Sonic Youth: Dirty

IF THERE'S ANYTHING all great rock-and-roll bands – from Muddy Waters' early-'50s Chicago electric outfits to Chuck Berry's Chess session players to the Rolling Stones to King Crimson to the Ramones to Sonic Youth – have in common, it's energy and ideas. When those dry up, it's over. Performances become rote; albums become uninspired and at their best, like Neil Young's Ragged Glory, rehashes of past triumphs.