Description
Culled from three 1985 gigs in the UK during a transitional and transcendent time in the bands story, Sonic Youths The Walls Have Ears appeared disappeared as a 2LP set in 1986, not just a live album but an artful tapestry full of live experimentation with songs, betweensong tape segues, darkness, humor and audio verit. Its now issued for the first time officially under the bands auspices.The 85 shows were the second time the band appeared on UK soil, Brits now getting juiced to the mythos of the emerging guitarslinging American independent underground an art punk band from NYC sporting casual attitudes and tees sporting Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and Prince made some good press copy on top of their bludgeoning stage appearance. Paul Smith of the newlyfounded Blast First label acted as an overseas diplomatic envoy for Sonic Youth through their SST years as well as issuing their classic 1988 Daydream Nation outside the USA. However the Smithproduced bootleg of their 85 UK gigs surfaced much to everyones surprise, just before EVOL was to be released. It turned out to be a marker of the groups dissatisfaction that ultimately led to the releases deletion, and the band and Smith parting ways after Daydream.In this 2LP set brimming with primitive classics like The Burning Spear, Death Valley 69, and Im Insane uncredited on sleeve, segues and live guitar changes ooze together threaded by Madonna tapes and vocal loops off the board somewhat a necessity for distraction until the band had a full fledged stage crew to prepare guitars. The first two sides of Walls are massive, cavernous, with newlydrafted drummer Steve Shelley. SY tear it up especially on one trashfi excerpt of Blood On Brighton Beach actually Making The Nature Scene from a legendary outdoor gig November 8th where Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldos guitars trebleblast dissonant shockwaves over the blackstoned beach of Quadrophenia fame.The records second slab spotlights an April 1985 at Londons Hammersmith Palais and was one of the final appearances live of Bob Bert on drums, again featuring some molten takes on Brother James, Flower listed as The Word E.V.O.L., and others. This document remains an essential representation of some lean and mean years of the quartets throttling march out into the world.
