Obscure Records
Encyclopedia
Obscure Records was a U.K.
record label
which existed from 1975 to 1978. It was created and run by Brian Eno
, who also produced the albums (credited as executive producer in one instance). Ten albums were issued in the series. Most have detailed liner notes on their back covers, analyzing the compositions and providing a biography of the composer, in a format typical of classical music albums, and much of the material can be regarded as 20th century classical music
. The label provided a venue for experimental music
, and its association with Eno gave increased public exposure to its composers and musicians.
In their original editions, all albums used variations of the same cover art of a collage
by John Bonis, covered up by an overprinting of black ink. The picture beneath the ink can be seen somewhat clearly under a strong light. Each volume except the seventh has one small window in the black overprint to reveal a different portion of the picture on each album. The red and white label design is a blurred photo that appears to be spires on roofs of buildings.
Brian Eno's album Music for Airports
(1978) was intended as the eleventh Obscure album, and has catalogue number OBS-11 written and then scratched out in the matrix
area on original UK copies. But this album became the first volume of a new Ambient Records series ("Ambient 1") instead, and this decision marked the end of the Obscure label. The Ambient series consists of four albums issued from 1978 to 1982, which are also described in this article.
Obscure 4 names David Toop first on the cover, but his tracks occupy side two. Toop's tracks are incorrectly listed in backward order on both cover and label of Island and Polydor editions. The Virgin CD reissue retains the cover and label order, but adjusts the running order of the tracks on the disc itself to match. Obscure 7 names Simon Jeffes
as the artist on the label only, on Island and Polydor editions.
whose name appeared at the bottom of the label. These have a catalogue number expressed as "Obscure no. 1" through 7 on the covers, or "OBSCURE-1" etc. on the labels. All albums use the original, mostly black, cover art.
Only two of these albums were issued in the USA in the 1970s, on Antilles Records, a division of Island: album 3 as AN-7030, and album 5 as AN-7031. This edition of Obscure 3 uses new cover art.
In 1978, manufacture and distribution in the UK was resumed by Polydor Records
who re-issued the first seven albums and three further volumes as OBS-1 through 10. These continued to use the original cover art. Polydor were able to obtain left-over covers made for Island Records, and issued their new editions of albums 1 through 7 with these covers marked as Island Records editions. Collectors seeking original editions are therefore advised that Island covers may contain Polydor manufactured records within. Later copies of albums 3, 4 and 7 with covers printed with Polydor markings and catalogue numbers have been confirmed. Record labels for the Polydor manufactured editions are similar to Island's, but do not mention Island or Polydor.
Also in 1978, Ambient 1 was issued. Originally intended as Obscure OBS-11, it came out instead as Ambient / Polydor / EG AMB-001. This record has a new label design for the Ambient series, but it was not used on subsequent volumes. An American edition was issued on PVC Records (distributed by Jem Records) as PVC-7908. This edition has a picture label that is taken from the cover art (a different label from the UK edition, although both are similar in appearance), and is therefore a custom label design. Passport Records in Canada copied the US design, rather than using the UK one.
The next two Ambient releases were issued by EG Records in 1980 in the UK as EGAMB-002 and 003. They were also issued in the USA (together with a re-issue of Ambient 1) as EGS-201 to 203. At the same time, Obscure 10 was issued in the USA as EGS-301, and Obscure 3 as EGS-303. All of these editions in both countries have white, non-picture "Editions EG" labels. Both USA re-issues of Obscure albums use alternate cover art, Obscure 3 being the same as the earlier USA edition, and Obscure 10 using a similar, matching layout. Editions EG was distributed by Polydor in the UK, and by Jem in the USA.
In 1982, EG Records re-issued all ten Obscure albums on their "Editions EG" label in the UK as EGED-21 through 30. Albums 3 and 10 use the alternate American cover art in these editions, and album 7 uses new cover art as well. At the same time, the Ambient series was re-issued in the UK with a fourth and final volume added, as EGED-17 to 20. The new volume was also issued in the USA with the same catalogue number, EGED-20.
