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SONIC YOUTH - DIRTY CD 15 TRACKS (60302)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By alexliamw
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
Dirty and Daydream Nation are the only two Sonic Youth albums I own, but they are both utterly amazing, though for different reasons. In the case of Dirty, its for cooler-than-cool, disaffected post-punk and grunge-pop. More song-based and straight-ahead rock than the somewhat proggy Daydream Nation, its nevertheless tempered with fine bursts of white noise, magical guitar duelling, grinding riffs and propelling, heavy bass.
Everyone mentions '100%' and 'Sugar Kane', and both are good, the former a driving, posturing, cool punk number and the latter a radio-friendly, poppy rock song. However this album by no means stops there. Springing to mind is the utterly wonderful 'Theresa's Sound-world' which builds from quiet, reflective melody to a wall of beautiful, heavy, ear-bleeding noise. 'Drunken Butterfly' is propelled by a catchy riff (recently ripped off by Cooper Temple Clause for their single 'Promises Promises') and an earnestly ironic chorus of 'I love you, I love you, I love you, what's your name?'.
Their political drive comes to the fore on the slower, but equally menacing 'Youth Against Fascism', which contains sneering vocals, a monster of a bass sound and guitars that sound as if they are being ritualistically tortured rather than played. The album veers from creepy ('Shoot', 'On The Strip') to all-out punk ('Orange Rolls, Angel's Spit' and the cover of 'Nic's Fit'). The more commercial 'Chapel Hill' sits alongside 'Sugar Kane' nicely, but every track on here has a sense of melody. Then there is a bit of lunacism, like the strange and twisted closer 'Creme Brulee'.
Every track on this album digs its own musical furrow and the album is all the better for it as despite its length of 15 tracks each one is worthy of high acclaim.
... Read more ›8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Klingy
Format:Audio CD
Dirty is one of Sonic Youth's more accessible records and as such it's an ideal starting point for new listeners looking to get into this hard-rocking band.
The songs on Dirty are short, angry, lean, tight and muscular. They are shot through with an urgent, breathless energy. The whole album has a punchy, chunky, straightforward sound and a clean Butch Vig production that admittedly sets it closer to Lollapalooza-era alternative rock than to previous Sonic Youth albums like EVOL, Sister or Daydream Nation. My only slight reservation is that in straying so close to Nirvana's grunge/punk territory, they don't sound as instantly distinctive as they do on, say, Sister, so it's not necessarily the most representative album of what Sonic Youth are about.
By the Youth's avant-garde art-rock standards these songs are relatively catchy, poppy and radio-friendly, but please don't let snobbery get in the way of a great rock album. There is so much to enjoy here, and there's still plenty of hard-rocking white noise for feedback fanatics to savour. Highlights include Kim Gordon's seductive, menacing Shoot; the brutal, hard-as-nails punk tantrums Swimsuit Issue and Drunken Butterfly; and the classic singles 100% and Sugar Kane.
Rock on!
The songs on Dirty are short, angry, lean, tight and muscular. They are shot through with an urgent, breathless energy. The whole album has a punchy, chunky, straightforward sound and a clean Butch Vig production that admittedly sets it closer to Lollapalooza-era alternative rock than to previous Sonic Youth albums like EVOL, Sister or Daydream Nation. My only slight reservation is that in straying so close to Nirvana's grunge/punk territory, they don't sound as instantly distinctive as they do on, say, Sister, so it's not necessarily the most representative album of what Sonic Youth are about.
By the Youth's avant-garde art-rock standards these songs are relatively catchy, poppy and radio-friendly, but please don't let snobbery get in the way of a great rock album. There is so much to enjoy here, and there's still plenty of hard-rocking white noise for feedback fanatics to savour. Highlights include Kim Gordon's seductive, menacing Shoot; the brutal, hard-as-nails punk tantrums Swimsuit Issue and Drunken Butterfly; and the classic singles 100% and Sugar Kane.
Rock on!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
This is definitely the best album for a new fan to get into Sonic Youth. It has the softer (more commercial?) aspects of Goo, but is much more Sonic Youth than that album. 100% and Sugar Kane are by far the best tracks on Dirty, but the whole album is let down by Nic Fit. Yes, we all hate Black Flag, but why ruin an album over it. Cost them a star (no, it really is that bad). But as long as you just hit skip when that track comes up you'll be fine.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Paul Price
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember reading a review for this album and a follow up band profile in the now expired Select magazine way back in 1992. I was an acne riddled 17 year old with a zealot attitude towards "good" music namely anything indie/alternative/experimental and "bad" music namely anything pop/MOR/AOR. I lost the original disc in a house move some years ago and speaking about my teens to my better half the other night following the final episode of Skins - Sonic Youth cropped up - when she mentioned Nirvana. I was astonished that she had never heard of Sonic Youth, being into Nirvana. So last week I bought this and what a buy. In amongst the grunge noise and feedback are well crafted songs filled with bitter sweet meloncholy. Like Interpol? Smashing Pumpkins? Nirvana? Pearl Jam? then you will like this album. And after a few listens you may just start to love it. One thing is for sure each track will throw out surprises when you least expect it. Almost, almost a masterpiece.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A. J. Gilpin
Format:Audio CD
I attend a monthly music club in Cardiff and April's classic album selected for discussion was 'Dirty' by Sonic Youth and I thought I may as well submit my thoughts on this forum.....
