The World as it is Today
Encyclopedia
The World as It Is Today is the third and last album
by English
avant-rock group
Art Bears
. It was recorded at Sunrise Studio in Kirchberg
, Switzerland
between 24 August and 7 September 1980, and was first released in 1981.
For technical reasons, the original release of this album on LP vinyl record
was pressed on a 12" disc at 45-rpm
, and not the usual 33⅓ rpm.
with texts by Chris Cutler
. The last song, "Albion, Awake!" was recorded as an instrumental because Dagmar Krause
objected strongly to the violent nature of the lyrics. The lyrics for "Albion, Awake!", however, still appear in the booklet accompanying the album.
and Chris Cutler
.
Side 1
Side 2
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
avant-rock group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Art Bears
Art Bears
Art Bears were an English avant-rock group formed during the disassembly of Henry Cow in 1978 by three of its members, Chris Cutler , Fred Frith and Dagmar Krause...
. It was recorded at Sunrise Studio in Kirchberg
Kirchberg, St. Gallen
Kirchberg is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.-Geography:Kirchberg has an area, , of . Of this area, 59.5% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.9% is forested...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
between 24 August and 7 September 1980, and was first released in 1981.
For technical reasons, the original release of this album on LP vinyl record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was pressed on a 12" disc at 45-rpm
Revolutions per minute
Revolutions per minute is a measure of the frequency of a rotation. It annotates the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis...
, and not the usual 33⅓ rpm.
Contents
The World as It Is Today comprises 11 songs, all composed by Fred FrithFred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
with texts by Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
. The last song, "Albion, Awake!" was recorded as an instrumental because Dagmar Krause
Dagmar Krause
Dagmar Krause is a German singer, best known for her work with avant-rock groups like Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Art Bears. She is also noted for her coverage of songs by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler...
objected strongly to the violent nature of the lyrics. The lyrics for "Albion, Awake!", however, still appear in the booklet accompanying the album.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Fred FrithFred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
and Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
.
Side 1
- "The Song of Investment Capital Overseas" – 2:38
- "Truth" – 2:56
- "Freedom" – 3:25
- "(Armed) Peace" – 2:30
- "Civilisation" – 4:52
Side 2
- "Democracy" – 2:22
- "The Song of the Martyrs" – 4:09
- "Law" – 0:51
- "The Song of the Monopolists" – 1:48
- "The Song of the Dignity of Labour Under Capital" – 2:27
- "Albion, Awake!" – 4:08
Personnel
- Fred FrithFred FrithFred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
– guitars, keyboards, viola, violin, xylophone - Chris CutlerChris CutlerChris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
– drums, electric drums, noise - Dagmar KrauseDagmar KrauseDagmar Krause is a German singer, best known for her work with avant-rock groups like Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Art Bears. She is also noted for her coverage of songs by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler...
– vocals
CD reissues
- In 1988 The World as It Is Today and Art Bears' previous album Winter Songs were re-issued together on a single CD entitled 25 Songs.
- The album was also re-issued in 2003 as part of The Art BoxThe Art BoxThe Art Box is a six-CD box set by English avant-rock group Art Bears. It contains all Art Bears album and single releases, plus new material, including live and unreleased Art Bears tracks, and unreleased remixes and reworkings of Art Bears material by other musicians...
a boxed set of six CDs, which included all the material released by the band, together with live and unreleased tracks, plus remixes by other musicians.
External links
- Art Bears – An unofficial reference. The World as It Is Today.
- Discography of Fred Frith
- Ground and Sky review, accessed May 14, 2006