Daydream Nation
Encyclopedia
Daydream Nation is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock
band Sonic Youth
. It was released in October 1988 by Enigma Records
in the United States, and by Blast First
in the United Kingdom.
Widely considered to be the band's magnum opus
and a seminal influence on the alternative rock genre, it is one of the few rock albums chosen by the Library of Congress
to be preserved in the National Recording Registry
.
, was accustomed to working with hip hop
artists. Sansano did not know much about Sonic Youth, but he was aware the band had an aggressive sound, so when the band checked out the studio, he showed the band members his work on Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
" and Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
's "It Takes Two
". Although Sansano was wary about how the rock band would react, the group embraced the sound of the records. Sonic Youth booked three weeks of recording time at Greene Street's Studio A that would start in mid-July 1988. At $1000 a day, it was the most the band had paid to record an album up to that point, but among its advantages was its proximity to where members Thurston Moore
, Kim Gordon
, and Lee Ranaldo
lived.
Due to the amount of preparation the band put into composing its music, the recording process was largely efficient. The session became rushed near the end, as Paul Smith
, head of the band's British label Blast First
, had set a mastering date of August 18. As a result of the time pressure, Gordon was not happy with some of her resulting vocal takes. The band spent a whole night creating a final mix for the three-song "Trilogy" so it could be mastered the following morning. The record ultimately cost $30,000, which led Moore to refer to the album as "our first non-econo record".
While it was a given from the beginning of the project that Blast First would release the album in the UK, the band had initially planned to release the album in America on SST
, their American label since 1986's Evol
. However, as it became apparent that this would be the band's potential breakthrough record, doubts crept in about SST's ability to properly distribute the album, or even properly print the elaborate gatefold sleeve. In the end, the band went with Enigma
for the American release, an independent label that had distribution through major label Capitol Records
.
However, the deal with Enigma turned out to be disappointing; Moore described the label as a "cheapjack Mafioso operation," and drummer Steve Shelley
stated that Enigma's copies of the gatefold sleeve were of very poor quality, and that the label had trouble keeping the record in stock in American record stores. Following the album's success, they sought out a true major label contract, and signed with David Geffen
's DGC Records
in 1989.
, had long praised the band's long live improvisations and told the group that its records never captured that aspect. With Moore on a writing spree, the album ultimately had to be expanded to a double album.
"The Sprawl" was inspired by the works of science fiction
writer William Gibson
, who used the term
to refer to a future mega-city stretching from Boston
to Atlanta. The lyrics for the first verse were lifted from the novel The Stars at Noon by Denis Johnson
. "Cross the Breeze" features some of Kim Gordon's most intense singing, with such lyrics as, “Let's go walking on the water/ Now you think I'm Satan's daughter/ I wanna know, should I stay or go?/ I took a look into your hate/ It made me feel very up to date”. "Eric's Trip" has lyrics pertaining to Eric Emerson
's LSD
-fueled monologue in the Andy Warhol
movie Chelsea Girls
.
"Hey Joni" is titled as a tribute to rock
standard "Hey Joe
" and to Canadian singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell
. It is sung by Lee Ranaldo, and has surrealist
lyrics such as, “Shots ring out from the center of an empty field/ Joni's in the tall grass/ She's a beautiful mental jukebox, a sailboat explosion/ A snap of electric whipcrack”. This song also alludes to the works of William Gibson with the line “In this broken town, can you still jack in/ And know what to do?” These feature similarly on Lee's two other songs on the album, the rarely-played "Rain King" — an homage to Pere Ubu
and perhaps Saul Bellow
's Henderson the Rain King
— and the aforementioned "Eric's Trip".
The album's title comes from a lyric in "Hyperstation", and the closing track "Eliminator Jr." (inspired by the "Preppie Killer" Robert Chambers) was thus titled because the band felt it sounded like a cross between Dinosaur Jr. and Eliminator-era ZZ Top
. It was given part "z" in the "Trilogy" both as a reference to ZZ Top and because it is the closing piece on the disc.
The album was nearly titled Tonight's the Day, from a lyric in "Candle". This was also meant as a reference to Neil Young's LP Tonight's the Night.
