Sonic Youth is fuckin amazing!

[Leatherhead]

I'm about 4 songs into Goo, this is the first time I've ever listened to the album and only the second Sonic Youth album I've ever listened to.

[WaitingForBluey]

I'm about 4 songs into Goo, this is the first time I've ever listened to the album and only the second Sonic Youth album I've ever listened to.

Not a bad "gateway" album. You'll probably want to move forward to Dirty next, or backward to Daydream Nation.

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[matt reeder]

I'm about 4 songs into Goo, this is the first time I've ever listened to the album and only the second Sonic Youth album I've ever listened to.

Not a bad "gateway" album. You'll probably want to move forward to Dirty next, or backward to Daydream Nation.

Sister, Washing Machine, Murray Street or Sonic Nurse are also good choices if you want to hear something else.

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

[Brett]

I categorize SY records into six distinct types:

1. The early stuff is punk rock meets art rock, with a lot of cool guitar leads and shitty sounding drums (EVOL, Sister, Bad Moon Rising).

2. The moody, Glenn Branca-inspired ones with big, rich chords and a lot of drone notes (Daydream Nation and Goo).

3. The scuzzy grunge period with smaller chords and more raunch on the mix (Dirty, EJST&NS, Washing Machine).

4. The Jim O'Rourke era, with more dynamic songs, some astoundingly beautiful guitar parts, and more inventive and muted drum work (Murray St, Sonic Nurse, A Thousand Leaves)

5. SY as legacy act, in which they mine their entire catalog and distill it into something easily digestible (Rather Ripped and The Eternal).

6. The super experimental ones, in which all bets are off (Made In the USA, the SYR releases, NYC Ghosts & Flowers)

That's neat that you took the time to do that. I think Murray Street is the only Sonic Youth album I've heard in full, and I quite like it, but have never attempted to go any further because of the size of their discography. Knowing what albums sort of "fit" together would be a helpful resource if I ever do decide to take them on.

[matt reeder]

I categorize SY records into six distinct types:

1. The early stuff is punk rock meets art rock, with a lot of cool guitar leads and shitty sounding drums (EVOL, Sister, Bad Moon Rising).

2. The moody, Glenn Branca-inspired ones with big, rich chords and a lot of drone notes (Daydream Nation and Goo).

3. The scuzzy grunge period with smaller chords and more raunch on the mix (Dirty, EJST&NS, Washing Machine).

4. The Jim O'Rourke era, with more dynamic songs, some astoundingly beautiful guitar parts, and more inventive and muted drum work (Murray St, Sonic Nurse, A Thousand Leaves)

5. SY as legacy act, in which they mine their entire catalog and distill it into something easily digestible (Rather Ripped and The Eternal).

6. The super experimental ones, in which all bets are off (Made In the USA, the SYR releases, NYC Ghosts & Flowers)

This is pretty much on the money, but a couple of notes:
1. Do Sonic Youth and Confusion Is Sex fit into the first narrative?
4. Jim wasn't in the band when they made A Thousand Leaves, but otherwise this is correct. ATL is actually sort of an outlier in their discography; they never really did anything else like it. I'd fit it more into your sixth category.

[matt reeder]

Also, Bad Moon Rising is incredible. I've never heard anything else like it by anybody, and learning to really love it has broadened my appreciation not just for Sonic Youth but for a lot of really experimental shit.

It helps that this, their last New York show, became a top 2/3 Sonic Youth bootleg as soon as I heard it: http://www.nyctaper.com/2011/08/sonic-y ... ing-songs/

[bada]

Bad Moon Rising was my first SY album. The first four songs rocked my world. I was like "society really is a hole!".

[VinylGuy]

I love the Jim phase. Mainly because the first time that i saw them was with Jim. And because i love Gastr del sol.

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[Leatherhead]

I'm about 4 songs into Goo, this is the first time I've ever listened to the album and only the second Sonic Youth album I've ever listened to.

What's the other one?

First one was Dirty. Finished Goo, I quite liked it, but I'm still not sure how I feel about Kim Gordon's vocals, I don't dislike them. Think I'm going to go to Daydream Nation next. I have a feeling I'm going to like trag's 1st and 3rd categories of SY albums the most.

[tragabigzanda]

[VinylGuy]

Steve Shelly must be one of the best drummers period.

