Joseph Hunter Byrd (born Dec 19, 1937) is an American composer, instrumentalist in addition to academic. After starting fourth dimension becoming known equally an experimental composer inwards New York in addition to Los Angeles inwards the early on in addition to mid-1960s, he became the leader of The U.S. of America of America, an innovative but short-lived band that integrated electronic sound in addition to radical political ideas into rock music. In 1968 he recorded the album The American Metaphysical Circus, credited to Joe Byrd in addition to the Field Hippies. After working equally a record producer, arranger, in addition to soundtrack composer, he became a academy instructor inwards music history in addition to theory.
Originally released on Columbia inwards 1968, The U.S. of America of America is ane of the legendary pure psychedelic infinite records. Some of the harder-rocking tunes accept a fun identify recklessness that recalls aspects of early on artist/pink-floyd-mn0000346336">Pink Floyd in addition to artist/the-velvet-underground-mn0000840402">the Velvet Underground at their freakiest; the sedate, exquisitely orchestrated ballads, particularly "Cloud Song" in addition to the wonderfully titled "Love Song for the Dead Che," are amidst the best relics of dreamy psychedelia. Occasionally things acquire besides excessive in addition to self-conscious, in addition to the attempts at comedy are a chip flat, but otherwise this is a close classic.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Rock groups are supposed to live hatched inwards garages in addition to inner-city lofts, non the upper reaches of academia. That wasn't going to halt Joseph Byrd, experimental composer in addition to ethnomusicologist from the UCLA New Music Workshop, from devising a computer program inwards 1967 to approach rock'n'roll from the reverse direction.
Byrd, who had frequented avant-garde circles since hanging only about amongst Terry Riley, LaMonte Young, in addition to Virgil Thomson inwards the early on '60s, used the U.S. of America of America to convey cutting-edge electronics, Indian music, in addition to "serious" composition into psychedelic stone in addition to roll. The group's sole, self-titled album inwards 1968 was a tour de strength (though non without its flaws) of experimental stone that blended surprisingly melodic sensibilities amongst unnerving blasts of primitive synthesizers in addition to lyrics that could gain from misty romanticism to hard-edged irony. For the relatively few who heard it, the tape was a signpost to the futurity amongst its collision of stone in addition to classical elements, although the cloth crackled amongst a tension that reflected the U.S. of America of America itself inwards the belatedly '60s.
By mid-1968, the grand experiment was over. Conflicting egos, a drug bust, in addition to commercial pressures all contributed to a rapid split. The U.S. of America of America may accept had their roots inwards the halls of higher learning, but ultimately they were prey to the same sort of mundane tensions that broke the spirit of many a band that lived in addition to died on the streets.
From the fourth dimension Byrd founded the band inwards Los Angeles amongst colleague Michael Agnello, says vocalist Dorothy Moskowitz, "group dynamics were never a potent betoken inwards the USA." Moskowitz, Byrd's ex-girlfriend, had a background inwards writing in addition to performing for musical theater. She moved from New York to California to bring together the grouping and, equally she puts it, furnish "the requisite schmaltz." Bassist Stu Brotman, ane time of the stunningly eclectic L.A. psychedelic grouping Kaleidoscope, was also an early on member.
But he in addition to Agnello were gone yesteryear the fourth dimension the grouping began recording for Columbia. Agnello, a radical sort, was contention amongst Byrd over leadership of the band, in addition to non certain the human activeness should fifty-fifty live signing to a tape label inwards the starting fourth dimension place. "When yous inquire why the grouping broke up, well, why did the grouping fifty-fifty tape afterwards it broke it up?" points out Moskowitz.
Yet the lineup that cohered for the album brought impressive credentials to the table. Electric violinist Gordon Marron expanded the instrument's parameters amongst a divider that could raiser or lower it an octave, equally good equally tape echo units in addition to band modulators. Rand Forbes played an unfretted electrical bass, in addition to drummer Craig Woodson would tinker amongst his good inwards odd ways, attaching contact microphones to his laid in addition to suspending slinkies from cymbals to acquire a musique-concrete effect. Ed Bogas added organ, piano, in addition to calliope.
