EARLY SONIC CHECKLIST

This is basically a companion piece to the EARLY SONIC/SONIC DEATH article. I didn't delve as deeply into the individual songs as I'd intended when initially planning the project. This is basically a checklist for all songs known to have existed from 1981-1983 and where to find them, if applicable. I've included the Sonic Youth releases that the songs appeared on, as well as compilations if that was the song's original release. If a live version from this era was released officially, it's also included.

 

UNKNOWN NOISE FEST #1
  • Unreleased [live tape 06/18/81]
  • Possibly an Arcadians song. Anne DeMarinis plays keyboards and sings, along with Kim and Thurston. Richard Edson is on drums.
    UNKNOWN NOISE FEST #2
  • Unreleased [live tape 06/18/81]
  • Possibly an Arcadians song. Anne DeMarinis plays keyboards and sings, along with Kim and Thurston. Richard Edson is on drums.
    UNKNOWN NOISE FEST #3
  • Noise Fest [live 06/18/81]
  • Possibly an Arcadians song. Anne DeMarinis plays keyboards and sings, along with Kim and Thurston. Richard Edson is on drums.
    UNKNOWN NOISE FEST #4
  • Unreleased [live tape 06/18/81]
  • Possibly an Arcadians song. This song has two guitars, and is instrumental. Richard Edson is on drums.
    TEENAGE MEN
  • Unreleased
  • An Arcadians song that Kim brought in (possibly from CKM?). Lyric sheet is in Confusion is Next bio, and the song is discussed a bit there as well as Sonic Life.
    COSMOPOLITAN GIRL
  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • A song from Kim's previous band CKM. With Lee on guitar and Richard Edson on drums.
    DESTROYER
  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • An instrumental that was not recorded for Sonic Youth. Lee on guitar, Richard on drums.
    MILDRED PIERCE
  • Unreleased
  • Later recorded for Goo, "Mildred Pierce" actually dates back to the band's earliest days. Being in standard tuning, it may even have been 1981. No known recording of it prior to 1989 exists, but it is mentioned by name in the 1984 Forced Exposure interview.
    THE BURNING SPEAR
  • Sonic Youth
  • Sonic Youth cassette [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #5 [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #9 [backwards]

  • Sonic Death [live clip 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Death [live 06/17/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 11/04/83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Radio City Music Hall in December 1981 with Richard Edson on drums.
    I DREAMED I DREAM
  • Sonic Youth
  • Death Valley '69
  • Screaming Fields of Sonic Love
  • Sonic Youth cassette [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #5 [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #9 [backwards]
  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [demo 1981]

  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • Recorded at Radio City Music Hall in December 1981 with Richard Edson on drums. Originally called "Where the Red Fern Grows". An instrumental demo was recorded at Noise New York in October 1981.
    SHE IS NOT ALONE
  • Sonic Youth
  • Mix Tape #2
  • Sonic Youth cassette [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #5 [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #9 [backwards]

  • Sonic Death [live clip 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Death [live 81 or 82]
  • Recorded at Radio City Music Hall in December 1981 with Richard Edson on drums. The original version of the song featured a completely different arrangement.
    I DON'T WANT TO PUSH IT
  • Sonic Youth
  • Sonic Youth cassette [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #5 [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #9 [backwards]

  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Recorded at Radio City Music Hall in December 1981 with Richard Edson on drums. Originally called "Hard Work".
    THE GOOD AND THE BAD
  • Sonic Youth
  • Sonic Youth cassette [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #5 [backwards]
  • Mix Tape #9 [backwards]

  • Sonic Death [live clip 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Youth [2006 reissue] [live 09/18/81]
  • Sonic Death [live 81 or 82]
  • Recorded at Radio City Music Hall in December 1981 with Richard Edson on drums. Originally called "Loud and Soft" with a slightly different arrangement and Lee doing spoken word.
    (SHE'S IN A) BAD MOOD
  • Confusion is Sex

  • Sonic Death [live clip 06/17/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in late 1982/early 1983. Jim Sclavunos plays drums. It is listed as "[version]" on the LP because it turned out so differently from how they'd been playing it live.
    PROTECT ME YOU
  • Confusion is Sex
  • Kill Yr Idols
  • Recorded at Wharton's in late 1982/early 1983. Jim Sclavunos plays drums.
    FREEZER BURN
  • Confusion is Sex
  • The band took a recordable walkman into a cooler near the studio, and may have overdubbed some guitar feedback.
    I WANNA BE YR DOG
  • Confusion is Sex [live 11/15/82]

  • Sonic Death [live clip 06/17/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Stooges cover recorded live on the Savage Blunder tour. Bob Bert plays drums. The clips on Sonic Death are mostly post-song noise.
    SHAKING HELL
  • Confusion is Sex
  • Kill Yr Idols

  • From the Kitchen Archives No 3 [live 12/27/82]
  • Rarities 1 [live 12/27/82]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 06/17/83]
  • Kill Yr Idols [live 10/15/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Sonic Life [live 11/24/83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in late 1982/early 1983. Jim Sclavunos plays drums.
    INHUMAN
  • Confusion is Sex
  • Death Valley '69

  • Sonic Death [live clip 06/17/83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in late 1982/early 1983. Jim Sclavunos plays drums.
    THE WORLD LOOKS RED
  • Confusion is Sex

