Same bro, i remember looking back in the wing mirror at the ska punkers in my hometown and they didnt even wave good bye, infact they're probably wondering 'who that miserable guy was', refering to me, screw them, their music sucks.
Heard this demented track on the late great John Peel Show in 1978, and loved it. I got the album, and all the lyrics are printed on the inside of the sleeve! James sounds utterly rabid here, and it still sounds brilliant four decades later. Of course, Eno produced it.....
he just liked what he liked and wanted to make it accessible to others; in the years running up to this album he financed and released a whole series of experimental music albums by otherwise obscure composers on the grounds that 'hey, this is pretty cool, check it out'
when eno produced the 4 bands for this lp they each made the best studio releases they did. hear how tight this is? James was always looking for tight. there's no question, this isn't always easy to swallow. i don't think it's for mass consumption. i think James and his band made the music they wanted to make and that's it. I saw James Brown in 1974. Me and my date were 2 of 6 people who weren't black. It was my moment of coolness. Saw James Chance in 81. He came on at midnight. For San Diego that's unthinkable. yow.
To have seen both James B and James C is undeniably something to boast about. Cool. I never saw James B, wish I had. Agree with you that James C liked tight and also has always done the music he wanted to. I like a lot of genres but the people to look out for, who are always going to make the best music whatever genre one is listening to are the people who are making the music they want to make, exactly in the way they want to make it, with no compromises. Both James' make the cut there, as does Brian Eno, and as do pretty much all the people involved in the original New York no wave scene.
I know that 'only white guy at a black show vibe', after you done that you can fist bump with the only black dude at the punk show. I show this Congolese guy at a show in east london at some random wine bar, it was 80 quid for the ticket, and i was the only white guy there and basicly everyone there was asking wtf to me straight up.
This made me a believer. James Chance is still around. I had the LP on this. You either loved it or hated it. I loved it. Thank you for posting! It fits my mood right now.
I used to see all these bands in NY back in late 70's-early 80's. This band was really great live. Great song is "Contort Yourself." I also saw his later band, "James White and The Blacks," which was James and an all-black band. I saw him years later at the old knitting factory and he looked half dead. I guess he's still alive though.
@@anyoutubeaccount He was performing there. The Knitting Factory was a club in SoHo, New York, and later moved to Williamsburg Brooklyn. They just announced they are closing for good after 35 years.
@cementbug nail'd it. this was a seminal release. i used to open my show with this track every week when i was a college radio dj. listeners always expected me to dish it out, because they wanted me to be 'the one to tell them (you), when to start and when they (you) had enough'... i would play stuff none of the other djs would play. my precious copy of the no new york slab has been played to death over the decades, so now it's bandaged 'properly' with blue duct tape--just the way, iconoclast jc would want it.
James. James? Excuse me James? Could you ask all the people to sit down? The fire department's here, we're gonna stop the show, could you ask the people to sit down?
To mattisprettycool: On that LP, track listings were Contortions, not JC &, which came after Anya made people sign on as "session musicians" and George quit in protest. The only track otherwise credited is "I Can't Stand Myself" "James Brown; arranged by Contortions"
Bass line seems to be lifted from Red Krayola's "Leejol" from 1968. George Scott III was previously in the early no wave New York group Jack Ruby who were heavily influenced by the Red Krayola's second album. RIP George
I didn't see it on there and I was forced to check discogs :/ which is always slightly overpriced, I haven't ordered it yet though. Would you be so gracious to send me a link to the album on amazon??
Dont hate me. But i just dont think im ready. love ESG love Liquid Liquid. This just sounds angry. i dont get the appeal apart from the band members being ridiculously good looking, and love me a sax.
I really like the IDEA of punk rock played with crazy, skwawking sax, but the execution I heard here, suggests that it hasn't been perfected yet. Keep trying.