Some of the band's more experimental tendencies are on display in the musique concrète
piece "Providence". The song consists of a piano solo by Thurston Moore
recorded at his mother's house using a Walkman
, the sound of an amp overheating and a pair of telephone messages left by Mike Watt
, calling for Moore from a Providence, Rhode Island
payphone, dubbed over one another. Oddly, it was released as a single, and a single-shot music video was even filmed for it.
painting Kerze ("Candle"). The back cover art is a similar Richter painting from 1982.
The LP's 4 sides and the CD itself featured four symbols on the disc representing the four members of the band, similar to the symbols of Led Zeppelin IV. The symbols featured are infinity
, female
, upper case omega
, and a drawing of a demon/angel holding drumsticks.
, cassette, and double
vinyl. The album did not chart in the United States
but reached number 99 on the UK Album Charts. The single "Teen Age Riot" charted on Billboard
s newly created Modern Rock Tracks
chart at number 20.
The deluxe edition of Daydream Nation was released in 2007. It contains live versions of every track on the album, plus studio recordings of some cover songs. A 4-LP vinyl version was released on July 17, 2007.
's "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s," #14 on Spin
magazine's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005", and #45 on the Rolling Stone
"100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s" list. In 2003, the album was ranked number 329 on Rolling Stones "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
" list. It was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress
to be added to the National Recording Registry
in 2006.
( * ) designates lists which are unordered.
Side one
Side two
Side three
Side four
†Some releases separate the parts of "Trilogy".
Live Daydream
Bonus cover songs
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
. It was released in October 1988 by Enigma Records
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
in the United States, and by Blast First
Blast First
Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label, Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914...
in the United Kingdom.
Widely considered to be the band's magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
and a seminal influence on the alternative rock genre, it is one of the few rock albums chosen by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
to be preserved in the National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
.
Recording
Sonic Youth elected to record Daydream Nation at New York's Greene Street basement studio. The studio's engineer, Nick SansanoNick Sansano
Nick Sansano is an American record producer, engineer, and musician. He coproduced and recorded Sonic Youth's albums Daydream Nation and Goo. He also engineered and mixed selections from Public Enemy's albums It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Fear of a Black Planet and Muse...
, was accustomed to working with hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artists. Sansano did not know much about Sonic Youth, but he was aware the band had an aggressive sound, so when the band checked out the studio, he showed the band members his work on Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is a song by the American hip hop group Public Enemy from their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back...
" and Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock are a hip-hop duo from Harlem, New York who are best known for their hit "It Takes Two." The duo consists of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock .- Career :Their first U.S...
's "It Takes Two
It Takes Two (Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock song)
"It Takes Two" is a 1988 hip hop song by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock and produced by Teddy Riley that was later certified platinum. The song samples heavily from Lyn Collins' 1972 song "Think ", using multiple drum breaks, the well known "Woo! Yeah!" sample, as well as the lyric sung by Collins which...
". Although Sansano was wary about how the rock band would react, the group embraced the sound of the records. Sonic Youth booked three weeks of recording time at Greene Street's Studio A that would start in mid-July 1988. At $1000 a day, it was the most the band had paid to record an album up to that point, but among its advantages was its proximity to where members Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
, and Lee Ranaldo
Lee Ranaldo
Lee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
lived.
Due to the amount of preparation the band put into composing its music, the recording process was largely efficient. The session became rushed near the end, as Paul Smith
Paul Smith (music industry)
Paul Smith is probably best known as the founder and manager of Blast First, the British alternative record label that released artists such as Sonic Youth, the Butthole Surfers, Big Black and Dinosaur Jr. in the UK. He continued to manage the artists and work in the music industry when Blast First...
, head of the band's British label Blast First
Blast First
Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label, Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914...
, had set a mastering date of August 18. As a result of the time pressure, Gordon was not happy with some of her resulting vocal takes. The band spent a whole night creating a final mix for the three-song "Trilogy" so it could be mastered the following morning. The record ultimately cost $30,000, which led Moore to refer to the album as "our first non-econo record".
While it was a given from the beginning of the project that Blast First would release the album in the UK, the band had initially planned to release the album in America on SST
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
, their American label since 1986's Evol
EVOL
Evol is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released in 1986 on SST Records, and recorded and mixed by New York recording icon Martin Bisi. The album cover features a picture of Lung Leg, a still taken from Submit to Me, a film by Richard Kern...
. However, as it became apparent that this would be the band's potential breakthrough record, doubts crept in about SST's ability to properly distribute the album, or even properly print the elaborate gatefold sleeve. In the end, the band went with Enigma
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...
for the American release, an independent label that had distribution through major label Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
.
