Baselines

• Artist: Bill Laswell
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1982 03
• Total Time: 33:16
• Genre: Jazz

Review

Even though Bill Laswell was already immersed in numerous projects since the end of the '70s, including leading his loose ensemble Material, he didn't release a solo record until 1983, and Baselines was quite a strange album. On the one hand, there's "Upright Man," one of the most infectious grooves Laswell has ever conceived, boasting ace bass playing and a weird taped sermon as sort-of lead vocals. Then there's "Work Song," which is funky and catchy and features Phillip Wilson's somewhat off-beat drumming (pun intended). The other tracks are more experimental, weird, and don't catch on as well -- although they all reward repeated listening, for at first the listener might get lost between Ronald Shannon Jackson's irate drumming, Michael Beinhorn's acid-drenched synths and snippets of tapes and shortwave, the stuttering horns of George Lewis and Ralph Carney, the undescribable contributions of Fred Frith, and the vocalisms and percussion (rhythmic and non-rhythmic) David Moss provides. It's an interesting record, but it's not essential listening, and beginners or fans of Laswell's less avant-garde music won't get much out of this. If the somewhat comparable Memory Serves by Material left you craving more, you might want to give this album a try. ~ Christian Genzel, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Activate	Bill Laswell, Michael Beinhorn	Bill Laswell	(3:23)
Work Song	Bill Laswell, George Lewis, Michael Beinhorn	Bill Laswell	(7:16)
Hindsight	Martin Bisi, Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(4:00)
Uprising	Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(1:08)
Barricade	Michael Beinhorn, George Lewis, Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(4:09)
Upright Man	Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(3:54)
Moving Target	Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(1:55)
Lowlands	Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(4:25)
Conversation	Bill Laswell	Bill Laswell	(3:06)

Credits

Fred Frith (Violin), Bill Laswell (?), David Moss (Drums (Steel)), Michael Beinhorn (Tape), Bill Laswell (Bass), Martin Bisi (Drums), Thi-Linh Le (Photography), Martin Bisi (Engineer), Ralph Carney (Sax (Baritone)), David Moss (Voices), Michael Beinhorn (Synthesizer), David Moss (Percussion), George Lewis (Trombone), Felipe Orrego (Cover Art), Daniel Ponce (Conga), Martin Bisi (?), Ralph Carney (Clarinet), Michael Beinhorn (Shortwave Radio), Martin Bisi (Recorder), Ralph Carney (E Flat Clarinet), Martin Bisi (Percussion), Fred Frith (Vocals), Material (Producer), Fred Frith (?), David Moss (Vocals), Phillip Wilson (Drums), Karakos (Executive Producer), Fred Frith (Guitar), Ronald Shannon Jackson (Drums), Martin Bisi (Metal Objects), Bill Laswell (String Bass), Roger Trilling (Administration), Peter Corriston (Art Direction), Howie Weinberg (Mastering)