Arthur Russell World Of Echo CD

England's Soul Jazz label did the music world a tremendous favor in 2004 when it released THE WORLD OF ARTHUR RUSSELL, a collection of 11 essential tracks by dance music scientist Arthur Russell. Having worked with Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, and Ali Ahkbar Kahn, cellist Arthur Russell seems like one of the least likely candidates to have revolutionized disco music; yet under the various monikers Dinosaur L, Loose Joints, and Indian Ocean, among others, Russell created some of the most unique and challenging dance music ever made. Informed by his background in classical and experimental forms as well as a love of New York City's club culture of the late 1970s and early '80s, Russell took the essentials of disco--a basic funk groove and an irresistible hook--and ran them through the avant-garde blender. Tracks like "Go Bang" and the classic "Is It All Over My Face" immediately compel the listener to get up and move, while "Pop Your Funk" and "Let's Go Swimming" (often referred to as the only dance track that you can't actually dance to) show an artist attempting to deconstruct and transcend everything pop music is about. In addition to Russell's dance tracks, WORLD OF also contains several of his gorgeous solo cello/vocal pieces, such as the hauntingly expansive "A Little Lost" and the minimalist, almost ambient "Keeping Up." Arthur Russell was a complex, fearless artist, and this collection is an essential introduction to his singular body of work.

Despite a prolific career, 1986's WORLD OF ECHO is one of the few proper full-length albums by cellist Arthur Russell to be released under the artist's name. Classically trained and well-versed in experimental forms, Russell became famous for creating some of the most adventurous dance music of the late 1970s and early 1980s. WORLD OF ECHO, however, focuses on Russell's beautiful if perplexing solo cello/vocal pieces. A devout Buddhist, Russell's music is informed by a deep-seated spiritualism, and his effects-laden compositions like "Tone Bone Kone" and "Answers Me" give off a repetitive celestial drone that is indeed transcendent in its beauty. As conceptual as his music can be, Russell is never too distanced from pop modes (he once told Allen Ginsberg he wanted to make "Buddhist bubble-gum music"). In addition to occasional world-music rhythms, WORLD OF ECHO also contains dramatically reworked versions of two of his most notorious dance tracks: "Wax the Van" and "Let's Go Swimming." (The originals can be found on the stellar compilation THE WORLD OF ARTHUR RUSSELL.) This album illustrates not only Russell's versatility as an artist, but also his belief that aural beauty is not limited to one specific sonic realm but, in fact, lies in all of them.

An incredible assemblage of solo versions of this influential and unique downtown musician. Arthur Russell's World of Echo contains the songs and instrumentals written from 1980-1986: "Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun/Let's See," "Tower of Meaning/Rabbit's Ear/Home Away from Home," "Tone Bone Kone," "Answers Me," "Being It," "Place I Know/Kid Like You," "She's the Star/I Take This Time," "Tree House," "See-Through," "Hiding Your Present from You," "Wax the Van," "All-Boy All-Girl," "Lucky Cloud," and "Let's Go Swimming." Subtle, transcendental with gentle rock beats and new music influences in patternings and textures. [The album was reissued in an expanded edition in 2004.] ~ "Blue" Gene Tyranny

Liner Note Author: Arthur Russell.

Recording information: Experimental Intermedia Foundation (1985-1986).

Personnel: Arthur Russell (vocals, cello).

Audio Remasterer: Ray Janos.