However, the deal with Enigma turned out to be disappointing; Moore described the label as a "cheapjack Mafioso operation," and drummer Steve Shelley
Steve Shelley
Steven Jay Shelley is an American drummer, best known as the drummer of alternative rock band Sonic Youth.-Biography:...
stated that Enigma's copies of the gatefold sleeve were of very poor quality, and that the label had trouble keeping the record in stock in American record stores. Following the album's success, they sought out a true major label contract, and signed with David Geffen
David Geffen
David Geffen is an American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist. Geffen is noted for creating Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC Records in 1990...
's DGC Records
DGC Records
DGC Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and currently operates as an auxiliary label of Interscope Records.-Company history:...
in 1989.
Music
Sonic Youth's standard songwriting method involved Moore bringing in melody ideas and chord changes, which the band would spend several months fashioning into full-length songs. However, instead of paring the songs down as the group usually did, the months-long writing process for Daydream Nation resulted in long jams, some a half hour long. Several friends of the band, including Henry RollinsHenry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, had long praised the band's long live improvisations and told the group that its records never captured that aspect. With Moore on a writing spree, the album ultimately had to be expanded to a double album.
"The Sprawl" was inspired by the works of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
, who used the term
The Sprawl
In William Gibson's fiction, the Sprawl is a colloquial name for the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis , an urban sprawl environment on a massive scale, and a fictional extension of the real Northeast Megalopolis....
to refer to a future mega-city stretching from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to Atlanta. The lyrics for the first verse were lifted from the novel The Stars at Noon by Denis Johnson
Denis Johnson
Denis Hale Johnson is an American author who is known for his short-story collection Jesus' Son and his novel Tree of Smoke , which won the National Book Award. He also writes plays, poetry and non-fiction.- Biography :...
. "Cross the Breeze" features some of Kim Gordon's most intense singing, with such lyrics as, “Let's go walking on the water/ Now you think I'm Satan's daughter/ I wanna know, should I stay or go?/ I took a look into your hate/ It made me feel very up to date”. "Eric's Trip" has lyrics pertaining to Eric Emerson
Eric Emerson
Eric Emerson was an American musician, dancer, and actor. Emerson is best known for his roles in films by pop artist Andy Warhol, and as a member of the seminal glam punk group, the Magic Tramps.-Career:...
's LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
-fueled monologue in the Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
movie Chelsea Girls
Chelsea Girls
Chelsea Girls is a 1966 experimental underground film directed by Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey. The film was Warhol's first major commercial success after a long line of avant-garde art films...
.
"Hey Joni" is titled as a tribute to rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
standard "Hey Joe
Hey Joe
"Hey Joe" is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and as such, has been performed in a multitude of musical styles by hundreds of different artists since it was first written. "Hey Joe" tells the story of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico...
" and to Canadian singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
. It is sung by Lee Ranaldo, and has surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
lyrics such as, “Shots ring out from the center of an empty field/ Joni's in the tall grass/ She's a beautiful mental jukebox, a sailboat explosion/ A snap of electric whipcrack”. This song also alludes to the works of William Gibson with the line “In this broken town, can you still jack in/ And know what to do?” These feature similarly on Lee's two other songs on the album, the rarely-played "Rain King" — an homage to Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group from Cleveland, Ohio.Père Ubu may also refer to:* Ubu, the enigmatic central figure of a series of French plays by Alfred Jarry, including Ubu Roi, and subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné...
and perhaps Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow
Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
's Henderson the Rain King
Henderson the Rain King
Henderson the Rain King is a 1959 novel by Saul Bellow. The book's blend of philosophical discourse and comic adventure has helped make it one of his most enduringly popular works.It is said to be Bellow's own favorite amongst his books....
— and the aforementioned "Eric's Trip".
The album's title comes from a lyric in "Hyperstation", and the closing track "Eliminator Jr." (inspired by the "Preppie Killer" Robert Chambers) was thus titled because the band felt it sounded like a cross between Dinosaur Jr. and Eliminator-era ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
. It was given part "z" in the "Trilogy" both as a reference to ZZ Top and because it is the closing piece on the disc.
The album was nearly titled Tonight's the Day, from a lyric in "Candle". This was also meant as a reference to Neil Young's LP Tonight's the Night.