No complete re-issue of the entire Obscure series has appeared since 1982, and given that Gavin Bryars has re-recorded his two pieces on Obscure 1 as two separate albums, it is likely that he and other composers are unwilling to consent to future re-issues of the Obscure editions in their original form. However, selected volumes have appeared individually from time to time. Albums 3 and 7 have been in print continuously, but are now regarded as parts of the regular catalogues of Brian Eno
and the Penguin Café Orchestra
, respectively. These two albums, along with all four volumes of the Ambient series, were first issued on CD in the 1980s on the Caroline Records label, which was the USA imprint of Virgin Records
. The complete Ambient series is still in print, now on the Virgin label.
Rory Allam
Phil Ault
Roy Babbington
Derek Bailey
Michael Beinhorn
Steve Beresford
Richard Bernas
Guy Bidmead
Martin Bisi
Carla Bley
John Bonis
Michael Brook
Marion Brown
Angela Bryars
Gavin Bryars
Phil Buckle
Harold Budd
Paul Burwell
Margaret Cable
John Cage
Greg Calbi
Cornelius Cardew
Mark Caudle
The Cockpit Ensemble
Ursula Connors
e e cummings
Howard Davidson
Hugh Davies
Rhett Davies
Stuart Deeks
Muriel Dickinson
Susan Dorey
Max Eastley
Kevin Edwards
Brian Eno
Christa Fast
Fred Frith
Celia Gollin
Christine Gomez
Axel Gros
Miss Eva Hart
Jon Hassell
Sandra Hill
Christopher Hobbs
David Hutchins
Utako Ikeda
Simon Jeffes
Alden Jenks
Phil Jones
Stuart Jones
James Joyce
Jo Julian
Peter Kelsey
Tim Kraemer
Danny (Dan) Lanois
Laraaji
Julie Last
Bill Laswell
Helen Leibmann
Andy Lydon
Alison Macgregor
Andy Mackay
Martin Mayes
Dominic Muldowney
Chris Munro
John Nash
Graham Naylor
The New Music Ensemble of San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Mike Nicolls
Paul Nieman
Steve Nye
Michael Nyman
Fred Orton
Penguin Café Orchestra
/ Penguin Café Quartet
Frank Perry
Tom Phillips
Conny Plank
Jon Potoker
Howard Rees
Leslie Reid
Neil Rennie
Lynda Richardson
Arthur Rutherford
Janet Sherbourne
Nigel Shipway
Adam Skeaping
Lucy Skeaping
Roddy Skeaping
Howard Skempton
Rodney Slatford
Cheryl Smith
Dave Smith
Jan Steele
Neal Teeman
Maggie Thomas
David Toop
John White
Keith Winter
Gavin Wright
Robert Wyatt
Emily Young
Inge Zeininger
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
which existed from 1975 to 1978. It was created and run by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, who also produced the albums (credited as executive producer in one instance). Ten albums were issued in the series. Most have detailed liner notes on their back covers, analyzing the compositions and providing a biography of the composer, in a format typical of classical music albums, and much of the material can be regarded as 20th century classical music
20th century classical music
20th century classical music was without a dominant style and highly diverse.-Introduction:At the turn of the century, music was characteristically late Romantic in style. Composers such as Gustav Mahler and Jean Sibelius were pushing the bounds of Post-Romantic Symphonic writing...
. The label provided a venue for experimental music
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...
, and its association with Eno gave increased public exposure to its composers and musicians.
In their original editions, all albums used variations of the same cover art of a collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
by John Bonis, covered up by an overprinting of black ink. The picture beneath the ink can be seen somewhat clearly under a strong light. Each volume except the seventh has one small window in the black overprint to reveal a different portion of the picture on each album. The red and white label design is a blurred photo that appears to be spires on roofs of buildings.
Brian Eno's album Music for Airports
Music for Airports
Ambient 1: Music for Airports is an ambient album by Brian Eno released in 1978.-Overview:Music for Airports was the first of four albums released in Eno's "Ambient" series, a term which he coined to differentiate his minimalistic approach to the album's material and "the products of the various...
(1978) was intended as the eleventh Obscure album, and has catalogue number OBS-11 written and then scratched out in the matrix
Matrix numbers
Matrix numbers are alphanumeric codes stamped or hand written into the run-out groove area of a gramophone record...
area on original UK copies. But this album became the first volume of a new Ambient Records series ("Ambient 1") instead, and this decision marked the end of the Obscure label. The Ambient series consists of four albums issued from 1978 to 1982, which are also described in this article.
