From: larry@cs.com (Larry Spence)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Subject: Re: Laswell
Date: 31 Dec 92 22:05:56 GMT
Organization: Computer Support Corporation,  Dallas,Texas

In article <92365.150613U19807@uicvm.uic.edu> U19807@uicvm.uic.edu writes:
>In article <921230145534.2d2026c7@UNHH.UNH.EDU>, Russ Gelinas
><R_GELINAS@UNHH.UNH.EDU> says:
>>
>>  So who is Bill Laswell?  He produced the last 2 CD's I bought -
>>Transmutation by Praxis and Ask The Ages by Sonny Sharrock.  Beer,
>>wanna take this one?
>
>Too late,Jeff. My turn.  >:)
>
>Bill Laswell is the producer/electric bass wiz who was/is behind several
>avant-Jazz/"mutant" fusion projects such as Material,Massacre,Last Exit and
>a few others that I can't recall right now. As you said,he produces a helluva
>lot of stuff,not all of it in the vein of music he usually plays in (three
>examples I can name off the bat are the Ramones' BRAIN DRAIN, Motorhead's
>ORGASMATRON and one of Mick Jagger's solo LPs [MEDIUM COOL? ]). He has a
>fairly important role vis-a-vis Axiom's catalogue (he's produced most,
>if not all of their releases) 

Axiom is Laswell's label.

>and is (at least IMHO) an unbelievable bassist

I'd say "staggeringly proficient." %)

>as well-check out Last Exit's IRON PATH,as well as other stuff he played
>on,for evidence of _that_ fact.

There's stuff on the first Last Exit album (_IP_ is easier to find, but
a little wimpy in comparison IMHO -- they recorded all their parts indepen-
dently of each other as overdubs, yuck) and on either Pain Killer disc 
that's hard to believe was played on bass.

Some essential Laswell-related releases (IMHO):

  Material _Temporary Music_ (1992 compilation of '79-80 stuff) - Restless
  Massacre _Killing Time_ (1981) - to be reissued by Restless
  Material _Memory Serves_ (1982) - recently reissued by Restless
  Bill Laswell _Baselines_ (1983?) - out of print, Celluloid
  Golden Palominos _Golden Palominos_ (1983?) - o.o.p., Celluloid
  Last Exit (first album) (1985?) - Enemy (LP only?  o.o.p?)
  Last Exit _Best of Live_ (1990? compilation of mid/late 80s stuff) - Enemy
  Ginger Baker _Horses and Trees_ (1986) - o.o.p., Celluloid
  Nicky Skopelitis _Next to Nothing_ (1989) - Virgin
  Material _Seven Souls_ (1990) - allegedly o.o.p., Virgin
  Pain Killer _Guts of a Virgin_ (1991) - Earache (UK only)
  Pain Killer _Buried Secrets_ (1992) - Earache

There are many other releases that Laswell appears on and/or produces
(Sharrock, Limbomaniacs, PIL, F. Suso, etc.).  

The older stuff (_Baselines_, _Killing Time_, _Temporary Music_) has
more of the fat envelope-follower bass sound (although the Skopelitis
album has it, too), while some of the more recent stuff (Pain Killer) 
goes for the "bass as monster guitar" approach.  The very early Material
(compiled and reissued by Restless) is sorta amateurish compared to the
later releases, and has really _bad_ vocals.  But the bass is prominent
and interesting.  _Memory Serves_ is incredible (guests like Fred Frith,
Olu Dara, etc.), but occasionally marred by vocals.  Try not to pay
much for the Pain Killer discs, as they're really short (20-30 min. each).
The Baker and Skopelitis albums are really good, with a more middle-
eastern sound that carries over to _Seven Souls_ (the latter has a 
bunch of W.S. Burroughs spoken parts that I like a lot, but others might
not find it to their tastes).

If you want to get just one Laswell CD with maximum bass, I'd say hunt down
a copy of _Baselines_.  Then, maybe _Memory Serves_ or _Killing Time_.
Wait for the reissue CD of _KT_ -- the old Celluloid CD appears to have
been mastered by someone who's been to too many Motorhead concerts without
earplugs...

-- 
Larry Spence
larry@cs.com
uunet!csccat!larry 
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