best first track on a Sonic Youth album

voted for the obvious choice but I have a soft spot for Reena

what's the obvious choice? Once got into an argument in a record store over whether Schizophrenia or Teenage Riot was better. I think I was arguing for TR but I was just being contrarian.

Obv choice is Schizophrenia.

Which is basically the only one of these tracks which can make a case for being the best song on its respective record (note: I've not heard the last three records so. . .)

that's not the question

how i'd rate 'em:
Schizophrenia > Brave Men Run in My Family > Teenage Riot > Dirty Boots > Free City Rhymes > Becuz > Reena > Pattern Recognition > Winner's Blues > The Empty Page > She's in a Bad Mood > Sacred Trickster > Tom Violence > 100% > Contre le sexisme

Brave Men Run in My Family

not the first song!

"Teenage Riot," sorry. I still remember the Chris Matthews-esque tingle up on my leg when I first heard it.

"100%" def their worst opener though.

I think I'm gonna vote for "Dirty Boots," just love that one so much. Last week I was walking down the street at 1a.m. and someone was blasting "Reena" out the window and that sounded amazing.

Brave Men Run, taking 'intro' as, well, its intro...

schizophrenia, imo prob the best thing they've ever done

100% was the first SY I ever heard so its that or Brave Men Run (aren't you forgetting Intro?!)

also first bit of guitar skree is pretty classic on 100%, still love that one btw

schizophrenia, imo prob the best thing they've ever done

OTM

I love Teenage Riot as an opening track, but I hate the rest of the album so I'm not voting for that. Schitzophrenia.

Sonic Youth has some incredible opening tracks. I voted for "Daydream."

By which I mean, obviously, "Teenage Riot." *tries to wake up*

If you don't want your interpretation of "Teenage Riot" ruined by what might be the band's interpretation, stop reading here.

Now: I wonder if this tidbit from the Wikipedia page for Teenage Riot is true:
'

The song was supposedly written about a fantasy world where J Mascis is president. In the liner notes accompanying the deluxe edition of Daydream Nation, Byron Coley quotes Moore on "Teenage Riot": "It was actually about appointing J Mascis as our de facto alternative dream president".

That's kind of incredible.

if you mean incredible literally

"Teenage Riot," sorry. I still remember the Chris Matthews-esque tingle up on my leg when I first heard it.

― Heric E. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, July 27, 2009 10:30 AM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

so otm - the first-time-i-heard-that feeling i get thinkin bout Teenage Riot is pimp as hayullllll

I know, right? do you think J. Mascis would make a good president?

I thought I was gonna pick "Schizo" but I went with "Riot" whodathunkit

Schizophrenia > Brave Men Run in My Family > Teenage Riot > Dirty Boots > Free City Rhymes > Becuz > Reena > Pattern Recognition > Winner's Blues > The Empty Page > She's in a Bad Mood > Sacred Trickster > Tom Violence > 100% > Contre le sexisme

Switch "100%" and "Reena" and I'm down with this for the most part

People don't really talk about "Free City Rhymes" much, but it's one of my favorite SY songs.

Riot.

Was just thinking about this and I think it might be mainly because of how blown away I was when I first heard DN. I still remember everything about that moment and how in awe I was. It's still probably my favorite Sonic Youth album for that reason.

lol - Just saw Alfred's/Cankles' comments after typing that so yeah, I'm seconding Alfred's OTMness here.

4-way tie between Schizophrenia, Teenage Riot, Dirty Boots and Reena.

"Free City Rhymes" is pretty close actually. I forgot about that one.

i like pattern recognition, that would be my second choice after my vote (which is gonna have to be for teenage riot)

Went for Dirty Boots, and now I regret not going for Free City Rhymes. Schizophrenia and Teenage Riot, I think I've just heard too much to get all amped about them. Also because both of those albums only get better from there.

Why not...I'll go with Free City Rhymes too. It's underrated, and I'm kind of overexposed to all the other worthwhile candidates.

Went for Empty Page becuz I haven't been able to stop listening to it for months.

'Contre le sexisme' wll = 0

yeah i may have underrated it in my ranking by at least a couple spots, i've listened to it a lot lately

xpost

i wanna go w/"teenage riot" in memory of the zillions of times i played its 20 second cdnow clip as a teenager all "whoa dude this is WILD," but these days it's "bad mood" for me.