[matt reeder]

Here's yr bootmix. I decided not to make artwork as I just have too much stuff to do.

The tracklist, again:
====================
SONIC YOUTH
Death to Our Friends [1981 - 2011]
Seven Sick Discs

Disc 1: 1981 - 1985
01 - The Good and the Bad [New York rehearsals, 7-XX-1981]
02 - Where the Red Fern Grows [New York, 7-XX-1981]
03 - Burning Spear [New York Rehearsal, 7-XX-1981]
04 - She's In A Bad Mood [Carrboro, 11-14-1982]
05 - Confusion Is Next [Carrboro, 11-14-1982]
06 - Shaking Hell [Dearborn, 12-12-1982]
07 - The World Looks Red [Vienna, 6-23-1983]
08 - Halloween [Amsterdam, 3-31-1985]
09 - Death Valley '69 [Amsterdam, 3-31-1985]
10 - Brave Men Run (In My Family) [Amsterdam, 3-31-1985]
11 - I Love Her All the Time [Amsterdam, 3-31-1985]
12 - Brother James [VPRO-FM, 4-01-1985]
13 - Flower [VPRO-FM, 4-01-1985]
14 - Kill Yr Idols [VPRO-FM, 4-01-1985]
15 - Satan is Boring [Amsterdam, 3-31-1985]

Disc 2: 1986 - 1989
01 - Expressway To Yr Skull [demo from 1985 broadcast on John Peel, 5-18-1986]
02 - White Kross [Washington, 7-25-1986]
03 - Shadow of a Doubt [Washington, 7-25-1986]
04 - Starpower [Washington, 7-25-1986]
05 - Death to Our Friends [Washington, 7-25-1986]
06 - Green Light [Washington, 7-25-1986]
07 - Beauty Lies in the Eye [VPRO-FM, 6-10-1987]
08 - Kotton Krown [VPRO-FM, 6-10-1987]
09 - Stereo Sanctity [VPRO-FM, 6-10-1987]
10 - Schizophrenia [Chapel Hill, 9-15-1987]
11 - Tom Violence [Chapel Hill, 9-15-1987]
12 - Tuff Gnarl [Chapel Hill, 9-15-1987]
13 - The Sprawl [Washington, 12-11-1988]
14 - Cross the Breeze [Washington, 12-11-1988]
15 - Ruben's Beard [BBC Session, 3-12-1989]
16 - Major Label Chicken Feed [BBC Session, 3-12-1989]
17 - Hey Joni [Washington, 12-11-1988]
18 - Kissability [Washington, 12-11-1988]
19 - The Wonder [Vienna, 3-29-1989]
20 - Hyperstation [Vienna, 3-29-1989]
21 - Eliminator Jr [New York, 12-13-1988]

Disc 3: 1990 - 1993
01 - Teenage Riot [Bremen, 8-27-1991]
02 - Burning Spear [Peel Session, 7-20-1992]
03 - Kill Yr Idols [Irvine, 11-03-1990]
04 - Silver Rocket [Irvine, 11-03-1990]
05 - Genetic [Binghamton, 10-17-1992]
06 - Dirty Boots [Bremen, 8-27-1991]
07 - Youth Against Fascism [Peel Session, 7-20-1992]
08 - 100% [Melbourne, 1-24-1993]
09 - Kool Thing [Melbourne, 1-24-1993]
10 - The World Looks Red [Berlin, 9-16-1990]
11 - Mote [Bremen, 8-27-1991]
12 - Candle [Lisbon, 7-14-1993]
13 - Stereo Sanctity [Lisbon, 7-14-1993]
14 - Sugar Kane [Rennes, 12-04-1992]
15 - Purr [Peel Session, 7-20-1992]
16 - Theresa's Sound World [London, 12-14-1992]
17 - Creme Brulee [Peel Session, 7-20-1992]
18 - Expressway To Yr Skull [Bremen, 8-27-1991]

