Laurie Anderson - Life on a String

2001's Life on a String is a peculiar entry in Laurie Anderson's career, in that elements of it echo her previous work without sounding much like anything she's done before. In particular, the album has ties both to 1982's Big Science (like that album, Life on a String largely consists of songs taken from a much larger work, her musical theater piece Moby Dick) and 1989's Strange Angels (it returns to the more musical side of her style, which had been largely abandoned on her two '90s releases). The sound is a new and intriguing development for Anderson; an accomplished violin player who previously had only used the instrument pretty much as a prop, Anderson fills all of these songs with front-and-center string sections that provide an entirely different texture for her usual meandering melodies. "Slip Away" is a moving song about the death of her father that's probably the most direct and emotional song Anderson has ever written. It's the clear high point of Life on a String. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

Name Credits Barbara de Wilde Design Ben Rubin Bells Bill Frisell Guitar Bob Brockmann Engineer, Mixing Bob Ludwig Mastering Chris Speed Saxophone Cuong Vu Trumpet Danny Frankel Handclapping, Percussion Dante de Sole Engineer David Bither Executive Producer David Torn Loop Erik Friedlander Cello Eyvind Kang Violin Greg Cohen Bass (Acoustic) Hal Willner Producer, Turntables, Sampling Joey Baron Percussion, Drums Josiah Gluck Engineer Laurie Anderson Producer, Percussion, Gong, Vocals, Engineer, Violin, Keyboards Lou Reed Guitar Martin Brumbach Percussion Arrangement, Mixing, Engineer Mino Cinelu Percussion Mitchell Froom Claviola, Keyboards, Wurlitzer, Mellotron Peter Scherer Keyboards Skúli Sverrisson Percussion Programming, Bass, Director, Sounds, Guitar, Keyboards Van Dyke Parks Conductor, String Arrangements, Keyboards Vinicius Cantuaria Percussion