Bill Laswell . does he got an album I can listen to all the way through??

(BTW...I'm gonna tape 90 mins of sound art for you, you still want it yeah)

(sorry abt the delay on the tape BTW...I just haven't been able to get round to it)

Noise of Trouble is my favorite Last Exit rec as well.

*drooling* OK got any of that stuff from the early 70s (you've seen the beefhart doc where the magic band are doing a version of click clack right)

and if you want some Derek bailey stuff then I've got it.

The Last Wave - Arcana - w/ Derek Bailey and Tony Williams

Panthalassa - his terrific 70s Miles Mix

Guts of a Virgin - Painkiller - w/ John Zorn and Mick Harris

Ask the Ages - Sonny Sharrock w/ Pharoah Sanders, Charnett Moffett and Elvin Jones - One of Laswell's best production jobs - see also 'Orgasmatron' by Motorhead and 'The Burning World' by Swans

Decided... Already the Motionless Heart of Tranquility, Tangling the Purple Prayer called 'I' - Purple Trap - Laswell, Keiji Haino and Rashied Ali

i'd recommend these too. but his bass playing? aaaargh! dull.

I was just gonna suggest Praxis' Transmutations, as that was the first Bill Laswell album I ever got sooo many years ago, and listened to it from beginning to end almost every day for the last 3 years of high school. Bad-ass album.

Didn't Laswell produce the Tabla Beat Science album? That thing is KILLER!

He also has a couple ambient albums he did with Talvin Singh that are really stunning, albeit in a listen-to-this-late-at-night-with-headphones-on kinda way.

(i tht i'd discovered a mysterious contrary phenomena)

well I mentioned this above and its not that he is 'lame'. The piece consisted of one constantly repeating bassline and there were other things but they were all so non-substantial that the only thing I could keep my ears fixed on was that constantly repeating bassline.

I like things that change a bit over time and yet don't, on the whole, but the way this was played out in a way that there didn't seem to be much change. The whole thing in the 'dulled' my mind into a coma (I'm not sure this bit makes much sense but I won't change it).

The problem with his stuff is poor editing and his weird sense of production and quite often his very bass tone, which quite often has me wondering if he's just stubborn about his lame outdated "sound" or if he really think that sounds great.

As for his other productions, he's got moments on the Mick Jagger solo album and PiL's "Album."

Second the recommendations for Pain Killer. Just get the four-CD box; the two EPs are on Disc 1, Disc 2 is the killer part of Execution Ground (the sucky ambient remix version is Disc 3), and Disc 4 is smokin' live stuff from Japan, with guest vocals from Eye.

Also, check out Praxis's Transmutation Live if you can find it - it was on Douglas, and now it's out of print, but there's some mind-roasting interaction between Buckethead and the whole Invisibl Skratch Piklz on it.

James Blood Ulmer - America: Do You Remember the Love? (1986) - Ronald Shannon Jackson sounds great on this

As others have mentioned, Laswell's bass playing leaves a lot to be desired. Its not the tone (which is timeless), its that strangely for someone with so influenced by dub, funk, and africa, BL rarely plays a supple groove. There's no syncopation, no bounce, just on the ledger plod.

But do check out his production work with OTHER bassists. My personal faves are Automation: Dub Terror Exhaust, (apt title, w/ Wobble on woofers, and a contender for loudest bass on record ever), and his production of Jamaican rhythm section Sly & Robbie on Rhythm Killers, the great lost 80's funk symphony.

BL's lasting contribution to my personal contribution is his impeccable taste in releasing non-Western musics. Gnawa Music of Marrakesh, Talip Ozkan, Samulnori, etc all opened up hitherto unheard genres for me (and make Stern's Music a tidy sum at my expense).

As others have mentioned, Laswell's bass playing leaves a lot to be desired. Its not the tone (which is timeless), its that strangely for someone with so influenced by dub, funk, and africa, BL rarely plays a supple groove. There's no syncopation, no bounce, just on the ledger plod.

But do check out his production work with OTHER bassists. My personal faves are Automation: Dub Terror Exhaust, (apt title, w/ Wobble on woofers, and a contender for loudest bass on record ever), and his production of Jamaican rhythm section Sly & Robbie on Rhythm Killers, the great lost 80's funk symphony.

