I don’t know if it’s my incompetence or the limits placed on me by TMT’s content management system, but I just spent almost three hours trying to get the Space Jam theme song to auto-play every time this news post loads, to no avail. Which, I mean, I’ll readily admit is probably way too much time. But look, I have a commitment to excellence for all my posts, especially those about musical geniuses like Arthur Russell, whose albums are getting released on vinyl for the time ever, and the Space Jam soundtrack was an integral part of my vision (you gotta get pumped up somehow!).
So the original concept involved Michael Jordan telling you all of this, but apparently he’s busy filming a commercial for fitted underpants, so here goes: Arthur Russell’s excellent 1994 release Another Thought, an album that has never before been available on vinyl, is coming out on double LP October 14 from Arc Light Editions in the UK. It’s the first release for Arc Light, which is a collaboration between curator Jennifer Lucy Allan (an editor at The Wire) and Multiverse Music.
Another Thought consists of tracks recorded between 1982 and 1990 selected by Mike Rouse and produced by Don Christiensen for Point Music. Because Russell’s boundless onward rush of creativity often had him working on several things all at once (sometimes never quite finishing anything in particular), many of these tracks are works in progress. (In fact, the guy worked so hard on so many different things that we’re still, over 20 years since his death, occasionally hearing as-yet unheard and unreleased recordings of his.) Another Thought, of course, is not just any loosely thrown together odds and ends collection. The album holds together as a cohesive whole just as well as anything in Russell’s catalog.
Another Thought features contributions from a whole bunch of Russell’s musical connections, including Peter Zummo (whose own Zummo with an X featured Russell on cello and was recently released by Optimo Music), vocals from Julius Eastman and Elodie Lauten, and percussion from Mustafa Ahmed. The reissue features new artwork by Jennifer Lucy Allan herself, and it’s complete with a minimalist nod to Russell’s newspaper hat on the original. As for Arc Light itself, the label says this release is in line with its goal to “make available on vinyl some releases which have been out of print for too long, are extortionately priced second had, or which have never been graced with a vinyl release.” Pretty cool mission statement, y’all. B-t-dubs, if you’re looking for any ideas for projects down the line, hit me up, because I have definitely got a few (*cough* Space Jam Soundtrack *cough*).
In all seriousness, though, Michael Jordan and I both agree that this reissue is pretty sweet, and you should probably pre-order it if you’re at all interested in maintaining your cred.
• Arc Light Editions: http://arclighteditions.co.uk
More about: Arthur Russell
