Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween

Last updated
"Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween"
Sonic Youth - Touch Me I'm Sick.jpg
Single by Sonic Youth and Mudhoney
Released December 1988
Format 7" Vinyl (limited edition)
Genre Noise rock, punk rock
Label Sub Pop
Producer(s) Wharton Tiers
Sonic Youth singles chronology
"Silver Rocket"
(1988)		"Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween"
(1988)		"Kool Thing"
(1990)

"Silver Rocket"
(1988)		"Touch Me I'm Sick"
(1988)		"Kool Thing"
(1990)
Mudhoney singles chronology
Touch Me I'm Sick
(1988) Touch Me I'm Sick1988		"Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween"
(1988) String Module Error: Match not found1988		You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)
(1989) You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)1989

"Touch Me I'm Sick/Halloween" is a split single by American alternative rock bands Sonic Youth and Mudhoney, released in December 1988 by the independent record label Sub Pop.

A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "various artists" compilation albums in that they generally include several tracks of each artist, or few artists with one or two tracks each, instead of multiple artists with only one or two tracks each.

Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock.

Sonic Youth alternative rock band formed in New York, New York, United States

Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo remained together for the entire history of the band, while Steve Shelley (drums) followed a series of short-term drummers in 1985, and rounded out the core line-up.

Contents

Prior to the release of Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick" single in March 1988, Bruce Pavitt sent a five-song Mudhoney tape to Sonic Youth for the band's opinion. Sonic Youth immediately proposed a split single where each band covered the other. [1] Sonic Youth covered "Touch Me I'm Sick", while Mudhoney covered Sonic Youth's "Halloween". The split single was released on 7" vinyl as a limited edition by Sub Pop in December 1988. It was released on 12" vinyl in the UK by Blast First in January 1989, and in Germany in 1990 by Glitterhouse Records.

Touch Me Im Sick Song by Mudhoney

"Touch Me I'm Sick" is a song by the American alternative rock band Mudhoney. It was recorded in March 1988 at Seattle's Reciprocal Recording studio with producer Jack Endino. "Touch Me I'm Sick" was released as Mudhoney's debut single by independent record label Sub Pop on August 1, 1988. The song's lyrics, which feature dark humor, are a sarcastic take on issues such as disease and violent sex.

Cover version later version of a song already established with a different earlier performer

In popular music, a cover version, cover song, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by someone other than the original artist or composer of a previously recorded, commercially released song.

Blast First British record label

Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914. Lewis's "Manifesto" begins with the words "BLAST First ENGLAND".

Sonic Youth's "Touch Me I'm Sick" cover was later included on the deluxe edition of Daydream Nation , released on June 12, 2007, while Mudhoney's cover of "Halloween" was featured in the 2008 deluxe edition reissue of Superfuzz Bigmuff . The front and back cover photographs were taken by Charles Peterson.

<i>Daydream Nation</i> 1988 studio album by Sonic Youth

Daydream Nation is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. The band recorded the album between July and August 1988 at Greene St. Recording in New York City, and it was released in October by Enigma Records as a double album. Daydream Nation was the group's last record before signing to a major label.

<i>Superfuzz Bigmuff</i> 1988 EP by Mudhoney

Superfuzz Bigmuff is the debut EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released on October 20, 1988 through record label Sub Pop. The album was later re-released in 1990 in the form of Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles.

Sonic Youth's version offered a female perspective of the song, with bassist Kim Gordon handling the vocals. Bradford Allison of Prefix magazine suggested that because of this, the cover "seems even grimier than the original". [2]

Kim Gordon American musician, bassist of Sonic Youth

Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, singer, songwriter, visual artist, and actress. She rose to prominence in the late 1980s as a bassist, guitarist, and vocalist in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth.

Track listing

7" vinyl, SP26
  1. Sonic Youth: "Touch Me I'm Sick" (Arm, Lukin, Peters, Turner) – 2:36
  2. Mudhoney: "Halloween" (Sonic Youth) – 6:07

Personnel

On "Touch Me I'm Sick",

Singing act of producing musical sounds with the voice

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music that can be sung with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in an ensemble of musicians, such as a choir of singers or a band of instrumentalists. Singers may perform as soloists or accompanied by anything from a single instrument up to a symphony orchestra or big band. Different singing styles include art music such as opera and Chinese opera, Indian music and religious music styles such as gospel, traditional music styles, world music, jazz, blues, gazal and popular music styles such as pop, rock, electronic dance music and filmi.

Bass guitar Electric bass instrument

The bass guitar is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, except with a longer neck and scale length, and four to six strings or courses.

Thurston Moore American guitarist

Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moore was ranked 34th in Rolling Stone's 2004 edition of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." In May 2012, Spin published a staff-selected list of the top 100 rock guitarists, and ranked Moore and his Sonic Youth bandmate Lee Ranaldo together at number 1.

On "Halloween",

Mark Arm American musician

Mark Arm is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. His former group, Green River, is one of the first grunge bands, along with Malfunkshun, Soundgarden, Skin Yard, the U-Men, and others. He is also the manager of the Sub Pop warehouse and previously worked at Fantagraphics Books.

