Ok . MORE Arthur Russell (But This Is Great)

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Another Thought is great. but i'm so confused. i must have the original issue but where the fuck did i get it? at any rate, its great that this is being re-issued.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Saturday, 27 August 2005 22:42 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, I still can't remember how I came to buy 'Another Thought,' or when exactly. I think I got it around '98, but I know I didn't really listen to it till '99 and I was suddenly deeply smitten. Then I found 'World of Echo' and started copying it for everyone I could get to listen.

― I.M. (I.M.), Sunday, 28 August 2005 00:10 (eighteen years ago) link

my funny Another Thought story involves finding a cd copy on gemm cut-out for 2 dollars, but with 12 dollar or so shipping from australia.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 28 August 2005 00:55 (eighteen years ago) link

but you're still excited that technically you got it for $2! or atleast that'd be MY rationale.

― Susan Douglas (Susan Douglas), Sunday, 28 August 2005 01:12 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, if you'd been in Australia (and coulda picked it up onsite, instead springing for Kangaroo Express across town), it would have been only $2.00 (long as you paid American)!

― don, Sunday, 28 August 2005 01:39 (eighteen years ago) link

i wish i'd bought thirty

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Sunday, 28 August 2005 05:40 (eighteen years ago) link

the way I saw it I paid what I'd pay buying a new CD in the states. I was definately happy.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 28 August 2005 05:47 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

I've been unable to listen to pretty much anything besides "In the Light of the Miracle" off The World of Arthur Russell for going on a week now. The further Audika releases can't come soon enough.

― matt2 (matt2), Thursday, 13 October 2005 17:28 (eighteen years ago) link

Can anyone re-ysi those tracks up thread? Thanks

― some best friend, Thursday, 13 October 2005 23:58 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

as hardly anyone got it in glasgow, i thought i'd post up pictures of my friend's arthur rustle (sic) halloween costume. also note face mask with 'is it?' all over it.

http://www.optimo.co.uk/rustle.jpg

http://www.optimo.co.uk/swimming.jpg

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 16:38 (eighteen years ago) link

and tiny cello too!

― stirmonster (stirmonster), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link

LOL

― willem (willem), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 16:53 (eighteen years ago) link

magnificent!

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 1 November 2005 16:57 (eighteen years ago) link

! that mask is the best thing EVAH.

― etc, Wednesday, 2 November 2005 02:17 (eighteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...

There's an update on the Audika site. Very exciting news. I don't here the snippet when I enter the site, though:

"I had hoped to release two new Arthur Russell titles this year, but they have been pushed over into 2006. In January Audika will release FIRST THOUGHT BEST THOUGHT, a 2 CD compilation of Arthur's orchestral and instrumental music, with over 50 minutes of previously unreleased music.

Our friends the DFA are putting the finishing touches on SPRINGFIELD, which is another lost gem from Arthur's vast archive. If you haven't noticed already, when you open the Audika site you'll hear a very brief snippet of what's to come. Look for the commercial release sometime in March.

Steve"

― matt2 (matt2), Monday, 28 November 2005 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link

So, those AND Another Thought reissue?

Absolutely cannot wait.

― Corcoran (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 03:43 (eighteen years ago) link

i stumbled across a $5 used copy of 'another thought' on half.com a couple weeks ago. made my day! wonderful album ... it's yet to leave my CD player since arriving.

― rajeev (rajeev), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 03:53 (eighteen years ago) link

I wanna hear the album of cowboy songs!

― turboalbino (haitch), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 04:02 (eighteen years ago) link

this is very exciting!

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 09:56 (eighteen years ago) link

I have no idea if this is gonna happen or not, but I was digging through Dusty Groove's "upcoming releases" page and they list a Dinosaur L CD/LP coming out "fall 2005." Hopefully it's a real thing and was just pushed back a bit, but there's no label listed and I can't find anymore info, so...

― telephone thing, Wednesday, 30 November 2005 04:05 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

I was playing back some old videos last night and came across a satellite TV broadcast from 1984 called "Good Morning Mr. Orwell". It's an interesting time capsule with the strangest mix of characters: Oingo Boingo, Merce Cunningham, Salvador Dai, Yves Montand, John cage, Laurie Anderson... And guess who's playing cello behind Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky on a couple of songs? I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed before.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Saturday, 28 January 2006 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link

he's all over one of the discs on the ginsberg box set

― tom west (thomp), Saturday, 28 January 2006 18:06 (eighteen years ago) link

I know he accompanied Ginsberg for awhile but, still, I didn't know there was footage of them playing together.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Saturday, 28 January 2006 18:11 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

brief blog bit and YSI from the upcoming First Thought set:
http://imbidimts.blogspot.com/2006/03/beta-daze-in-heaven.html

― Beta (abeta), Monday, 13 March 2006 14:59 (eighteen years ago) link

Already downloaded this from you, B-man, and I'm really looking forward to hearing this set. I returned to "Terrace of Unintelligibility" for a while the other night, also, probably inspired by this.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 13 March 2006 15:08 (eighteen years ago) link

What're these? Official re-releases on vinyl only?

http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=20996
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=20997

― matt2 (matt2), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:10 (eighteen years ago) link

those are rereleases alright (i bought 24-24 last year. and a 1986 release of go bang#5/clean on your bean as well), don't know if they're official though...