Discography
Listed by title first (because all albums have one title, but some have multiple artists), artist(s), year of release, and original label name and catalogue number.Obscure Records
- The Sinking of the Titanic – Gavin BryarsGavin BryarsRichard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
– 1975 – Obscure no. 1 - Ensemble Pieces – Christopher HobbsChristopher HobbsChristopher Hobbs is an English experimental composer, best known as a pioneer of British Systems music.-Life and career:...
, John Adams, Gavin BryarsGavin BryarsRichard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
– 1975 – Obscure no. 2 - Discreet MusicDiscreet MusicDiscreet Music is an album by the British ambient musician Brian Eno. While No Pussyfooting may be his first ambient album and Another Green World features many ambient pieces, this is Brian Eno’s first purely ambient solo album...
– Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– 1975 – Obscure no. 3 - New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments – Max Eastley, David ToopDavid ToopDavid Toop is an English musician and author, and as of 2001 was visiting Research Fellow in the Media School at London College of Communication. He was notably a member of The Flying Lizards. He was a prominent contributor to the British magazine The Face. He is a regular contributor to The Wire,...
– 1975 – Obscure no. 4 - Voices and Instruments – Jan Steele, John CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
– 1976 – Obscure no. 5 - Decay MusicDecay MusicDecay Music is the 1976 debut album by Michael Nyman, released on Brian Eno's Obscure Records music label. The two works on the album, 1-100 and Bell Set No. 1 are both built around the musical concept of decay. Both of these experiment with percussive, long decay musical forms. 1-100 is...
– Michael NymanMichael NymanMichael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
– 1976 – Obscure no. 6 - Music from the Penguin CaféMusic From The Penguin CafeMusic From The Penguin Cafe was the first album by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and was recorded between 1974 and 1976, and released in 1976. The line-up for much of the album consisted of the original Penguin Cafe Quartet: Simon Jeffes , Helen Leibmann , Steve Nye , and Gavyn Wright...
– Members of the Penguin Café OrchestraPenguin Cafe OrchestraThe Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of performing musicians created by classically trained British guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes...
– 1976 – Obscure no. 7 - Machine Music – John WhiteJohn White (composer)John White is an English composer and musical performer.-Life:White trained and taught at the London Royal College of Music...
, Gavin BryarsGavin BryarsRichard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
– 1978 – Obscure OBS-8 - Irma – an opera by Tom Phillips, music by Gavin BryarsGavin BryarsRichard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
, libretto by Fred Orton – 1978 – Obscure OBS-9 - The Pavilion of DreamsThe Pavilion of Dreams- Track listing :# "Bismillahi 'Rrahman 'Rrahim" – 18:23# "Two Songs: 1. Let Us Go into the House of the Lord / 2. Butterfly Sunday" – 6:19# "Madrigals of the Rose Angel: 1. Rosetti Stone / 2...
– Harold BuddHarold BuddHarold Budd is an American ambient/avant-garde composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles, he was raised in the Mojave Desert, and was inspired at an early age by the humming tone caused by wind blown across telephone wires....
– 1978 – Obscure OBS-10
Obscure 4 names David Toop first on the cover, but his tracks occupy side two. Toop's tracks are incorrectly listed in backward order on both cover and label of Island and Polydor editions. The Virgin CD reissue retains the cover and label order, but adjusts the running order of the tracks on the disc itself to match. Obscure 7 names Simon Jeffes
Simon Jeffes
Simon Jeffes was an English classically trained guitarist, composer and arranger. He formed, and was the core performer of, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He composed the ballet Still Life at the Penguin Cafe...
as the artist on the label only, on Island and Polydor editions.
Ambient Records
- Ambient 1: Music for Airports – Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– 1978 – Ambient/Polydor/EG AMB-001 - Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror – Harold BuddHarold BuddHarold Budd is an American ambient/avant-garde composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles, he was raised in the Mojave Desert, and was inspired at an early age by the humming tone caused by wind blown across telephone wires....
, Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– 1980 – Editions EG EGAMB-002 - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance – LaraajiLaraajiLaraaji is an American musician. Born Edward Larry Gordon in Philadelphia, he studied violin, piano, trombone and voice in his early years in New Jersey. He attended Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C. on a scholarship to study composition and piano...
