If I liked Teenage Riot, would I like other Sonic Youth records?

I just heard Teenage Riot. I enjoyed it. If I liked that song, is it indicative that I’d probably like the other Sonic Youth songs?

Probably.

That song is basically the first “pop” song Sonic Youth recorded and not at all (with a few exceptions, “Silver Rocket” and “Hey Joni”) an indicator of the rest of Daydream Nation, which is a pretty experimental record, and with it’s 70+ minutes of guitar noodling and noisy feedback can be quite a struggle to get into, at first. But it’s worth it, trust me. One of the greatest guitar records of all time, and the definite highlight of Sonic Youth’s career.

Still you might want to check out these songs, from other albums-- which are more similar to Teenage Riot in terms of accessabillity-- first, just to wet your appetite:

Dirty Boots
Sugar Kane
100%
Bull In The Heather
Kool Thing
Schizophrenia

And while you’re at it, check out “Freak Scene” by Dinosaur Jr, it’s very similar to “Teenage Riot,” which is actually a song about J. Mascis, Dinosaur’s guitarist.

Possibly. Try the album Daydream Nation ( their best in my, and many others, opinion ), from which that song comes, then Sister, which is probably the next closest to it in overall sound and mood. If you like those, you can branch out from there. Generally speaking the earlier you go, the more experimental sounding they get, while later albums are a little less…interesting, IMHO.

Myself I tend to favor the stretch from Evol to Goo, while being less interested in Confusion is Sex and earlier or Dirty and later.

  • Tamerlane

I would recommend Dirty as an easy Sonic Youth album to get into, and if you like that you’d probably like Goo, Sister and Daydream Nation.