Some of the band's more experimental tendencies are on display in the musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
piece "Providence". The song consists of a piano solo by Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
recorded at his mother's house using a Walkman
Walkman
Walkman is a Sony brand tradename originally used for portable audio cassette, and now used to market Sony's portable audio and video players as well as a line of Sony Ericsson mobile phones...
, the sound of an amp overheating and a pair of telephone messages left by Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
, calling for Moore from a Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
payphone, dubbed over one another. Oddly, it was released as a single, and a single-shot music video was even filmed for it.
Packaging
The album cover features the 1983 Gerhard RichterGerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter is a German visual artist. Richter has simultaneously produced abstract and photorealistic painted works, as well as photographs and glass pieces, thus undermining the concept of the artist’s obligation to maintain a single cohesive style.- Biography :Gerhard Richter was born in...
painting Kerze ("Candle"). The back cover art is a similar Richter painting from 1982.
The LP's 4 sides and the CD itself featured four symbols on the disc representing the four members of the band, similar to the symbols of Led Zeppelin IV. The symbols featured are infinity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
, female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
, upper case omega
Omega
Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system, it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to omicron, which means "little O"...
, and a drawing of a demon/angel holding drumsticks.
Release
Daydream Nation was released in October 1988 on compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, cassette, and double
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
vinyl. The album did not chart in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but reached number 99 on the UK Album Charts. The single "Teen Age Riot" charted on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s newly created Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart at number 20.
The deluxe edition of Daydream Nation was released in 2007. It contains live versions of every track on the album, plus studio recordings of some cover songs. A 4-LP vinyl version was released on July 17, 2007.
Critical reception
In the years following its release, Daydream Nation has risen in stature to become one of the most highly-regarded albums of the 1980s, receiving much critical acclaim and appearing on many "Best-of" lists. It was ranked #1 on Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's "Top 100 Albums of the 1980s," #14 on Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005", and #45 on the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
"100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s" list. In 2003, the album was ranked number 329 on Rolling Stones "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
" list. It was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
to be added to the National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
in 2006.
Accolades
Since its release, Daydream Nation has featured heavily in various "must have" lists compiled by the music media. Some of the more prominent of these lists to feature the album are shown below; this information is adapted from Acclaimedmusic.net.| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative Press Alternative Press (music magazine) Alternative Press is an American music magazine based in Cleveland, Ohio. It generally provides readers with band interviews, photos, information on upcoming releases, and music charts. It was founded in 1985 by Mike Shea, who is the current president.... |
U.S. | Top 99 Albums of 1985 to 1995 | 1995 | #51 |
| Spin Spin (magazine) Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard... |
U.S. | 100 Alternative Albums | 1995 | #9 |
| Guitarist Guitarist (magazine) Guitarist is a monthly music making magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing... |
U.K. | 101 Essential Guitar Albums | 2000 | #11 |
| Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock... |
U.S. | Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | 2002 | #1 |
| Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J... |
U.S. | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | #329 |
| Blender Blender (magazine) Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities.... |
U.S. | 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die | 2003 | * |
| Q Q (magazine) Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology... |
U.K. | The 80 Best Records of the 80s | 2006 | #30 |
( * ) designates lists which are unordered.
Track listing
All songs written by Sonic Youth.Side one
- "Teen Age Riot" (lyrics/vocals Moore, Gordon intro vocals) – 6:57
- "Silver RocketSilver Rocket"Silver Rocket" was the second single from Sonic Youth's 1988 album, Daydream Nation. It was ranked #79 in Rolling Stones "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time"....
" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 3:47 - "The Sprawl" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 7:42
Side two
- "'Cross the Breeze" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 7:00
- "Eric's Trip" (lyrics/vocals Ranaldo) – 3:48
- "Total Trash" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 7:33
Side three
- "Hey Joni" (lyrics/vocals Ranaldo) – 4:23
- "Providence" (vocals Mike WattMike WattMichael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
) – 2:41 - "Candle" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 4:58
- "Rain King" (lyrics/vocals Ranaldo) – 4:39
Side four
- "Kissability" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 3:08
- Trilogy: – 14:02†
- A) "The Wonder" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 4:15
- B) "Hyperstation" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 7:13
- Z) "Eliminator Jr." (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 2:37
†Some releases separate the parts of "Trilogy".