Most of the cloth was penned yesteryear Byrd in addition to Moskowitz, the latter of whose alto delivered the lyrics -- which are alternately evocative in addition to foreboding -- amongst a cool precision reminiscent of an icier Grace Slick. Byrd was chiefly responsible for the electronic textures that would furnish the album amongst its almost distinguishing characteristics. This was 1968, remember, when synthesizers had rarely been employed on stone records. What Byrd crafted were non simulations of strings in addition to horns, but exhilarating, frightening swoops in addition to bleeps that lent a violent mash to the faster numbers, in addition to a beguiling silence to the ballads. Byrd had crucial aid inwards his endeavors from Richard Durrett, who designed the Durrett electronic music synthesizer used yesteryear the band, in addition to from Tom Oberheim, who pioneered the role of the band modulator employed yesteryear the USA. Nico, Moskowitz has recalled, tried unsuccessfully to bring together the band, afterwards leaving the Velvet Underground.
Add to this mix a fascination amongst modal playing in addition to Indian music. Byrd in addition to Moskowitz were serious students of North in addition to South Indian music, in addition to had already made little-known contributions to a Folkways LP of Indian music yesteryear Gayathri Rajapur in addition to Harihar Rao, recorded inwards 1965. Country Joe & the Fish, the Doors, in addition to others were opening the gates for modal playing inwards stone in addition to roll, in addition to the USA were ane of the starting fourth dimension ones through; Frank Zappa had also opened the possibilities for incorporating ideas from contemporary composition into a stone format. And therefore in that location was Byrd's application of concepts from Charles Ives, which faux marching bands moving from reverse sides of the stereo spectrum...
While almost manifestly an antecedent of Broadcast's icy, out-rocked torch songs (indeed, "The American Metaphysical Circus" out-Broadcasts Broadcast), yous tin give the axe require heed the U.S. of America of America's nervous, modulated psychedelia inwards acts equally various equally Current 93 in addition to Pram. This was daring stuff, fifty-fifty inwards 1968, when seemingly every band was splicing tape, echoplexing the hell out of everything in addition to mostly beingness far-out. USA accept long been relegated to the specialist in addition to trainspotter bins, but their debut is equally worthy of regain in addition to critical re-evaluation equally Can in addition to Neu! were a few years ago. Necessary history lessons, here.
Track listing
01. "The American Metaphysical Circus" (Joseph Byrd) 4:56
02. "Hard Coming Love" (Byrd, Dorothy Moskowitz) 4:41
03. "Cloud Song" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 3:18
04. "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 2:39
05. "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 3:51
06. "Where Is Yesterday" (Gordon Marron, Ed Bogas, Moskowitz) 3:08
07. "Coming Down" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 2:37
08. "Love Song for the Dead Ché" (Byrd) 3:25
09. "Stranded inwards Time" (Marron, Bogas) 1:49
10. "The American Way of Love"
"Metaphor for an Older Man" (Byrd)
"California Good fourth dimension Music" (Byrd)
"Love Is All" (Byrd, Moskowitz, Rand Forbes, Craig Woodson, Marron)" 6:38
Bonus tracks:
11. "Osamu's Birthday" (Byrd) 2:59
12. "No Love to Give" (Moskowitz) 2:36
13. "I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 3:45
14. "You Can Never Come Down" (Byrd) 2:32
15. "Perry Pier" (Moskowitz) 2:37
16. "Tailor Man" (Moskowitz) 3:06
17. "Do You Follow Me" (Kenneth Edwards) 2:34
18. "The American Metaphysical Circus" (Byrd) 4:01
19. "Mouse (The Garden of Earthly Delights)" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 2:39
20. "Heresy (Coming Down)" (Byrd, Moskowitz) 2:32
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