Escape from Noise
Encyclopedia
Escape from Noise is a 1987 album
by Negativland
. It marked the band's first break on an established independent record label
, SST Records
. On this album, they continued to develop their experimental
style. The group also incorporated elements of pop music
with shorter tracks and more conventional melodies. "Christianity Is Stupid
", a track featuring samples from the propaganda movie If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?
, layered over a buzzing and droning hard rock
groove, proved to be an enduring signature song
. The band and the release gained widespread attention due to a press release falsely implying that murderer David Brom
had listened to the song before killing his family members.
with black letters reading "Car Bomb", and a booklet outlining the history of the band, along with photos of band members and reviews of previous releases. In the booklet, Crosley Bendix (Don Joyce) describes how Mark Hosler's
studio apartment and recording equipment were destroyed in a two-alarm fire discovered by Hosler at 11:50 pm late on "Friday the 13th of February, 1987". The fire started in Smart Laundry, a dry cleaning
business located at street level below Hosler's apartment, 10028 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, California
. When he saw flames leaping up past his kitchen window, Hosler yelled to his friend Tera Freedman in the next room to call 9-1-1
to notify the fire department. Hosler and Freedman collected the finished master tapes
for Escape from Noise and quickly left the building, just as fire crews arrived. Cleaning solvents in the laundry accelerated the fire and caused extensive damage to the building before fire crews gained control. Afterward, the band grimly assessed the total destruction of the recording equipment and the materials from previous releases. Together, they traveled to Los Angeles to meet with SST executives and "reaffirm their album commitment".
Even though the songs "Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song" and "Backstage Pass" include profanity, the album, due to it being released and reissued on indie labels, does not have the Parental Advisory
sticker.
In 1999, due to Greg Ginn's
decision to remove "Methods of Torture" from the SST pressing, Seeland Records
reissued the album in an "un-remixed" edition, adding no bonus tracks and blowing up the photo on the LP
cover to the front cover and the original LP cover's words from Bendix into the booklet. A sticker was placed on the album, saying:
The original LP is still in print on SST Records, even though the band re-released the record in 1999 on Seeland.
named David Brom
murdered his entire immediate family (both parents, a brother, and a sister) with an axe. When Negativland was forced to cancel a planned tour in support of their album Escape from Noise for financial reasons, the band issued a press release claiming that they had been "advised by Federal Official Dick Jordan not to leave town pending an investigation into the Brom murders." The press release implied that Brom had listened to Negativland's song "Christianity Is Stupid
" before the fatal quarrel with his religious parents.
In reality, there was no official named "Dick Jordan", and Brom did not possess any Negativland music. The murder investigation later discovered that he was on SST's mailing lists, but he only owned "Zen Arcade
" by SST band Hüsker Dü
. Nevertheless, pundits and journalists took the press release at face value, and the hoax received widespread media coverage. Negativland encouraged the spread of the story by steadfastly refusing further comment, supposedly on the advice of their attorney "Hal Stakke", another fictional person invented by the band. Much of this media coverage was negative, and band member Richard Lyons
' home in Oakland, California
was pelted with rocks by an unknown vandal. Negativland subsequently used samples from the media frenzy in their 1989 album Helter Stupid
.
With contributions from:
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
by Negativland
Negativland
Negativland is an experimental music and sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! song, while their record label is named after another Neu! song...
. It marked the band's first break on an established independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
. On this album, they continued to develop their experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
style. The group also incorporated elements of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
with shorter tracks and more conventional melodies. "Christianity Is Stupid
Christianity Is Stupid
"Christianity Is Stupid" is the most well-known song from Negativland's 1987 breakthrough album, Escape from Noise. In the song, Negativland rearranges words and phrases to form a different meaning. They sampled phrases from a 1971 sermon by Rev. Estus Pirkle . Pirkle's narrative included an...
", a track featuring samples from the propaganda movie If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?
If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?