"Teenage Riot" is a great way to start a fantastic album but "Schizophrenia" has more.... something. The way those drums come in, oooo I like it.

"100%" def their worst opener though.

Hardly. It's a great introduction to Dirty and encapsulates the album very well.

Could've picked 7-8 of these any given day. Went for "The Empty Page."

"Youth Against Fascism" is a better opener.

Best Closing Track on a Sonic Youth Album

Can we let one Sonic Youth poll close before opening half-dozen more? It's kind of overkill.

These two are reasonably joined at the hip, though.

Yeah, I started the new thread just because the two topics are related, and I think running them in conjunction makes sense.

i went with "winner's blues". it's such a unique and mysterious intro for an album that doesn't get a
lot of love (and is probably my favorite). admittedly, though, it was very very difficult to not pick
"schizophrenia".

100% was the first SY I ever heard so its

Conjecture: People's favorite Sonic Youth album tends to be the first Sonic Youth album they've heard.

She's in a Bad Mood. The scariest by far. And the first SY song I ever heard. It goes right off the fretboard.

"Schizophrenia" is easily in my top 5 all-time SY

kinda boring but
Tom Violence
Schizophrenia
Teenage Riot
Dirty Boots
100%
might be my top 5 all-time SY songs!

Conjecture: People's favorite Sonic Youth album tends to be the first Sonic Youth album they've heard.

― bendy, Monday, July 27, 2009 2:31 PM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

eh, might hold true for some people, and I did vote for my first (Jet Set) in the 90s thread, but it's still maybe my 5th favorite overall.

Daydream was my first, and I'd put it behind Sister and Dirty now (maybe even Experimental, Washing, Nurse and Goo, depending on my mood).

Voted for Tom Violence. Amazing lyrics.

teenage riot is kind of boring, americans

Bad Mood

x-post - That's crazy talk.

yes, Teenage Riot is the opposite of boring.

Teenage Riot

Also went for "The Empty Page" but could easily have swung over to "Teenage Riot".

Going to amaze myself by picking "Teenage Riot" (though "Bad Mood" and "Schizophrenia" are close. And I also like "The Burning Spear" fwiw.)

I like "Schizophrenia" but it's not manic enough to be the best track on Sister so I voted "Brave Men Run".

This thread makes me want to listen to "Schizophrenia" - but I'm still voting for "Teenage Riot". ("Empty Page" is a good underrated later choice. "100%" and "Dirty Boots" are also pretty good.)

A CD80 mix out of these might be interesting.

Very good idea! A mix of the first songs from a lot of artist catalogs would be interesting. I wish Spotify was available in the US.

Into the Setting Sun

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Close.

OMG! Something from Daydream Nation won! Can ILM show itself in public anymore?

when its the only sonic youth album ppl own what do you expect! ;)

jesus why do so many people like "tom violence"

Do not understand why Brave Men Run did not win btw, my favourite SY song and an A+ opener

jesus why do so many people like "tom violence"

1) moody, unusual chord progression
2) great surreal lyrics, some of thurston's best imo
3) transition from noise interlude back into song is A+++++
4) perfect kickoff to an incredible album
5) subtle yet powerful, its domain is the pleasure of inexblicable longing

inexplicable, even

i didn't vote for it, but the return to songy structure from out of the noize section in "tom violence" is one of my favorite-ever SY moments

i didn't vote for it, but the return to songy structure from out of the noize section in "tom violence" is one of my favorite-ever SY moments

― pretzel walrus, Tuesday, August 4, 2009 11:20 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark

YES!

jesus why do so many people like "tom violence"

1) moody, unusual chord progression
2) great surreal lyrics, some of thurston's best imo
3) transition from noise interlude back into song is A+++++
4) perfect kickoff to an incredible album
5) subtle yet powerful, its domain is the pleasure of inexblicable longing

― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Tuesday, August 4, 2009 10:30 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

All I have to add to this is that the VOCAL MELODY is also A+++++.

Jesus why do so many people like "Rockin' All Over the World" "Teenage Riot"?

YES!

x-post Because it is AWESOME.

The little intro bit to Teenage Riot isn't bad, now that I hear it again. Grifters' "Daydream Riot" is probably better than anything on DN.

ok i "get" she's in a bad mood now