Steve Turner (guitarist) American guitarist

Steven Neil Turner is an American guitarist, most famous for his work with Seattle band Mudhoney.

Matt Lukin is an American musician, best known as a bassist and founding member of the Melvins and Mudhoney.

Related Research Articles

Sub Pop American record label

Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often credited with helping popularize grunge music. The label's roster includes Fleet Foxes, Foals, Beach House, The Postal Service, Flight of the Conchords, Sleater-Kinney, Blitzen Trapper, Father John Misty, Shabazz Palaces, METZ, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and The Shins. In 1995 the owners of Sub Pop sold a 49% stake of the label to the Warner Music Group.

Mudhoney alternative rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, United States

Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the band in 1999.

Flower (Sonic Youth song) single by Sonic Youth

"Flower" is a song by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was originally released as a 12" single in 1985 by UK record label Blast First, with "Satan Is Boring" as the B-side. This version was quickly withdrawn at the band's request. In January 1986, Blast First and the band's American label, Homestead Records, both released "Flower" as a 12" backed by "Halloween"; the first run of the UK edition was on yellow/orange vinyl. Blast First also issued the song as a 7" single in edited form, retitled "Flower "), with a backwards version, "Rewolf ", on the flipside.

<i>1991: The Year Punk Broke</i> 1992 film by Dave Markey

1991: The Year Punk Broke, released theatrically in 1992, is a documentary directed by Dave Markey featuring American alternative rock band Sonic Youth on tour in Europe in 1991. While Sonic Youth is the focus of the documentary, the film also gives attention to Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Babes in Toyland, Gumball and The Ramones. Also featured in the film are Mark Arm, Dan Peters and Matt Lukin of Mudhoney and roadie Joe Cole, who was murdered in a robbery three months after the tour ended. The film is dedicated to him.

<i>Mudhoney</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Mudhoney

Mudhoney is the debut studio album by American grunge band Mudhoney, released in 1989. It was their first LP after several singles and an EP.

<i>Evol</i> (Sonic Youth album) 1986 studio album by Sonic Youth

EVOL is the third studio album by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in May 1986 by SST Records, the band's first release on the label. The album is notable for being the first with a new drummer, Steve Shelley, replacing Bob Bert, and for showing signs of the band's transition from their no wave past toward a greater pop sensibility.

Teen Age Riot 1998 single by Sonic Youth

"Teen Age Riot" was the first single from Sonic Youth's 1988 album, Daydream Nation. It received heavy airplay on modern rock stations and considerably expanded their audience.

<i>The Whitey Album</i> 1989 studio album by Ciccone Youth

The Whitey Album is an album by Ciccone Youth, a pseudonymous side project of Sonic Youth members Steve Shelley, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore, featuring contributions from Minutemen/Firehose member Mike Watt and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

<i>Piece of Cake</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Mudhoney

Piece of Cake is the third studio album by the grunge band Mudhoney. Recorded and released in 1992, it was their first album released through Reprise Records. It features several songs, such as "Suck You Dry", "Blinding Sun", and "Acetone", that are consistently featured in Mudhoney's live setlist.

<i>Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles</i> 1990 compilation album by Mudhoney

Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles is a compilation album by the grunge band Mudhoney. The album contains the entire Superfuzz Bigmuff EP, the A-sides and B-sides of 2 singles, and 2 covers from split singles with Sonic Youth and The Dicks. It was released by Sub Pop Records in October 1990. The album is named after the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi and the Univox Super-Fuzz fuzzboxes, which gave the band their signature dirty sound.

Halloween (Misfits song) song by the band Misfits

"Halloween" is the fifth single by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was released on October 31, 1981 on singer Glenn Danzig's label Plan 9 Records. 5,000 copies of the single were pressed on black 7-inch vinyl, some of which included a lyrics sheet. This was the first Misfits release to use their Famous Monsters of Filmland-inspired logo, as well as the first to refer to the band as simply "Misfits".

Silver Rocket 1988 single by Sonic Youth

"Silver Rocket" was the second single from Sonic Youth's 1988 album Daydream Nation. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 79 in the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". It was ranked the 183rd greatest song of all time by the Italian magazine Rumore. The song was listed at No. 33 in Les Inrockuptibles's 1000 Necessary Songs.

<i>The Brutal Language</i> album by My Ruin

The Brutal Language is the fourth full-length album released by the metal band My Ruin.

<i>Boiled Beef & Rotting Teeth</i> EP by Mudhoney

Boiled Beef & Rotting Teeth is the second EP by the Seattle grunge band Mudhoney. It was released in 1989 and contains the band's first two singles –"Touch Me I'm Sick" and "You Got It"– along with the b-sides of each. The song "Hate the Police" would also be released as a single. The songs on this EP were later included on the compilation album Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles (1990).

<i>Bad Moon Rising</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Sonic Youth

Bad Moon Rising is the second studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released in March 1985 by Blast First and Homestead Records. The album is loosely themed around the dark side of America, including references to obsession, insanity, Charles Manson, heavy metal, Satanism, and early European settlers' encounters with Native Americans.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Azerrad, p. 428
  2. ↑ Allison, Bradford: Review: Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition), Prefix magazine, 13 June 2007. Retrieved on 1 July 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.