If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? is a 1971 Christian film directed by Ron Ormond.The film is based on the teachings of Rev. Estus Pirkle and warns of the dangers facing the United States from Communist infiltrators. The film suggests that the only way to avoid such a fate is to turn to...
, layered over a buzzing and droning hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
groove, proved to be an enduring signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. The band and the release gained widespread attention due to a press release falsely implying that murderer David Brom
David Brom
David Brom is an American murderer. He killed his parents, brother and sister with an axe in February 1988 near Rochester, Minnesota.-Crimes:...
had listened to the song before killing his family members.
Release
The original album came with a yellow bumper stickerBumper sticker
A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles - although they are often stuck onto other objects...
with black letters reading "Car Bomb", and a booklet outlining the history of the band, along with photos of band members and reviews of previous releases. In the booklet, Crosley Bendix (Don Joyce) describes how Mark Hosler's
Mark Hosler
Mark Hosler is an American musician who is a founding member of the sound art collective Negativland.- Career :Through his public speaking, lectures and extensive interviews, he serves as the primary spokesperson for the group...
studio apartment and recording equipment were destroyed in a two-alarm fire discovered by Hosler at 11:50 pm late on "Friday the 13th of February, 1987". The fire started in Smart Laundry, a dry cleaning
Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public...
business located at street level below Hosler's apartment, 10028 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
. When he saw flames leaping up past his kitchen window, Hosler yelled to his friend Tera Freedman in the next room to call 9-1-1
9-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
to notify the fire department. Hosler and Freedman collected the finished master tapes
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
for Escape from Noise and quickly left the building, just as fire crews arrived. Cleaning solvents in the laundry accelerated the fire and caused extensive damage to the building before fire crews gained control. Afterward, the band grimly assessed the total destruction of the recording equipment and the materials from previous releases. Together, they traveled to Los Angeles to meet with SST executives and "reaffirm their album commitment".
Even though the songs "Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song" and "Backstage Pass" include profanity, the album, due to it being released and reissued on indie labels, does not have the Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
sticker.
In 1999, due to Greg Ginn's
Greg Ginn
Gregory Regis Ginn is a guitarist, songwriter, and singer. He is best known for being the leader of and primary songwriter for the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986....
decision to remove "Methods of Torture" from the SST pressing, Seeland Records
Seeland Records
Seeland Records is an independent record label created by Negativland in 1979 to release their own recordings. It is a reference to the song "Seeland" by the band Neu!, who also gave Negativland the basis for their name, Sea-Land Corporation, a freight company, and the micro-nation of Sealand,...
reissued the album in an "un-remixed" edition, adding no bonus tracks and blowing up the photo on the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
cover to the front cover and the original LP cover's words from Bendix into the booklet. A sticker was placed on the album, saying:
An old album from Negativland: Digitally exacto-remastered 33 1/3 RPM compact disc re-issue of Negativland's classic 1987 LP with no added bonus tracks of any kind!
Don't let the new cover design fool you – your audiophileAudiophileAn audiophile is a person who enjoys listening to recorded music, usually in a home. Some audiophiles are more interested in collecting and listening to music, while others are more interested in collecting and listening to audio components, whose "sound quality" they consider as important as the...
friends might think that such classics as "Car Bomb" and "Christianity Is Stupid" sound crisper and cleaner on this newly un-remixed edition, but they're dead wrong! And even though there are no longer eleven time zones in the Soviet Union (and no Soviet Union, either) this re-release sounds exactly the same as the original. The only thing different is the sticker you are reading right now.
The original LP is still in print on SST Records, even though the band re-released the record in 1999 on Seeland.
