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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The fourth release in Sonic Youth's series of experimental excursions, Goodbye 20th Century could be a stubborn broadside against the critics that lambasted the Youth's last proper album, A Thousand Leaves, for being too safe. No danger of that here, though; Goodbye 20th Century is a tribute to the Century's avant-garde artists, reprising tracks by the likes of John Cage, Yoko Ono and Christian Wolff. So, far-out is definitely in--tracks vary from a sprawling, thirty-minute take on Cage's eerie, hyper-minimal "Four" to a thirteen-second cover of Yoko's "Voice Piece For Soprano"--essentially, Thurston and Kim's daughter screaming three times into the microphone. The most interesting track of Goodbye 20th Century also comes as a CD ROM film--a cover of George Maciunas' "Piano Piece 13 (Carpenter's Piece)", it consists of the Youth hammering nails into the keys of their studio piano. Sadly, though, even they don't seem to be having a lot of fun. Goodbye 20th Century is not for the faint-hearted. --Louis Pattison
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is about as avant guard (sp. ed.) as one might want; a collection of peices from carpenter, reich, et al played with (possibly?) finesse and a touch of stlye by Serious Youth ... the result? well, the hitting-a-piano-with-a-piece-of-wood atonality of "piano piece #13" is about as melodic as this gets. What one must ask is whether this is actually music sonic youth like, or just a foray into the liminal world they are approaching with the other STR series: almost as if they want to prove that SYR transcends pop into "proper" serious music. I don't know if it works, To be honest, it's nice to listen to once or twice, but a bit intimidating, and for me, not at the forefront of my mind when i wonder what to play next. I've had similar thoughts about other minimalism: for example philip glass' music in 12 parts, which is fascinating, textural and powerful, but just too much, most of the time. perhaps i'm a lightweight, in preferring more moderate commercial minimalism for my daily diet. Anyways, I'd say, if you cope with other SYR, then buy this... for completion, intrigue and perhaps (sigh) education... but don't expect to listen daily! you have been warned.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
20 reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
sy's exclamation point for the millenium
17 Nov 1999
Format:Audio CD
fascinating... it's a look forward and backward. it reminds me a lot of the spaciousness of sound that the band achieved with bad moon rising, although a lot less disciplined.
i remember seeing a clip on vh1 once with lee ranaldo talking about city sounds and how he loved to open his window and listen to the rhythms of everyday street noises. this album captures it beautifully, with its random occurences of guitar squawks, cymbal crashes, and syllables.
although i have already dismissed some of the songs (the nascent "edges" among them), i have a feeling that this one pays off on each successive listen. "pendulum music" and "six for new time" are damn near highpoints of sy's career- it's the kind of pretention that they have always reached for. this time it works better in execution than theory.
if this is their millenial exit, i can't wait to see what they're going to come up with for an entrance.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Hello 21st Century.
20 Feb 2000
Format:Audio CD
To the fellow who's review contained this statement: "In any event, it would seem laughable that anyone could draw any connection between Sonic Youth's interpretations and original works (in any category of music)." I would have to totally disagree with you here. Having heard the works of John Cage, Christian Wolf, James Tenney, Cornelius Cardew and Steve Reich there is a connection by SY's interpretations. Connecting these intrepretations to the original (if there is such) is not the intention here, yet you cannot disregard the ideas of the composers. Eventhough these pieces incorporate improvising, most of the works are composed and are documented as such and SY used the 'scores' as they were intended...as guidelines (i.e. Cornelius Cardew's 'Treatise' is a 193 page graphic score). There are obvious references to the composer's intentions in these interpretations, that is if you listen closely and if you've heard their works before. Yet it isn't necessary to be aquainted with them. Laughable? i think not...The original composer's intentions of these works are not entirely "serious" or "high-brow avant-gardisms", for instance John Cage did many things to break that down (i.e. his silent piece 4'33") and i think Sonic Youth here have continued in that idea.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Breathing room.
6 Dec 1999
Format:Audio CD
I have collected most of Sonic Youth's albums over the years, and this is presently my favorite. Featuring music composed by the likes of John Cage and Takehisa Kosugi as well as Yoko Ono and Steve Reich, the long tracks massage and spark. Unlike the usually in-your-face brashness that makes sonic youth sonic youth, this album features wide spaces of repetitive sounds that layer, merge and then gradually taper away. This is truly an innovative album, unlike any other from Sonic Youth. Few vocals except for Kim Gordon's occasional spoken (shouted?) word. I love it and haven't taken it off the turntable since I got it.
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