Disc of the day
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
Features Disc of the day
Sonic Youth
Goo
(Geffen, 1990)
SY’s major label debut. Now officially ‘cool’.
On my way to work this morning I saw Ramond Pettibon’s sleeve for Goo on a t-shirt in the window of Urban Outfitters (£32!) They aren’t the first band to be co-opted by high street fashion of course: The Stones and Ramones are Top Shop staples, The Specials are on the same rails as SY and let’s not forget renowned situationist David Beckham’s bejewelled Crass shirt. What this barometer of cool reminds us is that nearly 20 years from it’s release in 1990 *Goo remains a milestone of underground rock; a record that forecast the coming tidal wave of mainstream alt-rock and paved the way for Nirvana to sign to Geffen. On the major’s budget Sonic Youth recorded Goo live in a 48-track studio, which was more problematic than liberating, according to Kim Gordon in MOJO 143. And while Goo may not have the disturbed force of it’s predecessor Daydream Nation, what it lacks in musical chaos it makes up for in sheer weight of tunes. There will always be those who hear Goo’s more accessible songs as Daydream-lite but for those of us coming off the back of twee ‘80s indie they were a revelation. The opening triptych remains staggering: Dirty Boots breakneck charge into Kim’s ghostly turn as Karen Carpenter on Tunic, shivery and beautiful. Then Mary-Christ’s fuzzy, back-beat driven pop. Next up was the single, Kool Thing and Kim’s laconic taunting of guest vocalist Chuck D (standing in for the song’s unnamed subject, LL Cool J) that took them in to the living rooms of MTV generation. The band are on record now as being unhappy with how Goo turned out but for a generation of indie kids it turned on a light and illuminated bands like Husker Dü and Minutemen we might never have heard otherwise.
Jenny Bulley
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 10/09/2008
Further Listening
Dinosaur Jr - You’re Living All Over Me (Sweet Nothing, 1987)
Husker Dü - New Day Rising (SST, 1985)
Pixies - Doolittle (4AD, 1989)
Previous Disc of the day
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Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
6:00 AM GMT 18/03/2010
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Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
Essence De Choogle from John Fogerty and crew. Badass!
9:54 AM GMT 17/03/2010
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The The - Soul Mining
Matt Johnson's self-excoriating - but tunepacked! -classic.
6:00 AM GMT 16/03/2010
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Various Artists - Axe Attack Vol II
Metal Britannica inspires MOJO metal amnesty. Studded leather wristbands aloft!
2:32 AM GMT 12/03/2010
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The Pop Group - Y
For connoisseurs of pop-as-rupture-in-the-space/time-continuum
6:00 AM GMT 11/03/2010
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Comments
Comment on this post
Wow! First the Fall and now Sonic Youth on album of the day. This is all good stuff. Keep it going like this.
Incidentally, I've had a SY Goo t-shirt for years and it cost me less than a tenner. Ha! Ha Ha!
Posted by Simon F at 5:26 PM GMT 10/09/2008 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Wow! First the Fall and now Sonic Youth on album of the day. This is all good stuff. Keep it going like this.
Incidentally, I've had a SY Goo t-shirt for years and it cost me less than a tenner. Ha! Ha Ha!
Posted by Simon F at 5:27 PM GMT 10/09/2008 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Comment on this post