Great Records #2

#2. Eliane Radigue "Geelriandre & Arthesis" 1972-1973 French LP. Two pieces, each just shy of thirty minutes, and it's some of the most brilliant work in the minimalism field.

What this record has in spades is subtlety. It blows my mind. The synthesizer is used as a generator of tone, with slight shifts and alterations in sound to create atmosphere. Not really knowing anything about concepts of minimalism won't hurt a listener here; this is just great music.

Possible live show

The label would like a live demonstration sometime around the release of the record in the coming January. I will likely play a slightly abbreviated version of "Sea Rations" from Further On, an old song called "An Early Winter Approaches," an ambient piece "Ringing Over Mountains, Far From Here" and very possibly a new song. I've been trying to come up with a way to make the performance a bit more memorable, hopefully I will come up with something so people won't just have to stare at me playing synthesizers and twiddling knobs.

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And on a personal note, several years ago I was lucky enough to be in a band that opened up for Maserati after mr Jerry Fuchs had joined. Not only did we have the great opportunity to begin with, but we got to meet mr Fuchs, and he was a kind gentleman. It was great enough to see him play, but to say hello to a guy who I had listened to in several bands was pretty exciting. He was a huge talent and a genuine nice guy. Goodnight, mr Jerry.

Great records #1

From time to time, I like to write about random records. My hope is that you might track them down and give them a listen.

#1. White Hospital "Holocaust" 1984 Japanese LP. It's not quite what you would think, coming from that scene . This record isn't really in the school of Merzbow or Government Alpha, it's really more avant garde with a tinge of early industrial. It's not "noise" in the newer sense of that genre, just something different. This album is one of the few records I've heard in my lifetime that seemed to really be able to mix beauty and brutality, and to make it work. "Holocaust" really made an impression on me when I first heard it; I even tried for a couple months to start a band called Hospital Whites!