Naked City

Naked City

Naked City

ASIN: B000005J08

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's hard to find a contemporary musician more eclectic than alto saxophonist John Zorn. Whether investigating the affinity between traditional Jewish music and jazz with his band Masada, or performing soundtrack music for Japanese porno films, Zorn has consistently proven himself a fearless seeker of new frontiers. On Naked City, Zorn combines covers of such movie themes as Ennio Morricone's "The Sicilian Clan," Jerry Goldsmith's "Chinatown," John Barry's "James Bond Theme," and Johnny Mandel's "I Want to Live" with his own noir-inflected originals, and a "Peter Gunn"-like cover of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" is thrown in for good measure. The results are like a trip to the drive-in for a bad double-feature--if the drive-in is on Mars. The band, which features Zorn stalwarts Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Fred Frith on bass, and Joey Baron on drums, is remarkably confident and wide-ranging. --Fred Goodman

Naked City,John Zorn,Nonesuch,Avant-Garde,Avant-Garde Jazz,Experimental Rock,Film Music,Jazz,Jazz Music,Modern Composition,Modern Creative,Pop,Speed Metal
Naked City
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • If there is such a thing as a "Starting Point" for John Zorns Music...(this is it!!??)
  • Words... cannot... express....
  • Staggering Display of Musical Mastery- One of Zorn's Best...
  • Possibly The Best Experimental Jazz Record Ever Made.....
  • Hilarious Album
 Naked City
John Zorn
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Thrash & Speed MetalThrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone
  2. Moonchild
  3. Bar Kokhba
  4. Disco Volante
  5. California

ASIN: B000005J08
Release Date: 1990-02-08

Tracks:

  1. Batman
  2. The Sicillian Clan
  3. You Will Be Shot
  4. Latin Quarter
  5. A Shot In The Dark
  6. Reanimator
  7. Snagglepuss
  8. I Want To Live
  9. Lonely Woman
  10. Igneous Ejaculation
  11. Blood Duster
  12. Hamerhead
  13. Demon Sanctuary
  14. Obeah Man
  15. Ujaku
  16. Fuck The Facts
  17. Speedball
  18. Chinatown
  19. Punk China Doll
  20. N.Y. Flat Top Box
  21. Saigon Pickup
  22. The James Bond Theme
  23. Den Of Sins
  24. Contempt
  25. Graveyard Shift
  26. Inside Straight

Amazon.com

It's hard to find a contemporary musician more eclectic than alto saxophonist John Zorn. Whether investigating the affinity between traditional Jewish music and jazz with his band Masada, or performing soundtrack music for Japanese porno films, Zorn has consistently proven himself a fearless seeker of new frontiers. On Naked City, Zorn combines covers of such movie themes as Ennio Morricone's "The Sicilian Clan," Jerry Goldsmith's "Chinatown," John Barry's "James Bond Theme," and Johnny Mandel's "I Want to Live" with his own noir-inflected originals, and a "Peter Gunn"-like cover of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" is thrown in for good measure. The results are like a trip to the drive-in for a bad double-feature--if the drive-in is on Mars. The band, which features Zorn stalwarts Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Fred Frith on bass, and Joey Baron on drums, is remarkably confident and wide-ranging. --Fred Goodman

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars If there is such a thing as a "Starting Point" for John Zorns Music...(this is it!!??).......2006-07-04

