No New York
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No New York is a compilation album of no wave music released in 1978 by record label Antilles under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contains songs by four different artists, it has been considered important in defining and documenting the scene and movement, with the name "no wave" being influenced by that of the album according to some accounts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Background and production
Early in 1978, New York's Artists Space hosted a five night underground no wave music festival, organized by artists Michael Zwack and Robert Longo, that featured ten local bands; including Rhys Chatham's the Gynecologists, Communists, Glenn Branca's Theoretical Girls, Terminal, Chatham's Tone Death (performing his composition for electric guitars Guitar Trio)Template:Sfn and Branca's Daily Life (with Barbara Ess, Paul McMahon and Christine Hahn).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The final two days of the show featured DNA and the Contortions on Friday, followed by Mars and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks on Saturday.Template:Sfn English musician and producer Brian Eno, who had originally come to New York to produce the second Talking Heads album More Songs About Buildings and Food, was in the audience.Template:Sfn Impressed by what he saw and heard, and advised by Diego Cortez to do so, Eno was convinced that this movement should be documented and proposed the idea of a compilation album with himself as a producer.Template:Sfn
When Eno recorded No New York, some of the sessions were done without much of the stylized production he was known for on other artists' albums.Template:Sfn James Chance stated that the Contortions tracks were "done totally live in the studio, no separation between the instruments, no overdubs, just like a document."Template:Sfn In 1979, Eno stated in his lecture "The Studio as Compositional Tool" that, "On 'Helen Thormdale' Template:Sic from the No New York album, I put an echo on the guitar part's click, and used that to trigger the compression on the whole track, so it sounds like helicopter blades."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Release
No New York was released in 1978 by Antilles Records.<ref name=allmusicreview /> The original pressing of the LP contained a lyric sheet that was intentionally printed on the inside of the record sleeve, which forced the owner to have to tear apart the sleeve to read the lyrics.<ref name=creem /><ref name=pitchfork /> The album was first reissued on CD by Island Records in Japan.<ref>[1] No New York at Discogs</ref> It was reissued in 2005 by Lilith Records on vinyl and digipak form on CD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Critical reception and legacy
Critic Richard C. Walls, writing for Creem, described No New York as the most "ferociously avant-garde and aggressively ugly music since Albert Ayler puked all over my brain back in – what? – 64" and stated "If you're intrepid enough to want to hear this stuff (a friend, 3/4 into the first side, complained that the music was painful – she wasn't referring to any abstract reaction, she was grimacing), be advised that Antilles is a division of Island Records, which ain't exactly Transamerica Corp. You'll probably have to make a little effort to procure it, because there's no way it's going to come to you."<ref name=creem>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
On February 17, 1979, Pete Silverton of Sounds reviewed the album, excerpt: "'NO WAVE' is the rather unoriginal tag given to a loose group of new bands which have emerged in New York since the original CBGB's explosion [...] To date the best-known No Wave artefact is the No New York compilation on Antilles, the Island subsidiary, which contains hasty sessions of four bands — DNA, the Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Mars. I spoke to three of the bands and they all thought the album sucked and that producer Eno should have stayed home. Nor have any of them got much time for the No New tag itself. As James Chance of the Contortions growled with beautifully weedy menace, "I wish I could get my hand on whoever made it up".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
No New York is mentioned on the back cover of the Fall's 1979 studio album Dragnet.
Retrospective reviews of the album have been positive. Todd Kristel of AllMusic stated that "this seminal album remains the definitive document of New York's no wave movement", but also echoed Walls's statement from 1978, saying, "Some listeners may be fascinated by the music on No New York while others may find it unbearable".<ref name=allmusicreview />
In 2007, Blender placed the album at number 65 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever".<ref name=blendermag>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Track listing
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing
Personnel
Contortions
- James Chance – saxophone, vocals
- Don Christensen – drums
- Jody Harris – guitar
- Pat Place – slide guitar
- George Scott III – bass
- Adele Bertei – Acetone organ
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
- Lydia Lunch – guitar, vocals
- Gordon Stevenson – bass
- Bradley Field – drums
Mars
- Sumner Crane – guitar, vocals
- China Burg – guitar, vocals
- Mark Cunningham – bass, vocals
- Nancy Arlen – drums
D.N.A.
- Arto Lindsay – guitar, vocals
- Robin Crutchfield – organ, vocals
- Ikue Mori – drums
Additional personnel
- Brian Eno – producer, cover design, cover photo
- Kurt Munkasci – engineer
- Vishek Woszcyk – engineer
- Roddy Hui – assistant engineer
- Steven Keister – cover design
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1978 | Antilles Records | LP | AN-7067 |
| 2005 | Lilith Records | Digipak CD | LR102 |
See also
- Yes L.A. – a punk rock compilation EP issued in response to this album
- New York Noise – another compilation album featuring artists from the no wave scene
References
Works cited
Further reading
External links
Template:Teenage Jesus and the Jerks Template:Authority control