― willem -- (willem), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:34 (eighteen years ago) link

bootlegs

― gritty sanskrit (sanskrit), Friday, 17 March 2006 19:34 (eighteen years ago) link

xposts 1) not only is he all over a disc in the Ginsberg box, Dylan's with them as well. 2) Andy's blog entry incl typically evocative commentary (on Arthurxthe new Moondog comp,and the wheat pix remind me of my P&J comments (the Voice link sometimes works and sometimes doesn't): "Not too surprising to read that Arthur Russell took his music everywhere, walking through the city with headphones on, seeing how his latest mixes sounded in different (passing) scenes. He's audibly the man from the plains, the wide open spaces, keening and rolling his oatey notes like the Midwest-rooted Wilson brothers. ("Rooted"? Well everybody's from somewhere and somewhere else, 'specially in suburbia.) Don't wanta be fenced in, but walk long enough and you're sweeping through the city, through the veil of illusion and allusion, with your nice-boy cello,and your get-down/ambitious/romantic, yet somehow stoical dance music, that's also being messed with, as it comes into existence. Fine, but you know the movie where Woody Allen's marching with his high school band, having to sit down and play his cello, then just get up and run to keep up, so he can sit down and play again? Arthur's seen that too. He keeps walking." Most of that was in the Voice, but the whole Comments had him walking past David Toop's ambient cityscape comp, Haunted Weather, Brian Wilson's Smile ("Brian's the old Boy In The Bubble, he just keeps rolling along"), the "distressed Americana" of Smile and of Albert Ayler, which I also relate to Jimi's performance of "The Star Spangled Banner." The whole thing (not so long) is in (and mostly *is*)the Febuary 05 archive at http://thefreelancementalists.blogspot.com/ and the March 04 archive (which involves a little more scrolling, past good stuff by Haikunym) has a review of the World Of Arthur Russell, taking off from Ginsberg's quoting Arthur re wanting to make Buddhist bubblegum.

― don, Friday, 17 March 2006 20:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Jens Lekman covered "A Little Lost" last night! & he said he's doing some sort of AR tribute w/people from, um, Electrelane, Hidden Cameras & the Concretes. & the Shocking Pinks have a cover of "You Can Make Me Feel Bad" as a b-side somewhere . . . hmmmn.

hope to see "Terrace of Unintelligibility" someday. Have there been any screenings at some sort've Moving Image Centre/&c in NY or London or &c?

― etc, Saturday, 18 March 2006 02:06 (eighteen years ago) link

etc, the World Of Echo reissue incl DVD with "Terrace Of Unintelligibilty," and also "Some Imaginary Far Away Type Things AKA Lost In The Meshes--Unedited Video Rushes By Phil Niblock, Music By Arthur Russell" (PN did "Terrace" too.)

― don, Saturday, 18 March 2006 02:27 (eighteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...

So I haven't picked up the new one yet, but what do folks think?

― matt2 (matt2), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 15:02 (eighteen years ago) link

haven't listened to it as much as I'd like to, but I think it's beautiful. first disc is more of a 'pop minimalism' thing, I guess, very nice small group compositions that seem to be at least in some part improvisational, about half are w/drums. second disc is way more 'serious', longer-form composition that is essentially a series of similar chord sequences that might be microtonal(?)

but completely different from anything else of his I'd heard, and very impressive.

― bangelo (bangelo), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 15:27 (eighteen years ago) link

What's the word with 'First Thought'? My local shop said it's been backordered since before the day of release (4th April?) and online shops seem to indicate "4 to 6 weeks delivery" etc. People've found copies, or just promos so far?

― I.M. (I.M.), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 16:40 (eighteen years ago) link

it solidifies how crucial it was for arthur's vision to have a second person or an editor to tighten things up (see his disco joint collabs). these are wandering, dreamy, diffuse, unfinished, open-ended, maddeningly unresolved, meandering, lovely, unfocused, etc.

― imbidimts, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 19:46 (eighteen years ago) link

The disc is easily availble on line from:
www.forcedexposure.com
www.othermusic.com
www.dustygroove.com
along with Downtown Music Gallery, Midheaven, and Kim's (sorry don't have links)
Amazon will have more copies soon. And most of the better independent shops will have it in stock. Triple vinyl coming in about a month. Next up is the Springfield jammes, DFA remix + several FINISHED, but unreleased rhythmic tracks.