Disc 4: 1994 - 1999
01 - Stil [Sessions at West 54th, 6-12-1997]
02 - Bull In The Heather [Tibetan Freedom Concert, 6-16-1996]
03 - Starfield Road [Tilburg, 3-18-1996]
04 - Washing Machine [Tilburg, 3-18-1996]
05 - interview [MTV Studios, 4-15-1996]
06 - Junkie's Promise [MTV Studios, 4-15-1996]
07 - Saucer-Like [MTV Studios, 4-15-1996]
08 - Becuz [MTV Studios, 4-15-1996]
09 - Self-Obsessed and Sexxee [Jon Stewart Show, 9-16-1994]
10 - Hits of Sunshine [West 54th Street, 6-12-1997]
11 - Shadow of a Doubt [Los Angeles, 5-29-1998]
12 - Karen Koltrane [Los Angeles, 5-29-1998]
13 - Blonde Redhead [Lisbon, 2-19-1999]
14 - Skip Tracer [Tilburg, 3-18-1996]
15 - The Diamond Sea [Sydney, 12-31-1995]

Disc 5: 2000 - 2005
01 - Kotton Krown [Toronto, 8-15-2002]
02 - Kissibility [Toronto, 8-15-2002]
03 - The Empty Page [Last Call, 9-26-2002]
04 - Pattern Recognition [Saint Brieuc, 6-03-2005]*
05 - Unmade Bed [Saint Brieuc, 6-03-2005]*
06 - 100% [Last Call, 9-26-2002]
07 - Eric's Trip [Toronto, 8-15-2002]
08 - Rain On Tin [Seattle, 9-01-2002]
09 - Radical Adults Lick Godhead Style [Toronto, 8-15-2002]
10 - Stones [Boston, 8-14-2004]
11 - I Love You Golden Blue [Boston, 8-14-2004]
12 - She Is Not Alone [Ghent, 6-10-2001]
13 - Nevermind [Conan O'Brien, 7-18-2000]
14 - Drunken Butterfly [Toronto, 8-15-2002]
15 - Making the Nature Scene [Toronto, 8-15-2002]

Disc 6: 2006 - 2011
01 - Brave Men Run [Brooklyn, 8-12-2011]
02 - Death Valley '69 [Brooklyn, 8-12-2011]
03 - No Way [L'Album de la Semaine, 10-27-2009]
04 - Sacred Trickster [L'Album de la Semaine, 10-27-2009]
05 - Incinerate [From the Basement, 8-23-2007]*
06 - Hey Joni [From the Basement, 8-23-2007]*
07 - Leaky Lifeboat (For Gregory Corso) [L'Album de la Semaine, 10-27-2009]
08 - What We Know [L'Album de la Semaine, 10-27-2009]
09 - Shaking Hell [Portland, 7-01-2006]
10 - Jams Run Free [From the Basement, 8-23-2007]*
11 - The Sprawl [From the Basement, 8-23-2007]*
12 - Poison Arrow [L'Album de la Semaine, 10-27-2009]
13 - Starfield Road [Sao Paolo, 11-14-2011]*
14 - Flower [Sao Paolo, 11-14-2011]*
15 - Pink Steam [From the Basement, 8-23-2007]*
16 - Teenage Riot [Sao Paolo, 11-14-2011]*

Disc 7: Outtakes and Oddities
01 - Schizophrenia [Melbourne, 1-24-1993]
02 - Catholic Block [Chapel Hill, 9-15-1987]
03 - Pacific Coast Highway [Chapel Hill, 9-15-1987]
04 - Brother James [Bremen, 8-27-1991]
05 - Shoot [Binghamton, 10-17-1992]
06 - Anagrama [Sessions at West 54th, 6-12-1997]
07 - Screaming Skull (Rap Damage Version) [Jet Set Rough Mix]*
08 - Swimsuit Issue [NYC, 7-04-1992]
09 - Karenology [Toronto, 8-15-2002]
10 - White Kross [Bremen, 8-27-1991]
11 - Unwind [New York, 10-20-1995]
12 - Corporate Ghost [BBC Session, 3-20-1989]
13 - Total Trash [Stratford-upon-Avon, 7-16-1993]
14 - Skink [Tilburg, 3-18-1996]
15 - Expressway To Yr Skull [Boston, 8-14-2004]

All tracks from lossless sources except for tracks marked with a *. These tracks have no lossless source circulating.
====================================
Feel free to make artwork, distribute how you see fit, make mp3s for personal use, etc. Just don't sell it and always give people the option of lossless.

As for why track X / Y / Z made it or didn't make it...well, I did the best with what I had.

[makeshift]

thanks dude. rocking disc 5

[Birds in Hell]

Thanks Matt!

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

MEGA doesn't work with Internet Explorer. So I have to install a new browser to download it. Wonderful.