Deluxe edition
The four-LP vinyl release of the deluxe edition has a slightly different track listing than the CD release. The first two LPs have the same track listing as the original double-LP release. However, the home demo of "Eric's Trip" is at the end of the fourth LP, rather than falling immediately after the original album.Disc One
- "Teen Age Riot" – 6:57
- "Silver Rocket" – 3:47
- "The Sprawl" – 7:42
- "'Cross the Breeze" – 7:00
- "Eric's Trip" – 3:48
- "Total Trash" – 7:33
- "Hey Joni" – 4:23
- "Providence" – 2:41
- "Candle" – 4:58
- "Rain King" – 4:39
- "Kissability" – 3:08
- "Trilogy: The Wonder" – 4:15
- "Trilogy: Hyperstation" – 7:13
- "Trilogy: Eliminator Jr." – 2:37
- "Eric's Trip" (Home Demo) – 2:27
Disc Two
On the four-LP vinyl edition, Side E spans from "The Sprawl" to "Silver Rocket"; side F spans from "Kissability" to "Hyperstation"; side G spans from "Eliminator Jr." to "Total Trash"; and side H includes the cover songs, followed by the home demo of "Eric's Trip".Live Daydream
- "The Sprawl" (Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989) – 8:27
- "'Cross the Breeze" (Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989) – 5:54
- "Hey Joni" (Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989) – 3:38
- "Silver Rocket" (Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989) – 4:19
- "Kissability" (Recorded for the documentary Put Blood in the Music in Brooklyn, New York City in August 1988) – 2:19
- "Eric's Trip" (Noise Now Festival, Philipshalle, Düsseldorf on March 27, 1989) – 3:05
- "Candle" (Cabaret Metro, Chicago on November 5, 1988) – 5:04
- "The Wonder" (Recorded at CBGB's December 13, 1988) – 4:02
- "Hyperstation" (Recorded at CBGB's December 13, 1988) – 6:14
- "Eliminator Jr." (Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989) – 2:38
- "Providence" (Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989) – 1:47
- "Teen Age Riot" (Paradiso, Amsterdam on March 26, 1989) – 4:37
- "Rain King" (Recorded for the documentary Put Blood in the Music in Brooklyn, New York City in August 1988) – 4:06
- "Totally Trashed" (Maxwell's, Hoboken, New Jersey on June 9, 1988) – 1:57
- "Total Trash" (Maxwell's, Hoboken, New Jersey on June 9, 1988) – 5:18
Bonus cover songs
- "Within You Without YouWithin You Without You"Within You Without You" is a song written by George Harrison, released on The Beatles' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.-Composition:...
" (HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
) – 4:58 - "Touch Me I'm SickTouch Me I'm Sick"Touch Me I'm Sick" is a song by the American alternative rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded in March 1988 at Seattle's Reciprocal Recording studio with producer Jack Endino. "Touch Me I'm Sick" was released as Mudhoney's debut single by independent record label Sub Pop on August 1, 1988...
" (MudhoneyMudhoneyMudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
) – 2:33 - "Computer AgeTrans (album)Trans is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1982. Recorded partially and released during his notorious Geffen era in the 1980s, Trans baffled many Neil Young fans. Some suggested that the album could be a satirical message that Young was trying to send about the...
" (YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
) – 5:12 - "Electricity" (Van VlietCaptain BeefheartDon Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
/Bermann) – 2:46
Personnel
All information is taken from the CD.- Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Kim GordonKim GordonKim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Thurston MooreThurston MooreThurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
– guitar, vocals, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Steve ShelleySteve ShelleySteven Jay Shelley is an American drummer, best known as the drummer of alternative rock band Sonic Youth.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
– producer - Nick SansanoNick SansanoNick Sansano is an American record producer, engineer, and musician. He coproduced and recorded Sonic Youth's albums Daydream Nation and Goo. He also engineered and mixed selections from Public Enemy's albums It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Fear of a Black Planet and Muse...
– producer, engineer - Howie WeinbergHowie WeinbergHowie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands.- Career :He has worked at Masterdisk, New York City, since 1977...
– mastering - Dave Swanson – assistant engineer
- Michael LavineMichael LavineMichael Lavine is a portrait photographer based in New York City. He grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Denver's South High School in 1981....
– photography - Matt Tritto – assistant engineer
Album charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Official UK Albums Chart | 99 |
Charting singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Teen Age Riot" | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | 20 |
External links
- Daydream Nation at SonicYouth.com discography