Sonic Youth announce reissue of ‘Walls Have Ears’ and release first preview
The American alt-rock legends Sonic Youth have announced a brand new reissue of Walls Have Ears. The double LP live album was recorded in 1985 and bootlegged in ‘86.
For nearly 40 years, the band hadn’t officially released the record. However, all will change on February 9th, 2024, when the reissue hits the shelves courtesy of Goofin Records.
To celebrate the announcement, Sonic Youth have shared the first preview for the record, ‘Expressway to Yr. Skull’.
The recordings found on Walls Have Ears were captured across three live shows in the UK in 1985 during the band’s second tour in the country. In between some iconic early hits for the band are snippets of on-stage camaraderie, improvisational reimaginings of Sonic Youth songs and even a tribute to The Jesus and Mary Chain.
As the track ‘Blood on Brighton Beach’ suggests, one of the three shows from which the album was collated was the band’s famous video-taped gig on Brighton Beach and subsequent show at Zap Club.
Other tracks on the live album were recorded during a show at London’s Hammersmith Palais when Sonic Youth opened for Nick Cave. This was one of the final live appearances for Bob Bert before Steve Shelley’s induction.
See the full tracklist for Walls Have Ears below.
Walls Have Ears tracklist:
- ‘C. B.’
- ‘Green Love’
- ‘Brother James’
- ‘Kill Yr. Idols’
- ‘I Love Her All the Time’
- ‘Expressway to Yr. Skull’
- ‘Spahn Ranch Dance’
- ‘Blood on Brighton Beach’
- ‘The Burning Spear’
- ‘Death Valley ’69’
- ‘Speed JAMC’
- ‘Ghost Bitch’
- ‘World Looks Red’
- ‘I’m Insane’
- ‘The Word (E.V.O.L)’
- ‘Brother Jam-Z’
- ‘Killed and Kicked Off’
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