#TBT to when Sonic Youth encored with four Ramones covers in 1987
Sonic Youth were of course huge fans of the Ramones from the very beginning. Thurston Moore has called their debut “probably the most important record for me of all time” and he has that now-famous story where the first time he went to CBGB, he ran into Joey Ramone on the street, asked for directions, and then offered him a ride. Lee Ranaldo has also discussed their influence in interviews, and the Ramones are featured in 1991: The Year Punk Broke, the documentary on Sonic Youth’s 1991 European tour.
Thurston covered “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” with Be Your Own Pet’s Jemina Pearl for Gossip Girl, but way earlier than that, Sonic Youth did an all-Ramones encore at their October 14, 1987 show at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago. That encore was immortalized on the band’s 1991 live album Hold That Tiger. They did “Loudmouth,” “I Don’t Want to Walk Around With You,” “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World,” and “Beat on the Brat,” all with a Ramones-style “1, 2, 3, 4!” intro, and for “Loudmouth,” Thurston introduced the song by saying “This song’s called ‘We’re Sonic Youth, and You’re Steve Albini.'” Relive that awesome moment by listening to Hold That Tiger below.
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Meanwhile, Thurston Moore has new music coming, and Lee Ranaldo’s tour hits NYC tonight (11/9).
