Home of the Brave (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
Home of the Brave was the fourth album release by Laurie Anderson
, issued in 1986. Released by Warner Bros. Records
, it was a partial soundtrack
album of her concert film of the same title
.
Three of the eight tracks on the album were recorded in the studio and thus differ considerably from the filmed versions. A music video for "Language is a Virus" was produced, using the soundtrack studio recording but footage of the live performance.
Two songs on the album were remakes of earlier works: "Language Is a Virus" was originally titled "Language Is a Virus (from Outer Space)" and was performed on Anderson's earlier United States Live
(the soundtrack album omits the spoken word introduction, "Difficult Listening Hour," which had appeared on United States Live and which was also performed in the film). "Sharkey's Night" is a song from Anderson's previous album, Mister Heartbreak
. However this rendition is performed by Anderson herself (the original was vocalized by William S. Burroughs
. Burroughs' voice is heard on the track "Late Show," however.
An alternate, faster-paced version of "Smoke Rings" was recorded for release as a possible single, but there is no indication it was ever issued; it can be heard during Anderson's made-for-TV short film What You Mean We?
.
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
, issued in 1986. Released by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, it was a partial soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
album of her concert film of the same title
Home of the Brave (1986 film)
Home of the Brave is a 1986 American concert film featuring the music of Laurie Anderson, who also directed the movie. The film's full on-screen title is Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson. The performances were filmed at the Park Theater in Union City, NJ during the summer of 1985.The...
.
Three of the eight tracks on the album were recorded in the studio and thus differ considerably from the filmed versions. A music video for "Language is a Virus" was produced, using the soundtrack studio recording but footage of the live performance.
Two songs on the album were remakes of earlier works: "Language Is a Virus" was originally titled "Language Is a Virus (from Outer Space)" and was performed on Anderson's earlier United States Live
United States Live
United States Live was the third album release by avant-garde singer-songwriter Laurie Anderson. Released as a 5-record boxed set , the album was recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City in February 1983.United States was Anderson's magnum opus performance-art piece featuring...
(the soundtrack album omits the spoken word introduction, "Difficult Listening Hour," which had appeared on United States Live and which was also performed in the film). "Sharkey's Night" is a song from Anderson's previous album, Mister Heartbreak
Mister Heartbreak
Mister Heartbreak is the second album by avant-garde artist, singer and composer Laurie Anderson, released in 1984.Considered more mainstream than its predecessor, Big Science, the album's lead track, "Sharkey's Day" formed the basis of a popular music video. Author William S...
. However this rendition is performed by Anderson herself (the original was vocalized by William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
. Burroughs' voice is heard on the track "Late Show," however.
An alternate, faster-paced version of "Smoke Rings" was recorded for release as a possible single, but there is no indication it was ever issued; it can be heard during Anderson's made-for-TV short film What You Mean We?
What You Mean We?
What You Mean We? is the title of a 1987 American made-for-television musical short film starring singer Laurie Anderson, who also wrote and directed the piece.-Overview:...
Track listing
All compositions written by Laurie AndersonLaurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
.
- "Smoke Rings" – 7:00 co-produced by Nile RodgersNile RodgersNile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
- "White Lily" – 1:16
- "Late Show" – 4:30
- "Talk Normal" – 5:27
- "Language Is a Virus" – 4:10 Produced by Nile Rodgers
- "Radar" – 2:01
- "Sharkey's Night" – 6:16
- "Credit Racket" – 3:28
Personnel
- Laurie AndersonLaurie AndersonLaura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
– vocals, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
synclavierSynclavierThe Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
, vocoderVocoderA vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder... - Joy Askew – keyboards on 1 7 8, Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
on 4, ProphetSequential Circuits Prophet 5The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Sequential Circuits in San Jose, California between 1977 and 1984. The Prophet-5 was groundbreaking in that it was one of the first analog synthesizers to implement patch memory, a feature which stored user settings of every parameter...
on 4, DX-7Yamaha DX7The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
on 4 - Adrian BelewAdrian BelewAdrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on 3 4 7 8 - David Van Tieghem – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on 7, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on 4 8
Additional personnel
- Dolette McDonald – vocals on 1 4 7
- Janice Pendarvis – vocals on 1 7
- Robert SabinoRobert SabinoRobert Sabino is an American rock keyboardist.. , The New York Times He was born and raised in the Bronx...
– keyboards on 1, morse codeMorse codeMorse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
on 1 - Nile RodgersNile RodgersNile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
– synthesizer, guitar on 1 5, keyboards on 5, synclavier on 5 - Jimmy Bralower – drums on 1 5
- William S. BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
– samplingSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
on 3 - Richard Landry – saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on 3 4 7, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
on 4 - Robert Arron – saxophone on 5
- Curtis KingCurtis KingCurtis Albert King is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals.-External links:...
– backing vocals on 5 - Frank SimmsFrank SimmsFrank Simms is an American singer and voice-over artist known for providing the voices behind such iconic characters as the Kool-Aid Man, the Honeycomb Craver, the bug-eyed, fuzzy mascot of Honeycomb cereal, and the Geico ringtone. He is one of the founding members and songwriters of The Simms...
– backing vocals on 5 - Diane Garisto – backing vocals on 5
- Tawatha Agee – backing vocals on 5
- Christopher Sawyer-Laucanno – backing vocals on 5
- Brenda White-King – backing vocals on 5
- Daniel Ponce – percussion on 7
- Isidro Bobadillo – percussion on 7
- Bill LaswellBill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner....
– bass animals on 8
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 |
145 |