Frogtoon Music

Calling Out Of Context (Album) by Arthur Russell

Artist Biography For Arthur Russell

Arthur Russell May 21 1951 - April 4 1992 Was A Prodigious Talent. Classically Trained On Cello While Growing Up In Oskaloosa USA Arthur Studied With Ali Akbar Khan In San Francisco In The Early 1970's. During This Period He Also Collaborated With Allen Ginsberg Accompanying Him On Cello While Ginsberg Read Or Sang. Russell Also Spent Time In A Buddhist Commune In California He Left When They Decided To Collectivize His Cello. By The Mid-1970's Russell Relocated To New York City Where He Studied At The Manhattan School Of Music. He Formed A Band From 1975-1979 The Flying Hearts Recorded By John Hammond And Featuring David Byrne Rhys Chatham Jon Gibson Peter Gordon Jerry Harrison Garret List Frank Pagano Andy Paley Leni Pickett And Peter Zummo. In The Late 1970s Russell Became Enamored With The Disco Scene In New York. At The Time It Represented A Liberation Force Particularly For The Gay Scene Just A Few Years After The Stonewall Riots. For More See "Turn The Beat Around The Secret History Of Disco" By Peter Shapiro . 'Kiss Me Again' Was Russell's First Dance Track. Released Under The Name Dinosaur L By Sirerecords It Was To Be The First Of Many Innovative Dancefloor Tracks Released Under Different Names And With Different Collaborators Such As 'Is It All Over My Face' By Loose Joints Released In 1980. In 1982 Arthur Russell And William Socolov Founded Sleeping Bag Records And Their First Release Was His 24-24 Music. This Featured 'Go Bang' Which Was Re-Mixed As A 12" Single By Francois Kevorkian. Arthur Russell Continued To Release Dance Singles Such As 'Tell You Today' 4th And Broadway 1983 An Upbeat Dance Groove Featuring The Vocals Of Joyce Bowden . 'Wax The Van' Jump Street 1985 With Vocals By Lola Blank Wife Of Notorious BobTreehouse Aka Bob Schoolbell Sleeping Bag 1986 And 'Let's Go Swimming' Upside / Rough Trade 1986 . At The Same Time He Produced More Meditative Works On The Albums 'Tower Of Meaning' Chatham Square 1983 And 'World Of Echo' Rough Trade 1986 Which Presented Many Of His Pop And Dance Compositions In Solo Cellist Form. Arthur Russell Died Of AIDS On April 4 1992 At The Age Of 40. The Obituary In The Village Voice Wrote "his Songs Were So Personal That It Seems As Though He Simply Vanished Into His Music." In 2004 A Renewed Interest In Arthur Russell Saw The Release Of "The World Of Arthur Russell" On Soul Jazz Records Which Compiled His Best-Known Dance Hits Alongside More Introspective Love Songs Such As "Little Lost" And "Keeping Up". In The Same Year Audika Records Reissued "World Of Echo" And Produced "Calling Out Of Context" 12 Unreleased Songs From 1985-90. The Songs Were Taken From An Album "Corn" Recorded In 1985 But Never Released. They Showcase A Set Of Visionary Pop Songs Years Ahead Of Their Time Minimalist And Expansive Evidence That Russell's Best Work Was Perhaps Never Realized Before His Death. In 2006 Audika Released "First Thought Best Thought" Compiling Russell's Out Of Print Orchestral And Instrumental Works With Previously Unreleased Material.

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Frogtoon Music Album Info: Calling Out Of Context

The Songs Selected For Calling Out Of Context Were Recorded By Russell At His Home And Various Studios Between 1985 And 1990. The Tracks Were Taken From Russell's Unreleased 1985 Album Corn And A Later Unfinished Album For Rough Trade Records. Some Of The Songs Including "That's Us/Wild Combination" Were Meticulously Reworked And Rerecorded Dozens Of Times By Russell Up Until His Death In 1992. In Addition To Singing And Songwriting Russell Played Many Of The Instruments On The Album Including Cello Percussion Guitar Keyboards And Vocals. Many Of The Tracks Feature Percussion & Drum Programming From Mustafa Khaliq Ahmed As Well As Synthesizers & Trombone Playing By Peter Zummo. Both Ahmed And Zummo Were Longtime Collaborators With Russell. Noted Vocalist Jennifer Warnes Contributed Singing To "That's Us/Wild Combination". Steven Hall Contributed Electronic Drums To The Record.