– 1980 – Editions EG EGAMB-003 - Ambient 4: On Land – Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– 1982 – Editions EG EGED-20
Releases and editions
The first seven albums were issued on the Obscure label in 1975 and 1976, manufactured and distributed in the UK by Island RecordsIsland Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
whose name appeared at the bottom of the label. These have a catalogue number expressed as "Obscure no. 1" through 7 on the covers, or "OBSCURE-1" etc. on the labels. All albums use the original, mostly black, cover art.
Only two of these albums were issued in the USA in the 1970s, on Antilles Records, a division of Island: album 3 as AN-7030, and album 5 as AN-7031. This edition of Obscure 3 uses new cover art.
In 1978, manufacture and distribution in the UK was resumed by Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
who re-issued the first seven albums and three further volumes as OBS-1 through 10. These continued to use the original cover art. Polydor were able to obtain left-over covers made for Island Records, and issued their new editions of albums 1 through 7 with these covers marked as Island Records editions. Collectors seeking original editions are therefore advised that Island covers may contain Polydor manufactured records within. Later copies of albums 3, 4 and 7 with covers printed with Polydor markings and catalogue numbers have been confirmed. Record labels for the Polydor manufactured editions are similar to Island's, but do not mention Island or Polydor.
Also in 1978, Ambient 1 was issued. Originally intended as Obscure OBS-11, it came out instead as Ambient / Polydor / EG AMB-001. This record has a new label design for the Ambient series, but it was not used on subsequent volumes. An American edition was issued on PVC Records (distributed by Jem Records) as PVC-7908. This edition has a picture label that is taken from the cover art (a different label from the UK edition, although both are similar in appearance), and is therefore a custom label design. Passport Records in Canada copied the US design, rather than using the UK one.
The next two Ambient releases were issued by EG Records in 1980 in the UK as EGAMB-002 and 003. They were also issued in the USA (together with a re-issue of Ambient 1) as EGS-201 to 203. At the same time, Obscure 10 was issued in the USA as EGS-301, and Obscure 3 as EGS-303. All of these editions in both countries have white, non-picture "Editions EG" labels. Both USA re-issues of Obscure albums use alternate cover art, Obscure 3 being the same as the earlier USA edition, and Obscure 10 using a similar, matching layout. Editions EG was distributed by Polydor in the UK, and by Jem in the USA.
In 1982, EG Records re-issued all ten Obscure albums on their "Editions EG" label in the UK as EGED-21 through 30. Albums 3 and 10 use the alternate American cover art in these editions, and album 7 uses new cover art as well. At the same time, the Ambient series was re-issued in the UK with a fourth and final volume added, as EGED-17 to 20. The new volume was also issued in the USA with the same catalogue number, EGED-20.
No complete re-issue of the entire Obscure series has appeared since 1982, and given that Gavin Bryars has re-recorded his two pieces on Obscure 1 as two separate albums, it is likely that he and other composers are unwilling to consent to future re-issues of the Obscure editions in their original form. However, selected volumes have appeared individually from time to time. Albums 3 and 7 have been in print continuously, but are now regarded as parts of the regular catalogues of Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and the Penguin Café Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of performing musicians created by classically trained British guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes...
, respectively. These two albums, along with all four volumes of the Ambient series, were first issued on CD in the 1980s on the Caroline Records label, which was the USA imprint of Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
. The complete Ambient series is still in print, now on the Virgin label.
Personnel
John Adams- director of the New Music Ensemble of the San Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
on Obscure 1 - composer, director of the New Music Ensemble of the San Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of MusicSan Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
on Obscure 2
Rory Allam
- clarinet, bass clarinet on Obscure 9
Phil Ault
- engineer on Obscure 2
- engineer on Obscure 9
Roy Babbington
Roy Babbington
Roy Babbington is a rock and jazz bassist. He became well known for being a member of the Canterbury scene progressive rock/jazz fusion band Soft Machine.-Biography:...
- bass violin on Obscure 9
Derek Bailey
- guitar on Obscure 1
- guitar on Obscure 2
- steel stringed acoustic guitars on Obscure 8
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
- synthesizer on Ambient 4
Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford
Steve Beresford is a British musician who graduated from the University of York. He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, trumpet, euphonium, double-bass and a wide variety of toy instruments, such as the toy piano. He has also played a wide range of music...
- bass guitar on Obscure 5
Richard Bernas
Richard Bernas
Richard Bernas is a British-based conductor.He studied Music at York University and conducting with Witold Rowicki in Warsaw ....
