Label:
Shandar – 83 510
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: France / Released: 1974
Style:
Modern Classical, Drone, Minimal
Cover
[Label, Design, Calligraphy] – Marian Zazeela
Photography
By [Cover Photo] – Robert Adler
Liner
Notes – Julian Cowley, La Monte Young
Matrix
/ Runout (A): 83 510 A
Matrix
/ Runout (B): 83 510 B
A
- 13 I 73 5:35-6:14:03 PM NYC
............................................................... 39:03
trombone – Garrett List
trumpet – Jon Hassell
voice – Marian Zazeela
voice, Electronics [Sine Waves] – La
Monte Young
B
- Drift Study 14 VII 73 9:27:27-10:06:41 PM NYC ..................................
39:14
electronics [sine waves] – La Monte
Young
Side
A - 13 I 73 5:35 - 6:14:03 PM NYC is a sub-section of Map Of 49's Dream The Two
Systems Of Eleven Sets Of Galactic Intervals Ornamental Lightyears Tracery,
begun in 1966 as a section of the even longer work: The Tortoise, His Dreams
And Journeys which was begun in 1964 with The Theatre Of Eternal Music.
Performed 17 January 1973 at La Monte Young's private studio.
Side
B - Drift Study 14 VII 73 9:27:27 - 10:06:41 PM NYC Three sine waves.
Frequencies and voltages of the sine waves determined and tuned by La Monte
Young using oscillators custom designed by Rober Adler to generate specific
frequencies and voltages of great stability. Performed 14 July 1973 at La Monte
Young's private studio.
For
the maximum fidelity on Side 2, reduce the treble controls on your
pre-amplifier to minimum. Since the sine waves have no harmonic content, and
all are below 202.5 Hertz, this will reduce the surface noise which is normal
on most discs. Note: Be sure to keep the treble controls normal on Side 1.
Sleeve
Notes:
“Frequencies
and voltages of the sine waves generators were determined and tuned by La Monte
Young using oscillators custom-designed by sound technician Robert Adler to
generate specific frequencies and voltages of great stability. The sine waves
produced are such that they interfere with each other, creating changes of
volume both in time and space that can be experienced either walking within the
room or staying put. If one chooses to walk, he will change the sound
experience of other people in the room by moving the molecules of air.”
Dream
House 78’17” was originally released by Shandar in 1974. I touch on the label’s
history in my piece on Steve Reich’s Four Organs / Phase Patterns. Of all the
releases in the label’s catalog, Young’s is the most sought after. It contains
two single-sided works. 13 I 73 5:35 – 6:14:03 PM NYC is a sub-section of Map
Of 49’s Dream The Two Systems Of Eleven Sets Of Galactic Intervals Ornamental
Lightyears Tracery, which extended from the iconic The Tortoise, His Dreams And
Journeys. The recording features a later incarnation of The Theatre Of Eternal
Music, with Garrett List on trombone, Jon Hassell on trumpet, Marian Zazeela
singing, and La Monte Young singing and playing electronics. It’s pretty mind
bending – with Young and Zazeela’s vocals droning away over the sustained
electronics and horns. The tonal relationships between the five elements are
hypnotic and totally engrossing. One of the first things you’ll notice about
the piece is that it stretches a shocking 39:03 – almost double the standard
length of an LP side – but, they are
managed the impossible.
The
second side finds the third issue of Young’s Drift Study – in this case 14 VII
73 9:27:27 – 10:06:41 PM NYC. Two shorter versions were released during the
late 60’s in Aspen, and S.M.S. This is its definite rendering – stretching to
39:14. Drift Study is built from three sine waves which are precision tuned and
run through oscillators. If you’ve ever been to the Dream House in NY, this is
the same technology (though in the record features a higher frequency). It can
be incredibly dislocating. My first few hours in the space (of countless
hundreds) were spent trying to work out how the sounds were fluctuating and
changing. It messed me up. It’s the closest auditory equivalent to Brion
Gysin’s hallucination-inducing Dream Machine. The tonal shifts are created by
altering your physical proximity to the waves – thus where in their path or
reflection you encounter them. I’ve spent untold hours moving around the Dream
House like a turtle, trying to grasp its totality. The recording goes a long
way to recreate this experience at home, making Dream House 78’17”.
(Review
by Bradford Bailey)
Note:
Though
I’ve seen reissue of La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela & The Theatre Of Eternal
Music’s – Dream House 78’17“, I didn’t hold my breath. Every fan of Young knows
of his refusal to grant his blessings for reissues, and of the scarcity (and
extremely high price) of originals. Aguirre Records, the label responsible for
its return, somehow obtained the record’s license – though I’d be surprised if
La Monte gave his permission, making it a curious ethical line. Since the label did their due diligence, and
it’s hard to know what La Monte’s thoughts are (not to mention the fact that he
can be a pain in the ass), I’m letting my excitement get the better of me, and
giving this one a plug.
If
you find it, buy this album!