BL's lasting contribution to my personal collection is his impeccable taste in releasing non-Western musics. Gnawa Music of Marrakesh, Talip Ozkan, Samulnori, etc all opened up hitherto unheard genres for me (and make Stern's Music a tidy sum at my expense).

I have purchased maybe 20 Laswell-related discs and these are the 3 that I listen to on a regular basis.

Buckethead + Invisibl Skratch Piklz = screaming metal madness w/crazy turntable noise antics. Brilliant. I swear.

This strikes me as hilariously accurate.

Bought a bunch of his stuff off Bandcamp last night: all five volumes of the Sacred System dub series (different personnel and moods on each one, so I'm not sure what's supposed to tie them together) and the two Automaton releases — Dub Terror Exhaust, mentioned way upthread, has more bass than anything I've ever heard in my life. I feel like if I had a subwoofer it would bounce things off shelves in my apartment. The second Automaton disc, Jihad, is more ambient — two 25-minute tracks with lots of violin and percussion and sound effects.

I also noticed that if you become a subscriber for $22 a month he gives you a shit-ton of exclusives, among them two never-officially-released Last Exit shows. One is the widely bootlegged Moers Festival performance where they were joined by Diamanda Gálas and Billy Bang, and the other is from Allentown, PA; all the tracks are untitled, and I think some of it may have wound up on Cassette Recordings '87. I might join for one month, download those, and cancel...

Good plan. Some of the mighty bandcamp stash is under his name, a bunch more is here: https://modtechnologies.bandcamp.com/music (both with that same stupid picture of him)

I signed up for the Bandcamp subscription and have so far downloaded the two Last Exit shows, plus a live gig from 2018 with Ravi Coltrane on sax and Hideo Yamaki on drums. The Allentown gig is phenomenal so far, not all wall-to-wall blare at all, some surprisingly tender moments from Brötzmann. Plus, when I went looking for more information on it, I turned up this interview with Sharrock and Jackson from a local paper, previewing the gig! A really good little piece; I haven't come across many interviews with either man over the years.

Yeah, might have to sign up and get that--and this: https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/track/the-sprawl And this collection of early Material---no credits, but hopefully w Sharrock: https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/album/access-beginnings And somewhere in there is a live Material set I hadn't seen before,that does incl. Sharrock (maybe rec. in New Jersey?)

Dammit, I give up--please link the Last Exit Allentown, unperson---I see all their others (except the one w Galas and Bang, but I've got the bootleg of that)

Here's the link to Allentown:

https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/album/allentown

And here's an early Material set (1981) with Derek Bailey, Sonny Sharrock, Fred Frith, John Zorn, and Charles Noyes:

https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/album/the-kitchen-nyc

Great, thanks! I forgot about the page where he shows you alll the stuff you get by subscribing, incl. exclusives. Looks like Montreux 1983 was the Sharrock-era Material I was thinking of. Looks like the one w Bailey etc is what I already have as legit download, released ca. 2007(if not, it's the same line-up and year)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8qex2ODYnM

So is everything he released on Axiom on the Bandcamp site? I just noticed that some Axiom stuff is on Spotify, but not all of it. Was yearning to hear Ritual Beating System, but it looks like I have to find my copy.

This one! https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/album/ritual-beating-system

Meant that w a question mark, but it's the only RBS I know of.

Yeah, that one. I know I have a digital copy of it to listen to, but I was hoping I could just stream it on Spotify. But it's not in there. (Still, another fave from that era, Material's Third Power, is!)

his first album baselines is sick af!

Just got another subscriber exclusive: a 2002 concert as Material featuring Pharoah Sanders, Amina Claudine Myers, Hamid Drake, violinist Lili Haydn, and percussionists Karsh Kale and Aiyb Dieng. Might be good, might be sleepy "world fusion" kludge, but with that lineup I'm gonna at least give it a shot.

https://billlaswell.bandcamp.com/album/frankfurt

I #actually like Gigi's "illuminated audio" which i believe is a laswell vibe

Yeah, he produced it (and they were married at the time; I believe they have a kid together, but I could be wrong about that).