- piano, percussion on Obscure 5
- celeste, electric piano on Obscure 10
Guy Bidmead
- engineer on Obscure 5
Martin Bisi
Martin bisi
Martin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter.He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Angels of Light and Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning song Rockit,In 1979, Martin Bisi...
- engineer on Ambient 4
Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
- voice on Obscure 5
John Bonis
- cover art on Obscure 1 to 10 (original editions)
Michael Brook
Michael Brook
Michael Brook is a Canadian guitarist, inventor, producer, and film music composer. He plays in many genres, including rock, electronica, world music, minimalism and film scores....
- guitar on Ambient 4
Marion Brown
Marion Brown
Marion Brown was a jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai...
- alto saxophone on Obscure 10
Angela Bryars
- music box, back cover illustrations on Obscure 1
- chorus voice on Obscure 9
Gavin Bryars
Gavin Bryars
Richard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
- piano, composer, conductor on Obscure 1
- reed organ, triangles, wood blocks, cymbals, double bass, composer on Obscure 2
- conductor, arranger on Obscure 3
- double bass, metronome, jaw harp, bottle, concert guitars, composer on Obscure 8
- composer (music), conductor on Obscure 9
- glockenspiel, celeste, voice on Obscure 10
Phil Buckle
- percussion on Obscure 5
Harold Budd
Harold Budd
Harold Budd is an American ambient/avant-garde composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles, he was raised in the Mojave Desert, and was inspired at an early age by the humming tone caused by wind blown across telephone wires....
- electric piano, voice, composer, conductor on Obscure 10
- acoustic and electric piano, composer on Ambient 2
Paul Burwell
Paul Burwell
Paul Dean Burwell was a British thaumaturge and percussionist, influential in the fields of free improvisation and experimental art....
- 3 bass drums, large lorry hub, 2 string fiddle on Obscure 4
Margaret Cable
- chorus on Obscure 10
John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
- composer on Obscure 5
Greg Calbi
- mastering on Ambient 4
Cornelius Cardew
Cornelius Cardew
Cornelius Cardew was an English experimental music composer, and founder of the Scratch Orchestra, an experimental performing ensemble. He later rejected the avant-garde in favour of a politically motivated "people's liberation music".-Biography:Cardew was born in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire...
- cello on Obscure 2
Mark Caudle
- tenor violin on Obscure 9
The Cockpit Ensemble
- performs on Obscure 1
- performs on Obscure 3
Ursula Connors
- chorus on Obscure 10
e e cummings
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
- lyrics used in John CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
compositions on Obscure 5
Howard Davidson
Howard Davidson
Howard Davidson is a composer of music for film, television, radio and the theatre.Davidson has over 300 scores to his credit, many in collaboration with noted documentary maker Michael Wood and made for the BBC and PBS. His orchestral scores have been performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, and...
- director of the Cockpit Ensemble on Obscure 1
Hugh Davies
Hugh Davies
Hugh Seymour Davies was a musicologist, composer, and inventor of experimental musical instruments.Davies was born in Exmouth, Devon, England. After attending Westminster School, he studied music at Worcester College, Oxford from 1961 to 1964. Shortly after he traveled to Cologne, Germany to work...
- grill harp on Obscure 4
Rhett Davies
Rhett Davies
Rhett Davies is an English record producer and engineer.Rhett Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies; they are no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks. Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, and his first session was the recording process for Brian Eno's...
- engineer on Obscure 4
- engineer on Obscure 5
- engineer on Obscure 8
- engineer on Obscure 10
- performer, composer, engineer on Ambient 1
Stuart Deeks
- violins on Obscure 2
- descant violin on Obscure 9
Muriel Dickinson
- chorus on Obscure 10
Susan Dorey
- bottle on Obscure 8
Max Eastley
- hydrophone, metallophone, centriphone, elastic aerophone, composer on Obscure 4
Kevin Edwards
- vibraphone on Obscure 5
Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
- producer on Obscure 1
- vocals, producer on Obscure 2
- synthesizer with digital recall system, composer, producer on Obscure 3
- prepared bass guitar, voice (as a member of David and the Cetaceans), producer on Obscure 4
- producer on Obscure 5
- producer on Obscure 6
- executive producer on Obscure 7
- bottle, electric guitars, producer on Obscure 8
- producer on Obscure 9
- voices, producer on Obscure 10
- performer, composer, producer, engineer, concept, design on Ambient 1
- performer, treatments, composer, producer on Ambient 2
- producer on Ambient 3
- performer, composer, producer, artwork design and text (liner notes) on Ambient 4
Christa Fast
- voice on Ambient 1
Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred 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...
