David Byrne - The Knee Plays (LP)
- LP
- 1 piece(s)
- 1985
- 20 tracks
- 1 uur, 19 min
- art rock
The Knee Plays
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3.7
Average of 4 reviews
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My version features a promo stamp on the front cover, plus a round sticker that's half blue and half white, saying "PRESSED IN ENGLAND" and "Direct Metal Mastering DMM." The audio quality is fantastic. The trailoff is different too: 9252871 A-1-1-2. D9252871 B-1-1-1-X1 D
Music For The Knee Plays" is a collection of rhythmic brass-focused segments with lyrics by David Byrne, accompanying an eight-hour dance production inspired by Robert Wilson's idea "The Civil Wars". Initially planned for the LA Olympic Arts Festival, the full length of the piece meant only certain parts were showcased there. The complete work, featuring fifteen main scenes across five acts, was later presented at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, April 1984. Wilson's concept of inter-plays began in 1976 with his collaboration with the Philip Glass Ensemble on "Einstein On The Beach", where preludes, interludes, and post-ludes could be combined to form a standalone piece. Byrne and Wilson teamed up after Wilson heard Byrne's score for Twyla Tharp's "Catherine Wheel", while Byrne was already influenced by Wilson's work on "Einstein" and the Broadway show "A Letter To Queen Victoria". Byrne's work on "The Knee Plays" started in Tokyo with choreographer Suzushi Hanayagi and set-designer Jun Matsuno. The rhythmic foundation of the pieces originated from Kabuki-style drumming in a minimalist setting, similar to a Noh drama. However, Byrne added his unique touch, swapping Japanese drum rhythms for Dixieland brass beats, inspired by the repetitive New-Orleans funk-beat of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The pieces were shaped around a series of captioned drawings provided by Wilson, with an example on the cover reading "A tree is best measured when it is down". Without the dance and synchronized movement, "Music For The Knee Plays" becomes an album with a life of its own, featuring hypnotic repetitive patterns of Byrne's spoken lyrics amidst a melodic mix of shifting brass and bass-drum rhythms. This work would fit right in at an upbeat New Orleans-style funeral amidst the orderly hustle of Japan. The CD release, simply titled "The Knee Plays", includes some retitled tracks from the vinyl, eight bonus tracks, and a DVD soundtrack slideshow of photographs from the earlier performance.
My version has a really poor pressing, and even after washing it in the machine, there's still a lot of crackling, and the high notes sound all messed up.
Absolutely charming album. In terms of style, music, and lyrics, much of it brought to mind Laurie Anderson. I initially thought that Byrne must've had Laurie's brain temporarily transplanted into his own for this project, but after hearing 'Social Studies,' I reckon he likely just raided her pantry for a bit :)
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