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Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth Enigma, October, 1988 Track Listing: 1. Teenage Riot, 2. Silver Rocket, 3. The Sprawl, 4. ’Cross the Breeze, 5. Eric’s Trip, 6. Total Trash, 7. Hey Joni, 8. Providence, 9. Candle, 10. Rain King, 11. Trilogy: a) The Wonder, b) Hyperstation, c) Eliminator Jr. The first time I heard Sonic Youth was two years after Daydream Nation was released. I was in the third row of a Neil Young & Crazy Horse show in Chicago. Sharing the bill with Crazy Horse were two bands that my brother (who was sitting next to me) assured me would be no ordinary warm-up acts. The first band to hit the stage was Social Distortion. My eyes opened. But there was so much more to come. That’s when Sonic Youth wandered onto the stage. Within seconds, a rowdy, raucous set of chaos ensued. Unimaginable intensity penetrated me. It was like nothing I had ever seen or heard before. The bizarre tunings, the guitar exchanges that danced in step not only with one another but also in synch with the ever-expanding fuzz from feedback. Three different singers taking over at different times. I wasn’t sure what to do, what or who to focus on, or what exactly was happening. As if I should have immediately raised a white flag in surrender. Where had I been? (A side note regarding Crazy Horse. I’m not sure how they did it, but Neil Young et al found a way to finish the job—to seal the deal—as if The Horse were also jacked into a new stratosphere by what had previously transpired on the stage.) All of this, merely a lead-in to Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth’s fifth studio album. But it begs the question: how in the world could Sonic Youth find a way to capture that kind of live thunder and bottle it up into a studio album? Easily, I guess. Daydream Nation provided resounding proof that no such barriers existed in this brave new alt rock world. This isn’t to say there weren’t numerous others who have repaved the roots of rock and roll along the way. Punk. Alternative Rock. Grunge. Alt Country. There will always be a new world order, and there will always be the potential for change, just beyond the horizon. But every time it happens—the paradigm shift—it never ceases to amaze and inspire. And as I jot down these thoughts today, I consider the fact that it has been almost 20 years since the release of Daydream Nation. It doesn’t seem possible, this warp of time. But it’s certainly comforting to know that the years have not distorted the emotions stirred in me when I hear this album. |
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