Bjork Volta LP 2007 possibly 1st press vinyl LP

	£		75
	$		99

Bjork Volta [Time] LP 2007 1st press vinyl LP. I'm not entirely sure this is a first press. If it is a re-press, I don't know how you would tell

Bjork's seventh studio album ninth if you include the soundtrack to 'dancer in the dark', film and 'drawing restraint 9', film.

The whole package is in excellent condition, as new really, and from what I can get is a first press.

depending on how you feel what you would do with the bubblegum pop Bjork sticker on the front, [you would either have to cut her in half or put her to one side, in this case she has been put to one side], the album is perfect in every respect, as new really.

This LP has not been suggested as Bjork's best and I would have to agree. Still there are at least half the tracks that are just Bjork in her royal Bjorkiness. I am going to give my opinions on the songs one by one, my opinions in just trying to explain what i think the album is all about. And why it is a gem.

track 1. Earth Intruders: The album burst into life from the off with a classic great track looking at the Earth from a poet's alien point of view, to intrude into your life [or a bit of intervention here and there], to bring optimism and love, it is actually a superb song and piece of poetry, the video that goes with the single shows  tree type [Groot] figures who eventually become humans through dance and song, with Bjork who throughout the dance is looking down from the sky and out of the clouds turning into the Mona Lisa at the very end with her enigmatic smile.

track 2. Wanderlust. another fantastic piece of poetry. Is Bjork saying again the message from Homogenic, to go from culture to culture to unite through love and experience, yet her little ole Island at the top of the world still beckons her home, her curiosity is a wanderlust, to keep moving on. and another great video.

track 3. 'Dull flame of Desire', is a poem by Fyodor  Tyutchev, which tells of the red hot amber's that burn the hottest when they are at their most stable parrelleing stability of deep warm settled love, sung by Bjork and guest vocalist Antony [now known as Anohni], it's not to everyone's taste, but if you like it you'll probably love it. But it is another Elizabeth Jennings type love excellent poem.

track 4. Innocence. Probably the best song on the album, is up their with 'Human Behaviour' and 'Barchellete' and 'Stonemilker', and the poetry is unbelievably brilliant, Bjork at her best. She's talking about herself and the conflict between her childhood love and security and the heroine within her to face the world , is innocence lost, NO, it's just in different places. One of my all-time favourite songs.

track 5. I see who you are. MMM well it's an acquired taste, Bjork is talking about herself growing old yet still has the spirit of a teenager, [aren't we all like that], but the bigger message is let's celebrate the here and now my spirit and my flesh as one here on earth, again superb poetry, talk sing. Not my favourite but great poetry.

track 6. Vertebrate by Vertebrate', Is again poetry, not really sure what Bjork is on about here, only she is comparing the body relationship to the spirit again, it was another single from the album, 'set a clock to the moon; line would suggest she is on about women again, again not my cup of tea but if you get it and like it you'll probably love it.

track 7. pneumonia; The whole album has trumpets and other wind instruments throughout it that mourns for a homecoming, yet the lyrics are somewhat pushing against that comfort in a different direction, Bjork's original jump from the comfort of the bosom of her homeland, the   land of Odin and Loki, ice and fire giants, to embrace the world conflicts are repeated here like in 'Wanderlust', I feel Bjork's looking at an alternative Bjork that didn't take that plunge and is telling her Hypothetical self off for not being brave, but of course she did and we're all grateful for it [well maybe not some ultra conservative Icelanders, but they'll love her all the same, just because].

track 8. hope. This is very Elizabeth Jennings type of poetry looking at a suicide bombers, made to look or was pregnant, be honest with yer I don't get it, it's not a bad song, I think it might mean, does it matter if the suicider killed her intended victim or not how could anybody ask her to do it in the first place , I just don't know though.

track 9  Declare independence. Originally with Greenland and the Faroe Islands in mind, she was telling them to go the same way as Iceland and not allow Denmark to carry on controlling them, but became  a song that got her banned from China when relating it to the Spratly Islands. Another single and great song.

Track 10. My Juvenile. I can only assume Bjork is on about her son Sindri, saying the message all parents must eventually give to their beloved offspring, I let you go to save you, to give you your freedom, but the ribbons of love will never be severed. Guest vocals again from Antony.

Volta; Like all the surface obscure titles of Bjork's albums Volta is no different. The term Volta is english/latin, means several things, in music it's the turning point and time turn beat, and when beats are repeated, sometimes musicians use a V for repeat in writing music, in poetry it means the turning point of the poem, when the irony escapes or turns or the meaning of the poem  becomes clear. It has the electrical charge element to it as well. The word is used to mean a turning in time or time itself, to time turn or to vault propel against something to adjust the speed, to go faster.

 Bjork is one of those rare and beautiful homo sapiens where depth and irony are so natural that it is often lost on others, the sticker on the front is Bjork controlled in a bottle of bubblegum pop that you need to open the lid off and cut through the surface waste to get to the tribal roots of origin's, of not just top of the world Icelanders but all cultures genres and tribes. 

My only real criticism of the album is the music was too similar , just a bit too much brass and not diverse enough, but the poetry is fantastic, most of it would be stand alone as poetry. It's a bit of an acquired taste though, but Earth Intruders and Innocence are Bjork at her best. But maybe i'm just a philistine.

I believe the meaning behind the sticker that you have to cut through to get to the album, is bubble-gum pop Bjork to get to the deeper stuff, you must cut through the surface waste. Whoever was the original owner of this LP was, he/she carefully peeled bubblegum Bjork off and put her to one side rather than cut her in half.

The five inner covers of tribal beach Bjork along with red.blue and yellow face paint, I think was a bit of a nod and a wink to Led Zeppelin's, 'in through the out door' LP, where they too had 5 covers for one LP, just slightly different from each other. The facepaint a bit fellow Jungian David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust, the Alien come down to sing to the world and save it from annihilation, 'we're painting our faces and dressing in thoughts from the sky'.

 It's also  hard to mention, but I also found it a bit odd Bjork would chose this paint as it seems to somewhat mirror the deranged Fan Ricardo Lopez, who also had similar colour faceprint on when he killed himself. It may have no significance, but maybe Bjork was reacting to his pain despite the harm he wished to cause her, she never felt animosity to him and sent flowers to his funeral and condolences to his parents, which I think was a lovely thing to do.