NOTE: this was modified from a message originally posted by myself to alt.music.sonic-youth, in an attempt to get people to dig out their copies of SONIC DEATH and constructively listen... which is why it reads like more of a review than a list of facts, at times...!
Woman: On the right!
I'm uncertain as to who some of the voices belong to, or what is being said at times. It sounds like it's probably from the fall '82 tour with the Swans, either Bob Bert or Bob Pezzola from the Swans is driving the vehicle... "Jon" is likely Jonathan Kane of the Swans. This is assuming the band featured the same line-up as their first EP, which they were touring for. The loudest voice might be Mike Gira.Total length: 0:40
FULL SIDE LENGTH: 29:31
00:00 - 00:40
The first 40 seconds are dedicated to some vehicle chatter. Here's a rough
transcription:
Kim: Go get hamburgers.
Thurston: Right?
Man: Yeah, let's go.
Man 2: Did I hear Kim say "hamburgers"?
Lee: Put the defrost on...
Thurston 2: Cruisin' for some McReagan burgers...
Man 2: Forget it man, I'm not going to McDonald's, that stuff's fucking gross!
Lee: It is.
Lee: Bob, you got fog, you got heavy fog.. on the outside, you want me to brush it off here?
Bob?: Left? Ronald Reagan fries...
?: Hey Jon, I'll give you all the lira in my pocket if you eat a hamburger.00:41 - 01:15
Aimless noise panned from speaker to speaker. It's possible this was something Thurston did w/ tape manipulation while creating Sonic Death (similar to his artificial loops on Side 1). Total length: 0:34
01:16 - 01:32
A very brief excerpt from what appears to be Shaking Hell. Total length: 0:16
01:33 - 01:51
An equally brief excerpt from Brother James. Total length: 0:18
01:52 - 09:00
This streak of brevity does not continue, however, for from 01:52 til 09:00 we are treated to a 7 minute version of Early American, which contains the '83 staple "SCREAM TAPE" (officially released on a Tellus comp, no less!), segued into... Total length: 7:08
09:01 - 10:12
...Burning Spear, which is unfortunately cut. Regardless, this is a great 10 minutes of tape, here. The Early American / Scream Tape / Burning Spear "medley" was a staple of SY's 1983 Fall European tour, and this performance almost certainly dates from that tour (October/November '83). Total length: 1:11
10:13 - 13:04
Apparently Thurston was feeling generous, because we're now offered a
full-length version of "Kill Yr Idols", furious as always. This would be a 1983 recording as well. Total length: 2:51
13:05 - 14:34
Tacked on afterwards is the
similar sounding section from "Confusion is Next", slightly spliced up. The song ends, the crowd cheers, and Lee begins retuning his guitar while Kim drones her low E. Total length: 1:29
14:35 - 15:12
This is somebody repetitiously pounding a single chord, after which Thurston announces "We want electricity!", a statement which later became the title of a July '93 Sonic Exhibit in Europe. Total length: 0:37
15:13 - 17:24
This is another unknown song segment. It almost sounds
like one gtr is going thru a wah or filter effect, but it's hard to say. This song has not yet appeared on any surfaced SY concert recording, and likely dates back to 1981 (typically SY kept everything they wrote in '82 and '83, but I could see something like this skronky number not making it past the embryonic stage). Total length: 1:11
17:25 - 17:46
This sounds like a traditional walkman blare, chime loops or the like. Total length: 0:21
17:47 - 18:32
Another version of Kill Yr Idols, beginning from the song's breakdown. Total length: 0:45
18:33 - 20:13
Here we hear Thurston banging out his opening chord to "The World Looks Red",
while Lee gets his screwdriver in place. Thurston says "We're Sonic Youth, this song is called The World Looks Red". This is almost certainly taken from the beginning of a 1983 show. The track fades just as the bassline begins. A minute
and forty seconds of pre-song preparation, and then we only get half a
second of music. Amusing. Total length: 1:40
20:14 - 21:49
Apparently they agreed -- the exact thing happens with Shaking Hell next.
It's not as dramatically long, and you get to hear more of the song, plus
the commentary is hilarious, so it's a little more tolerable. Lee introduces the song: "This next song's
called Shaking Hell." Someone does something to provoke the remark "Suck my
dick, asshole" from Thurston, and as the band starts the song, Lee explains
"That's an American expression, 'Suck my dick'." Quality stuff! Probably from one of the '83 Eurotours, given Lee's last comment. Sadly the song is cut off pretty quickly (which of course lends itself to the entire concept of the Sonic Death project, which is what makes it such a fascinating listen). Total length: 1:35
21:50 - 22:28
However, it borders on offensive when next we're treated to Thurston's repeated open bass notes, flavored with audience participation, catcall style. As soon as the opening riff to Making the Nature Scene starts, we're once again cut off... Total length: 0:38
22:29 - 23:25
...and it's more chimey
noise, either the zither or a screwdriver guitar. Total length: 0:54
23:26 - 24:14
Hear we get the intro harmonics of "I Don't Want to Push It", one of the rarer moments on this album. They're quickly cut out to the song's droning outro. Unfortunately not much of this rarely performed track appears. Actually, the song appeared from some of the band's first shows up until the last Eurotour in '83, so it wasn't all that obscure at the time. Total length: 0:48
24:15 - 25:09
This is the coda to She's in a
Bad Mood. Such an excellent song, it's too bad they
didn't elect to include the whole thing on here. The live performances are particularly enhanced by the sounds at the end, the aforementioned flute style hums. I don't know if they're courtesy of a tape or some guitar handlings, but I dig them.
Total length: 0:51
25:10 - 25:58
More subtly mixed/panned ambient noise. Total length: 0:48
25:59 - 27:37
We now know this is not 'Destroyer' (unless the song included on the 'Sonic Youth' reissue was mislabeled).
This is the final unknown song on this release. This song is also a contender for being the mysterious "Destroyer". It plods along with atonal chord thrash and a steady, commanding drumbeat. Total length: 1:38
"Early American" -- 01:52 - 09:00
"Kill Yr Idols" -- 10:13 - 13:04
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