Smart Bar Chicago 1985
Smart Bar Chicago 1985 | ||||
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Live album by Sonic Youth | ||||
Released | November 13, 2012 | |||
Recorded | August 11, 1985 | |||
Studio | Smart Bar, Chicago, United States | |||
Genre |
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Length | 67:02 | |||
Label | Goofin' | |||
Producer |
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Sonic Youth live album chronology | ||||
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Smart Bar Chicago 1985 is a live album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on November 13, 2012, on Goofin' Records. It features a live 4-track recording of the band's performance at the Smart Bar in Chicago, Illinois, on August 11, 1985, during the tour in support of Sonic Youth's second studio album, Bad Moon Rising (1985).
Release
Smart Bar Chicago 1985 was released on November 13, 2012, on Goofin' Records. It was announced for release on September 10 on the band's official web site[1] and "Intro"/"Brave Men Run" was made available for streaming on YouTube on October 15.[2][3] The album was issued on CD, double LP and as a digital download from online retailers. Upon its release, it charted in Belgium, peaking at No. 182 on Wallonia's Ultratop chart.[4]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10[6] |
Louder Sound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spectrum Culture | 3.5/5[10] |
Upon its release, Smart Bar Chicago 1985 received positive acclaim from critics. AllMusic reviewer Fred Thomas awarded it 4.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "The band sounds locked into a collective meditation for much of the set, stringing together the long and discordant segments of songs into a mostly uninterrupted hour and change of sound." Thomas later added, "Without besting the album versions, almost every song here offers a more vivid, more extreme counterpoint to its better-known studio side" and summarized the album as "unpolished, tormented, hungry, and constantly threatening to crumble into godless noise."[5] Writing for Drowned in Sound, Noel Gardner said, "On 'Brave Men Run (In My Family)', [Steve] Shelley elevates it with a near-classic rock fluidity to his playing [...] 'I Love Her All the Time' feels like a Moore vehicle, much like on record, but has great gobs of anti-rock no wave atmos; 'Ghost Bitch' is considerably more abrasive here, [Kim] Gordon sounding less like a coffee house poet than an untamed punk vocalist—Penelope Houston, say." Gardner rated the album 7 out of 10 and summarized: "Smart Bar – Chicago 1985 is not going to change perceptions of either Sonic Youth or live albums: it's a decent recording strictly for fans." Describing the album as "a taste of glories to come", Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and noted "Expressway to Yr Skull" and "Secret Girl" as highlights, adding, "The peak is the early ballad 'I Love Her All the Time'—noisy, emotionally alive, jittery with excitement for the future."[9] In his review in Smart Bar Chicago 1985's liner notes, Aaron Mullan referred to the album as "brilliant" and the show itself as "a killer show." He added, "The material is also so visceral and improvisatory that it greatly benefits from the additional perspective offered by a live recording."[11]
Track listing
All music is composed by Sonic Youth
No. | Title | Lyrics | Studio version | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Hallowe'en" | Kim Gordon | Bad Moon Rising, 1985 | 5:42 |
2. | "Death Valley '69" | Lydia Lunch, Thurston Moore | Bad Moon Rising | 7:20 |
3. | "Intro"/"Brave Men Run (In My Family)" | Gordon | Bad Moon Rising | 4:51 |
4. | "I Love Her All the Time" | Moore | Bad Moon Rising | 5:20 |
5. | "Ghost Bitch" | Gordon | Bad Moon Rising | 5:55 |
6. | "I'm Insane" | Moore | Bad Moon Rising | 5:20 |
7. | "Kat 'n' Hat" | (Instrumental) | previously unreleased | 3:36 |
8. | "Brother James" | Gordon | Kill Yr Idols, 1983 | 2:50 |
9. | "Kill Yr Idols" | Moore | Kill Yr Idols | 2:32 |
10. | "Secret Girl" | Gordon | EVOL, 1986 | 3:13 |
11. | "Flower" | Gordon | Bad Moon Rising | 2:36 |
12. | "The Burning Spear" | Moore | Sonic Youth, 1982 | 5:01 |
13. | "Expressway to Yr Skull" | Moore | EVOL | 9:04 |
14. | "Making the Nature Scene" | Gordon | Confusion Is Sex | 3:42 |
Total length: | 67:02 |
Personnel
All personnel credits adapted from Smart Bar Chicago 1985's liner notes.[11]
- Sonic Youth
- Thurston Moore – vocals, guitar
- Kim Gordon – vocals, bass
- Lee Ranaldo – guitar, layout, photography
- Steve Shelley – drums, mixing
- Technical personnel
- Design personnel
- Cody Ranaldo – artwork
- Steve Koress – photography
- Pat Blashil – photography
- Gerard Cosloy – liner notes
Chart positions
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[4] | 182 |
References
- ^ Pelly, Jenn (September 10, 2012). "Sonic Youth Announce New Live Album | News". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ "Intro/Brave Men Run (in My Family) – Sonic Youth Smart Bar Chicago 1985". YouTube. Google. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ Flood, Laura (October 17, 2012). "First Track from Sonic Youth's Smart Bar – Chicago 1985 Released: Music: News". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ a b "Sonic Youth – Smart Bar Chicago 1985". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Smart Bar: Chicago 1985 – Sonic Youth: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ Gardner, Noel (November 8, 2012). "Sonic Youth – Smart Bar Chicago 1985 / Releases". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ "Sonic Youth: Smart Bar – Chicago 1985". 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Smart Bar: Chicago 1985 - Record Collector Magazine".
- ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (November 13, 2012). "Smart Bar Chicago 1985 | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ "Sonic Youth: Smart Bar Chicago 1985 | Music Review". 7 December 2012.
- ^ a b Smart Bar Chicago 1985 (CD). Sonic Youth. Goofin' Records. 2012. GOO-016.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
External links
- Smart Bar Chicago 1985 at AllMusic
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