|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP
|
|
MIR 100201LP
|
"The godfather of improvisational guitar, Derek Bailey's praises have been sung far and wide by everyone from Pat Metheny to Karlheinz Stockhausen for having revolutionized the way the instrument was played over the last half of the twentieth century. Although fans are often frustrated by the low-fidelity of his earlier recordings, this 1975 LP (originally released on the Italian avant-garde label, Cramps), stands out in that regard. Recorded in an actual studio (unlike most of his early work) in Milan, for this session Bailey was apparently asked by his Italian hosts to define 'improvisation.' He then proceeded to give his answer in the form of these fourteen tracks (eight performed with electric guitar, five with six-string acoustic guitar, and one with a 19-string acoustic guitar)." 180 gram vinyl reissue with printed inner sleeve.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
Cassette
|
|
INCUS 001CS
|
$13.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
Cassette version. A reproduction of the original alleged cassette -- featuring light-blue lettering printed on the light-grey cassette body -- excluding the numbered insert.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 062CD
|
"This was a cassette not officially released on Incus or any other label. It was sold by Derek Bailey at concerts. For a short period in 2010 original copies were sold via the Incus website. Now released on CD, restored and transferred from the original cassette. The back story: In 1983 Derek Bailey was due to visit Japan for a concert tour and decided to take with him, for sale at the concerts, a cassette recorded live in Milwaukee. Approximately 500 cassettes were prepared and dispatched to the promoter in Japan but, in the event, the tour fell through and the cassettes were returned to England. On arriving to collect the two boxes containing the cassettes from the Post Office, Derek found that they were badly damaged and, having to pay to regain them, decided to collect only one of the parcels. The salvageable cassettes - number not known, but probably around 150 - were subsequently sold at other live dates. All were produced on a light-grey plastic cassette body with 'Concert in Milwaukee, Derek Bailey' plus date of concert, printed in light-blue directly on the cassette body. The cassette came with an insert with the number DBC2 (no number on cassette itself)."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 060CD
|
$19.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
Previously unreleased recordings, remastered from original reel-to-reel tapes. "Even for a man who always said that he preferred music in a state of flux, these performances' refusal of any of the traditional means a musician might use to pin down the material he's working with is truly astonishing. The commitment to an approach where, at every moment, any element of the performer's vocabulary could be brought into play places the highest demands on the player's inventiveness and his capacity to construct phrases with distinct individual characters and proportions." -- Alex Ward
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 057CD
|
"In 1974, when Derek Bailey was planning his second solo LP on Incus, he decided to include a side-long solo using his stereo electro-acoustic set-up. Unfortunately, he never seemed to have a 20-minute stretch of time free of interruptions in his home, so he asked if he could record it at my place. After a fairly lengthy drive across London on the arranged date, he discovered that he had brought all his gear except the actual guitar. So he had a cup of tea and a chat, then drove home again. He came again about a week later, on May 13th, this time with everything. I set the level too high for the first two takes, not quite allowing for his enormous dynamic range (which really was not suitable for analogue recording and reproduction equipment). The result was too much distortion for his liking. The level was corrected for the third take which was the one used as the title track on the LP, even though he preferred the music on the earlier takes. All but one of the short pieces on the second side of the LP were recorded by Bob Woolford around the same time, probably at Derek's home. (The exception, 'Improvisation 104(b),' was recorded the previous year and originally released on one of the Incus TAPs -- mini reel-to-reel tapes that were an attempt to bypass the technical problems of going from tape to vinyl. They were reissued by Organ of Corti.) 'Pain In The Chest' and 'In Joke (Take 2)' feature the unamplified 19-string (approx) guitar, which was probably the only instrument that Derek modified -- he otherwise used standard guitars. There was a shortage of good vinyl at the time, making it difficult to get decent pressings. (The original pressing of the solo Steve Lacy Emanem LP sounded as though it had been recorded in a hail-storm.) We were recommended to go to a pressing plant that specialized in 'classical' music. (At the same time that Derek was trying to get Lot 74 pressed, I was also working on his duo album with Anthony Braxton.) The first test pressing of Lot 74 was very muffled, and we discovered that the cutting engineer had played the tape up-side-down, so that the music had been filtered through the tape backing (used on professional tapes to reduce print-through). The cutting was subsequently redone correctly, resulting in an acceptable test pressing. However, the plant manager was completely incredulous and perplexed, as he was used to checking pressings using his library of scores of Beethoven sonatas and the like. How could he tell if the vocal and feedback howls at the start of side two ('Together') were correct? Over thirty years later, advances in technology have eliminated most of the technical problems we had then, so that this magnificent music can be heard sounding better than ever. Every so often, I get someone asking me to issue things on vinyl -- my response is usually not very polite." -- Martin Davidson
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 051CD
|
"Derek Bailey with: Julian Kytasty (bandura/flute), Roger Turner (percussion), Alan Wilkinson (baritone sax, voice)."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
2CD
|
|
INCUS 048/9CD
|
$29.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
2012 -- long awaited repress; originally reissued by Incus in 2002. Reissue of one of the most obscure Bailey releases ever, from the long long defunct Morgue label of Japan (run by the legendary promoter Aquirax Aida). Derek has been trying to buy back the masters to this one for a decade+ and has finally succeeded! All tracks are solo guitar (acoustic & electric), the first disc features studio recordings with titles taken from Byron's Don Juan; the 2nd disc features live recordings from Nagoya and Kalavinka -- all recorded 1978. "Incus has acquired the masters of New Sights Old Sounds, the double solo album Derek Bailey recorded for the Morgue Iabel in 1978. Issued in Japan in 1978 it has been out of print since 1979. It is now issued as a double CD on Incus with the original artwork."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 011CD
|
$19.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
Newer stuff that touches a few mesmerizing peaks to say the least.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 010CD
|
$19.00
NOT IN STOCK, SPECIAL ORDER
Reissue of some of Derek's earliest solo electric guitar improvisations.
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
CD
|
|
INCUS 031CD
|
Solo guitar album, with both acoustic & electric cuts. Features 2 live tracks from 9/97, and 8 studio recordings from 5/97, produced by Steve Beresford. "A number of Derek Bailey solo records have appeared in recent times, all either reissues or previously unreleased recordings made in the 1970s or 1980s. Takes Fakes... is his first solo record in seven years."
|