I like this darkish ambient album he did with tetsu inoue on FAX: https://www.discogs.com/Cymatic-Scan-Cymatic-Scan/release/134772

The latest subscriber exclusive on Bandcamp is a Praxis show from the Knitting Factory in NYC that featured a shit-ton of guest vocalists: Antipop Consortium, Nature Boy Jim Kelly (a pseudonym for one of the dudes from New Kingdom), Sussan Deyhim, Liu Sola, and to introduce the show, Rammellzee. I was there; he came onstage in full junkyard samurai/gundam armor. It was amazing.

Rammellzee. I was there; he came onstage in full junkyard samurai/gundam armor. It was amazing.

as in like the cover for his album !?

https://www.discogs.com/Rammellzee-Bi-Conicals-Of-The-Rammellzee/release/247455

Yeah, it was something like this one. Unbelievable to see in person.

https://superradnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/rammellzee.jpg

well i never.
i had always assumed the cover of that album was a (toy) model type of thing.
guess not.
need to dig out the album again.
did not get into it when i first heard it, then gave it a few spins last year, and really really enjoyed it.
think once i realised it was an noice/beats/experimental album as opposed to straight up hip hop (which i expected when i picked it up), then the whole vibe of it hit home a lot more.

Noteworthy, and sad to see

https://www.gofundme.com/f/emergency-please-help-bill-laswell

The good news is that he is just about at his goal, and after just 2 days.

Jeebus. Well, if there was any doubt the dude put every penny he ever made back into making and recording music for and with others ...

Thought someone would mention Hashisheen: The End of Law

Lots of familiar names on the list of donors.

A really interesting subscriber-only release just went up: an hour-long rehearsal recording from 1997 with Derek Bailey on guitar, Laswell on bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and DJ Disk on turntables. They played at some festival in Frankfurt, and this is from the day before, or something.

Most recent "guy can't catch a break" update:

We hope you have started the new year full of joy and happiness. Thank you for supporting Bill Laswell. He is sending his regards to you for 2023.

Bill was hospitalized in December 2022 with a severe blood infection on top of what he's already been dealing with (diabetes and high blood pressure). This infection caused his heart to malfunction. After 3 rounds of electric shocks to set the heartbeat correct, he was rushed to the emergency room and was admitted to the ICU for an extended period of time. We were told that if we hadn't called 911, he likely would have died. Bill doesn't remember any of it. He is now out of the hospital, his infection is cured... however he still has to be monitored and periodically examined. He started working again a couple of days ago while trying to recover at the same time.

Bill had lost some recording projects due to hospitalization and has again fallen behind on the studio rent. He would need to come up with a couple of month's rent as soon as possible in order to avoid an eviction process starting. At this moment, he really needs to keep the studio for work on some more recordings. Bill feels very bad asking again but really needs your help. Thank you very much for being there for him.

Credit the GoFundMe with regular updates, but man, it's been nothing but bad news since the original ask.

Bill is back in the hospital from the rehab. They needed to check his wounds. He is still on antibiotics, it has to be continued for a couple of weeks. Also, his wounds are still in healing process. He still needs wound vac. The hospital is trying to get the home care service for him, it's been taking time. Till they could fix that, he has to stay at the hospital. We weren't expected Bill's hospitalization would go long time like this. He would not be able to work yet and it is hitting him a lot. One thing we were told, was that he is getting better. He is tired and depressed being in the bed, but always talking about how he is grateful about your donation. wanted to send big thank you to all of you for supporting him and being there for him.

More bad news since the first GoFundMe. Sounds like he's going to lose his studio, and his recovery remains slow at best, costing him work...

More bad news since the first GoFundMe. Sounds like he's going to lose his studio, and his recovery remains slow at best, costing him work...

had no idea he was in these straits, has there been any further updates?

I just picked up Hear no Evil on vinyl for $4; been a while since I listened to this (I used to love the CD)

The introductory essay for my Stereogum column this month is gonna be all about Last Exit, since he's put up, no joke, six complete concerts by that group for his Bandcamp subscribers (of which I am one).

I contributed to his Gofundme so I get updates every couple months. He seems to be in bad shape, yes.

very sorry to hear this.

i've been revisiting his bob marley remix album from the 90s recently which has held up remarkably well.

