Product Description

Dinosaur L is an alias donned by Arthur Russell, a man whose contribution to dance music from the late seventies and through the eighties was formidable but only quietly acknowledged. His innovative and left field dance records were way ahead of what people were used to hearing at the time. He was a cellist who studied classical and Indian music. As well as his great strides in dance music he was also involved in the New York downtown avant-garde music scene and produced some albums in a more avant-garde/experimental vein as well as trying his own unique approach to pop. He scored several hits on the underground New York dance scene at clubs like The Paradise Garage (Larry Levan was a huge supporter). His biggest tunes, "Go Bang!" and "Is It All Over My Face?" were worldwide club hits and are still played today as classics. His records have influenced the scene from his first dance record in 1979 to the present day and his work has been much sampled. Sadly Arthur died in 1992, but his music lives on and his influence is still felt on the dance music scene, his tunes still sound great and are still moving many dancers around the world, so his spirit lives on. Sleeping Bag Records and Traffic Entertainment Group is proud to present Dinosaur L's "24-->24 Music" for the first time ever on compact disc in a deluxe digipak with extended artwork (based on the original sleeve) and liner notes. Includes the original album tracklisting plus rare 12" remixes and edits.

Track Listing

1. #1 (You're Gonna Be Clean On Your Bean)
2. #5 (Go Bang)
3. #2 (No, Thank You)
4. #7
5. #3 (In The Corn Belt)
6. #6 (Get Set)
7. Clean On Your Bean #1
8. Go Bang! #5
9. Go Bang! (Thank You Arthur Edit)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #196274 in Music
• Released on: 2007-08-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds

Customer Reviews

BAROUQUE DISCO?
If someone asked me to give a description of dinosaur L's music, I would think of any Miles Davis fusion band Live at Paradise Garage. If you think about the comparison, you will probably guess this music is heady.

But it's no need to be turned off becuase for the most part, this sounds pretty good, especially when you listen to certain tracks in parts. What makes this album great is the fact that it comes off like a never ending jam session, with everybody playing on until they find the right groove. It's also different for the fact that it doesn't limit itself to just one strong groove like most disco records. Instead, Arthur Russell takes a more progressive approach by changing the beat every 24 bars.

As far as the music goes, this album is best remembered for "Go Bang", which became a underground classic in many clubs in the early 80's. You can hear the album's avant grade style in songs like "You're gonna be clean on your bean", The original mix of "In a Cornbelt" and the live mix of "#7". When listening to this record, you can't help but admire its attempt to expand the boundaries of the disco sound. There are times when the mix can be a bit too creative for its own good - which is the case with "Get set". The unraveling nature of these improvisational songs makes the remixes and edits by Larry Levan, Francois K, and Arthur Russell feel welcome to the mix. They take the best elements of "Go bang" and "In a Cornbelt", and "Clean on your Bean" and focus in on the best qualities of the compositions. The focus maximizes and substain the effect better than the orginals.

Overall I would reccommend 24- 24 music for your dance collection. While it may not be the ideal place to start with dance music, it's not a bad place to end up if you're already a follower.

NO, THANK YOU PLEASE!

Viva the Russell Renaissance
Most people think that disco can only be what it usually is: shallow, beat-driven, repetitive music to move the body if not the mind, a kind of sonic treadmill. But Arthur Russell, a self-taught cellist and underground disco aficionado, was different. He recognized that disco (or what might now be thought of as post-disco) could be a form worthy of serious attention, full of unexpected opportunities for improvisational challenges, lyrical ingenuity, and diverse instrumentation. Just as Ornette Coleman "freed" jazz, Arthur Russell liberated disco and its progeny in a way that no one had before or has since.

Dinosaur L was one of Russell's many collaborative projects from the late seventies, bringing together a variety of pop and soul musicians to record an album like no other. The songs, which spiral through several adventurous hook phrases, are mostly improvised over dance rhythms that change at 24-bar intervals, hence the album title. It's a free-form approach that produced a raw yet listenable record that sounds as surprisingly good through a pair of headphones as it does on the dance floor. Since Russell was little more than a cult figure who died young, the avenues he opened have yet to be fully explored. But I hope that as more of his music is reissued and rediscovered that might change.