Controversy
In February 1988, a 16-year-old from Rochester, MinnesotaRochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
named David Brom
David Brom
David Brom is an American murderer. He killed his parents, brother and sister with an axe in February 1988 near Rochester, Minnesota.-Crimes:...
murdered his entire immediate family (both parents, a brother, and a sister) with an axe. When Negativland was forced to cancel a planned tour in support of their album Escape from Noise for financial reasons, the band issued a press release claiming that they had been "advised by Federal Official Dick Jordan not to leave town pending an investigation into the Brom murders." The press release implied that Brom had listened to Negativland's song "Christianity Is Stupid
Christianity Is Stupid
"Christianity Is Stupid" is the most well-known song from Negativland's 1987 breakthrough album, Escape from Noise. In the song, Negativland rearranges words and phrases to form a different meaning. They sampled phrases from a 1971 sermon by Rev. Estus Pirkle . Pirkle's narrative included an...
" before the fatal quarrel with his religious parents.
In reality, there was no official named "Dick Jordan", and Brom did not possess any Negativland music. The murder investigation later discovered that he was on SST's mailing lists, but he only owned "Zen Arcade
Zen Arcade
Upon its release Zen Arcade received positive reviews in many mainstream publications, including NME, The New York Times and Rolling Stone. In his review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke described Zen Arcade as "the closest hardcore will ever get to an opera .....
" by SST band Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
. Nevertheless, pundits and journalists took the press release at face value, and the hoax received widespread media coverage. Negativland encouraged the spread of the story by steadfastly refusing further comment, supposedly on the advice of their attorney "Hal Stakke", another fictional person invented by the band. Much of this media coverage was negative, and band member Richard Lyons
Richard Lyons (musician)
Richard "Pastor Dick Seeland" Lyons is one of the members in Negativland. His personas in the band include Dick Vaughn, 5-time Cali Award winner; auto trivia expert...
' home in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
was pelted with rocks by an unknown vandal. Negativland subsequently used samples from the media frenzy in their 1989 album Helter Stupid
Helter Stupid
Helter Stupid is Negativland's second album on SST Records, released in 1989. It was Negativland's first attempt at a concept album.-Structure:...
.
Track listing
- "Announcement"
- "Quiet Please"
- "Michael Jackson"
- "Escape from Noise"
- "The Playboy Channel"
- "Stress in Marriage"
- "Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song"
- "Over the Hiccups"
- "Sycamore"
- "Car Bomb"
- "Methods of Torture"
- "Yellow Black and Rectangular"
- "Backstage Pass"
- "Christianity Is StupidChristianity Is Stupid"Christianity Is Stupid" is the most well-known song from Negativland's 1987 breakthrough album, Escape from Noise. In the song, Negativland rearranges words and phrases to form a different meaning. They sampled phrases from a 1971 sermon by Rev. Estus Pirkle . Pirkle's narrative included an...
" - "Time Zones"
- "You Don't Even Live Here"
- "The Way of It"
- "Endscape"
- A hidden track is after "Endscape". It is performed on the No Other Possibility video compilation as "Fire Song".
Personnel
- Mark HoslerMark HoslerMark Hosler is an American musician who is a founding member of the sound art collective Negativland.- Career :Through his public speaking, lectures and extensive interviews, he serves as the primary spokesperson for the group...
: Singing, synthesizers, guitars, voice tapes, percussions, rhythm loops, bomb parts, David manipulation, tiny metal banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, lots of other noises, mix - Don Joyce: Yelling, talking tapes, electric tympani, synthesizer, lyrics, singing, Booper bee, bomb parts and assembly, noises everywhere, mix
- Chris Grigg: Drums, synthesizer, singing, computer & software, field recordings, mix
- David Wills: Talking, shortwaveShortwaveShortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
, family tape, bomb parts, regular Booper - Richard LyonsRichard Lyons (musician)Richard "Pastor Dick Seeland" Lyons is one of the members in Negativland. His personas in the band include Dick Vaughn, 5-time Cali Award winner; auto trivia expert...