Update today in fact:

Bill is still having the same problems, pain everywhere, no power to move around. A doctor whom he was suggested wasn't available with Bill's insurance. Soon, with help of Jazz Foundation, he will be getting what he was requested. We are hoping this will bring some positive solution. We really hope he will be able to play the bass like he used to, in near future and starts walking.
He is sending his sincere THANK YOU to everyone. Your supports kept him alive. thank you so much.

Literally every update since the gofundme began, even the good news, has been bad news. The latest:

Bill is back in the hospital. His home care nurse found out that his oxygen level was 51...(really low), suggested to call 911. When he got discharged last month, he still had liquid in his lungs, as well as his red blood cell, hemoglobin levels were very low. They could not give the iron to him because of the bacteria which loves iron, needed to wait till his kidney function gets better which actually did... so Doctor was ready to send nurses to give iron shots... however, it was a little too late for that. He's been in hospital for 5 days now. He had pneumonia which is cured, and his liquid in his body is pretty much gone. When he could breath without oxygen, he could come back home. His kidney is functioning well enough to push the liquid out of the body. He is a little confused but physically getting better. little by little...step by step.... thank you so much for your supports!! he really really appreciate it and sending love.

Every time I see this thread bumped I feel a little twinge of dread.

Same feeling I get every time I get a gofundme update! In both cases, apparently warranted. Though somehow there is a still a new Painkiller album coming next month.

Listening to a new Bandcamp-subscribers-only live recording from the 2006 Moers Festival by a group with Nils Petter Molvaer on trumpet, Eivind Aarset on guitar, Laswell on bass, Hamid Drake on drums and Aïyb Dieng on percussion. As spacy dub-metal fusion goes, it's pretty good. It's an audience recording, but it's been cleaned up.

Turns 70 today. I thought he was older!!

Is Deconstruction: The Celluloid Recordings a definitive compilation, or are there better releases?

Well, it looks like a pretty good overview of a lot of Celluloid stuff, that's for sure. Then he moves into the Axiom era.

Super cool Axiom album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S-pLVrGwFE

How about *this* lineup!?!

Carlinhos Brown: guitar, percussion, vocals
Wayne Shorter: soprano saxophone
Henry Threadgill: flute
Herbie Hancock: piano, prepared piano
Bernie Worrell: Hammond B-3 organ
Tony "Funky Drummer" Walls: drums, metal
Larry Wright & David Chapman: buckets

Though my fave supergroup lineup may remain Material's "The Third Power:"

Jungle Brothers (Baby Bam & Mike G): vocals
Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin: vocals
Shabba Ranks: vocals
Bootsy Collins: vocals, guitar
Gary Shider: vocals, guitar
Gary "Mudbone" Cooper: vocals
Jenny Peters: vocals
Herbie Hancock: piano
Bernie Worrell: piano, organ
Jeff Bova: synthesizers
Henry Threadgill: flute
Olu Dara: cornet, African trumpet
Nicky Skopelitis: guitar, fairlight
Michael Hampton: guitar
Robbie Shakespeare: bass
Sly Dunbar: drums, drum programming
Aiyb Dieng: percussion

HORN SECTION
Fred Wesley: trombone
Maceo Parker: alto sax
Pee Wee Ellis: tenor sax

BRASS SECTION
Joe Daly: baritone horn
Richard Harper: Euphonium
Marcus Rojas: tuba
Joel Brandon: whistling

I really, really like the Deadline album "Down By Law." Phillip Wilson gives that album a coherent "something" that is just undeniable!!

The lineup on the Third Power is amazing but I don't remember the album being very interesting...I should revisit.

I don't think it's particularly interesting or weird, but I love it. Good tunes and performances.

I think thats true of a few laswell fusion-y things from around that time. Almost kinda cozy how well everyone gets along.

I like Third Power a lot. It started production as a Sly and Robbie record, and it’s in the same bag as their Language Barrier and Rhythm Killers records from around that same time.

I like that Bahia Black album posted above though it would’ve been killer to have everyone playing together. Seems Shorter/Hancock play on one set of tunes , Worrell and Threadgill on another.