Search - Sonic Youth :: Goo

Ruth F. (GospelQueen) from RALEIGH, NC
Reviewed on 8/9/2006...

Purchased it on a whim, not my style of music

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

New word for Orwell: Doubleplusgoo!

Scott Bresinger | New York, USA | 04/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This would be album number six (depending on your counting method) by the Greatest American Rock Band of the last 25 years. This particular edition is a super-deluxe two-disc reissue of the album. whether you're a fan of the original version or a curious newcomer, this is definitely the version to get, unless you have budgetary concerns, in which case the original will do just fine. Still, my motto is: "if you're going to go for it, go all the way!" I realize that's a moronic cliche, but in a country in which morons like Kevin Federline are more famous than Sonic Youth, sometimes it's rewarding to dumb down. I'll save the lecture about the ethical implications stemming from this for later. Now's the time for "Goo."



"Goo" found the band at the apex of their "pop culture can be fun" phase from the late 80's/early 90's, when they started dressing more fashionably (well, at least Kim Gordon did) and started storming MTV and the then-burgeoning alt-rock radio format. It's also no coincidence that "Goo" was also the band's official major label debut ("Daydream Nation," which was released by the indie Enigma, had major label distribution). Thus begun their long association with DGC, an album that at one point was rumored to be called, um, a slang term also known as a "Lewinsky." The music was also getting slightly poppier as well. Of course, for Sonic Youth, "pop" meant taking a standard verse-chorus-verse structure and slathering it with their trademark oddly-tuned and feedback-spewing guitars. They also embraced pop-cultural themes, or at least those that resonated with them. The album's lead single, "Kool Thing" reflected Kim's post-feminist fascination with the male bravado of hip-hop. LL Kool J is referenced ("Kool thing/walking like a panther") and Public Enemy's Chuck D does a calculatedly brief guest vocal. Then there's "Tunic (Song For Karen)," about the late pop idol Karen Carpenter, who died from complications from anorexia. Rather than being a snide hipster mock-fest, it's sympathetic to her life and situation. Later on, the band would record a cover of "Superstar" that was surprisingly restrained and touching (alas, it's not included here, but you can find it, along with videos for every "Goo" song, on the DVD collection "Corporate Ghost," which makes a fine companion to this release). Elsewhere, you'll find "Dirty Boots," one of Thurston's most accesible rockers, and the classic Hollywood inspired throwaway "Mildred Pierce" (the video for which features A-list director Sofia Coppola years before her big breakthrough). Lee Ranaldo's "Mote" is surely one of his best songs, and was to be the only one of his tracks to make the finished album.



Which is part of the reason disc two is so essential. Here you'll find an unfinished Ranaldo track, as well as "I Know There's An Answer," a shockingly reverent Beach Boys cover. Most important of all, however, is the original 8-track demos the band recorded for "Goo." These have been heavily bootlegged by fans--if internet file-sharing services had been around at the time, this material would have been swapped around like Fiona Apple's "Extraordinary Machine." What you have here is essentially an alternate version of the entire album in a much more raw, and rowdier, form. Although the songs are mostly the same as the ones on the final product, these live-in-the-studio takes ooze more feedback and grit, and the vocals are more tossed-off and almost buried in the mix. This, my friends, is the real "dirty." To be honest, and speaking as a huge slobbering Sonic Youth junkie, I kind of prefer this version, which in sound quality also compares with what I consider the band's best work, "Sister." The one (very slight) drawback is the track order, which is completely different than the "official" version. I guess that's only a problem if you're an anal retentive freak like yours truly, and CD'S are, of course, programmable.



The deluxe package also includes an expanded booklet with photos not in the original package (check out Thurston rockin' a Roland Kirk t-shirt!) and an essay by music critic/SY friend Byron Coley. Sorry kids, no lyrics, but those are, as always, on the band's extensive and very cool web site. While the price may be a bit high (compare, if you will, with the just-as-overloaded reissue of Pavement's classic "Slanted & Enchanted"), the reward is well worth it. So is the hearing loss you'll experience when you play it as loud as it should."

Review from Synthesis

Synthesis_jason | Chico, CA | 10/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Released in June of 1990 as the follow-up to Daydream Nation - the album that placed Sonic Youth at the top of the late `80s independent rock scene - Goo was the band's major label debut with Geffen. Given the Deluxe Edition treatment, this pivotal work is now available in a remastered form with bonus tracks and a second disc of extras.

The original album - nicely freshened up by John Golden - is strung together with heavy doses of Sonic Youth's signature dissonance; however, the bizarre tunings and jagged distortion are crammed into tight song structures, making this one of their most accessible efforts. Essential tracks like "Dirty Boots," "Mote" and "Kool Thing" (featuring Public Enemy's Chuck D) may be dated, but remain potent, assaulting rock clichés with an art-school cynicism.

The Deluxe Edition package includes widely bootlegged 8-track demos from Goo featuring Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis and a handful of unreleased tracks. The demos aren't wildly different than the finished product, but they do provide a more immediate and raw take on the songs. And of the previously unreleased material, only "Lee #2" - a stripped down, poetic outtake written and sung by guitarist Lee Ranaldo - is particularly noteworthy. However, the liner notes make for a good read, providing a nice snapshot of the group at that tumultuous time in pop music history.

Goo may not be Sonic Youth's best, but it's undoubtedly an important album in their career and proves that an experimental underground band could make the major label jump without sacrificing their credibility. For that reason alone, it's nice to see Goo get paid the respect it deserves.



James Barone

Synthesis.net"