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This is a very strange double CD release, but I knew that when ordering. The one track I actually wanted - of some ‘remixed’ Captain Beefheart music - is not on this set, Fortunately I downloaded that number so it is on my computer. But why not on this set?
I could write a book about this collection. I won't: it's essential for anybody interested in remixing or reconstructing music and sampling. Oswald was light years ahead of anybody else and still is.
Plunderphonics, coined by John Oswald in his 1985 essay, refers to the act of creating songs by arranging samples of one or more pre-existing songs. While very similar to sampling, or "mash-ups," in the realm of hip-hop, Plunderphonics only uses what is extracted from the original musical source of a piece and does not attempt to add any other real or synthesized signs. Oswald wanted his music to have a certain sense of familiarity so that people would be able to recognize the source, regardless of whether it was changed in pitch, speed, or direction. Plunderphonics 69/96 is an album comprised of Oswald's most famous musical creations, with his pop and rock based tracks on the first disc,"Songs," and his classical, jazz, and other instrumental influenced pieces on the second disc, "Tunes." While both discs belong to the same album and belong to the "musique concrete" school of music, they are aimed at different audiences. Plunderphonics is set within the "musique concrete" school of the technosonic music. Musique concrete, literally concrete music, focuses on creating music through pre-existing sounds, from as simple as everyday objects making noises to as complex as established songs. "Songs," the first disc in the album, is an excellent example of musique concrete because all of the songs are created through assembling parts of a pre-recorded song. "Brown" features samples from the famous Public Enemy song, "Fight the Power," as well as other songs such "I Feel Good" by James Brown. Clips of James Brown's songs are also featured in "Black," along with samples from Prince. In "Dab," trademark sounds of Michael Jackson's works are complied in a video game format, such that as the song, or "level," progresses, the complexity and difficulty increases. Dolly Parton's "The Great Pretender" is sampled in "Pretender," as it is slows down so much that his voice drops several octaves and he has a duet with himself. "Tunes," the second disc of the album, is also an example of musique concrete. Unlike the first disc, the songs on "Tunes" use samples from various classical and other instrumental based recordings. For example, "Z24" features clips from the "2001 Space Odyssey," looping the song to create a new texture. "Songs" and "Tunes" belong in the musique concrete school of technosonic music because each song is derived from samples of either a pop or rock song or an instrumental piece. While both discs are examples of "musique concrete," they are not geared toward the same audience. "Songs" appeals to a wide audience because it samples from the popular music of various decades. Even if a listener prefers a different genre of music or was born after the song was created, the songs used are so iconic that anyone can pinpoint where a sound clip comes from. Oswald uses key sounds that are prototypic of the source music that are instantly recognizable. "Tunes," on the other hand, derives its sounds from classical, jazz, and instrumental pieces. While some of the pieces are widely-known, such as the "2001 Space Odyssey" which is used and parodied in many settings, a vast majority of the songs are not mainstream songs nor iconic enough for people who aren't versed within that discipline of music. "Tunes" does not have the same advantage as "Songs" because it does not have the same extensive sense of familiarity. Whereas "Songs" appeals to any listener, "Tunes" will have the greatest appreciation in those who have knowledge of songs within the classical, jazz, or instrumental realms. Because "Songs" and "Tunes" sample from different genres of music, they will be appreciated by different sets of listeners. Picking a single song to get from this album is a difficult task. For me, "Brown" is my favorite from "Songs" and "Z24" is my favorite from "Tunes;" this is because I've grown up listening to James Brown's "I Feel Good" and the "2001 Space Odyssey" and this makes the sounds from these songs instantaneously recognizable. For other listeners, this might not be the case; for example, quite a few of my friends are much more appreciative of Michael Jackson and may be more inclined to pick "Dab" as their favorite. Because this area of musique concrete is significantly dependent on the source music, the appeal of a Plunderphonics song lies within the listener's ability to identify the original source of the music. The best recommendation I can give for those who only want one song is to see what each song is based on. Overall, Plunderphonics is an enjoyable album for listeners of all backgrounds. The feeling of familiarity with the source music is the driving force that draws people into the music. While all audiences will appreciate the first disc of the album, those who listen to classical or jazz will have more enjoyment for the second disc. With the notion of remixing songs as such a popular concept in today's society, there is a song for everybody in Plunderphonics.
