Death Valley '69

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (52 ratings)
Sample Album
Death Valley '69 album cover
Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 2   Total Length: 9:48

Write a Review 3 Member Reviews

Please register before you review a release. Register

user avatar

Alternate takes

michele.lee

When I was a lad of 18 or so, I started busting out of the classic rock ghetto that my older brother had initiated me into. My life was changed by Zoviet France's 'Misfits, Loony Tunes and Squalid Criminals,' Neubauten's 'Halber Mensch,' and, most of all, by SY's 'Bad Moon Rising.' The song structures, the sounds connecting one piece to the next, the totality and the stream-of-consciousness of the whole thing forced me to keep going back and listening to it, even before what it was doing made much sense to me. This item here has a pair of alternate takes of album tracks, essentially representing the album's beginning and end (tho here in reverse). To my ears, they sound like not-quite-as-good mixes as the full-length versions, but they're kind of interesting as a window into the process that yielded the whole thing. Either way, 'Bad Moon Rising' is a far better record than it has been given credit for. Don't pass it by.

user avatar

Death Valley 69 is a classic

noisician

"Death Valley 69" is a great tune, Lydia and all. Worth a d/l if you didn't already get this as part of the CD version of Bad Moon Rising CD. AMG is right that "Satan..." is not too interesting, but wrong that this is the case with the rest of Bad Moon Rising. A great album.

user avatar

Garbage in. . .

mcameronboyd

. . . garbage out. (Not the band, Linda.)

Recommended Albums

eMusic Features

Who are...The Men
0

Who are…The Men

By Austin L. Ray, eMusic Contributor

On 2011's Leave Home, The Men unleashed a sprawling, overwhelming, brute-force basher of a rock 'n' roll record on a mostly-unsuspecting public, leaving a bunch of exhausted, gape-mouthed listeners in its wake In following up such a galvanic-if-difficult release, the Brooklyn foursome presents Open Your Heart, a more accessible and delightfully mixed bag that touches on hardcore, Buzzcockian power pop, classic country drinking songs, straight-ahead rock and propulsive, building jams the likes of which would… more »

Icon: Sonic Youth
0

Icon: Sonic Youth

By Kevin O'Donnell, eMusic Contributor

They're one of the greatest bands to emerge in the last 30 years and have released as many consistent and interesting albums as bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and contemporaries Radiohead. They do one thing and they do it very well: loud, dense, atonal art-rock that's fused with tight guitar hooks and hummable melodies - even though none of the singers have proper singing chops and they've rarely played in standard guitar tunings. But… more »

They Say All Music Guide

The Death Valley ’69 EP compiles a few previously released songs — “I Dreamed I Dream” (from Sonic Youth [1982]), “Inhuman” (from Confusion Is Sex [1983]), and “Brother James” (from Kill Yr. Idols [1983]) — in addition to the title track and the otherwise unreleased “Satan Is Boring.” It served its purpose at the time of its release, showcasing the excellent title track alongside some of the band’s previous standout work, which was no doubt difficult to track down at the time (the band was still very underground). The previously unreleased song, “Satan Is Boring,” isn’t particularly noteworthy. It’s typical of the sort of songs that Sonic Youth had recorded for Bad Moon Rising (1985) — aimless and hazy, albeit curious. This 12″ EP is mainly a collector’s item nowadays. All of these songs can be readily found elsewhere. – Jason Birchmeier

more »

Activity