Years before the art of musical appropriation was made commonplace by remix and mash-up artists, Negativland (who formed in 1979), pioneered the use of mass-media cut-ups with jam-packed sound collages that sharply critiqued popular culture. Founded in the suburban San Francisco area by high school friends Mark Hosler and Richard Lyons, the self-styled "Culture Jammers" began as an experimental group with a penchant for found sound and studio post-processing via tape manipulation and collage techniques. Their breakthrough album, ESCAPE FROM NOISE (1987) was distinguished by controversy when the band issued a disinformation campaign linking their song "Christianity Is Stupid" as the impetus behind the mass murders committed by Minnesota teen David Brom. The band continued to be dogged by controversy with their 1991 EP release, U2: a satiric send-up of the Irish-rockers peppered with profane rants from disc jockey Casey Kasem. The release embroiled them in a convoluted legal battle with U2's label, Island Records, who sued the group for copyright violation. Negativland's defense was largely argued around the "fair use" clause of U.S. copyright law, a theme which--along with their various legal troubles--figured prominently on later albums. Into the new millennium, various members of the band continued to press for alternate means of publishing as advocates of the intellectual property license, Creative Commons.
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Negativland Artist Snapshot:Product Description
Run a Quick Search on "Escape From Noise" by Negativland to Browse Related Products:Browse more products related to "Escape From Noise"Browse more products related to "Negativland"Title NoteWhile the sound collage of Negativland's first three studio albums pointed in the band's ultimate direction, they were really rough sketches compared to Escape From Noise. Escape is a full-on audio assault, more musical than ever, but with tight and well-constructed sound sections thrown in. Instead of simply a collection of sounds and snippets, however, each cut on Escape From Noise picks a target and takes aim. "Quiet Please" takes on market research in the world of radio. "Michael Jackson" is a laundry list of pop stars being charged with creating commercial pop. "Sycamore" turns happy, shiny, new pre-planned communities into something far more sinister. Although some other tracks ("Yellow, Black and Rectangular," "Car Bomb") don't really take on particular targets, they're fun nonetheless. Probably the most accomplished piece is the strangely creepy "Time Zones," which talks about how many time zones there are in the Soviet Union (there are 11, by the way, and it's not even funny). Although it wasn't apparent at the time, the centerpiece of the album would be "Christianity Is Stupid," a prime example of how sound bites can be rearranged to say whatever you want them to say. (The full sound bites appear on the album Helter Stupid, the first half of which was inspired by a media frenzy after the band suggested that a murder may be attributable to "Christianity Is Stupid," as an excuse to get out of having to tour in the wake of this album, which turned out to be a much bigger success than anyone expected.) Scattered throughout the album are unexpected guest appearances from some of the biggest names in underground music, including Jello Biafra on "toilet flushing," the Residents on "hoots and clanging," and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart on mouth sounds and "processed animals." In addition to better-constructed material, the production quality on Escape From Noise is also top-notch, making it a joy to listen to. Although future works would prove more controversial, this is probably Negativland's masterwork. ~ Sean Carruthers Customer Reviews for "Escape From Noise (CD)" by Negativland (Artist)There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review! Explore More Great Tower Sales & Specials
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