Sonic Youth - Master-Dik

There was a time, probably up until Washing Machine, when I would have bought any amount of shit that Sonic Youth threw at me.
Made In U.S.A. soundtrack?
Got it.
“Dirty Boots” CD5?
Mm hmm.
It wasn’t until that Godawful NYC Ghosts & Flowers came out until I realized that, not only were Sonic Youth fallible, they could also release some utter garbage.
I contend that the 1988 e.p. Master-Dik is the first foray into filler, and to go a bit further, the first attempt by a notoriously cool band to make a run at taking the cash of their fans.
Argue all you want, and I would have stood by you with your arguments some twenty years ago. Back then, I regularly incorporated some of the many sound collages on to mixtapes, seemingly considering that their inclusion brought some high art to the compilation.
The reality is, Master-Dik contains a weaker remix of “Master Dik,” a by-the-numbers reading of “Beat On The Brat,” and about twenty minutes of rehearsal footage, inside jokes, noodling, and other unnecessary nonsense.
Originally released in 1988, about the same time that Sonic Youth jumped ship from SST to Blast First, it could easily be attributed as a last-ditch cash-grab by the stoners at SST before one of their money makers went to a larger indie.
But here it is, twenty years later, and Sonic Youth are re-releasing Master-Dik in an attempt at getting some of that cash for themselves. There is no reason why this e.p. couldn’t have been made available for free, as it essentially is a bunch of sonic trash dressed up to look like something important.

For shits and giggles, here’s my take on Master-Dik from several years ago when I was much more appreciative of it:

A fine stop gap with some hilarious liner notes. Also dig the Big Black sticker that came with the initial pressings warning us that this e.p. wasn't "as good as Atomizer...So don't get your hopes up Cheese." Probably the most requested S.Y. effort that I used to tape for people who'd ask: "Can you make me a copy of that Sonic Youth song where they call Gene Simmons an ugly motherfucker?" The stage intros for non-existent jazz players like George Benson is a laugh too. My hopes aren't up. It's not as good as Atomizer. I like cheese. And I like this effort as an ego deflator which was starting to happen when Kim started to put sparkling stars on her jeans during this time. I'm not making that up either. She was wearing them when she got hit in the mouth with the microphone.