Locus Solus is an album of improvisations by John Zorn and other musicians. Originally released as a double vinyl album on Rift records in 1983 it was re-released as a CD with additional tracks on Eva/Wave in 1990 and on Zorn's Tzadik Records label in 1997.[1]
| Locus Solus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1983 re-released 1990 and 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde, jazz, classical | |||
| Length | 68:37 | |||
| Label | Rift, Eva/Wave, Tzadik | |||
| Producer | John Zorn | |||
| John Zorn chronology | ||||
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| Original Rift Records Cover | ||||
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Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz |  [3] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[4] |
The AllMusic review by Joslyn Layne stated: "This captures over an hour's worth of John Zorn's search for the improvised song form.... Overall, an album of short, angular, experimental energy tracks."[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz observed: "This is one of the sacred texts of '80s New York improv, a fierce scrabbly set of associations that draw heavily on the power trio aesthetic of bands like Husker Dü... It's impressively compact but sometime rather abrupt".[3]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bass and the Treble" | 2:57 |
| 2. | "Acquisition and Control of Fire" | 1:33 |
| 3. | "Honey-Cab" | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Switch" | 2:15 |
| 5. | "Juan Talks It Out of His System" | 2:11 |
| 6. | "The Wish" | 2:02 |
| 7. | "A Case Arose" | 2:00 |
| 8. | "The Elf" | 1:41 |
| 9. | "Getting Curly" | 1:51 |
| 10. | "Don't Switch" | 1:50 |
| 11. | "Smooth Cheeks of a Big Ego" | 1:51 |
| 12. | "Add Water" | 2:15 |
| 13. | "Cold" | 1:31 |
| 14. | "Friar T." | 0:58 |
| 15. | "Too Me" | 2:16 |
| 16. | "You Rang?" | 1:17 |
| 17. | "Self-Satisfied" | 1:22 |
| 18. | "Agora" | 1:10 |
| 19. | "Dot, Dot, Dot" | 1:14 |
| 20. | "Moi Non Plus" | 1:43 |
| 21. | "Liver" | 1:49 |
| 22. | "The Footman's Eyes Get Crossed" | 1:04 |
| 23. | "Heike Cipher Mystery" | 1:47 |
| 24. | "Jedi Mind Trick" | 1:06 |
| 25. | "Mysterious Island" | 2:11 |
| 26. | "You Only Live Twice, Mr. Bond" | 1:59 |
| 27. | "When Arrows Meet" | 1:38 |
| 28. | "Never Say Never Again" | 1:45 |
| 29. | "Sign of the Four" | 2:13 |
| 30. | "Locus Solus, Pt. 1–2" | 2:11 |
| 31. | "Where Are My Victims?" | 2:06 |
| 32. | "Disco Volante" | 2:06 |
| 33. | "Kaiser in Borneo" | 1:48 |
| 34. | "The Saint" | 1:40 |
| 35. | "The Violent Death of Dutch Schultz" | 1:23 |
| 36. | "Thunderball" | 1:43 |
| 37. | "White Zombie" | 1:30 |
| 38. | "The Slaves of Vesuvius" | 2:05 |
Note: (16,18,20,22) are extra tracks not available on the LP pressing.
Personnel edit
- John Zorn – alto and soprano saxophones, game calls, B♭ Clarinet
- Christian Marclay – turntables (tracks 1–9)
- Peter Blegvad – vocals (tracks 1–9)
- Arto Lindsay – guitar, vocals (tracks 10–22)
- Anton Fier – drums (tracks 10–15)
- M. E. Miller – drums (tracks 16–22, 31–38)
- Ikue Mori – drums (tracks 23–30)
- Wayne Horvitz – keyboards (tracks 23–30)
- Whiz Kid – turntables (tracks 31–38)
References edit
- ^ Tzadik catalogue
- ^ a b Layne, J. AllMusic Review accessed July 22, 2011
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2000). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (5th ed.). Penguin. p. 1612. ISBN 0-14-051452-X.
- ^ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 450.