| Confusion Is Sex | ||||
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| Studio album by Sonic Youth | ||||
| Released | February 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1982–1983 | |||
| Genre | No Wave | |||
| Length | 35:40 | |||
| Label | Neutral | |||
| Producer | Sonic Youth, Wharton Tiers, John Erskine | |||
| Sonic Youth chronology | ||||
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Confusion Is Sex is Sonic Youth's first studio album, originally released on 12" vinyl in 1983 on Neutral. It was reissued on SST Records in 1987 and on CD in 1995 on DGC with extra tracks from the Kill Yr Idols EP. The album features a live cover of The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog". The cover image is a sketch by bassist Kim Gordon of guitarist Thurston Moore. This image was used on gig posters early in the band's career.
Confusion is Sex is the only Sonic Youth album on which guitarist Lee Ranaldo plays bass, specifically on the song "Protect Me You".
The album was recorded by Wharton Tiers in his Chelsea studio (which he had set up in the basement of a building where he worked as superintendent). It was mostly recorded during Jim Sclavunos' brief tenure as drummer for the band, and he appears on drums for most of the album. Frustrated by the unconventional recording situation in Tiers' studio and generally not clicking with the band musically, Sclavunos was ejected and Bob Bert was invited back, and recorded drums for "Making the Nature Scene". Bert appears on this track and the live "I Wanna Be Your Dog" on the album.
This album features a guitar sound often reminiscent of clocks and bells. This is created by using prepared guitars with screwdrivers stuck between the fretboard and the strings. Notable songs where Ranaldo and Moore used this 3rd bridge technique are "Protect Me You", "The World Looks Red" and "Lee is Free". On the preceding EP the technique is also used. On later albums the group abandoned the technique on their official albums and shifted to a deeper focus on alternate tunings. The group got the idea of the prepared guitar techniques from their experiences with Glenn Branca, who also published this album on his label Neutral Records.
The track "The World Looks Red" wasn't played for 20 years. However, Sonic Youth have started to use "The World Looks Red" in their live sets since 2006. Pictures like the one on the left with the screwdriver on the 9th fret are taken on this particular track. No other tracks of Sonic Youth have this specific preparation at that particular spot during live sets. The track "Confusion is Next" contains lyrics sung twice by Moore. The first part of the song is slow and the second chapter everything is played twice the speed. The title was later used for the book by Alec Foege. The track "Lee is Free" is recorded on two tape recorders by Lee Ranaldo solo at home.
| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | link |
| Allmusic | (reissue) link |
| Blender | link |
| Mark Prindle | link |
| Robert Christgau | (C+) link |
All tracks were written by Sonic Youth, except where noted.