Carving a uniquely idiosyncratic niche for itself, the French Nato records imprint was, during it's 80's heyday ground zero for the zone where free improv began consorting with post punk art pop strategies and generalized genre disrupting malarky, much of it with a strong line in humor and irreverence, though their standing affection and recurrent homages to Henry Mancini and supper club piano jazz are certainly baffling enough. Amongst the freak fringe demimonde to be found at this nexus one could count the Toop/Beresford/Eastly/Day U.K. contingent responsible for General Strike/The 49 Americans/The Flying Lizards/Alterations, here running headlong into the wing of the French underground whose avant-rock-into-improv strategies descend from the May of '68 spirit of Red Noise, Mahogany Brain and Futura Records (read: Jac Berrocal, Jean-Francois Pauvros, Pierre Bastien et.al.). Within those parameters, the contents of the epic length LP (32 odd minutes per side!) constitute a virtual state of the union and offers a compelling rebuke to those who think the torch of fringe innovation was at a low flicker during the mid to late 80's.
Track listing:
1. Steve Beresford/Terry Day/Deb'Bora-The Nato Calling
2. Louis Sclavis-Pour Memoire
3. Violeta Ferrer-Les Chats
4. Tony Coe-Les Bourgeons Du Temps
5. Annick Nozati/Fred van Hove-Complaisance
6. Michel Doneda/Phil Wachsmann/Benat Achiary-Au Magasin
7. Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky/Andre Jaume/Johannes Bauer-Pavane
8. Alan Hacker/Karen Evans-Sketches From a Bagpiper's Album "Salute"
9. Jean-Francois Pauvros/Arto Lindsay-La Pointe Aux Oies
10. The Melody Four-The Three Caballeros
11. The Recedents-Oiseau Pour Nato Et Chabada (Bon Appetit!)
12. British Summer Time Ends-Running Bear
13. Lol Coxhill-Grope
14. David Toop/Kazuko Hohki-Shin Shin
15. Gerard Siracusa-Drole D'Endroit Pour Regler Sa Montre
16. Kahondo Style-Floor Polish Tango Et The Mohel
17. Jac Berrocal-Pacific
18. Raymond Boni/Max Eastley -Art Moderna Cha Cha Cha
19. Denis Levaillant-Les Menteries Du Style
20. Daniel Deshays-Ma Blanche
A ta santé DD
ReplyDeleteRealmente agradecido por tan buen blog que lleban. Es impresionante la cantidad de musica, y es impresionante la calidad de las imagenes, la escritura y por supuesto, la buena música, especialmente los tesoros post punk que publican.
ReplyDeleteGracias! continuen así!
Thank you very much for your touching words who are making us kind of wanting to reissue that record.
ReplyDeleteThank you also for your interesting blog. Keep up the good work.
Jean
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ReplyDeletethanx from urkenny
ReplyDeletehello is there a possibility of a new link for this album? thank you
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