For an Artist such as "John Zorn", who has run such a impressive range of genres that his music touches upon: (Free Jazz, Film Music, Improvisation, Rock, Metal, compositional, Jazz, lounge, cabaret, thrash, semi-ambient, post-classical ...etc), and music that wildly jump-cuts through these styles, and offers up such a huge plethora of diverse sounds, his music can seem bewilderingly and often overwhelming to the initiated. And liking one album, doesn't necessarily mean that you'll like another. One album can sound so radically different for another and feature such an unpredictable approach to music, that its hard to really recommend his music, to anyone expect those that like to be challenged by music or are musically adventurous. And with such a large catalogue of albums to choose from, such as the eccentric reinterpretation/re-imaging of film scores "John Zorn Plays the music of Ennio Morricone", through to the impressionistic musical approach and stretches of modern compositional live-music jazz of the strangely dark mood music of "Spillane". And that's not even mentioning the experimental and violent sounding passages of the Jazz/ambient/Noise fusion that is a fetishist's wet-dream, in the largely disturbing "Torture Garden". Which sit uncomfortably alongside the dark harmonics, and minimalistally arranged string quartet, and pronounced, sombre late-century classical music of "Cartoon S&M".

It would then be fair to argue that, although a lot of Zorn's albums could be considered essential, not all (even possibly only a few), could be recommended to the majority of listeners of his work. What works for one listener, won't necessarily work for another. So it's hard to single out one of Zorn's albums that would be a good recommendation for most listeners. But if such an album of his exists, then most people would agree that his astonishing "Naked City" album, would be as damn close to being considered his most universally liked/appreciated work. Nobody's saying it's his best album (although many, may well...believe it is), but it's an album that most, that have listened to Zorn's work, will agree is a brilliant starting point for his work. Judging by the controversial image on the album cover of a man lying dead after a fatal shooting, this is wildly disorientating album of tracks that run the gauntlet of : hardcore, rock, skewered country, sleazy jazz, thrash, Punk, Lounge, experimental, free improvisation & avant-garde & metal, and tracks regularly switch and morph into different styles and moods and musical shapes (and sometimes during the course of a track). The imagination and arrangements that have gone into creating this album is by and large, quite staggering. It's not an easy listen by any stretch of the imagination, and only those that like their music adventurous need apply. Because if you were to take this CD into a normal group environment, and play this for your friends, then unless they share the same open-ended approach to music that you do, then it's fair to say that both you (and your Cd) will be asked to leave.

The music shifts from moody film-noir pieces one minute, that conjures up images of seedy back alleys and shady characters....(think a musical take on "Sin City") luring you in with it's sombre mood, but then the next track is a relentlessly pounding passage of agitated saxophone wailing thrash-jazz, that references the more extreme end of Ornette Coleman & John Coltrane's work. With the passionate and energetically exuberant wig-out of tracks such as these. And it's a shock to the system the first couple of times you hear it, but its undeniably thrilling and very much like...flying on the seat of your pants via music. The performances here are without doubt exceptional and although the album sounds like nothing even remotely sounding like approaching structured, it is actually a carefully composed and arranged album, that has regular moments of improvisational sounds and Free-arrangements. It's an album that tackles abstract movie themes one minute, and then shrugs them off to dive into modern creative noise rock the next. Then its almost as if it wants to tackle straight ahead jazz (with a slightly sinister feel), then it take the intense of aggressive feel of metal, and imbue it with the mechanical and cold feeling of Industrial music, before switching back to a completely brutal and blistering take on Free-Jazz. It's a staggering album, possibly one that threatens to overwhelm the listener, as it's a rapid-fire cross-section of musical styles, genres and fusion-orientated approaches that both impress and overwhelm in equal measures. But once you made the commitment to the album, the perseverance begins to pay off, and what was at first a incredibly complex and unfocused album of random musical styles thrown together, with no consideration of what went before it, soon becomes a wonderfully idiosyncratic album. It's a album that shows, how when the correct pieces (and performers) fall into place, how truly breathtaking music, can be created, and how a band that perform music in such extremes, can arguably deliver something so original and breathtaking, that you essential box yourself into a corner. Any further continuation of this theme would merely be an additional companion, and never likely to scale the heights (and more importantly deliver the impact) of the first release, and likely to be a case of `Diminishing returns'. And to do something any more radically different from this would essentially be a completely different product, and couldn't truly be associated with this album.