  • Sonic Death [live 82]
  • From the Kitchen Archives No 3 [live 12/27/82]
  • Rarities 1 [live 12/27/82]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 06/17/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 10/28/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in late 1982/early 1983. Jim Sclavunos plays drums. Lyrics by Mike Gira. One of the versions on Sonic Death is ridiculously sped up.
    CONFUSION IS NEXT
  • Confusion is Sex

  • Sonic Death [live 06/17/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 11/24/83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in late 1982/early 1983. Jim Sclavunos plays drums.
    MAKING THE NATURE SCENE
  • Confusion is Sex

  • sonicyouth.com video [live 06/26/83]
  • Effenaar [live 06/30/83]
  • (Over)kill yr Idols [live 10/30/83]
  • Stick Me Donna Magick Momma [live 10/30/83]
  • Rarities 2 [live 10/30/83]
  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in early 1983. Bob Bert returned to play drums.
    LEE IS FREE
  • Confusion is Sex
  • Recorded by Lee on his own at home on 4-track. Kim titled it.
    DIG THIS!
  • Speed Trials compilation
  • A collage of all the songs SY performed at the May 4th, 1983 Speed Trials gig, which was Bob's first show as a permanent member until 1985.
    SCREAM TAPE
  • Tellus #1 compilation
  • Lee and Thurston took a recordable walkman to an old silo they found in Switzerland while preparing for Sonic Youth's first European tour. They taped themselves screaming and began utilizing the recording as an intro to "The Burning Spear" in their live set, a practice they'd continue for several years.
    JEALOUS SNAKE
  • Unreleased
  • This track is mostly a mystery, it appears only on an oddball document that seems to have been penned by Thurston during their June 1983 stay in Switzerland. The way it's included with all other tracks, and the presence of lyrics, does suggest that it's a unique song?
    KILL YR IDOLS
  • Kill Yr Idols

  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • (Over)kill yr Idols [live 10/30/83]
  • Rarities 2 [live 10/30/83]
  • Sonic Death [live 11/24/83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in October 1983. Retitled "I Killed Christgau With My Big Fucking Dick" for the (Over)kill Yr Idols 7".
    BROTHER JAMES
  • Kill Yr Idols
  • Death Valley '69

  • Sonic Death [live clip 83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in October 1983.
    EARLY AMERICAN
  • Kill Yr Idols

  • Sonic Death [live 11/04/83]
  • SST Godhead Storedude In-Store Play Device #5 [live 11/04/83]
  • Live in Venlo [live 11/27/83]
  • Recorded at Wharton's in October 1983. The 11/04/83 version from Sonic Death was also released as "Sonik Death" on the SST Godhead Storedude sampler.
    BLOOZE BLURRR
  • Unreleased
  • This is one of the bigger mysteries of this era. It was probably written with the Kill Yr Idols material but not finished. Lee may have sung it. The band probably has a four-track recording of it.
    UNKNOWN SONIC DEATH #1
  • Sonic Death [live 81?]
  • This is an unknown song that appears on side 1 of Sonic Death, from 10:33 to 12:25. It is not complete, and the portion heard is instrumental. It may be an Arcadians song or an abandoned Sonic Youth idea.
    UNKNOWN SONIC DEATH #2
  • Sonic Death [live 82?]
  • This is an unknown song that appears on side 2 of Sonic Death, from 15:13 to 17:24. It may just be a jam as it kind of falls apart in the end.
    UNKNOWN SONIC DEATH #3
  • Sonic Death [live 83?]
  • This is an unknown song that appears on side 2 of Sonic Death, from 25:59 to 27:37. It is not complete, and the portion heard is instrumental. It is a slow, detuned progression that seems rehearsed.
    SONIC DEATH SIDE 1
  • Sonic Death
  • The snippets of songs are listed under the individual titles, but there are also some "noise" tracks. 26:17-27:35 sounds like the drumstick/screwdriver noise they would do before "The World Looks Red" (from Geneva radio 06/17/83).
    SONIC DEATH SIDE 2
  • Sonic Death
  • The snippets of songs are listed under the individual titles, but there are also some "noise" tracks. 00:00-00:40 is some chatter recorded in the van on one of the European tours, possibly with John and Sherry Erskine. 00:41-01:15 is just some noise panned back and forth. 14:35-15:12 is Thurston hammering the open strings of his bass (his intro to "Nature Scene" on that tour) then proclaiming "We want electricity!". 17:25-17:46 sounds like some bells recorded outside. 25:10-25:58 is more panned noise. 27:38-28:18 is some live noise. 28:19-29:31 is Thurston addressing the crowd at the end of the 11/15/82 show. When the CD edition came out, "Early American" from this side was released as "Sonik Death" on the SST Godhead Storedude In-Store Play Device #5 sampler.
    AUDIENCE
  • An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music vol. 1
  • This was recorded at one of the Loft gigs in Berlin, either 06/28/83 or 10/30/83. The band supposedly turned the microphones on the audience's enthusiastic encore applause, and manipulated it live during the show. The track as released in 2002 has been slowed down by 50%, which I assume was done during further production in 2001.
    CONVERSATION
  • Candle
  • A snippet of a conversation between Lee Ranaldo and Wharton Tiers about recording a 7" that would become Confusion is Sex. It was hidden on the Candle single.