I gave the album 7 out of 10 so the question was...3 or 4 stars. I opted for 4 because the album did get better the more I listened to it.
I've always liked and admired Sonic Youth since I first heard them on John Peel in the mid 80s. Indeed, 'Schizophrenia' from their 'Sister' album remains one of my favourite songs from that decade by anyone. But try as I might, I just cannot love them. I think the reason for that is that SY just don't have enough tunes. They seem to favour noise and experimentalism over melody whereas my pallette is geared to the balance being the other way around. SY's contemporaries, for example, Husker Du, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and, of course, Nirvana, concentrated more on melody than noise and it is no coincidence that those I bands I love.
That said, Dirty does have enough good tunes for me to register a positive rating as there are only about 4 or 5 songs on it that I would consider as virtually unlistenable leaving enough tracks to get your ears around which range between ok to very good. Standouts for me include a brace that I remember from John Peel's Festive 50 programme from the early 90s - 'Sugar Kane' and 'Youth Against Fascism'. Also, 'Theresa's Sound World', 'Wish Fulfillment' and 'Chapel Hill'. For those of you thinking of trying out Sonic Youth, I would say this album is a good place to start. Others in the music club suggested Goo, from the year before, as also being amongst their more accessible works.
I gave the album 7 out of 10 so the question was...3 or 4 stars. I opted for 4 because the album did get better the more I listened to it.
I've always liked and admired Sonic Youth since I first heard them on John Peel in the mid 80s. Indeed, 'Schizophrenia' from their 'Sister' album remains one of my favourite songs from that decade by anyone. But try as I might, I just cannot love them. I think the reason for that is that SY just don't have enough tunes. They seem to favour noise and experimentalism over melody whereas my pallette is geared to the balance being the other way around. SY's contemporaries, for example, Husker Du, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and, of course, Nirvana, concentrated more on melody than noise and it is no coincidence that those I bands I love.
That said, Dirty does have enough good tunes for me to register a positive rating as there are only about 4 or 5 songs on it that I would consider as virtually unlistenable leaving enough tracks to get your ears around which range between ok to very good. Standouts for me include a brace that I remember from John Peel's Festive 50 programme from the early 90s - 'Sugar Kane' and 'Youth Against Fascism'. Also, 'Theresa's Sound World', 'Wish Fulfillment' and 'Chapel Hill'. For those of you thinking of trying out Sonic Youth, I would say this album is a good place to start. Others in the music club suggested Goo, from the year before, as also being amongst their more accessible works.
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!
One of the best albums by the greatest Sonic Youth.
A must have album for sure. Buy it, not a doubt!
A must have album for sure. Buy it, not a doubt!
Published 1 month ago by Cláudia Duarte
5.0 out of 5 stars
92 LP
10 years in from their first LP. Produced by Butch Vig and released just after Nirvana's Nevermind! This is one of my favourite Sonic Youth LPs but it didn't get much airplay,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by I write reviews on the toilet
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something Cool
This is a very different album from any other Grunge album i have ever brought it opens up my mind to see what is Sonic Youth are well very un-usual and very different from bands... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by J. Arthur
4.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite SY record
This is the first SY record I've heard (about another 10 followed), and it's still my personal favorite. This time there are actual "songs" in here! Read more
Published on 31 May 2008 by holdyourlight
5.0 out of 5 stars
A revelation
Dirty was the first album i bought with this great band.Never heard the music before or the band.So when i started to listen, i imidiately fellt that this was something really... Read more
Published on 25 Dec 2007 by T. Engan
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love you, I love you, I love you, what's your name?
To be fair, Sonic Youth are a bit of an acquired taste. I don't agree that they produce tuneless music, but their melodies are not as immediate as some of the other bands of their... Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2007 by Cuban Heel
5.0 out of 5 stars
dirty delight
In all honesty this isn't SY's greatest record but as all the records in their brilliant, diverse and ecclectic back catalogue go this surpasses most alt rock records of the... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2004 by C. DOUGHTY
2.0 out of 5 stars
noise annoys
Being a big fan of the early 90's grunge scene (Nirvana,Stiltskin,Pearl Jam,Stone Temple Pilots etc)a work colleuge told me i'd be foolish not to check out this album. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dirty...
This album was the first I ever listened to by Sonic Youth and I must say I was hooked from this point forward. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2002 by Ben Vickers
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