If you like your music to follow conventional structures and ideas, then the screaming saxophone, leftfield Jazz, and mind-bending organ pounding hard-hitting drums, mixed with, chugging trash guitar metal, will be a deal-breaker, and swiftly prompt the return of the cd. But for those that have a fair idea of what to expect (that it is wildly varied challenging music), it'll over the course of several listens astound and surprise on many levels. The fact that the band would go on to other explore aspects of music, rather than retread existing material, (and then later disband) is a crying shame, but Naked City arguably remains one of the most relentlessly innovate and progressively creative (as well as technically brilliant) albums of John Zorn prolific career.

5 out of 5 stars Words... cannot... express...........2006-02-13

Although I didn't know it at the time, if Naked City hadn't have happened there's a good chance the likes of Mr Bungle, Secret Chiefs et al would never have existed. Its hard to believe that this album was made in the late 80s considering how crazy it is. Even if it was released today it would still sound fresh and exciting.

At times placid with stirring piano and smooth sax work, at other times crazy beyond belief like a cross between free jazz and grindcore, Naked City is a phenomenol album. While it takes a few listens to sink in, those of you open minded to even consider getting it in the first place will find that it grows on you surprisingly quickly. Zorn's saxaphone is brilliant throughout the entire thing. On The Silican Clan he sounds soulful and tasteful whereas on all the vocal tracks with Yamatsuka Eyes he sounds like he's having an epileptic fit. I've heard avant garde saxaphone work before and I have to admit I'm not always impressed, largely because it often sounds like noise that anyone could do. But Zorn's work on this album is so intense and on the ball with the music that it's hard not to have admiration for it. It is of course balanced out with 'typical' sax work, proving that the man is far from a one trick pony.

The music itself is all over the place. Sometimes melodic and almost peaceful, at other times upbeat and catchy, then noisy and aggressive, sometimes within the same 30 seconds, it's completely schitzophrenic and so unbelievably eclectic that one has to wondor what on earth possessed him to create such a thing. The whole band are clearly tuned into his vision though as they move in an out of moods and tempos with him at the drop of a hat. It's not easy to imagine how much practice they must have had to become so tight together.

This is simply an incredible record. If you're prepared for a challenge that's worth the effort then buy Naked City.

5 out of 5 stars Staggering Display of Musical Mastery- One of Zorn's Best..........2005-12-07

John Zorn hails from New York and has been one of the most interesting and exciting figures in contemporary music for years. He appears to be of limitless talent, acquiring quite a reputation for his wild eclecticism. That eclecticism is wildly abundant on this fine, fine album, as Zorn and Company rage thru the music of Ornette Coleman, Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, John Barry, and of course Mr. Zorn himself. They blaze through jazz, swing, blues, free jazz, noise, rock, thrash, and surf- often in the same song. This is great music for today's attention-span addled human. In fact, I think this would actually be a great album for youngsters with an interest in jazz to listen to. It is fast moving, often changing, and definitely never boring. I haven't listened to this CD for awhile (until today), and I forgot how enthralling it is.
`Naked City' was my first John Zorn album and it remains my favorite (along with his Occult masterpiece I.A.O.). This wonderful disc starts out with `Batman'; Zorn's uptempo envisioning of what Batman's theme should sound like- and it totally kicks ass. This is followed by Morricone's `The Sicilian Clan'. Zorn's saxophone sounds great on this track (and I usually HATE the saxophone). Next up is `You Will Be Shot', a nifty Zorn original that changes just about every ten seconds; touching on rock, noise/thrash, and blues/swing. I could go on and on; fruitlessly attempting to describe track after track. That however is beginning to seem increasingly pointless as I listen to this spectacular album. It sounds so cliché, but one must truly listen to this album for themselves to have any kind of understanding for how much ass it kicks.
One of the things that Mr. Zorn seems to have a knack for, is assembling the right band for the right project (much in the same way Miles Davis did). The band that he put together for `Naked City' was absolutely perfect, and up to the task of tackling these diverse, high energy arrangements. Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on keys, Fred Firth on bass, and Joey Baron on skins were the perfect partners in crime for this wicked creation. I would've loved to catch this amazing band live.
This is a hell of an album. I own LOTS of music, and this is by far one of the most diverse releases I have. Not many bands could pull off the ridiculous changes present here. On paper, this should be a mess. However thanks to John Zorn's vision and skill (and that of his band mates) this works wonderfully- way better than it should. If you are interested in Zorn and have yet to delve into his intimidating and massive catalogue, this is a great place to start. If you are a fan of Zorn, you undoubtedly have this excellent and timeless release.

