mtc@datagen.UUCP (03/06/84)
(o,o)
-
The new Laurie Anderson LP is out - I've been hearing cuts from it on the
radio (mostly WZBC, the "zero broadcasting company" from Boston College)
and gladly picked it up last Saturday. I've only heard the album a coupla
times so far.
Classification? I guess you could call it "avant garde" or "new music"; she
at least is stretching the frontiers of current music. If this music
continues to gain commercial popularity (as in "O Superman" being a #1 hit
in Britain last year), its gonna get tougher and tougher to put out truly
creative and bizarre music.
The album is titled "Mister Heartbreak". It might be reasonable to guess
that the album is in general a tribute to William S Burroughs (who,
coincidentally, has nothing to do with the computers), and that "Sharky's Day"
and "Sharky's Nite" (on which he vocalizes) in particular are about him.
Another way of summarizing the album is "these are some of my favorite
contemporaries". Guests on the album (besides Burroughs) include Adrien
Belew and Peter Gabriel and many other lesser knowns. Gabriel wrote one
of the selections ("Excellent Birds") with Anderson as a co-writer; they
sing together (most bizarre male/female duets to date: not your Donny and
Marie type at all).
Compared to her previous album ("Big Science"), I find the arrangements
thicker and with heavier rhythms - mostly acoustic. A bit of an African
influence on a few of the tunes.
On the critical side: a friend remarked that he enjoyed her performance
last April, but decided that the music itself was "candy" in that it was
lacking substance. I think that remark applies more to Big Science than
the new album, but I know what he's talking about.
This album precedes her new tour, which is going to be at the Opera House
in Boston on April 25(? - check the date). Her appearance last year was
not so much of a concert as a multimedia performance, with slides, film,
many other visual special effects, accompanied by her music and (mostly
spoken) vocals. I've heard a rumor that this year she will tour with a
backup band! Can anyone confirm or deny this? Last year she had a guest
for a number or two, sax if I remember correctly.
Summary: this album really tickles my fancy for bizarre music with a lot
of very different twists, but will undoubtedly be critisized by those who
regard music as more serious, ie those who can't appreciate pop.
Anyone ever hear her very early "Its Not the Bullet (that kills you), Its The
Hole" single? I sure would like to find the single.
Mark Colan
Data General Corp {allegra, decvax!ittvax, rocky2} ! datagen!mtc