A rare live recording of Sonic Youth featuring Steve Albini will be unearthed. In fact, on February 7, 2025, the Superior Viaduct label will officially release, both on vinyl and on CD, “Hold That Tiger”, the live recording recorded at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago in October 1987 and initially distributed as a semi-bootleg by indie label Goofin'.
On stage there lineup band historian: Kim Gordon, guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo and drummer Steve Shelley. The reissue of “Hold That Tiger” retains the original cover: a shot of Bob Bert and Julie Cafritz of Pussy Galore, their colleagues in the noise-rock scene.
“Hold That Tiger” captures Sonic Youth at a crucial moment in their career. After establishing themselves as noise-rock innovators in the early '80s, the New Yorkers had begun to veer towards more traditional songs, while maintaining their dark and biting spirit. At the time they were promoting the album “Sister” and were just one year away from the release of the historic double album “Daydream Nation” (1988), a milestone of independent rock, now preserved in the Library of Congress among the historical recordings.
“Hold That Tiger” focuses primarily on songs from “Sister,” including “Schizophrenia,” “White Cross,” “Tom Violence,” “Kotton Crown” and “Catholic Block.” However, the set also includes older tracks like “Brother James,” “Death Valley 69” and the epic “Expressway to Yr Skull.” To conclude the concert, the band paid homage to its predecessors in the CBGB scene with four Ramones covers: “Loudmouth,” “I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You,” “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World” and “Beat On The Brat”.
The band was introduced on stage that night by Steve Albini, the great producer and deus ex machina of the American indie scene, who passed away this spring. “We arrived at Cabaret Metro and found our musician friend Steve in front of the venue telling us he couldn't attend the concert because he had been banned due to some previous verbal provocation or other,” Shelley told Rolling Stone. “We refused to accept this situation and demanded that our friend be admitted so we could perform. Surprisingly, the venue accepted.” Albini introduced the band by saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, from NYC, the kings of cough syrup: Richard Kern and the Black Snakes!” (Kern was the director underground who directed their macabre video for “Death Valley 69”).
This year, it was bassist Kim Gordon who kept the name of the Sonic Youth team high, with her highly regarded album “The Collective”, which also earned her a nominations at the Grammys.
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
