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LP
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RER VAB1
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Restocked, last copies of this 2010 release. "The first Art Bears LP, mostly made by the band formerly known as Henry Cow and completed by Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and Dagmar Krause who went on, as 'Art Bears', to investigate this short song format further over the next two years, once Henry Cow had ceased to exist. Experimenting with the song form and the productive possibilities of the recording studio, this was hailed in its time (1978) as a landmark recording, and has been constantly in demand ever since. Therefore this new version, re-mastered by Bob Drake, sounds for the first time like the original tapes. Repackaged with lyrics printed on inner sleeve. Limited audiophile edition of 1000 copies on 180 gram virgin vinyl."
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2CD
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RER AB4/5
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2003 release; separate version of 2 of the bonus discs from the 6CD The Art Box. "As the years passed and technology marched on, the band decided to let some other artists (all of whom are well-known for their advanced focus on music thru innovation) to remix the three original albums. On Revisited, we are treated to how others perceive the importance of the Art Bears' back catalog by their own standards in the current studio world, using the resurrected master tapes as a starting point. In all cases the work is as radical today as it was when the band first offered it up a quarter of a century ago. Features remixes and reworksings by Bob Drake, Stevan Tickmeyer, Jon Rose, Christian Marclay, Thomas Dimuzio, Musci/Venosta/Mariani, Lars Pedersen (When), Warrick Swinney/Kalahari Surfers, Biota, The Residents, Otomo Yoshida/Ground Zero, and, well...too many more to mention here. You get the idea. It harkens the Art Bears' trilogy into a new era of technology, aesthetic and sound, all of which had yet to be introduced back when the albums were made. Also on these disks are previously unreleased concert recordings, a reissue of the 'Collapse' 45 rpm (from Ralph Records), a newly completed piece by the band aptly called, 'Rebirth' (which was hitherto a poem in the coveted 'Wintersongs' book), 'All Hail' from the Recommended Sampler."
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CD
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RER AB3
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New digipak version, of the third Art Bears album, originally released 1980. "If you thought Henry Cow was a pretty political band to start with, you may be even more taken aback by the Art Bears, which was put together following Henry Cow's demise by former Cows Chris Cutler (percussion), Fred Frith (guitar, violin), and Dagmar Krause (voice). On The World as it is Today and its predecessor, Winter Songs, the Art Bears move away from the long-form art rock of Henry Cow and get much, much more politically explicit: song titles like 'The Song of the Dignity of Labour Under Capital' and 'The Song of Investment Capital Overseas' almost sound like Monty Python gags today, but if any humor was intended it was clearly meant to be mordant. Frankly, the lyrics are so overwrought and portentous that it's hard to take them seriously. But the music is something else again. Cutler and Frith are natural collaborators; Cutler's drumming always rides a very fine line between the scattershot and the funky, while Frith bounces his horror-show guitar noise and carnival piano off of Cutler's grooves with manic abandon and fearsome inventiveness. And Krause's singing is just as inventive; she whoops, croons and screams her way through the density of Cutler's lyrics without a hesitation or misstep. Easy listening it isn't, but it's sure worth hearing. Frith fans, in particular, should consider this album a must-own."
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CD
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RER AB2
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New digipak version; originally released 1978. "The Art Bears' second album consists of twelve songs of various tensions: rest vs. speed, improv vs. pulse, space vs. density, Dagmar Kraus' vocals vs. everyone else. As usual, Chris Cutler's lyrics tell political allegories through medieval-tinged stories: slaves, castles, and wheels of fortune (and industry) dominate. Fred Frith explores discordance through his guitar, and European folk figures through his always enjoyable violin. Though not as confrontational as their other work, the centerpiece has to be the frantic 'Rats and Monkeys' with three minutes of teeth-gritting, out-of-control insanity as all three players are plugged into a wall outlet and let rip."
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CD
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RER AB1
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New digipak reissue of the first Art Bears album, originally issued by Recommended in 1978. Fred Frith : guitars, keyboards, bass, violin; Dagmar Krause: voice; Chris Cutler: percussion. With: Tim Hodgkinson: keyboards, woodwinds; Georgie Born: Bass, cello;
Lindsay Cooper: bassoon, oboe, soprano sax, recorders. "Originally recorded as a Henry Cow album (but eventually assigned to the trio of Art Bears), during the late 70's this grouping made one of the most powerful statements yet in the world of Art-Rock. Whereas Henry Cow showed an inclination to write long-ish compositions interspersed with improvisational aspects, Art Bears' approach combined a more lyrical display, with shorter, extended-song forms. Typically, the word-strong poetry of drummer Chris Cutler was the impetus for the group's recordings. Once written, it was set to music by multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith, (often in a spur-of-the-moment fashion) and was then extrapolated upon and built up by the group during the recording/mixing process in a way that usually validated the lyrical intent.
Hopes And Fears shows the group at its most formidable stage in terms of composition. The pieces are often highly complex, with ideas that zig-zag through a maze of musical imagery, highlighting the group at their peak of virtuosity. Dagmar Krause's vocal prowess is stunningly effective, and the recording itself was edited in a sequence where repeating themes and studio wizardry present the album as a cycle of related, 'songs'. Of the best and most bizarre of the old school of Art-Rock."
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6CD BOX
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RER ABOX
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"Art Bears -- The Art Box marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most eclectic, dynamic and productive creative alliances in the history of experimental music. Featuring legendary composer Fred Frith, groundbreaking percussionist Chris Cutler & vocalist Dagmar Krouse, this assembly of genius has made an 'incalculable' contribution to the post-context art-rock scene. A 6-CD set, the collection features the first 3 albums (Hopes & Fears, Winter Songs, The World As It Is Today) remastered and in their entirety, a 2-CD set of remixes & re-workings with contributions from Christian Marclay, The Residents, Ground Zero, Biota, & more, plus a bonus CD of previously unreleased material not available elsewhere."
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