[d.sound]

1 diamond sea (lp version)
2 becuz
3 washing machine
4 saucer-like
5 unwind
6 no queen blues
7 little trouble girl
8 skip tracer
9 panty lies
10 junkie's promise

[mil_pl]

01 The Diamond Sea
02 No Queen Blues
03 Saucer-Like
04 Becuz
05 Skip Tracer
06 Unwind
07 Little Trouble Girl
08 Junkies Promise
09 Washing Machine
10 Panty Lies (I never listen this track)

[shallow27]

In this case not agree... 'The Diamond Sea' isn't for me one of the best 'jam-based' songs in their career, kinda boring... though it's a good ending track, I always skip 'little trouble girl' (sorry what's that... doesn't fit); I don't understand why 'junkie's promise' is so down, it rocks, my favourite one anyway is 'washing machine', a great psych-trip tune.

[Peterpuff]

01. Unwind (an all-time favorite in general)
02. Saucer-Like
03. Skip Tracer
04. Washing Machine
05. Panty Lies
06. Untitled
07. Little Trouble Girl
08. Becuz
09. The Diamond Sea
10. No Queen Blues
11. Junkie's Promise

This was surprisingly tough for me. I absolutely adore this album.

[greenlight]

impossible, as this would be one of my fav., if not the fav. album. every track is so damn good.

there is only one track I don't have to and that is Little Trouble Girl. I would always skip it.

great album.

[zelocia]

1. The Diamond Sea
2. Skip Tracer
3. Becuz / Untitled
4. No Queen Blues
5. Junkie's Promise
6. Unwind
7. Saucer-Like
8. Little Trouble Girl
9. Washing Machine
10. Panty Lies

"The Diamond Sea" is arguably my favorite Sonic Youth song so it was a no-brainer to put that one first. Most of what I love about it is Thurston's lyrics and voice. It is true they had better "jam-based" songs in their career, but "The Diamond Sea" contains some of the best lyrics that Thurston has ever written, in my opinion.

I put "Becuz" and "Untitled" together because "Untitled" is technically a section of "Becuz" (as at least some of you might know) that their record label made the band shorten so the first track on the album was more "accessible." I think it's a complete travesty that that had to happen, but "Becuz" is by far my favorite Kim song on Washing Machine anyway.

[Toxa]

1. unwind
2. becuz + becuz coda
3. saucer-like
4. the diamond sea
5. skip tracer
6. panty lies
7. washing machine
8. little trouble girl
9. no queen blues
10. junkie's promise

[guest]

holy shiet this is tough

1. diamond sea.
2. washing machine
3. becuz
4. saucer-like
5. little trouble girl
6. skip tracer
7. unwind
8. junkie's promise
9. panty lies.
10. no queen blues

[shallow27]

Originally Posted by zelocia

It is true they had better "jam-based" songs in their career, but "The Diamond Sea" contains some of the best lyrics that Thurston has ever written, in my opinion.

Surely you're right but english is not my first language and obviously I don't pay attention to that like you could do, anyway I'm pretty sure SY was not a 'lyric' band, their music can be 'understood' by itself (indeed in some eras they played songs live with no lyrics, prior to the complete production etc...)

'Washing Machine' rocks but 'A Thousand Leaves' was their peak for me in the 90's (and forgetting the 'grunge' scene for defining their music, they never were a 'grunge' band)

[greenlight]

to see Junkie's Promise and No Queen Blues on the bottom of your lists is just not fair. NQB?!

[zelocia]

Originally Posted by shallow27

Surely you're right but english is not my first language and obviously I don't pay attention to that like you could do, anyway I'm pretty sure SY was not a 'lyric' band, their music can be 'understood' by itself (indeed in some eras they played songs live with no lyrics, prior to the complete production etc...)

