. I saw them on the RR tour and it was hands down the one of the most intense gigs I've ever seen. Their playing was so inspired and energetic.
I think it's their best album since Goo. There's only 1 song (Lights out) that I don't give 10 out of 10 to. But there's so many good riffs and guitar lines on RR. And Turquoise Boy is one of Kim's finest. Just georgeous guitar music.

[jetengine]

I've said it before, and now I'm saying it yet again. There are three basic kinds of Sonic Youth fans: Sonic Youth fans, Daydream Nation fans, and Goo/Dirty fans. The first are the most mature and realistic of the bunch and truly got the SY message of "We're capable of anything--be prepared" from Day One (regardless of at which point in SY's career they caught on); the second tend to be the eldest of the Gen-X fans, and nostalgically remember SY's mid to late '80s material as the best because it was the first SY stuff they heard on college radio as they moved away to the larger centres and started post-secondary; the third are similar to the second, except younger (mostly in senior high at the time, circa 1990-'93) and more trendy--they had to wait for SY to be signed by a major label, make a couple of more commercial-sounding records (helping in their transition from Madonna and Guns 'N' Roses), and watch 'alternative'/grunge culture replace 'preppie', 'glam' and Brit pop as the new mainstream in North America.

And what about all those fans that have been into all their records up until Sonic Nurse?

[jetengine]

Originally Posted by sarramkrop

And what about all those fans that have been into all their records up until Sonic Nurse?

Now that's a strange scenario. They would definitely not be Daydream Nation fans, because that album resembles DN like no other--even more so than Washing Machine. Maybe that's it: they perceive Sonic Nurse as coming too close to being a clone. I can't imagine what else it could be, because that album is just an all-around great SY package--hard-rocking, lyrically surrealistic, just the right amounts of pop and improv, etc. Also, it was a double album, which offered all the more bang-for-your-buck--especially coming right after NYC Ghost & Flowers and Murray St., two of their shortest 'mainstream' albums.