- guitar on Obscure 5
- double-headed electric guitars on Obscure 8
Celia Gollin
- vocals on Obscure 2
Christine Gomez
- voice on Ambient 1
Axel Gros
- guitar on Ambient 4
Miss Eva Hart
Eva Hart
Eva Miriam Hart MBE was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.-Early life:Eva Miriam Hart was born on 31 January , 1905 in Ilford, Essex, England to Benjamin Hart and Esther Bloomfield...
- spoken voice on Obscure 1
Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell
Jon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...
- trumpet on Ambient 4
Sandra Hill
- double bass on Obscure 1
- double bass on Obscure 8
Christopher Hobbs
Christopher Hobbs
Christopher Hobbs is an English experimental composer, best known as a pioneer of British Systems music.-Life and career:...
- tubular bells, triangles, cowbells, toy piano, reed organ, piano, composer on Obscure 2
- bassoon, percussion, piano, jaw harp, bottle on Obscure 8
David Hutchins
- engineering on Ambient 1
Utako Ikeda
- flute on Obscure 5
Simon Jeffes
Simon Jeffes
Simon Jeffes was an English classically trained guitarist, composer and arranger. He formed, and was the core performer of, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He composed the ballet Still Life at the Penguin Cafe...
- electric guitar (as a member of the Penguin Café Quartet), bass, ukelele, quatro, spinet, elecric piano, mouth percussion, vocals, cello, cheng, ring modulator, composer, producer on Obscure 7
Alden Jenks
Alden Jenks
-Biography:Alden Jenks was born in Michigan and received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied composition with Andrew Imbrie and Seymour Shifrin...
- engineer on Obscure 2
Phil Jones
- voice (as a member of David and the Cetaceans) on Obscure 4
Stuart Jones
- solo guitar on Obscure 5
James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
- lyrics used in a John CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
composition on Obscure 5
Jo Julian
- vibraphone, marimba on Obscure 9
- marimba, vibes, voice on Obscure 10
Peter Kelsey
- engineer on Obscure 3
Tim Kraemer
- baritone violin on Obscure 9
Danny (Dan) Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
- live equalization, engineer on Ambient 4
Laraaji
Laraaji
Laraaji is an American musician. Born Edward Larry Gordon in Philadelphia, he studied violin, piano, trombone and voice in his early years in New Jersey. He attended Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C. on a scholarship to study composition and piano...
- performer (dulcimer, zither), composer on Ambient 3
Julie Last
- engineer on Ambient 4
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell
Bill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
- bass on Ambient 4
Helen Leibmann
Helen Liebmann
Helen Liebmann was a founding member of the avant garde music group Penguin Café Orchestra in 1973. A cellist, she studied at the Royal Academy of Music. In addition to playing cello with a number of different ensembles, she is also a practising music therapist.-References:...
- cello (as a member of the Penguin Café Quartet) on Obscure 7
Andy Lydon
- engineer on Ambient 4
Alison Macgregor
- chorus on Obscure 10
Andy Mackay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
- oboe on Obscure 2
Martin Mayes
- piano on Obscure 5
Dominic Muldowney
Dominic Muldowney
Dominic Muldowney is a British composer.-Biography:He studied at the universities of Southampton and York , and took private lessons with Harrison Birtwistle. From 1974 to 1976 he was composer-in-residence to the Southern Arts Association...
- viola on Obscure 5
Chris Munro
- voice (as a member of David and the Cetaceans) on Obscure 4
John Nash
- violin on Obscure 1
Graham Naylor
- technical assistance on Obscure 1
The New Music Ensemble of San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, formerly the California Conservatory of Music, founded in 1917, is a music school, with an enrollment of about 400 students. It was launched by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgehead in the remodeled home of Lillian's parents on Sacramento Street. It was called the...
