Nothing Here Now But The Recordings

Nothing Here Now But The Recordings is a fascinating album. The record consists of cut up experiments from the 60's done by Burroughs and other collaborators such as painter and writer, Brion Gysin. Originally the record was released on Industrial Records, the home of innovative bands such as Throbbing Gristle whose work was heavily influenced by Burroughs and co. According to Genesis P. Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, this album was not easily put together. The story goes that Genesis had asked Burroughs where all the recordings he mentions having done in his books were. Burroughs apparently resisted handing over the tapes because he believed no one would be interested in hearing them. Genesis claims it took him/her several years to convince Burroughs to release the recordings on LP. This record is the fruit of Genesis labor and it is quite a mesmerizing treat. Captain Clark welcomes you aboard and the craziness moves on from there. If you are familiar with Burroughs cut up trilogy this record is how those books would sound. What really amazes me about these recordings is how prescient they were. You can hear the beginnings of so many genres of music such as noise, industrial, electronic, mash-up, and more. It could even be said that they influenced a genre as massive as Hip-Hop through its innovations in sampling, as Kirby Fergusson argued in his documentary "Everything is a Remix". The philosophy behind the cut-ups is beyond the scope of this review, however if you're interested in learning more I'd recommend obtaining a copy of The Third Mind by Burroughs and Gysin. In it they outline what they were attempting to do with the cut-ups and it can only enhance the experience of this record. This record is just another successful attempt by Burroughs in his mission to derange the senses. I dont think theres anything else I can say, but to pick it up. There is nothing else quite like it even today.

If you are a REAL HARDCORE fan and want to hear something you have heard before, but on wax, this is GREAT.Has some good stuff on the record.