5 out of 5 stars Possibly The Best Experimental Jazz Record Ever Made............2005-11-08

There really isn't much you can say but totally unpredictable and absolutely ingenius from start to finish. One of those rare records that keeps you on the edge of your seat and you find yourself saying about every other minute "How the hell did he think of that?". The ideas are bountiful and over the top brilliant. Every record collection should have at least one copy of Can Tago Mago, Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica and Naked City by John Zorn. Amazing stuff.

4 out of 5 stars Hilarious Album.......2005-09-12

This is the second John Zorn album I've purchased (John Zorn's Cobra was first), but this is definately the better of the two. This album is very fun to listen to.
Naked City
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Naked City
    Avenue Blue & Jeff Golub
    Manufacturer: Mesa / Bluemoon
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Smooth JazzSmooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. Nightlife
    2. Avenue Blue
    3. Out of the Blue
    4. Soul Sessions
    5. Do It Again

    ASIN: B000002JVS
    Release Date: 1996-01-23

    Tracks:

    1. Funky Is As Funky Does
    2. Naked City
    3. Nitpickin'
    4. The Conversation
    5. Baby I'm Yours
    6. Mama Didn't Raise No Fool
    7. Wildflower
    8. Keep The Ball Rollin'
    9. The Nite Owl
    10. Tumblin'
    11. Yohimbe
    12. Spooky
    13. One More Excuse
    Torture Garden
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Torture Garden
      Naked City
      Manufacturer: Shimmy Disc
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      HardcoreHardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
      Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Death MetalDeath Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
      Thrash & Speed MetalThrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
      Similar Items:
      1. Naked City

      ASIN: B0000010M7
      Release Date: 1993-08-19

      Tracks:

      1. Blood Is Thin
      2. Demon Sanctuary
      3. Thrash Jazz Assassin
      4. Dead Spot
      5. Bonehead
      6. Speedball
      7. Blood Duster
      8. Pile Driver
      9. Shangkuan Ling-Feng
      10. Numbskull
      11. Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh
      12. Jazz Snob Eat Shit
      13. Prestidigitator
      14. No Reason to Believe
      15. Hellraiser
      16. Torture Garden
      17. Slan
      18. Hammerhead
      19. Ways of Pain
      20. Noose
      21. Sack of Shit
      22. Blunt Instrument
      23. Osaka Bondage
      24. Igneous Ejaculation
      25. Shallow Grave
      26. Ujaku
      27. Kaoru
      28. Dead Dread
      29. Billy Liar
      30. Victims of Torture
      31. Speedfreaks
      32. New Jersey Scum Swamp
      33. S&M Sniper
      34. Pig Fucker
      35. Cairo Chop Shop
      36. Fuck the Facts
      37. Obeah Man
      38. Facelifter
      39. N.Y. Flat Top Box
      40. Whiplash
      41. Blade
      42. Gob of Spit
      Naked City Live, Vol. 1: Knitting Factory 1989
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Naked City Live, Vol. 1: Knitting Factory 1989
        Naked City
        Manufacturer: Tzadik
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
        GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
        Avant-GardeAvant-Garde | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
        Similar Items:
        1. The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone
        2. The Complete Studio Recordings
        3. Spy Vs. Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman
        4. Black Box [Torture Garden/Leng Tch'e]
        5. Music Romance, Vol. 2: Taboo & Exile

