Revisit The Flaming Lips’ cover of Sonic Youth song ‘Death Valley 69’
Formed in 1981, Sonic Youth were one of the most influential bands to emerge during the end of the 21st century. Their pioneering approach to alternative rock during the 1980s led to the genre’s developments in the 1990s, with artists like Nirvana citing the New York rockers as a significant influence.
The band were born from the no-wave scene, which thrived in New York’s underground bars and venues during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These artists, like Glenn Branca, The Contortions, DNA and Teenage Jesus and The Jerks, experimented with unconventional sounds, abrasion and dissonance, giving their take on rock music a wholly unique spin. Instruments like saxophones, trumpets and synths were also incorporated, heavily relying on non-rock influences to shape their sound.
For Sonith Youth’s Kim Gordon, the no-wave scene was a symbol of innovation. She told Elle, “When I came to New York, I’d go and see bands downtown playing no-wave music. It was expressionistic and it was also nihilistic. Punk rock was tongue-in-cheek, saying, ‘Yeah, we’re destroying rock.’ No-wave music is more like, ‘NO, we’re really destroying rock.’ It was very dissonant. I just felt like, Wow, this is really free. I could do that.”
By the mid-1980s, Sonic Youth were an underground cult favourite, although they struggled to find widespread critical and commercial success until the early 1990s. In 1985, they released their dark second album, Bad Moon Rising, which featured the song ‘Death Valley ’69’, with Lydia Lunch from Teenage Jesus and the Jerks providing additional vocals.
Meanwhile, over in Oklahoma City, The Flaming Lips had recently formed, with Wayne Coyne assuming lead vocals from his brother in 1985. Known for their psychedelic and experimental sound, the band didn’t break into the mainstream until the late 1990s with their ninth album, The Soft Bulletin.
However, in the 1980s, The Flaming Lips were finding their feet, creating albums that were far from conventional. For example, their 1987 album Oh My Gawd!!! was made while Coyne and Michael Ivins experimented with sleep deprivation. The band took inspiration from bands like Sonic Youth, who helped pave the way for artists to embrace daring experimentation. During the late 1980s, The Flaming Lips paid tribute to Sonic Youth by recording a cover of ‘Death Valley ’69’, although their version is considerably more punk-influenced.
The two bands knew each other during this time, with Coyne once telling Spinner, “I can tell you for certain that the first time they played here [Oklahoma] in 1985 or 1986, Thurston Moore slept on our couch – and he was too long for our couch.”
He added, explaining his love for the New Yorkers, “I can’t tell you how overjoyed we were as a band, when they came out – that a group like Sonic Youth exists.”
Listen to their cover below.
