The 1982 Listening Post - Laurie Anderson - Big Science

 Reviewed by Tom Mott

Released: April 19 1982 Laurie Anderson Big Science Genre: Working That Collegiate Performing Arts Center Circuit Allen’s Rating: 5 out of 5 Tom’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Highlights: From The Air O Superman (For Massenet) Let X=X/It Tango The short review: 5 stars just for O Superman. Loses tenths here and there for some weak spots. The long review: My mom was a huge Laurie Anderson fan. Enough of a fan that she had her "Laurie Anderson haircut" throughout the 80s and 90s. I'm not sure she actually listened to Anderson's albums. It was more like she was a fan of the "idea" of Laurie Anderson and the space she occupies: interesting performance artist who tweaks the noses of the 'high-brow' folks. I'm not judging! I feel the same way about John Cage or Fred Frith or the local Vietnamese restaurant. I'm happy they exist even if I don't always go there. O Superman got a lot of play in our house because it was a staple on NIGHT FLIGHT and we religiously watched it every weekend. And man oh man, that song is fantastic. What a freak of a song to make it to #2 in the UK! I love it. The minimalist "pulse." The lyrics that seem like they're making sense, but don't quite. The vocoder. The different movements and motifs that fade in and out. This album is at the nexus of performance art and art pop, which is tricky territory to navigate. When art is only "interesting" it's the kiss of death. We demand the sublime. Happily, Laurie Anderson delivers. Mostly. It's like Goats Head Soup: not a great album but a really good one with surprises and flashes of brilliance. She brings the vocoder and hand claps, dehumanizing and humanizing. And like Kraftwerk, Werner Herzog, and Paul Morrissey, she delivers her art with a dose of humor. From the Air: Hypnotically syncopated with a bunch of saxes grinding on repeated motifs. O Superman: Aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah aah Let X=X & It Tango: Handclaps. Sly lyrics. Trumpets out of nowhere. Simple repeated motifs. Reminiscent of Moondog. A deeper review might analyze her lyrics and themes, position her in the realm of performance artists and minimalists, maybe touch upon the 80s New York art scene, or delve into her experiments with technology. I'll end with this lyric: When love is gone, there's always justice And when justice is gone, there's always force And when force is gone, there's always Mom. Hi Mom