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Robert Ashley


Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Ethereal/Avant-Garde

Status:

Robert Ashley died in 2014. Final release, Atalanta (Acts of God) Vol. II (2010)

See also:

Robert Ashley's site

Lovely Music's Robert Ashley biography

Comparisons:

Laurie Anderson, John Cage, Garrison Keilor, David Byrne's Knee Plays.

Covers/own material:

Own

Recommended first album:

Private Parts

Recordings include:

(See Robert Ashley's site for full discography)


Private Parts

Release info:

1977—Lovely Music, Ltd. 105 Hudson Street, New York, NY, 10013—LML 1001 (LP)

Availability:

Available now on CD.

Ecto priority:

Recommended for certain tastes. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Backing musicians:

"Blue" Gene Tyranny

Comments:

The beginning and end sections of Perfect Lives. A good intro. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Automatic Writing

Release info:

1979—Lovely Music, Ltd. 105 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013—VR 1003 (LP)

Availability:

Possibly out of print.

Ecto priority:

Recommended for certain tastes.

Guest artist:

Mimi Johnson—voice

Comments:

Processed voices murmur in unintelligible French over ethereal, almost inaudible synth and bass backing. Beautiful once you get used to it. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Private Lives (Perfect Parts): The Bar

Release info:

1980—Lovely Music, Ltd. 105 Hudson Street, New York, NY, 10013—VR 4904 (LP)

Availability:

Possibly out of print.

Ecto priority:

Recommended for certain tastes. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Group members:

See Perfect Lives.

Comments:

A central section of Perfect Lives.

Perfect Lives

Release info:

1992—Lovely Music, Ltd. 105 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013

Availability:

Large chain stores carry it in the U.S.

Ecto priority:

Recommended for certain tastes. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Group members:

Robert Ashley

Guest artists:

David van Tieghem
"Blue" Gene Tyranny
Jill Kroesen
Peter Gordon

Comments:

A three CD set containing the full score of his "Opera for Television" (also available on video and as a book). Ashley reads/chants texts (dealing with a vague Midwestern story) over mostly ethereal instrumental backing. One of the fathers of performance and a big influence on Laurie Anderson et al. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Improvement

Release Info:

1992—Elektra/Nonesuch—79289-2

Availability:

Widely available.

Ecto priority:

Recommended for certain tastes. (jzitt@humansystems.com)

Backing musicians:

Jacqueline Humbert
Thomas Buckner
Joan LaBarbara
Sam Ashley
Amy X Neuburg (voices).

Comments:

A two CD set of a recent opera for television. Beautiful if you can take it—the singers sing text on a single note for the whole thing, with Ashley's occasional spoken vocals. (jzitt@humansystems.com)


Thanks to Neal Copperman for work on this entry.

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