Laswell, Bill - Baselines
SKU
CPCD 8284
Bill Laswell-electric basses
Michael Beinhorn-synths, shortwave, tapes
Ronald Shannon Jackson-drums
George Lewis-trombone
Ralph Carney-bass sax, contrabass clarinet
Fred Frith-guitar, violin
Martin Bisi-drums, percussion, metals
David Moss-voice, non-metric percussion, steel drum
Phillip Wilson-drums
This great title has been out of print on CD for years and years; we found a few new copies hiding in a warehouse and here they are! Last chance at a reasonable price! A classic from the soon to emerge punk/jazz scene that was the highlight of what was coming out of the USA in the early to mid 80s....
When the Bill Laswell-helmed Material released Memory Serves in 1981, it was one of the very earliest of the 'downtown sound' albums to be released, and it was certainly the one that was most likely to be known and available, being released on a major label. To me it was an utter revelation and it still sounds completely fucking awesome nearly 35 years later!
This solo album by Laswell, his first, also originally released on the Elektra Musician label about 18 months later, is quite similar and features a equally exciting, stellar and similar cast!
"Even though Bill Laswell was already immersed in numerous projects since the end of the '70s, including leading his loose ensemble Material, he didn't release a solo record until 1983, and Baselines was quite a strange album. On the one hand, there's "Upright Man," one of the most infectious grooves Laswell has ever conceived, boasting ace bass playing and a weird taped sermon as sort-of lead vocals. Then there's "Work Song," which is funky and catchy and features Phillip Wilson's somewhat off-beat drumming (pun intended). The other tracks are more experimental, weird, and don't catch on as well -- although they all reward repeated listening, for at first the listener might get lost between Ronald Shannon Jackson's irate drumming, Michael Beinhorn's acid-drenched synths and snippets of tapes and shortwave, the stuttering horns of George Lewis and Ralph Carney, the undescribable contributions of Fred Frith, and the vocalisms and percussion (rhythmic and non-rhythmic) David Moss provides. It's an interesting record, but it's not essential listening, and beginners or fans of Laswell's less avant-garde music won't get much out of this. If the somewhat comparable Memory Serves by Material left you craving more, you might want to give this album a try."-AllMusic
- LabelCharley
- UPC4017692310726