- strings on Obscure 1
- performs on Obscure 2
Mike Nicolls
- drums on Obscure 2
Paul Nieman
- trombone on Obscure 2
Steve Nye
Steve Nye
Steve Nye is a music producer for several artists. Some of his better known artists include Bryan Ferry , Penguin Cafe Orchestra, XTC , Japan , David Sylvian , Clannad, TM Network, Scary Thieves , as...
- electric piano (as a member of the Penguin Café Quartet), engineering, mixing, producer on Obscure 7
Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
- organ on Obscure 1
- piano, percussion, composer on Obscure 6
- jaw harp on Obscure 8
- piano, marimba, glockenspiel on Obscure 9
- marimba, voice on Obscure 10
Fred Orton
- composer (libretto) on Obscure 9
Penguin Café Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of performing musicians created by classically trained British guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes...
/ Penguin Café Quartet
- perform on Obscure 7
Frank Perry
- 3 Japanese resting bells on Obscure 4
Tom Phillips
- chorus voice, composer on Obscure 9
Conny Plank
Conny Plank
Konrad "Conny" Plank was a German record producer and musician. He was born in Hütschenhausen. His creativity as a sound engineer and producer helped to shape some of the most important and innovative recordings of postwar European popular music, covering a wide range of genres including...
- engineering on Ambient 1
Jon Potoker
- engineer on Ambient 4
Howard Rees
- director of the Cockpit Ensemble on Obscure 1
- marimba, vibraphone on Obscure 10
Leslie Reid
- chorus on Obscure 10
Neil Rennie
- ukelele, words on Obscure 7
Lynda Richardson
- mezzo soprano, chorus on Obscure 10
Arthur Rutherford
- percussion on Obscure 5
Janet Sherbourne
- voice, piano on Obscure 5
Nigel Shipway
- percussion on Obscure 6
- percussion on Obscure 10
Adam Skeaping
- alto violin on Obscure 9
Lucy Skeaping
- vocals (as the part of Irma) on Obscure 9
Roddy Skeaping
- sopranino violin on Obscure 9
Howard Skempton
Howard Skempton
Howard Skempton is a British composer and accordionist. Since the late 1960s, when he helped organize the Scratch Orchestra, he has been associated with the English school of experimental music...
- vocals (as the part of Grenville) on Obscure 9
Rodney Slatford
Rodney Slatford
Rodney Slatford is an English contemporary double bass player and teacher . He was the principal bass player of the Midland Sinfonia, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and English Chamber Orchestra, a founder of the Nash Ensemble, and has been a principal player in other early music ensembles...
- contrabass violin on Obscure 9
Cheryl Smith
- engineer on Ambient 4
Dave Smith
Dave Smith (composer)
Dave Smith is an English experimental composer and musical performer. After attending Solihull School, he read music at Magdalene College, Cambridge. In the 1970s, Smith was a member of the Scratch Orchestra and a performer/composer in ensembles with John Lewis, Michael Parsons, Howard Skempton,...
- tenor horn, vibes on Obscure 9
Jan Steele
- flute, piano, composer on Obscure 5
Neal Teeman
- engineer on Ambient 4
Maggie Thomas
- harp on Obscure 10
David Toop
David Toop
David Toop is an English musician and author, and as of 2001 was visiting Research Fellow in the Media School at London College of Communication. He was notably a member of The Flying Lizards. He was a prominent contributor to the British magazine The Face. He is a regular contributor to The Wire,...
- voice (solo and as a member of David and the Cetaceans), flutes, water, prepared electric guitar, bowed chordophone, composer on 4
John White
John White (composer)
John White is an English composer and musical performer.-Life:White trained and taught at the London Royal College of Music...
- tuba on Obscure 1
- reed organ, toy piano, triangles, drums on Obscure 2
- tuba, metronome, percussion, piano, jaw harp, bottle, composer on Obscure 8
- tuba, marimba on Obscure 9
- marimba, percussion, voice on Obscure 10
Keith Winter
- technical assistance on Obscure 1
Gavin Wright
- violin (as a member of the Penguin Café Quartet), viola on Obscure 7
- treble violin on Obscure 9
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- voice on Obscure 5
- acoustic piano, composer on Ambient 1
Emily Young
Emily Young
Emily Young is a British sculptor. She is considered one of the foremost sculptors working in Britain today. She was born in London into a family of artists and writers...
- vocals, back cover painting on Obscure 7
Inge Zeininger
- voice on Ambient 1