I've found that, every time I find something that I personally find to be absolutely wonderful, some other people will agree with me, but there are quite likely just as many people who have exactly the opposite opinion. When Smooth Earl (whose opinion you will find immediately below) says "I was doing stuff like that on my tape recorder back in '83 when I was in 4th grade, and I did a better job than this guy", it reminds me all those people who say their dog could make a better painting than Jackson Pollock (or Pablo Picasso). In some cases these people really can't see the difference between a smudge and a Pollock. That's OK. Perhaps to Smooth Earl the entire oeuvre of John Oswald really does sound like something he did in the 4th grade (when are you going to release your album Earl, so we can compare?). Poor hearing-deprived man, but still, everyone is entitled to have their opinion. What I object to is Earl saying, "You will be severely disappointed just like me." What a stupid, narrow-minded statement. I obviously don't share your opinion Earl, and there others who don't think like you do - please check out the reviews at the bottom of the page. I wish that there were listening samples for each of the 60 tracks in this box set, because, like it or not, there is undeniably more variety in this package than in any other musical offering I can think of. Sure there probably is something here for everyone to dislike, but for anyone with open ears, and a desire for surprises, this is a cornucopia of all kinds of music; each kind presented in a new way, sometimes subtly and sometimes brutally. I suspect that neither Smooth Earl or "a music fan" listened any further than the first couple of tracks, because when they make their analogies to changing radio stations every two seconds they obviously haven't listened to Rainbow, which is an elegiac, glistening shifting of perfectly consonant chords played by the 101 String Orchestra like one big wave; or PreLieu where a live string quartet plays a sinuous, sensual variation of one of Beethoven's prettiest tunes; or Anon which is a chorus of the beautiful voice of Tim Buckley. And then there is the fast-paced stuff. Perhaps Smooth Earl could edit in the 4th grade as well as Oswald, but I've never heard anyone who can dice and splice as intricately and precisely as can be found in any number of the cuts on Plunderphonic. In addition to getting a lot of music in this box set, one will also discover a treasure chest of detailed notes (in the 40,000 word interview Oswald sometimes speaks as acrobatically as he composes) and a lot of often very funny visuals which are another way to get an idea of what the music is like. For example, look at the cover collage above: a group photo of U2 has been transformed into a band of Frankensteins, in which David Bowie and Barbra Streisand, or Boy George and Billy Gibbons get grafted into one person. Oswald suggests that Power (composed in 1975) is perhaps the first Rap song. It was created independent of the concurrent experiments of Afrika Bambaataa and crew, predates Byrne and Eno's similar experiments by 5 years, and in its use of Led Zepplin riffs it predates the Beastie Boys by a decade. One of the reasons some of this music sounds so unusual is that it was created so much ahead of its time. It's kind of like the case of Trout Mask Replica (which also gets transformed by Oswald). Unlike other commentators I won't presume to say whether you should get this set or not. But I think that any listener whose range of listening interests can go from Stravinsky to Metallica to Public Enemy might be intrigued. Or any one who wants to hear an Agatha Christie story as if it was transformed by James Joyce... or Dolly Parton slowly turn into a man... or Bill Frisell playing with Elvis Presley... Debussy sung by a bird... an almost brand new Doors song ... Anton Webern and the Beach Boys ... Fine Young Cannibals with Annie Lennox (ten years before mash-ups)... a cubist Count Basie... Madonna granulated... it's all here.
Yes,this set has all sorts of crazy ,cut-up,mix sequences and wild ideas galore! It is a landslide of madness and imagination......incredible stuff. Almost an overdose of sounds.
BUT ,when I first got the album of CDs ,.....my one CD player had a very hard time reading disc #2. You see in all the lust for an "art piece" the disc is made to start playing at something like track #50,and carry on from that number to "blow your mind" ,I'd guess, in an arty fashion. Sadly,some disc players refuse to start at such a high number and just sit there "hung-up" and computer stunned(I'd like to call it).I'd guess it blew more CD players minds? So,you just might not be able to play disc 2 in this set......or maybe you might? You have a better chance at it if you have a few players,and can give it a try in a bunch of 'em. Barring that "art" disaster.....this is a fine set of sounds from a master.
John Oswaldはアーティストと言うよりは現代音楽家に近い存在で、ポップスやロックなど既存の音楽を切り刻みコラージュすることで、音楽産業に対してアンチを唱え続けてきた。 本作は彼の集大成的な作品で、どの曲もミクロ単位に寸断された著名な曲のコラージュだけでできている。 JBやマイケル・ジャクソンのシャウトだけで1曲作ったり、メタリカのキメだけで1曲作ったりとユーモア満載。「これはやっちゃいけないだろ」というツッコミ無視、限りなくセーフに近いアウト、という位置づけである。
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