        ASIN: B00005YORT
        Release Date: 2002-05-07

        Tracks:

        1. Batman
        2. Latin Quarter
        3. You Will Be Shot
        4. Shot In The Dark
        5. Skate Key
        6. Erotico
        7. Snagglepuss
        8. I Want To Live
        9. New York Flattop Box
        10. Inside Straight
        11. Chinatown
        12. Igneous Ejaculation
        13. Ujaku
        14. Blood Duster
        15. Hammerhead
        16. Speedball
        17. Obeah Man
        18. Den Of Sins
        19. Demon Sanctuary
        20. The Way I Feel
        The Complete Studio Recordings
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		The Complete Studio Recordings
          Naked City
          Manufacturer: Tzadik
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          General ModernGeneral Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | International | Styles | Music
          Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
          Movie SoundtracksMovie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
          GeneralGeneral | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
          Experimental MusicExperimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
          Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
          Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
          Similar Items:
          1. At the Mountains of Madness
          2. Collected Works (The Complete Studio Recordings 1991-1994)
          3. The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone
          4. Naked City Live, Vol. 1: Knitting Factory 1989
          5. 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 4

          ASIN: B0006UYOMO
          Release Date: 2005-03-22

          Tracks:

          1. Batman
          2. The Sicilian Clan
          3. You Will Be Shot
          4. Latin Quarter
          5. A Shot In The Dark
          6. Reanimator
          7. Snagglepuss
          8. I Want To Live
          9. Lonely Woman
          10. Igneous Ejaculation
          11. Blood Duster
          12. Hammerhead
          13. Demon Sanctuary
          14. Obeah Man
          15. Ujaku
          16. Fuck The Facts
          17. Speedball
          18. Chinatown
          19. Punk China Doll
          20. N.Y. Flat Top Box
          21. Saigon Pickup
          22. The James Bond Theme
          23. Den Of Sins
          24. Contempt
          25. Graveyard Shift
          26. Inside Straight

          Tracks:

          1. Grand Guignol
          2. Blood Is Thin
          3. Thrash Jazz Assassin
          4. Dead Spot
          5. Bonehead
          6. Piledriver
          7. Shangkuan Lin-Feng
          8. Numbskull
          9. Perfume Of A Critic's Burning Flesh
          10. Jazz Snob: Eat Shit
          11. The Prestidigitator
          12. No Reason To Believe
          13. Hellraiser
          14. Torture Garden
          15. Slan
          16. The Ways Of Pain
          17. Slan
          18. Sack Of Shit
          19. Blunt Instrument
          20. Osaka Bondage
          21. Shallow Grave
          22. Kaoru
          23. Dead Dread
          24. Billy Liar
          25. Victims Of Torture
          26. Speedfreaks
          27. New Jersey Scum Swamp
          28. S/M Sniper
          29. Pigfucker
          30. Cairo Chop Shop
          31. Facelifter
          32. Whiplash
          33. The Blade
          34. Gob Of Spit
          35. La Cathedrale Engloutie
          36. Three Preludes Op. 74: Douloureux, Dechirant
          37. Three Preludes Op. 74: Tres Lent, Contemplatif
          38. Three Preludes Op. 74: Allegro Drammatico
          39. Prophetiae Sybillarum
          40. The Cage
          41. The Cage
          42. Grand Guignol (Version Vocale)

          Tracks:

