I call this record "Nap Time at the Old Folks Home"

I have somewhat mixed feelings about EJSTNS. I think that overall the album is weird because it's such a mix of their best (Bull In The Heather, Starfield Road, Doctor's Orders, Sweet Shine) and worst songs (I do not feel the need to list them). I can't say if Lee had contributed a song to the album that it would have made it better or worse as a whole. I think that Dirty is a masterpiece and very tight in terms of production (and I do not mean that in a bad way), as records that Butch Vig produces typically are. He did EJSTNS too and despite that the band was still working with Butch, the production was much looser, which is the album's strength in some songs and weakness in others.

I think a bit of context is necessary here. At the turn of the decade and the early '90s the band had embraced the vibe of Mudhoney and Nirvana and filtered it through its own glorious idiosincrasy, which of course produced Dirty, but the so-called "new mainstream" unwittingly unleashed by Nevermind's success was, what, at best 5% interesting and 95% execrable and excretable. Sonic Youth reacted to this cesspool's expansion by aiming for a kind of against the grain "art rock":


So, crunchy fuzzy straightforward stuff, out. Beginning the album with an all-acoustic song (!), in. Memorable conventional hooks, out — for the most part. Fractured non-verse-chorus-verse structures, in — for the most part. And, if I'm not mistaken, a policy of "first take best take" was adopted for at least a portion of the recordings. Does it ALL succeed? No, but this is what I'm getting at: Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star is the ultimate transitional Sonic Youth album, the critical first step (followed by less tentative, but in my opinion not fully realized either, moves with Washing Machine and the SYR EPs) in order to eventually reach superlative quality status again with A Thousand Leaves and the LPs from the Jim O'Rourke years, before taking another couple of brilliant (but not as dramatic) detours with Rather Ripped and The Eternal. All in all, a most certainly rewarding journey to follow, and despite a few subpar songs here and there, a journey from which I wouldn't remove a single release.

That's true.. ejstns > goo

You explained in few words why hardly anyone feels like chatting about SY on the forum and stick to limited editions and the torrents. Congratulations.

Are more words even necessary? And actually the Sonic Youth section is the only place where all kinds of new and different people post. Its the Ship Of Lost Souls aka the Honeybunch aka Non-Sonics where fresh blood is afraid to sacrifice themselves on the altars of our banality

No way. Goo is awesome compared to the bore that is EJST&NS.

Dirty Boots?
Mary Christ?
Mote? MOTE??????
Disappearer?
Mildred Pierce?


Those tunes alone blow anything on EJST&NS out of the water. turn it up loud.

MOTE is GOD

I know its an unpopular opinion and while technically the songs on Goo are "better" I find myself rarely listening to them. Of course this may just be because I lost my copy of Goo... actuly shit.. cinderella's big score. Titanium expose, mote... yeah I suppose my statement was a bit excessive. So Ejstns is back to the bottom of the pile

Just to piss people off here are my rankings.. 1) Sonic Nurse 2) A Thousand Leaves 3) Washing Machine 4) Day Dreamnation 5)Dirty 6)The Eternal 7) sister 8) goo 9) sonic death 10)evol 11)rather ripped 12) nyc ghosts &flowers 13) murray street 14) bad moon rising 15)ejtns

I like you suchfriends....but how dare you date dirty so high? Even above EVOL. That fucking record is essential as fuck. Steve's first album with sy and he ducking kills it!!!! The songs are 10 times better and the sound actually has an aura unlike dirty which sounds cheesy(for sy at least.)

Rankings are personal and irrelevant.

i like ejstns. pity there is no Lee song + weird. probably genetic track aftermath?

Sorry evol, I just really like dirty, its always been one,of my all time favorite records

Dirty Boots and Mary Christ are the beginning of the Thurston wackness that lead to what we have now

title of next Thurston album: The Wackness

EJST&NS gets little play at my house these days, but Sweet Shine is extraordinary, maybe have to revisit soonish

This and everything you said following was perfectly put. I have always thought this, and you put my thoughts into words perfectly. Just thought I should let you know...

Hmm! well,
Washing Machine feels a lot about being between worlds or in multiple worlds , whether creatively, or how our minds and perceptual dimensions have many dimensions.

Saucer-Like must have had an extra element to surprise listeners who had been following for a while and wondering whether Lee would vocally lead a song on the new record. many songs do, but it really feels like a unique bridge between the two albums, and there are these feelings of returning from a long journey mentally and physically with new knowledge and perspectives!

Sometimes a simple ''it's awesome!'' will do.

"Androgynous Mind" is one of the best SY songs ever.

This, this, and more this.