Friday, December 26, 2008

Rain King

The next song on Daydream Nation is called "Rain King."

This is a milestone for one very simple reason....its Lee's 3rd vocal on a record. By far, the most of any Sonic Youth album. What does this tell us? Lee should sing more.....

Dirge and grind. This song reminds me of older Sonic. It was never really one of my favorites, but brings a smile to myself. It has a twinge to it that hints at things to come...lead guitar!! Not sure why but the working title was called "Mellancamp." John perhaps?

Rarely played live. Lee often changed the lyrics during the '88 tour. He shows this in years to come with many of his contributions. Lee has always felt that just because a song is recorded and released, its never the final realization of the song. Rain King falls into that category, must be why the rarely played the song.

Resurrected for the 2007-08 Daydream Nation re-issue shows. Has not survived since.

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