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Obscure Records
Obscure Records was a U.K. record label which existed from 1975 to 1978. It was created and curated by Brian Eno. Ten albums were issued in the series. Most have detailed liner notes on their back covers, analyzing the compositions and providing a biography of the composer, in a format typical of classical music albums, and much of the material can be regarded as 20th-century classical music. The label provided a venue for experimental music. Discography Obscure Records Releases and editions The first seven albums were issued on the Obscure label in 1975 and 1976, manufactured and distributed in the UK by Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ... whose name appeared at the bottom of the label. These have a catalogue number expressed as "Obscure no. 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many List of islands of the United Kingdom, smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is , with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frippertronics
Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session musician and collaborator, notably with David Bowie, Blondie, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hall, Midge Ure, Talking Heads, and David Sylvian. He also composed the startup sound of Windows Vista operating system, in collaboration with Tucker Martine and Steve Ball. His discography includes contributions to over 700 official releases. His compositions often feature unusual asymmetric rhythms, influenced by classical and folk traditions. His innovations include a tape delay system known as Frippertronics and new standard tuning. Early life Robert Fripp was born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, the second child of a working-class family. His mother Edith (''née'' Greene; 1914–1993) was from a Welsh mining family. Her earnings f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Phillips (artist)
Trevor Thomas Phillips (25 May 1937 – 28 November 2022) was an English visual artist. He worked as a painter, printmaker and collagist. Life Trevor Thomas Phillips was born on 25 May 1937 in Clapham, London to David and Margaret Phillips (née Arnold). He was the younger of two sons. His mother ran a 10-roomed boarding-house and his father speculated in cotton futures. His family called him Tom. In 1940, the cotton market collapsed and the family had to sell their home. Phillips' father went to work in Abergavenny, Wales, leaving his wife to run the boarding-house in London. After the war the family finances improved and they were able to holiday annually in France and Germany. His parents began to buy short leasehold properties as investments and although these did not yield the return that they wished, his mother did buy the freehold of one house, which would later become her son's studio and home. From 1942 to 1947, Phillips attended Bonneville Road Primary School in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Machine Music
''Machine Music'' is a 1978 album by John White and Gavin Bryars. The album was the eighth release on Brian Eno's Obscure Records. This release had the catalogue number ''Obscure OBS 8''. In common with most of the releases on Obscure it was recorded at Basing Street Studios in London, produced by Brian Eno and engineered by Rhett Davies. The Bryars' composition ''The Squirrel and the Ricketty Racketty Bridge'' features four guitarists, each playing two guitars simultaneously. __NOTOC__ Track listing and personnel Side one All compositions by John White #''Autumn Countdown Machine'' - Tuba, Metronome, Percussion – John White, Double Bass – Sandra Hill, Double Bass, Percussion – Gavin Bryars, Bassoon, Percussion – Christopher Hobbs Christopher Hobbs (born 9 September 1950) is an English experimental composer, best known as a pioneer of British systems music. Life and career Hobbs was born in Hillingdon, near London. He was a junior exhibitioner at Trinity College ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John White (composer)
John White (born 5 April 1936, in Berlin) is an English experimental composer and musical performer. He invented the early British form of minimalism known as systems music, with his early Machines. Life and career White was born in Berlin to an English father and German mother. The family moved to London at the outbreak of war. Originally a sculptor, White decided on a composition career when he heard Messiaen's '' Turangalîla-Symphonie''. He studied composition at the London Royal College of Music from 1955 to 1958 with Bernard Stevens and piano with Arthur Alexander and Eric Harrison. He also took analysis classes privately with Elisabeth Lutyens. Upon graduation, White became the musical director of the Western Theatre Ballet, and then professor of composition at the Royal College of Music from 1961 to 1967. He is a skilled pianist and tuba player and has written extensively for both instruments. In the 1960s and 1970s he was closely associated with English experimental ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simon Jeffes
Simon Harry Piers Jeffes (19 February 1949 – 11 December 1997) was an English classically trained guitarist, composer and arranger. He formed, and was the primary performer of, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He was the composer of the ballet ''Still Life at the Penguin Cafe''. He is also known for assisting Sex Pistols producer Bill Price with the string arrangement for the Sid Vicious version of "My Way" which reached #7 on the UK singles charts as part of '' The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' soundtrack. Life and death Jeffes was born at the Montalan Nursing Home, Crawley, Sussex, on 19 February 1949, the son of James Henry Elliston Jeffes, a research chemist, and his wife, Anne Hope Madeline Jeffes (née Clutterbuck). Jeffes died of an inoperable brain tumor on 11 December 1997 in Taunton, leading to the dissolution of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. See also *''Still Life at the Penguin Cafe'' *Penguin Cafe Orchestra References External linksSimon Jeffesat the Oxford Dicti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music From The Penguin Cafe
