An obscure 1981 release that only got anything approaching mainstream notice retroactively -- after
Laurie Anderson's surprise breakthrough with 1982's Big Science and its unexpected hit single, "O Superman" -- this is a double-LP set featuring one side each of contributions from
Anderson, poet
John Giorno, and
William S. Burroughs, plus a fourth side that had three lock grooves in it; depending on where the needle was placed, you'd hear more works by one of the three participants. (The 1993 CD simply puts each participant's extras at the end of their section.)
Anderson's contributions are rough-sounding early versions of minor pieces that eventually ended up in her masterwork, United States I-IV, plus an early recording of "Born, Never Asked" that's lacking in comparison to the richer-sounding remake on Big Science.
Burroughs' pieces are primarily of interest to die-hard
Burroughs fans, as they come mostly from the era when he was simply reworking old manuscripts, and as a poet,
John Giorno makes a pretty good small-press publisher. For completists only. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