          1. Main Titles
          2. Sex Games
          3. The Brood
          4. Sweat, Sperm + Blood
          5. Vliet
          6. Heretic 1
          7. Submission
          8. Heretic 2
          9. Catacombs
          10. Heretic 3
          11. My Master, My Slave
          12. Saint Jude
          13. The Conqueror Worm
          14. Dominatrix 2B
          15. Back Through The Looking Glass
          16. Here Come The 7,000 Frogs
          17. Slaughterhouse/Chase Sequence
          18. Castle Keep
          19. Mantra Of Resurrected Shit
          20. Trypsicore
          21. Fire And Ice (Club Scene)
          22. Crosstalk
          23. Copraphagist Rituals
          24. Labyrinth

          Tracks:

          1. Asylum
          2. Sunset Surfer
          3. Party Girl
          4. The Outsider
          5. Triggerfingers
          6. Terkmani Teepee
          7. Sex Friend
          8. Razorwire
          9. The Bitter And The Sweet
          10. Krazy Kat
          11. The Vault
          12. Metalov
          13. Poisonhead
          14. Bone Orchard
          15. I Die Screaming
          16. Pistol Whipping
          17. Skatekey
          18. Shock Corridor
          19. American Psycho

          Tracks:

          1. Val De Travers
          2. Une Correspondance
          3. La Fee Verte
          4. Fleurs Du Mal
          5. Artemisia Absinthium
          6. Notre Dame De L'Oubli (For Olvier Messiaen)
          7. Verlaine: Part One - Un Midi Moins Dix
          8. Verlaine: Part Two - La Bleue
          9. ...Rend Fou
          10. Leng Tch'e
          Grand Guignol
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		Grand Guignol
            Naked City
            Manufacturer: Avant Japan
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD

            Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
            Thrash & Speed MetalThrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
            Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
            GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
            Avant-GardeAvant-Garde | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
            JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
            ASIN: B0000058V5
            Release Date: 1998-01-20

            Tracks:

            1. Grand Guignol
            2. La Cathedrale Engloutie
            3. Three Preludes op.74: Douloureus, Dechirant
            4. Three Preludes op.74: Tres Lent, Contemplatif
            5. Three Preludes op.74: Allegro Drammatico
            6. Prophetiae Sybillarum
            7. The Cage
            8. Louange A L'eternite De Jesus
            9. Blood Is Thin
            10. Thrash Jazz Assassin
            11. Dead Spot
            12. Bonehead
            13. Piledriver
            14. Shangkuan Ling-Feng
            15. Numbskull
            16. Perfume Of A Critic's Burning Flesh
            17. Jazz Snob: Eat Shit
            18. The Prestidigitator
            19. No Reason To Believe
            20. Hellraiser
            21. Torture Garden
            22. Slan
            23. The Ways Of Pain
            24. The Noose
            25. Sack Of Shit
            26. Blunt Intrument
            27. Osaka Bondage
            28. Shallow Grave
            29. Kaoru
            30. Dead Dread
            31. Billy Liar
            32. Victims Of Torture
            33. Speedfreaks
            34. New Jersey Scum Swamp
            35. S-M Sniper
            36. Pigfucker
            37. Cairo Chop Shop
            38. Facelifter
            39. Whiplash
            40. The Blade
            41. Gob Of Spit

            Amazon.com

            This is John Zorn's tribute to Grand Guignol, a theater and a theatrical form that thrived in Paris in the early decades of the 20th century. It created a style that depended on realistic makeup and grotesque violence to depict murder, rape, mutilation, and torture, to the delighted horror of its audience. A decidedly low form of public entertainment, it enjoyed its greatest popularity at the same time that France was home to the creation of modernist culture and the subtle beauties of French impressionism in music. That's a cultural contradiction--or perhaps an entranceway--that Zorn walks right into and explores on this CD with Naked City, a band that includes guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Joey Baron, bassist Fred Frith, and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz--veterans of numerous projects in common--and the vocals of Yamatsuka Eye (of the acclaimed Boredoms).

