Henry Cow/Faust/This Heat/Art Bears/Residents/Homosexuals/Robert Wyatt 2xLP

$

40

Baron Elmo proudly presents a definitive and utterly mind-blowing collection of progressive and experimental music, captured on two lengthy LPs: The Recommended Records Sampler, released in 1982 by the Recommended label, now long out of print. This is one of those compilations that just might change your life… or at least introduce you to a plethora of stunning, envelope-pushing sounds from some of the finest art-rock ensembles and artists of the Seventies. Former Henry Cow drummer Chris Cutler founded the Recommended label and distribution service to handle unusual musics that other British record companies couldn’t be bothered with -- and make available older classics that had fallen by the wayside. (One of their first projects was the reissue of the Faust catalogue.) This album was and remains a glorious summation of everything this bold and audacious label does best, a true eye-opener for listeners who have outgrown the ordinary. The Recommended Records Sampler is also a vinyl touchstone for the legendary Rock in Opposition movement of the late Seventies (the art-rock equivalent of the punk explosion – without the reams of press coverage, of course), and nearly every group to take up the RIO banner makes an appearance here. It all adds up to nearly two hours of amazing music, all gathered in one place for a lifetime of listening pleasure. Lots of these pieces have never been released elsewhere, while many more were later issued on albums, CDs or singles that are now deleted. The two records are packed inside a folder packed with credits and information for each artist, including a lyric sheet… and the whole thing is housed in a sturdy plastic pouch with the album title spelled out on the front in glitter. Just holding this incredible package in your trembling paws will make you feel good. Both records and the sleeve are in superlative shape, while the lyric insert is a little frayed.

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Track listing
VOGEL: Flaschenzug
FAUST: Extract 5
ART BEARS: All Hail!
STORMY SIX: Reparto Novita
THE HOMOSEXUALS: Walk Before Imitate
JOSEPH RACAILLE & PATRICK PORTELLA: On Ne Peut Plus Compter Sur Ses Doigts
FELIU GASUL: *
THE BLACK SHEEP: Strangelove
UNIVERS ZERO: Influences
AKSAK MABOUL + HONEYMOON KILLERS: Boss de Crosses Dans le Doulos
THE WORK: Houdini
HENRY COW: Slice
HENRY COW: Viva Pa Ubu
DECIBEL: Radio Extract
ART ZOYD: Simulacres
THE MUFFINS: 2 from "Chronometers."
HEINER GOEBBELS: Berlin Ku-Damm 12 April 81
AMOS: Steer Clear of England
CONVENTUM: Commerce Nostalgique
HECTOR ZAZOU: Vera C
THIS HEAT: Pool
RESIDENTS: Walter Westinghouse
R. STEVIE MOORE: Pedestrian Hop
R. STEVIE MOORE: Copy Me
RON PATE & HIS DEBONNAIRES (featuring FRED LANE): I Talk to My Haircut
PICCHIO DAL POZZO: Uccellin dei Bosco
ROBERT WYATT: The Internationale

*****

The bands and individual musicians who contribute to the 27 selections on this sampler are variously inspired by cabaret, opera, and early 20th century classical, as well as jazz, punk, sound collage, and musique concrète. Commercial considerations are clearly secondary, but while the music can be challenging, it can also rock out. The Belgian neo-classical goth bands Art Zoyd and Univers Zero are both highlights of the sampler, with pieces that sound as lethal and startling now as they did in 1982. In fact, the listening audience was not necessarily ready for Univers Zero and Art Zoyd in 1982, when their serious and thoughtful synthesis of dark, dissonant early 20th century chamber music and visceral rock percussion was considered by some critics to be pretentious. One is reminded that even in 1982, so-called progressive rock had long since drawn its boundaries, with plenty of prog critics happy to denounce anything that strayed too far from the true path. Hence, the impetus for the RIO movement. The British are nicely represented on this sampler not only by Henry Cow and Art Bears, but also by the little-known and short-lived the Work (whose brainy, angular music changes speeds and moods at will) and This Heat, another short-lived but legendary experimental band that contributes a hypnotically rhythmic, minimalist piece that could qualify as proto-techno. Italian band Picchio dal Pozzo offers a looser, more whimsical musical perspective, and Germany's redoubtable Faust goes beyond loose and into the crazed communal anarchy upon which they built their considerable reputation. Heiner Goebbels provides perhaps the single most unusual selection, capturing the noise and dialogue of a street riot and somehow giving it a satisfying aesthetic framework while still retaining the impact of the event. The Aksak Maboul/Honeymoon Killers track is a fine example of European chamber rock -- very Zappa-like in its use of shifting melodic patterns, crunchy guitar riffs, and verbal play. And an early track by the Residents, "Walter Westinghouse," provides a nice illustration of their unhinged, down-home American charm.
~ William Tilland