GOO

Goo is the sixth album by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 26, 1990. Goo was the first album released after the band signed to major label Geffen Records. Following the release of Daydream Nation in 1988, Sonic Youth sought to sign with a new record label. By mid-1989, the top contenders were A&M Records, Atlantic Records, and Mute Records. Soon Geffen Records announced its interest in signing the group. Sonic Youth ultimately signed a five-album with Geffen for at an estimated $300,000. However, the band was disappointed to find out that it would actually be releasing material on a newly-created Geffen sublabel, DGC Records.

While Sonic Youth's contract had no routine industry stipulation to recording demos for its album to show the record company, the band did so in order to give DGC an idea of what they were producing, as well as to form a basis for the album. While Geffen suggested the group work with Daniel Lanois on the record, the group chose to produce the record itself with Nick Sansano as engineer, just as it had done for Daydream Nation. At Sansano's recommendation, the group chose to record at New York City's Sorcer Sound studio. Meanwhile, Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J. Mascis convinced Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley to buy a larger drumkit.

While the new songs were already arranged, the band and Sansano incorporated new recording techniques whenever they could, such as hanging microphones from the studio's catwalk and isolating Shelley in a drum booth. Sonic Youth considered hiring David Markey to film a documentary of the album's production, but due to recurring problems during recording ("It took us forever to get final takes", guitarist Lee Ranaldo recalled), the band abandoned the idea. Once basic tracks were completed, the sessions moved to Green Street studio in order to finish the song and perform album mixing. By the time the album was completed, its cost came out to $150,000.

The album's lead track, "Dirty Boots", evokes old blues slang in its declaration that "It's time to rock the road/And tell the story of the jelly rollin'/Dirty boots are on/Hi de ho." The second track, "Tunic (Song for Karen)", is about Karen Carpenter, a female pop drummer and singer who died from anorexia nervosa. It imagines her in heaven, happy, playing the drums again and meeting new friends Dennis Wilson, Elvis Presley and Janis Joplin.

The album featured the single "Kool Thing", on which Chuck D from the rap group Public Enemy guested. The song is purported to be about the disillusionment that bass player Kim Gordon experienced after interviewing LL Cool J for Spin Magazine the previous year. "Are you going to liberate us girls from male, white, corporate oppression?" Gordon asks in the song, but receives only hipster gibberish in return. "Kool Thing" became the song that many casual music fans associate with the band. The album version of "Mary-Christ" fades out with a portion of the intro to "Kool Thing". This is because in the recording session for "Mary-Christ" the band went right into "Kool Thing", but this take of "Kool Thing" was not chosen for the album.

"Mildred Pierce" is one of the first Sonic Youth songs ever written. It is also one of the few to use standard guitar tuning. The title comes from the Joan Crawford film of the same name.

The album's title derives from the song "My Friend Goo", a portrait of a friend who "sticks just like glue." According to the Sonic Youth website, a considered title was "Blow Job?" for a while. This was also the working title for "Mildred Pierce".

The cover is a Raymond Pettibon illustration based on a paparazzi photo of Maureen Hindley and her first husband David Smith, witnesses in the case of the "Moors Murders" serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, driving to the trial in 1966.

In 2008, Scottish band The Twilight Sad released an EP called "...Killed My Parents and Hit the Road". The name and album artwork, which features a re-work of the Goo cover in the style of previous Twilight Sad artwork, are homages to Goo. According to vocalist James Graham, guitarist Andy MacFarlane came up with the idea, and noted that "[The Twilight Sad] were playing in America with Mogwai [...] and Thurston Moore [came] to the gig. So we were thinking "fuck" and hoping he didn’t see the merchandise table. They haven’t sued us though. Yet."

All songs written by Sonic Youth.

1. "Dirty Boots" (lyrics/vocals Moore, backing vocal Gordon) – 5:28
2. "Tunic (Song for Karen)" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 6:22
3. "Mary-Christ" (lyrics Moore, vocals Moore/Gordon) – 3:11
4. "Kool Thing" (lyrics/vocals Gordon, guest vocals Chuck D) – 4:06
5. "Mote" (lyrics/vocals Ranaldo) – 7:37
6. "My Friend Goo" (lyrics/vocals Gordon, backing vocal Moore) – 2:19
7. "Disappearer" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 5:08
8. "Mildred Pierce" (lyrics/vocals Moore) – 2:13
9. "Cinderella's Big Score" (lyrics/vocals Gordon) – 5:54
10. "Scooter + Jinx" – 1:06
11. "Titanium Exposé" (lyrics/vocals Moore and Gordon) – 6:24