Smart Bar Chicago 1985
A red hue photograph of a rock band on stage. Bold black text above reads "Sonic Youth Smart Bar Chicago 1985."
Live album by
Sonic Youth
ReleasedNovember 13, 2012
RecordedAugust 11, 1985
StudioSmart Bar, Chicago, United States
Genre
Length67:02
LabelGoofin'
Producer
Sonic Youth live album chronology
Battery Park, NYC July 4th 2008
(2009)		 Smart Bar Chicago 1985
(2012)

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Drowned in Sound7/10[6]
Louder Sound[7]
Record Collector[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spectrum Culture3.5/5[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.TitleLyricsStudio versionLength
1."Hallowe'en"Kim GordonBad Moon Rising, 19855:42
2."Death Valley '69"Lydia Lunch, Thurston MooreBad Moon Rising7:20
3."Intro"/"Brave Men Run (In My Family)"GordonBad Moon Rising4:51
4."I Love Her All the Time"MooreBad Moon Rising5:20
5."Ghost Bitch"GordonBad Moon Rising5:55
6."I'm Insane"MooreBad Moon Rising5:20
7."Kat 'n' Hat"(Instrumental)previously unreleased3:36
8."Brother James"GordonKill Yr Idols, 19832:50
9."Kill Yr Idols"MooreKill Yr Idols2:32
10."Secret Girl"GordonEVOL, 19863:13
11."Flower"GordonBad Moon Rising2:36
12."The Burning Spear"MooreSonic Youth, 19825:01
13."Expressway to Yr Skull"MooreEVOL9:04
14."Making the Nature Scene"GordonConfusion Is Sex3:42
Total length:67:02

Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from Smart Bar Chicago 1985's liner notes.[11]

Sonic Youth
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

  1. ↑ Pelly, Jenn (September 10, 2012). "Sonic Youth Announce New Live Album | News". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Intro/Brave Men Run (in My Family) – Sonic Youth Smart Bar Chicago 1985". YouTube. Google. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 "Sonic Youth – Smart Bar Chicago 1985". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  5. 1 2 Thomas, Fred. "Smart Bar: Chicago 1985 – Sonic Youth: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ "Sonic Youth: Smart Bar – Chicago 1985". 5 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Smart Bar: Chicago 1985 - Record Collector Magazine".
  9. 1 2 Sheffield, Rob (November 13, 2012). "Smart Bar Chicago 1985 | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sonic Youth: Smart Bar Chicago 1985 | Music Review". 7 December 2012.
  11. 1 2 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)
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