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1 Burnside Music- 33 1/3 Series
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Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation (33 1/3 Series)

by Matthew Stearns

Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation (33 1/3 Series) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Daydream Nation is the kind of gorgeous monstrosity (born of extremes, rife with difficulties, and mythic in proportion) that can crush the will of the most resilient, well-intentioned listener if the necessary preparations haven't been made. Matthew Stearns explores the album from a range of angles, including a track-by-track analysis and a look at the historical and cultural context within which the album was made. Featuring a foreword by Lee Ranaldo and exclusive interviews with the band, this truly is the definitive guide to Daydream Nation.

Review:

"It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch. The series... is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration." The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren't enough." Rolling Stone

Review:

"One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet." Bookslut

Review:

"These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds." Vice

Review:

"A brilliant series... each one a word of real love." NME

Review:

"Passionate, obsessive, and smart." Nylon

Review:

"Religious tracts for the rock 'n' roll faithful." Uncut

Review:

"We... aren't naive enough to think that we're your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way... watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you'd do well to check out Continuum's 33 1/3 series of books." Pitchfork

Synopsis:

33 1/3 is a series of short books about a wide variety of albums, by artists ranging from James Brown to the Beastie Boys. Launched in September 2003, the series now contains over 50 titles and is acclaimed and loved by fans, musicians and scholars alike.

About the Author

Matthew Stearns is a regular contributor to Resonance magazine. A onetime graduate student in comparative literature, he has also held down jobs as a seasonal construction worker in Alaska, black-market babysitter in Paris, bookseller, editorial assistant, and record store clerk.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
K. Roe, July 31, 2008 (view all comments by K. Roe)
While the writer seems to be quite insightful and his descriptives are right on, I would contest the oozing admiration for this record vs. earlier SY recordings - namely "Bad Moon Rising" and "EVOL". As an old-school fan of SY as far back as remembering the releases of "Sonic Youth", "Confusion is Sex" & "Sonic Death", Stearnes makes it seem as if the ground-breaking sounds and unique SY stylings were all created during the "Daydream Nation" era. I will grant that the band was finely honed on their craft at this point, but I would argue that anything on (at the very least) "EVOL" stands up just as well, if not more so, to the material on "Daydream Nation." Perhaps it's Stearns's lack of historical context that makes me take this position...I'm not a book critic so I can only argue what I was thinking as I was reading...perhaps I'm too close to "EVOL" and "Bad Moon Rising" on an emotional level to approach Daydream Nation...I'll make a deal, do a book on one of these two aforementioned records and I'll give this one a 5...waddaya say?
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780826417404
Author:
Stearns, Matthew
Publisher:
Continuum
Subject:
Alternative
Subject:
History & Criticism - General
Subject:
Sonic Youth (Musical group)
Subject:
Alternative & Indie
Series:
33 1/3
Publication Date:
March 2007
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
160
Dimensions:
658x478x36 31

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