Insect and Individual Silenced
Encyclopedia
Insect and Individual Silenced was the fourth album by Nurse With Wound
.
The album was recorded in 1981 with core member Steven Stapleton
being joined by drummer Trevor Reidy and J. G. Thirlwell
of Foetus for the track "Absent Old Queen Underfoot". Reidy and Thirlwell worked in the same Virgin
store in London at the time and met Stapleton there. The album, however, is best known for Stapleton's long held disregard of its contents. He told David Keenan
that the album was "dreadful" and "a pile of shit", stating that "making that record was the worst mistake of my life". Keenan declares the record to be nowhere near as bad as Stapleton suggests but agrees that it is a less disciplined album than those immediately surrounding it.
Stapleton also advised Keenan that he had burned the mastertapes.
Stapleton initially pledged never to reissued the album and stated to Keenan that it would never be available on CD. However, he recanted this position in 2006 following two events detailed by Stapleton in the sleevenotes to the new edition. Matt Waldron (working under his usual moniker irr. app. (ext.)) created a reworked version of the album which he sent to Stapleton who, delighted by it, contacted Waldron. The two became good friends and Waldron has since collaborated with NWW both live and in the studio. Waldron's version was slated for release through World Serpent but this release was cancelled when World Serpent went out of business in 2004 http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/feature_detail.php?id=118. At present, only a small number of copies, handmade by Waldron, exist. Shortly after this, another friend of Stapleton, Christoph Heemann
, told him that Kevin Spencer of Robot Records (Heemann, Organum
, The New Blockaders etc) had created a digital remaster of the album from a vinyl copy for his own pleasure. When Stapelton heard this master, he found he was happy with the sound quality and that the album was not as bad as his memory had led him to believe. The album was therefore reissued in April 2007.
The original LP release was pressed in an edition of 1000 with a small overrun of 10 copies coming in handmade sleeves. A cassette edition was issued at the same time. However, around 1987, the United Dairies catalogue began to describe this as a "remix". http://www.brainwashed.com/common/htdocs/discog/ud08.html. Some sources declare that this edition is drastically reworkedhttp://www.nndb.com/music/154/000035049/. If this is the case, then the exact date at which Stapleton destroyed the tapes may be moot. The cassette format is still available via U.S. label RRR under a licencing deal covering a number of early United Dairies cassette releases. A widely circulated "United Dairies" CD edition was a bootleg. The 2007 CD edition used the aforementioned remaster by Kevin Spencer and came as a standard CD in digipak with Stapleton's sleevenote and a special edition with a framed and mounted insect in a box signed by Stapleton.http://raashrecords.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=61
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
.
The album was recorded in 1981 with core member Steven Stapleton
Steven Stapleton
Steven Peter Stapleton is a British musician and the only constant member of experimental improv outfit Nurse with Wound...
being joined by drummer Trevor Reidy and J. G. Thirlwell
J. G. Thirlwell
James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
of Foetus for the track "Absent Old Queen Underfoot". Reidy and Thirlwell worked in the same Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
store in London at the time and met Stapleton there. The album, however, is best known for Stapleton's long held disregard of its contents. He told David Keenan
David Keenan
David Keenan is a Scottish author, critic and musician. He is the author of England's Hidden Reverse, a biography of Coil, Current 93 and Nurse With Wound, a regular contributor to The Wire since 1995, and proprietor of Volcanic Tongue, a shop, distributor, record label and mailorder business that...
that the album was "dreadful" and "a pile of shit", stating that "making that record was the worst mistake of my life". Keenan declares the record to be nowhere near as bad as Stapleton suggests but agrees that it is a less disciplined album than those immediately surrounding it.
Stapleton also advised Keenan that he had burned the mastertapes.
Stapleton initially pledged never to reissued the album and stated to Keenan that it would never be available on CD. However, he recanted this position in 2006 following two events detailed by Stapleton in the sleevenotes to the new edition. Matt Waldron (working under his usual moniker irr. app. (ext.)) created a reworked version of the album which he sent to Stapleton who, delighted by it, contacted Waldron. The two became good friends and Waldron has since collaborated with NWW both live and in the studio. Waldron's version was slated for release through World Serpent but this release was cancelled when World Serpent went out of business in 2004 http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/feature_detail.php?id=118. At present, only a small number of copies, handmade by Waldron, exist. Shortly after this, another friend of Stapleton, Christoph Heemann
Christoph Heemann
Christoph Heemann , is a German musician.Heemann has recorded under his own name, with the tape music group H.N.A.S., and with many collaborators in alternative rock, soundtrack production and visual arts....
, told him that Kevin Spencer of Robot Records (Heemann, Organum
David Jackman
David Jackman is a British musician and visual artist with an extensive catalogue of drone works, mostly as the principal — and often sole — member of Organum....
, The New Blockaders etc) had created a digital remaster of the album from a vinyl copy for his own pleasure. When Stapelton heard this master, he found he was happy with the sound quality and that the album was not as bad as his memory had led him to believe. The album was therefore reissued in April 2007.
The original LP release was pressed in an edition of 1000 with a small overrun of 10 copies coming in handmade sleeves. A cassette edition was issued at the same time. However, around 1987, the United Dairies catalogue began to describe this as a "remix". http://www.brainwashed.com/common/htdocs/discog/ud08.html. Some sources declare that this edition is drastically reworkedhttp://www.nndb.com/music/154/000035049/. If this is the case, then the exact date at which Stapleton destroyed the tapes may be moot. The cassette format is still available via U.S. label RRR under a licencing deal covering a number of early United Dairies cassette releases. A widely circulated "United Dairies" CD edition was a bootleg. The 2007 CD edition used the aforementioned remaster by Kevin Spencer and came as a standard CD in digipak with Stapleton's sleevenote and a special edition with a framed and mounted insect in a box signed by Stapleton.http://raashrecords.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=61