News From Babel - Sirens And Silences / Work Resumed On The Tower / Letters Home (1995) {2006, 3CD Box Set, Remastered}
BAND/ARTIST: News From Babel
- Title: Sirens And Silences / Work Resumed On The Tower / Letters Home
- Year Of Release: 1995 / 2006
- Label: ReR Megacorp #ReR NfBOX (ReR NFB1/2/3)
- Genre: RIO, Progressive Rock, Experimental, Avantgarde
- Quality: EAC Rip -> WavPack (Img+Cue,Log) / MP3 CBR320
- Total Time: 3CD (34:58 + 35:37 + 02:33)
- Total Size: 873 / 645 Mb (Full Scans)
- WebSite: Album Preview
Reissue on 2 CDs of both long out of print LPs, re-mastered and repackaged, in a slipcase with an extra illustrated CD of the 7" single that was issued only to subscribers with the original release. Stretched songs and studio work. 'Work' was Lindsay Cooper, Chris Cutler, Dagmar Krause and Zeena Parkins, and followed the vein breached by Art Bears, though with a very different musical emphasis. 'Letters' added Robert Wyatt, Sally Potter, Phil Minton and Bill Gilonis. Music by Lindsay Cooper, words by Chris Cutler. With full text and illustrations.
News from Babel were an English avant-rock group founded in 1983 by Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, Zeena Parkins and Dagmar Krause. They made two studio albums with several guest musicians (including Robert Wyatt) and disbanded in 1986. In the wake of English avant-rock group Henry Cow (1968–1978), Art Bears (1978–1981), a song-oriented group, was formed by three of Henry Cow's members, drummer Chris Cutler, multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith and singer Dagmar Krause. In Art Bears' wake, News from Babel emerged in 1983, comprising Cutler, Krause, Henry Cow woodwind player Lindsay Cooper, and United States harpist Zeena Parkins. It was Parkins's first "rock group" and the first time she had recorded with her harp. This new group followed the song-oriented approach of Art Bears, but with a different musical emphasis. Cooper composed the music and Cutler wrote the song texts.
News from Babel were purely a studio group, and its formation, name and first album were inspired by literary critic George Steiner's 1975 book on language and translation, After Babel. Commenting on the group, Cutler said: "I liked the idea of a record as a letter or a newscast from a doomed but hopeful place." In 1983 they recorded Work Resumed on the Tower, the title referring to the Tower of Babel, with guest vocalist Phil Minton. At the same time they also recorded "Contraries", a Parkins/Cutler composition released as a single with Work Resumed on the Tower subscription editions. In 1986 they made Letters Home, named after the title of one of Sylvia Plath's books. By this stage, Krause had left the group, but she still guested on the album, which also featured guest vocalists Robert Wyatt, Sally Potter and Phil Minton, plus guitarist Bill Gilonis from The Work, who also produced the album. Cooper's music on both albums is a blend of rock, jazz and cabaret, while Cutler's lyrics are literate, exploring Marxist themes and personal alienation. The group disbanded in 1986 after recording their second album. The music of News from Babel was played live first time by former members Cutler, Krause and Parkins with Minton and others in A Celebration of Lindsay Cooper November 2014 in two concerts in England and one in Italy.
News from Babel were an English avant-rock group founded in 1983 by Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, Zeena Parkins and Dagmar Krause. They made two studio albums with several guest musicians (including Robert Wyatt) and disbanded in 1986. In the wake of English avant-rock group Henry Cow (1968–1978), Art Bears (1978–1981), a song-oriented group, was formed by three of Henry Cow's members, drummer Chris Cutler, multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith and singer Dagmar Krause. In Art Bears' wake, News from Babel emerged in 1983, comprising Cutler, Krause, Henry Cow woodwind player Lindsay Cooper, and United States harpist Zeena Parkins. It was Parkins's first "rock group" and the first time she had recorded with her harp. This new group followed the song-oriented approach of Art Bears, but with a different musical emphasis. Cooper composed the music and Cutler wrote the song texts.
News from Babel were purely a studio group, and its formation, name and first album were inspired by literary critic George Steiner's 1975 book on language and translation, After Babel. Commenting on the group, Cutler said: "I liked the idea of a record as a letter or a newscast from a doomed but hopeful place." In 1983 they recorded Work Resumed on the Tower, the title referring to the Tower of Babel, with guest vocalist Phil Minton. At the same time they also recorded "Contraries", a Parkins/Cutler composition released as a single with Work Resumed on the Tower subscription editions. In 1986 they made Letters Home, named after the title of one of Sylvia Plath's books. By this stage, Krause had left the group, but she still guested on the album, which also featured guest vocalists Robert Wyatt, Sally Potter and Phil Minton, plus guitarist Bill Gilonis from The Work, who also produced the album. Cooper's music on both albums is a blend of rock, jazz and cabaret, while Cutler's lyrics are literate, exploring Marxist themes and personal alienation. The group disbanded in 1986 after recording their second album. The music of News from Babel was played live first time by former members Cutler, Krause and Parkins with Minton and others in A Celebration of Lindsay Cooper November 2014 in two concerts in England and one in Italy.
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Track List CD1: Sirens And Silences / Work Resumed On The Tower (1984)
Sirens And Silences
01. Odysseus [4:13]
02. Auschwitz-Babel [2:51]
03. Klein's Bottle [3:17]
04. Black Gold [3:09]
05. Devils [1:16]
06. Dry Leaf [2:49]
07. (Silence) [0:21]
Work Resumed On The Tower
08. Arcades (of Glass) [7:55]
09. Victory [5:09]
10. Anno Mirabilis [3:58]
Personnel:
Bass, Guitar – Bill Gilonis
Bassoon, Saxophone, Piano, Keyboards, Composed By – Lindsay Cooper
Drums, Electronics, Percussion, Lyrics By – Chris Cutler
Harp, Harp, Accordion – Zeena Parkins
Vocals – Dagmar Krause, Phil Minton
Track List CD2: Letters Home (1986)
01. Who Will Accuse? [2:39]
02. Heart Of Stone [3:04]
03. Banknote [3:21]
04. Moss [3:59]
05. Dragon At The Core [4:44]
06. Dark Matter [4:22]
07. Waited/Justice [5:09]
08. Fast Food [3:14]
09. Late Evening [5:05]
Personnel:
Bass, Guitar – Bill Gilonis
Bassoon, Saxophone, Piano, Keyboards – Lindsay Cooper
Drums, Electronics, Percussion – Chris Cutler
Harp, Harp, Accordion – Zeena Parkins
Vocals – Dagmar Krause, Phil Minton, Robert Wyatt, Sally Potter
Track List CD3: Contraries - Extra Illustrated CD (1984 Single)
01. Contraries [2:33]
Rock | Alternative | FLAC / APE | Mp3 | CD-Rip
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