1 hr 27 min
Episode 187 - Calling Out of Context by Arthur Russell Unsung Podcast
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- Music
It’s incredibly difficult to categorise Arthur Russell. His music ranged from the purely experimental, to disco, warped 80s synth pop and so much more. It’s the latter that makes Calling out of Context, the first posthumous complication released by his estate such an intriguing listen. Arthur rose to prominence as the musical director of Manhattan’s avant-garde musical playground The Kitchen. He rubbed shoulders with people from all walks of life - from Allen Ginsburg to the Talking Heads and many more besides - before discovering disco music. From there, he produced a number of underground disco classics under various names (most notably Dinosaur L). All the while, he recorded tons of music on his own, most of which remains unreleased to this day. His life story is wonderfully told in the film Wild Combination, and if you’re a fan of this episode, we urge you to seek it out. It chronicles his career as he left small town Iowa until his untimely death from AIDS related illness in 1992. In his lifetime, Arthur Russell only released two albums. Both were very different. His first, Tower of Meaning, was completely instrumental and was almost orchestral in nature. Sparse percussion and cello led, there’s something very aching about it. Particularly in comparison to his second album, World of Echo, which sees the cello very much front and centre, slammed through effect pedals, alongside his almost fragile vocal. Calling Out of Context is, as already stated, the first posthumous release by his estate. More followed, but this is, we feel, the perfect introduction into the strange world of Arthur Russell. He’s an unsung artist for sure who has influenced many people. Is this album an unsung classic though? You decide.
It’s incredibly difficult to categorise Arthur Russell. His music ranged from the purely experimental, to disco, warped 80s synth pop and so much more. It’s the latter that makes Calling out of Context, the first posthumous complication released by his estate such an intriguing listen. Arthur rose to prominence as the musical director of Manhattan’s avant-garde musical playground The Kitchen. He rubbed shoulders with people from all walks of life - from Allen Ginsburg to the Talking Heads and many more besides - before discovering disco music. From there, he produced a number of underground disco classics under various names (most notably Dinosaur L). All the while, he recorded tons of music on his own, most of which remains unreleased to this day. His life story is wonderfully told in the film Wild Combination, and if you’re a fan of this episode, we urge you to seek it out. It chronicles his career as he left small town Iowa until his untimely death from AIDS related illness in 1992. In his lifetime, Arthur Russell only released two albums. Both were very different. His first, Tower of Meaning, was completely instrumental and was almost orchestral in nature. Sparse percussion and cello led, there’s something very aching about it. Particularly in comparison to his second album, World of Echo, which sees the cello very much front and centre, slammed through effect pedals, alongside his almost fragile vocal. Calling Out of Context is, as already stated, the first posthumous release by his estate. More followed, but this is, we feel, the perfect introduction into the strange world of Arthur Russell. He’s an unsung artist for sure who has influenced many people. Is this album an unsung classic though? You decide.
1 hr 27 min