'Washing Machine' rocks but 'A Thousand Leaves' was their peak for me in the 90's (and forgetting the 'grunge' scene for defining their music, they never were a 'grunge' band)

With music in general I am very much a lyrics person. I think Thurston, Lee and Kim each have their own very unique way with words, and that is one of my favorite aspects about the band. I think that Sonic Youth was a lyric band in various ways. Thurston originally came to New York to be a poet anyway. Lee is more of a singer/songwriter type. Kim brought something very different lyrically to the band, because she wrote some great lyrics most of the time and her approach was unconventional.

I agree that A Thousand Leaves is better than Washing Machine, and obviously they were almost completely separate from the "grunge scene" (with the exception being that they toured with a lot of the "grunge" bands). I think their best work of the 90's is Goo and Dirty, but I greatly appreciate A Thousand Leaves.

Originally Posted by greenlight

to see Junkie's Promise and No Queen Blues on the bottom of your lists is just not fair. NQB?!

I agree. I love No Queen Blues and Junkie's Promise (especially the former). I am partial to Thurston's songs no matter the context of the Sonic Youth era and/or album in question.

[Mortte Jousimo]

1. Diamond Sea
2. Saucer-Like
3. Unwind
4. Skip Tracer
5. Washing Machine
6. No Queen Blues
7. Junkie´s Promise
8. Little Trouble Girl
9. Panty Lies
10. Becuz

These all songs are just absolutely great! This is those full perfect albums, just like EVOL & ATL. Becuz is final in my list just because I didn´t at first like it, I thought they´ve continued not so good experimental-album direction. But when Junkie came, I thought "Oh yes, this album is something different than experimental!"

[Mortte Jousimo]

BTW Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar has said SY members braindead. Well he seem to be sucker all the way, and this comment was also bitterness, when Bowie asked SY play with him in his 50th birthday party, but not Alomar.

[_slavo_]

1 skip tracer
2 becuz
3 diamond sea
4 panty lies
5 unwind
6 saucer-like
7 washing machine
8 little trouble girl
9 no queen blues
10 junkie's promise

I don't get how panty lies gets such a bad rep. It's a very unique song, even for SY standards.

[guest]

I honestly don't dislike any of these songs at all, such a consistent record and outside of that top three the rankings are pretty arbitrary...

[d.sound]

the music part of panty lies is really great. i think most people have a hard time w kim's delivery, which i did for years. i appreciate the song now, but it's certainly a grower.

[Mortte Jousimo]

Panty Lies has never been my favourite on Washing Machine. But anyway it´s great song, lot better than for example Hot Wire, Eric´s Trip, Kool Thing.

[Peterpuff]

Junkie's Promise for me...
I got into SY with EJST&NS. I started getting into a few of the back catalog albums throughout the next year. WM was my first "new" SY album. To me, Thurston's past songs were always lyrically very abstract and fun, but Junkie's Promise was too serious. I just thought the rhymes were also really cheesy and simple. It felt stock and too "try-hard." Plus, the whole idea of "was this about Kurt or not about Kurt" mystique turned me off on it. I love the song itself, just think the lyrics are total shit.

Pantie Lies...
(I have said this before on these forums) But I always felt Panties Lies was the PERFECT musically thematic counterpart to Androgynous Mind, which had become one of my favorite songs on EJST&NS. Felt this from the very first listen and have always, always had a soft spot for it as well. Has some great Lee playing on it, imo.

[zelocia]

Originally Posted by d.sound

the music part of panty lies is really great. i think most people have a hard time w kim's delivery, which i did for years. i appreciate the song now, but it's certainly a grower.

I would agree that her delivery is a problem, but the lyrics to that song are also garbage in my opinion.

I only enjoy the "Shoo-pahs."

[Peterpuff]

Originally Posted by zelocia

I would agree that her delivery is a problem, but the lyrics to that song are also garbage in my opinion.

I only enjoy the "Shoo-pahs."

Very fair.

edit: And totally odd and contradictory that this argument does not hold for Pantie Lies like it does for Junkie's Promise for me. I guess I just saw this falling more in line with what I knew of "Kim songs" at the time, opposed to JP and past "Thurston songs."