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Edson then quit the group for an acting career and was replaced by Bob Bert. The album featured a relatively conventional post-punk style, in contrast to their later releases. The material was released as the EP Sonic Youth which, while largely ignored, was sent to a few key members of the American music press, who gave it uniformly favorable reviews. In December 1981 the group recorded five songs at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Early releases: 1982–1985 īranca signed Sonic Youth as the first act on his record label Neutral Records. Each band member took turns playing the drums, until they met drummer Richard Edson. The new trio played three songs at the festival later in the week without a drummer. Their performance impressed Moore, who described them as 'the most ferocious guitar band that I had ever seen in my life', and he invited Ranaldo to join Sonic Youth.

Gordon later recalled that 'as soon as Thurston came up with the name Sonic Youth, a certain sound that was more of what we wanted to do came about.' The band played Noise Fest in June 1981 at New York's White Columns gallery, where Lee Ranaldo was playing as a member of Glenn Branca's electric guitar ensemble. The name came from combining the nickname of MC5's Fred 'Sonic' Smith with reggae artist Big Youth. Moore and Gordon formed a band, appearing under names like Male Bonding, Red Milk, and the Arcadians before settling on Sonic Youth in mid-1981. After the breakup of the Coachmen, Moore began jamming with Stanton Miranda, whose band, CKM, featured Kim Gordon. Shortly after guitarist Thurston Moore moved to New York City in early 1977, he formed the group Room Tone with his roommates they later changed their name to the Coachmen. History Formation and early history: 1977–1981 The members have since asserted that the band is finished and would not reunite. The band disbanded in 2011 following the separation and subsequent divorce of Gordon and Moore with their final live shows taking place in Brazil. The band was a pivotal influence on the alternative and indie rock movements.Īfter gaining a large underground following and critical praise through releases with SST Records in the late 1980s, the band experienced mainstream success throughout the 1990s and 2000s after signing to major label DGC in 1990 and headlining the 1995 Lollapalooza festival. Sonic Youth have been praised for having 'redefined what rock guitar could do' using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tunings while preparing guitars with objects like drum sticks and screwdrivers to alter the instruments' timbre. Sonic Youth emerged from the experimental no wave art and music scene in New York before evolving into a more conventional rock band and becoming a prominent member of the American noise rock scene. Jim O'Rourke (bass, keyboards, guitar) was also a member of the band from 1999 to 2005, and Mark Ibold (bass, guitar) was a member from 2006 to 2011.

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Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the band, while Steve Shelley (drums) followed a series of short-term drummers in 1985, rounding out the core line-up.

Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City and formed in 1981.

Sonic outh superstar