I don't think it's very valid to compare Sex Pistols with SY.
Put simply, Sex Pistols were a pop band. And I don't intend that as a criticism. They didn't have a message, be it musical, political or any other.
Sex Pistols were a fashion, a fleeting moment in pop history. Their influence is undeniable, but so is Abba's (a much better comparison than SY).
And I am old enough to remember the excitement, the shock, the fear (as an 11 year old in 1977) and there is no comparison to the 25 year career of Sonic Youth, who never burst onto the scene but built up a following over a number of years, and as good as Bad Moon Rising was, my first exposure to them wasn't revolutionary in the way it was with Sex Pistols.
But Sonic Youth's music has passed the test of time and they continue to make great music.
Sex Pistols sound incredibly dated, and dare I say rather quaint these days.
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