[GeneticKiss]

Here's the challenge: create a best-of collection like Rhino used to. 25 songs, but it doesn't have to fit on an actual CD.


Rules:


1. Main albums only, so no B-sides (which will exclude my favorite SY track and the origin of my username), SYR, or tracks created for special purposes (like soundtracks, which will exclude one of my favorite SY mood pieces, "Blink"). EP tracks are OK, as most of those songs got included as part of reissues.



2. This is a Sonic Youth ONLY collection, so no collaborations or solo releases.


Guidelines:


1. You can go chronologically or arrange it like an album.


2. They made 13 main albums, so that gives a little leeway on how many tracks to include from each album, but you don't have to include something from every album if you don't want to.


I'll start:


1. (She's In A) Bad Mood
2. Brave Men Run
3. Death Valley '69
4. Expressway to Yr Skull
5. Stereo Sanctity
6. Pipeline/Kill Time
7. Kotton Krown
8. Silver Rocket
9. Cross the Breeze
10. Eric's Trip
11. Kool Thing
12. 100%
13. Bull in the Heather
14. Androgynous Mind
15. Junkie's Promise
16. The Diamond Sea
17. Sunday
18. Free City Rhymes
19. Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)
20. Rain on Tin
21. Karen Revisited
22. Pattern Recognition
23. Rats
24. No Way
25. Massage the History

[NYCgaf16]

CONFUSION IS BAD MOON SPINNING IN WASHING MACHINE VOL.1

1. Brother James
2. Brave Men Run (In My Family)
3. I Love Her All The Time
4. I'm Insane
5. Death Valley '69
6. Halloween
7. Pacific Coast Highway
8. Stereo Sanctity
9. Master-Dik (EP version)
10. 'Cross The Breeze
11. Providence
12. Rain King
13. Eliminator Jr.
14. Kool Thing
15. Mote
16. Disappearer
17. SCooter + Jinx
18. Green Light
19. Starpower
20. Death To Our Friends
21. Starfield Road
22. Washing Machine
23. Junkie's Promise
b0nu5 tr4x
24. Titanium Expose
25. Expwy To Yr. Skull

CONFUSION IS BAD MOON SPINNING IN WASHING MACHINE VOL.2

1. Marilyn Moore
2. Screaming Skull
3. Shoot
4. Purr
5. The Burning Spear
6. INNNNNHHUUUUUUUMAAAAAAAANNN
7. Wildflower Soul
8. French Tickler
9. Hits Of Sunshine
10. Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)
11. Karen Revisited
12. Panty Lies
13. Pattern Recognition
14. Stones
15. Dripping Dream
16. New Hampshire
17. I Love You Golden Blue
18. Antenna
19. No Way
20. High Mesa
21. Theme 1 Take 4
22. Wolf
23. NYC Ghosts & Flowers
b0nu5 tr4x
24. Snare Girl
25. Peace Attack

i will do like some liner notes later or smthn. maybe a cover too

[Antagon]

That's a herculean task. And subject to personal preference, hence much debate.


And it would be tough to pick out single tracks off BMR due to the seemless structure courtesy of the segues.

[_tunic_]

I will not make a top 25 of favorite SY songs without Anagrama! That's blasphemy

[shallow27]

01. The Sprawl
02. Theresa's Sound-World
03. I Love Her All the Time
04. Kotton Krown
05. Stereo Sanctity
06. Washing Machine
07. Beauty Lies in the Eye
08. Karen Koltrane
09. Starpower
10. Confusion Is Next
11. Early American
12. Brother James
13. Brave Men Run (In My Family)
14. Free City Rhymes
15. Rain King
16. Death to Our Friends
17. Halloween
18. Titanium Exposé
19. No Queen Blues
20. Shaking Hell
21. Hyperstation
22. The Good and the Bad
23. Tuck n Dar
24. Expressway to Yr. Skull
25. On the Strip

[GeneticKiss]

Originally Posted by Antagon

That's a herculean task. And subject to personal preference, hence much debate.

Well yeah, hence the word "challenge" in the thread title. I had originally made it much harder by adding a guideline about representing Lee-sung songs equally alongside Thurston- and Kim-sung, but then I realized the songs they sing on outnumber his 10:1.


The idea is to structure it in the same way as a typical "Greatest Hits" collection to give someone new to the band a taste of their overall sound. Anything beyond that would be overwhelming to the uninitiated. I included "The Diamond Sea", but I'm thinking of the shortened single edit.


Sacrifices will need to be made. I originally included "Halloween", "Kill Yr Idols" and more tracks off EVOL, but I started running out of room for the later albums. Since I am a "rock guy" at heart, I wanted to include more tracks off Goo and Dirty, but I felt just having "Kool Thing" and "100%" represented their "hard alternative rock" phase well enough. I also ended up under-representing A Thousand Leaves and NYC Ghosts & Flowers since I have yet to get copies of those albums and have only heard a handful of tracks off them.

And it would be tough to pick out single tracks off BMR due to the seemless structure courtesy of the segues.

Just fade "Brave Men Run" out as the Metal Machine Music loop kicks in. The album slams right into "Death Valley '69" and the song has a definitive ending.

[matmosphere]

I think the title of mine would be something like

Eternal, Daydream Sister, Confusion, and No Star