''Music from the Penguin Cafe'' is the first studio album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It was recorded between 1974 and 1976, and released in 1976. The artist credited for the work varies with different issues. Upon original issue, the label credited the artist as Simon Jeffes, while the cover gave the artist as "members of the Penguin Café Orchestra". The line-up for tracks 1, 9, 10 and 11 consisted of the original "Penguin Café Quartet" (as they are referred to in the liner notes): Simon Jeffes (electric guitar), Helen Liebmann (Cello), Steve Nye (electric piano), and Gavyn Wright (violin). Tracks 2–8, meanwhile, were performed by the ensemble "Zopf", which includes all four members of the quartet as well as Neil Rennie (ukulele) and Emily Young (vocals). Reissues from 1987 forward generally credit the artist as the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. These later reissues have mistakenly listed pieces 2-8 as though they were movements of a suite entitled "Zopf", instead of 7 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, it toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of composers such as Philip Glass. The group recorded and performed for 24 years until Jeffes died of an inoperable brain tumour in 1997. Several members of the original group reunited for three concerts in 2007. Since then, five original members have continued to play concerts of PCO's music, initially as The Anteaters, then as The Orchestra That Fell to Earth. In 2009, Jeffes' son Arthur founded a successor band simply called Penguin Cafe. Although it includes no original PCO members, the band features many PCO pieces in its live repertoire, and records and performs new music written by Arthur. History After becoming disillusioned with the rigid structures ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Decay Music
''Decay Music'' is the 1976 debut album by Michael Nyman, released on Brian Eno's Obscure Records music label. The two works on the album, "1-100" (composed 1 December 1975) and "Bell Set No. 1" (1974) are both built around the musical concept of decay. Both of these experiment with percussive, long decay musical forms. "1-100" is played at half the speed it was recorded. It was written for Peter Greenaway's film of the same title but rejected because it was too long. It was inspired by Frederic Rzewski's ''Les Moutons de Panurge'', which Nyman often played with the Scratch Orchestra. The album was first issued on compact disc on March 29, 2004, by EMI/Virgin. The original full-speed recording of "1-100" is included as a bonus track. Track listing All tracks composed by Michael Nyman #"1-100" (27:18) #"Bell Set No.1" (22:35) #"1-100 (Faster Decay)" (13:40) (CD-only) Personnel * Michael Nyman - piano (tracks 1 and 3), percussion A percussion instrument is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming paraplegic following an accidental fall from a window in 1973, which led him to abandon band work, explore other instruments, and begin a forty-year solo career. A key player during the formative years of British jazz fusion, psychedelia and progressive rock, Wyatt's own work became increasingly interpretative, collaborative and politicised from the mid-1970s onwards. His solo music has covered a particularly individual musical terrain ranging from covers of pop singles to shifting, amorphous song collections drawing on elements of jazz, folk and nursery rhyme. Wyatt retired from his music career in 2014, stating "there is a pride in topping I don't want he musicto go off." He is married to English painter and songwriter Alfreda Benge. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Voices And Instruments
''Voices and Instruments'' is a 1976 album by saxophonist Jan Steele and composer John Cage. The album was the fifth release on Brian Eno's Obscure Records. This release had the catalogue number ''Obscure no.5''. In common with most of the releases on Obscure it was recorded at Basing Street Studios in London, produced by Brian Eno and engineered by Rhett Davies. Track listing and personnel Side one All compositions by Jan Steele #All Day (7:13) - Guitar – Stuart Jones, Vibraphone – Kevin Edwards, Guitar – Fred Frith, Percussion – Phil Buckle, Lyrics – James Joyce, Bass – Steve Beresford, Voice – Janet Sherbourne #Distant Saxophones (10:42) - Bass – Steve Beresford, Percussion – Arthur Rutherford, Piano – Martin Mayes, Flute – Jan Steele, Utako Ikeda, Viola – Dominic Muldowney #Rhapsody Spaniel (5:21) - Piano – Jan Steele, Janet Sherbourne Side two All compositions by John Cage #Experiences No.1 (3:52) - Piano – Richard Bernas (composed fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. Critics have lauded him as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was also instrumental in the development of modern dance, mostly through his association with choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was also Cage's romantic partner for most of their lives. Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition '' 4′33″'', which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing aside from being present for the duration specified by the title. The content of the composition is not "four minutes and 33 seconds of silence," as is often assumed, but rather the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during performance. The work's challen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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