Since the beginning at the month SWC is running over at No Badger Required a superb series about protest, rebellion and rabble rousing. As a member of the jury I named him my personal protest song. I struggled but after all I didn't named Sonic Youth's Teen Age Riot.
In the summer of 1988, the outcome of the US presidential election the following November was still completely open. US President Ronald Reagan was not allowed to run again after two terms in office; George Bush (Senior) was to run for the Republicans. His opponent on the Democratic side was Michael Dukakis, a former university lecturer of Greek descent, who tried to present himself as a hardliner and was to fail colossally.
It was against this backdrop that Sonic Youth released perhaps their most important album, Daydream Nation, which they originally wanted to call Reagan Nation as an allusion to the US president's “Reaganomics”, which drove more and more people into poverty by cutting social benefits. Teen Age Riot was a call to revolt, with many songs revolving around the intolerable conditions that could be seen on the doorstep in Manhattan.
Kim Gordon repeats Spirit Desire forever before Sonic Youth's ultimate riff kicks in and finishes with distorted guitars and feedback.
Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
1 Kommentar:
I agree with you that the new series over at NBD is likely to be superb (I've not had a chance to visit anywhere this month between one thing and another). I also agree with you that Teen Age Riot is one helluva tune.
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