| A fresh listen to the original 15 tracks on Sonic Youth's Dirty reminds one just how great this 1992 album is in its original form. Remember the pop-sludge of "Sugar Cane"? The polit-grit of "Youth Against Fascism"? The sexy grind of "Drunken Butterfly"? How about SY's version of wistfulness on "Wish Fulfillment" or their brilliant, nonsensical cover of the hardcore number "Nic Fit?". Plus, you had "Chapel Hill, "JC", "Purr", and "100%" to rock you into froth. Now, take all that and add a dozen (mostly) instrumental rehearsal recordings of those songs taking shape ("Barracuda" emerged as "Drunken Butterfly", while "Guido" and "Little Jammy Thing" gave birth to "Wish Fulfillment"). These rehearsal tracks follow two previously released instrumental B-sides--"The End of the End of the Ugly" and "Tamra"--creating a blissfully long wash of sound, veering from hypnotic, pastoral soundscapes to kinetic experiments held together by dark, probing rhythms. The second disc alone is priceless given that it may be the closest thing to a true instrumental Sonic Youth release that will ever appear. A handful of other B-sides and goodies round a collection that's worth every penny it costs. --Lorry Fleming |
|