            Grand Guignol parallels the influence of cartoon composer Tex Avery on Zorn, whose penchant for oversized, exaggerated, even campy gestures is here given greater focus and intensity by Yamatsuka's curdling screams. Zorn joins this with his arrangements of a series of high modernist works by Debussy, Scriabin, Ives, and Messiaen, using an instrumentation of electric keyboards and guitars that lends them, among many other things, a low-budget, soundtrack quality. In a world where musicians often strive to be different in the same way, Zorn is a genuine original. The CD also includes 33 of the 42 tracks of Torture Garden--micropieces that fuse a host of genres from free jazz to ancient dance music by sheer violence. --Stuart Broomer
            Black Box [Torture Garden/Leng Tch'e]
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              		Black Box [Torture Garden/Leng Tch'e]
              Naked City
              Manufacturer: Tzadik
              ProductGroup: Music
              Binding: Audio CD

              Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
              Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
              Thrash & Speed MetalThrash & Speed Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
              Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
              GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
              Avant-GardeAvant-Garde | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
              Similar Items:
              1. Naked City
              2. IAO: Music In Sacred Light
              3. Naked City Live, Vol. 1: Knitting Factory 1989
              4. The Complete Studio Recordings
              5. The Circle Maker [2-CD Set]

              ASIN: B000003YUK
              Release Date: 1997-04-22

              Tracks:

              1. Blood Is Thin
              2. Demon Sanctuary
              3. Thrash Jazz Assassin
              4. Dead Spot
              5. Bonehead
              6. Speedball
              7. Blood Duster
              8. Pile Driver
              9. Shangkuan Ling-Feng
              10. Numbskull
              11. Perfume Of A Critic's Burning Flesh
              12. Jazz Snob Eat Shit
              13. The Prestidigitator
              14. No Reason To Believe
              15. Hellraiser
              16. Torture Garden
              17. Slan
              18. Hammerhead
              19. The Ways Of Pain
              20. The Noose
              21. Sack Of Shit
              22. Blunt Instrument
              23. Osaka Bondage
              24. Igneous Ejaculation
              25. Shallow Grave
              26. Ujaku
              27. Kaoru
              28. Dead Dread
              29. Billy Liar
              30. Victims Of Torture
              31. Speedfreaks
              32. New Jersey Scum Swamp
              33. S & M Sniper
              34. Pigfucker
              35. Cairo Chop Shop
              36. Fuck The Facts
              37. Obeah Man
              38. Facelifter
              39. N.Y. Flat Top Box
              40. Whiplash
              41. The Blade
              42. Gob Of Spit

              Tracks:

              1. Leng Tch'e

              Amazon.com

              This two-CD set was first released by John Zorn in Japan in the early 1990s. It couldn't be sold in the United States because of the cover art, now concealed within the Black Box. These are Zorn's most horrific inspirations--Torture Garden incited by the images of Japanese sadomasochist pornography contained herein, Leng Tch'e by photographs of a Chinese public execution involving extended torture. A key part of Zorn's aesthetic is to create a musical methodology that matches his subject matter, or, conversely, to find a subject that matches his compositional methods. Like Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty, William S. Burrough's cut-up method, or the cutting and pasting of collage, Zorn's methods mimic violence, creating new forms out of the torture and destruction of the old. Torture Garden and Leng Tch'e are, literally, the short and the long of it. Torture Garden consists of 42 tracks, the longest of which is a minute and 14 seconds, the shortest a scant 10 seconds. Musical genres are literally cut up and stuck together, snippets of free jazz, lounge, country and western, pop (ancient and modern), and classical colliding and overlapping in a kind of cultural shock treatment.

