GIVING IT EVERYTHING

Its now the best part of 30 years since Sonic Youth began to make music. They're yet another act who have never appear to have been all that bothered about breaking into the mainstream or even enjoying moderate chart success, even when during the 90s they were on the roster of Geffen Records, part of the giant MCA media operations.

According to wikipedia, the band's discography includes 16 studio albums, seven extended plays, three compilation albums, seven video releases, 21 singles, 46 music videos, eight releases in the Sonic Youth Recordings series, eight official bootlegs, and contributions to 16 soundtracks and other compilations. Highly impressive numbers, and surely among all that there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy.

I don't call myself a fan of Sonic Youth - I'm not like Mike over at Manic Pop Thrills who probably owns just about everything they have released and has caught them live on several occasions. So he is the best person I know to direct your detailed questions on the band. But I do own a couple of albums and a few years ago I picked up a copy of the DVD compilation of the videos they have made over the years to go with the various singles from the 90s.

If chart success is anything to go by, then the 1992 LP Dirty would be as good a place to start as any if you want to buy something. Especially if you're even remotely fond of the work of Nirvana.

Dirty was produced by Butch Vig, who was of course at the helm of Nevermind. Dirty, unlike any other Sonic Youth LP spawned four singles, two of which made the Top 30 in the UK charts.

This was the lead-off single and opening track on the LP:-

mp3 : Sonic Youth - 100%
mp3 : Sonic Youth - Creme Brulee
mp3 : Sonic Youth - Genetic
mp3 : Sonic Youth - Hendrix Necro

Released in July 1992, it peaked at #28 in the UK, and provided the band with their biggest ever success in their homeland with a #4 placing on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. While this was impressive enough for a band that had always been cult more than anything else, it was probably a disappointment to the label bosses who reckoned Sonic Youth were the next in line to make the crossover to mass popularity and millions of sales the world over.

The video was one of the first to be made by acclaimed director and occasional actor Spike Jonze.



Two and a half minutes that did more to glamorise skateboarding than just about anything else and thus made walking around pedestrianised areas in city centres a dangerous occupation forever more.

But you gotta admit its a cracking tune.