LAST EXIT – Cassette Recordings 87 (Enemy Records ‎– EMY 105 / LP-1987)

Label: Enemy Records ‎– EMY 105

Format: Vinyl, LP / Country: Germany / Released: 1987

Style: Jazz-Rock, Free Improvisation

Cassette recordings from Copenhagen, North Sea Jazz Festival, Den Haag, Allentown, Penn. Produced at Quad Recordings, NYC. Mastered at Masterdisk.

Mastered By – Howie Weinberg

Other [Enemy Administration] – Michael Knuth

Producer [Assistant] – Robbie Norris

Producer [Salvage Production] – Robert Musso

Matrix / Runout (Side A, Etched): EMY 105 / Efa 03505 A

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Etched): EMY 105 / Efa 03505 B

side 1:

A  -  Line Of Fire ...................................................................................................... 20:35

side 2:

B1/B4 - Big Boss Man > Sore Titties > Ulli Bulli Fooli > Ma Rainey ....................... 16:29

             1 - Big Boss Man ............................. 1:05

             2 - Sore Titties ................................. 6:17

             3 - Ulli Bulli Fooli .............................. 3:57

             4 - Ma Rainey .................................. 5:08

B5 - My Balls / Your Chin .......................................................................................... 2:36

Personnel:

Peter Brötzmann – saxophone [tenor, alto, bass], tárogató

Sonny Sharrock – guitar

Bill Laswell – electric bass [6 strings]

Ronald Shannon Jackson – drums, percussion, voice

Beautiful, 1987 German Only Original vinyl LP. Recorded Live At The North Sea Jazz Festival.

Sharrock / Brötzmann

Laswell / Jackson

Raw, but these live recordings are better recorded than the title might indicate. Into this recipe Peter Brötzmann brings the euro improvisation ferocity and Cecil Taylor influences, Sonny Sharrock adds the American jazz innovation, Ronald Shannon Jackson's ingredients include the blues and bang-on-a-pot suddeness, and Bill Laswell, well he contributes a fatty slice of the avant garde, and some knowledge of knob-twidding to boot would be my guess. All mixed into an explosive whole. Noisy, yes. Freely, most definitely.

The first track, "Line Of Fire", is a good example: Albert Ayler opening, then rumbling, rumbling, rumbling, and everyone goes off into their own worlds, all the while maintaining a semblance of being a band, a grouping, a gathering of artists, rather than just some guys standing in the same room, blasting and clanging and squalling away on what-have-you. There's superb interaction despite all the sonic feces being flung every which way.

So I'm going to say: stay patient, give it time and a few listens, and you may find yourself falling in love with (or at least have a passing attraction to) a band that no longer exists but which once held the music world by its ear and gave it a good shake.

(Review by RIStout)

If you find it, buy this album!