: Singing, lyrics, voice
With contributions from:
- Ian Allen: HelicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
(on "Sycamore"), Rhythm Loop (on "Car Bomb")), BellBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
(on "Time Zones") - Jello BiafraJello BiafraJello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
c/o Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
: ToiletToiletA toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
Flushing (on "The Playboy Channel") - DasDasDas or DAS may refer to:* Das , a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon* Das , an Emirati island in the Persian Gulf* Das , a common surname or title in the Indian Subcontinent...
c/o Big City OrchestraBig City OrchestraBig City Orchestra is a long running art/anti-art group based generally in California. They have an ever rotating cast of musician and nonmusician members...
: Voice Tapes (on "Quiet Please") - Dina Emerson: Wordless Vocals (on "You Don't Even Live Here")
- Steve FiskSteve FiskSteve Fisk is a Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician.Fisk joined the instrumental rock band Pell Mell in 1982. With vocalist Shawn Smith, he formed Pigeonhed, which released its first album in 1993....
: OptiganOptiganThe Optigan was an electronic keyboard instrument designed for the consumer market. The name stems from the instrument's reliance on pre-recorded optical soundtracks to reproduce sound...
and Voice Tapes (on "Michael Jackson") - Tera Freedman: Voice Tape (on "Backstage Pass")
- Phil Freihofner: Bomb Parts (on "Car Bomb")
- Ed Markmann: Paid Voice
- Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
: Urban Drum and Halfspeed ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(on "Michael Jackson") - Jerry GarciaJerry GarciaJerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
c/o Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
: Mouth Sounds and ChimeChime (bell instrument)A carillon-like instrument with fewer than 23 bells is called a chime.American chimes usually have one to one and a half diatonic octaves. Many chimes play an automated piece of music. Prior to 1900, chime bells typically lacked dynamic variation and the inner tuning required to permit the use of...
s (on "Backstage Pass") - Alexander HackeAlexander HackeAlexander Hacke is a guitarist, bass guitarist, singer, experimental / industrial / electronic musician from Germany....
c/o Einstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
: Metal Noises (on "Christianity Is Stupid") - Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
c/o Grateful Dead: Percussion and Processed Animals (on "Backstage Pass") - Tom Herman c/o Tripod Jimmie: Torture Guitars (on "Methods of Torture")
- Henry KaiserHenry Kaiser (musician)Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer.Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "first generation" of American free improvisers.-Biography:His grandfather was the...
: Doublespeed DiscoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
Guitars (on "Quiet Please") - Louisa Michaels c/o Step One Nursery School: Singing (on "Over the Hiccups")
- Mark MothersbaughMark MothersbaughMark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
c/o DevoDevoDevo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
: Jazz Bass, Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, E-cussion, SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and Noises (on "The Playboy Channel") - The ResidentsThe ResidentsThe Residents is an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of The Residents was in 1972, and the group has since released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects and ten DVDs....
Hoots and Clanging (on "You Don't Even Live Here") - Rev. Ivan StangIvan StangRev. Ivan Stang, born Douglass St. Clair Smith August 21, 1953 in Washington, D.C., raised in Fort Worth, Texas, and attended the St. Mark's School of Texas. He is best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius...
c/o The Church of the SubGeniusChurch of the SubGeniusThe Church of the SubGenius is a "parody religion" organization that satirizes religion, conspiracy theories, unidentified flying objects, and popular culture. Originally based in Dallas, Texas, the Church of the SubGenius gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and maintains an active presence on...
: LarynxLarynxThe larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
(on "Christianity Is Stupid") - Rand Weatherwax c/o CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
: Orchestra Hits and E-cussion (on "Quiet Please") - Rob Wortman c/o Kingshouse: Leaf blowerLeaf blowerA leaf blower is a gardening tool that propels air out of a nozzle to move yard debris such as leaves. Leaf blowers are usually powered by two-stroke engine or an electric motor, but four-stroke engines were recently introduced to partially address air pollution concerns. Leaf blowers are...
(on "You Don't Even Live Here")
External links
- Collection of reviews of Escape from Noise
- [ Escape from Noise] at Allmusic