              The 32-minute Leng Tch'e is drawn out to excruciating lengths in its simulation of the agony (and ecstasies) of torture and death. Throughout the two discs, the execution is at a very high level. With Bill Frisell on guitar, Fred Frith on bass, Joey Baron on drums, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, and vocalist Yamatsuka Eye of the acclaimed Boredoms), Naked City combines many of Zorn's most talented collaborators, and it inspires some of his most brutish and brilliant alto saxophone playing. The Black Box creates a literal connection between "hard core" music and hard-core pornography. To say that it isn't for the squeamish is understatement. --Stuart Broomer
              Heretic, Jeux des Dames Cruelles
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                		Heretic, Jeux des Dames Cruelles
                Naked City
                Manufacturer: Avant Japan
                ProductGroup: Music
                Binding: Audio CD

                Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
                Indie RockIndie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                NoiseNoise | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                Experimental RockExperimental Rock | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                Experimental MusicExperimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
                GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
                Avant-GardeAvant-Garde | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
                JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
                ASIN: B0000058V4
                Release Date: 1993-01-29

                Tracks:

                1. Main Titles
                2. Sex Games
                3. The Brood
                4. Sweat, Sperm & Blood
                5. Vliet
                6. Heretic I
                7. Submission
                8. Heretic 2
                9. Catacombs
                10. Heretic 3
                11. My Master, My Slave
                12. Saint Jude
                13. The Conqueror Worm
                14. Dominatrix 5B
                15. Back Throught The Looking Glass
                16. Here Come The 7,000 Frogs
                17. Slaughterhouse/Chase Sequence
                18. Castle Keep
                19. Mantra Of Resurrected Shit
                20. Trypsicore
                21. Fire And Ice (Club Scene)
                22. Crosstalk
                23. Copraphagist Rituals
                24. Labyrinth
                Songs of the Naked City
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  		Songs of the Naked City
                  Various Artists
                  Manufacturer: Restless
                  ProductGroup: Music
                  Binding: Audio CD

                  GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                  PunkPunk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                  American PunkAmerican Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                  New WaveNew Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                  Post-PunkPost-Punk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
                  GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
                  ASIN: B000006TNU
                  Release Date: 1997-05-20

                  Tracks:

                  1. Shadow Line - The Fleshtones
                  2. X Offender - Blondie
                  3. Human Being - New York Dolls
                  4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend - The Ramones
                  5. All Kindsa Girls - The Real Kids
                  6. You Gotta Move - Richard Hell & the Voidoids
                  7. Girl - Suicide
                  8. Stranded in the Jungle - New York Dolls
                  9. In the Sun - Blondie
                  10. Bloodless Pharaoh - The Bloodless Pharoahs
                  11. Judy Is a Punk - The Ramones
                  12. I Can Only Give You Everything - Richard Hell & the Voidoids
                  13. Reggae, Reggae - The Real Kids
                  14. American Beat - The Fleshtones
                  15. 96 Tears [Unlisted Track]

                  Tracks:

                  1. Landing 1 - Walter Steding
                  2. Frankie Teardop
                  3. Rodeo - Martin Rev
                  4. Hound Dog - Robert Fripp, Walter Steding
                  5. We're Not Crazy - Von Lmo
                  6. USA '95
                  7. Flying Saucer 88 - Von Lmo
                  8. Clouds of Glory - Martin Rev
                  9. Coney Island - Von Lmo
                  10. Ghost Rider - Suicide
                  11. Landing II - Walter Steding
                  Leng Tch'e
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    		Leng Tch'e
                    Naked City
                    Manufacturer: Toys Factory
                    ProductGroup: Music
                    Binding: Audio CD

                    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
                    ASIN: B000M2W3PG

                    Product Description

                    Japanese 1-track (31 minutes, 39 seconds) CD on Toys Factory, 1992.

                    Jazz Music:

                    1. Nightshift
                    2. Outbound
                    3. Pithecanthropus Erectus
                    4. Preludes & Rhapsodies [Original recording remastered]
                    5. Primal Scream
                    6. Private Brubeck Remembers
                    7. Quiet Now: Time & Again
                    8. Ramsey Lewis's Finest Hour
                    9. Ray Brown / Monty Alexander / Russell Malone
                    10. Return

                    Jazz Music

                    Jazz Music