― Steven Knutson, Tuesday, 11 April 2006 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link

It's not at Dusty Groove right now. I told them to email when they get more copies in though.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 21:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Hey Steve! Thanks for the info. I hadn't tried very hard, because I wanted to buy it through my local (owner is a friend). So excited to hear it! I smile from ear to ear over the fact that Arthur is now so well loved--it's so much nicer to be able to point people to his records in shops than to make CD-Rs from my vinyl as in years past--people seem to take my recommendation more seriously this way. Keep up the great work!

Any chance there are unreleased Arthur-driven Necessaries tracks? Also, any likelihood of the Zummo record getting reissued in full by you or any compatriot?

― I.M. (I.M.), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 21:55 (eighteen years ago) link

cannot wait for the 'springfield' thing.

― haitch (haitch), Tuesday, 11 April 2006 23:26 (eighteen years ago) link

"Zummo with an X" would make such a great CD reissue; the sidelong trombone/cello/tabla piece on Side 2 is a beauty...

― C.D., Wednesday, 12 April 2006 01:42 (eighteen years ago) link

agreed. though it can still be found on the (relatively) cheap.

i think i saw a sealed copy at Downtown Music Gallery for $30 or $35.

― jinx hijinks (sanskrit), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 02:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Zummo with an X is being prepared for release now with mucho bonus material featuring AR. Label undecided.

After Springfield is out I'll jump into completing a new AR compilition of "songs" that tentatively included the John Hammond Sr. tracks + Flying Hearts sings + folk/country tunes. But keep in mind they don't sound like folk and country tunes. It's Arthur music. It will take me awhile so don't expect a release on this stuff for at least a year. Did you know that Arthur was obsessed with Randy Travis? Really weird and beautiful songs.

― steven Knutson, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 02:37 (eighteen years ago) link

The first track on Instrumentals Volume 2 (track 11 on FTBT disc 1) is simply the best thing I've heard this year so far. Gorgeous...gorgeous stuff. The instruments just melt into each other, and all of the percussion flourishes are just perfect. I keep hitting that repeat button.

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 02:40 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't think there's a label in the world I'd rather own/run than yours, Steve. To have heard what you have heard--my gosh, what a job. Not that it isn't hard work!

― IM, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 02:41 (eighteen years ago) link

I just remembered how I leeched EVERYTHING that was YSI'd on this thread. quite an education! that 'pop your funk' 7" mix was totally bonkers.

― haitch (haitch), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link

so why has no one reissued the 24-24 stuff? i'd like to hear all the stuff he actually released before wading into endless outtakes

― boychild, Wednesday, 12 April 2006 03:08 (eighteen years ago) link

the new russell reissue is beautiful. good work, steven, you've hit the ball out of the park every time with your AR releases.

― Jack Cole (jackcole), Wednesday, 12 April 2006 06:28 (eighteen years ago) link

Thanks everyone for the positive comments on FIRST THOUGHT, it really means a lot to me. It can become mind numbing sorting through so much material.

I do have to take exception to the comment "endless outtakes". With the exception of the four bonus tracks on World Of Echo, and "Hop On Down" on Calling Out Of Context, everything I've released so far has been finished and completed masters. It's important to remember that for the most part, Arthur was ignored throughout his carrier. If he was noticed at all it was as an eccentric at best. Most of the tracks on COOC are from an album that was entitled CORN that Sleeping Bag rejected. The remaining tracks were for a Blanco Negro album that Arthur did not deliver as he had become ill. The unreleased stuff off of First Thought was in a similar situation in that no one would put them out commercially.

That being said I (and Tom Lee) are taking the big leap in releasing Springfield as it was never finished. Arthur wanted to give the 4 + hours of tracking to either 808 State or William Orbit to finish. But Arthur did not have the contacts or wherewithall to make that happen. Tom baggered me to listen to them, and I was blown away. So I gave it to the DFA, and the results are beautiful. Soon come.

― Steve Knutson, Friday, 14 April 2006 22:14 (eighteen years ago) link

oh, i didn't mean anything by it. i loved all the stuff so far, and thanks so much for doing it.

but still, why no 24-24?

― boychild, Friday, 14 April 2006 22:21 (eighteen years ago) link

Talking about 24-24 makes me REALLY grumpy. It has to with rights to the copyright and publishing. My hopes were much higher on this subject a couple of months ago, but my fingers remain crossed. You can buy bootlegs of the LP from Dusty Groove. I have some AMAZING live recordings of 24-24 recorded at the Kitchen, and wanted to include them as a third disc on FIRST THOUGHT, but the quality is just a tad on the murky side.

― Steve Knutson, Friday, 14 April 2006 22:44 (eighteen years ago) link

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