Not much tonight, just a quick shot of disco to get your workweek going.
Dinosaur (Arthur Russell)Â
Kiss Me Again
Kiss Me Again (Edit)
I bought this record because I thought it was by the group who successfully pressured Dinosaur Jr. to change their name from Dinosaur. I was wrong. Turns out this is a disco tune, and a damn good one. I had never heard of a disco act called Dinosaur though, and so I went off to Google to discover just what the hell I had, and I fell into a musical discovery rabbit hole that ate up most of my Saturday afternoon.
Turns out Dinosaur is Arthur Russell. If you don’t know who he is don’t feel bad, I didn’t.
Arthur Russell was an avant-garde musician in New York City during the late 70s and early 80s. I’m not going to give his life story/discography here, since I would just be cribbing from his Wiki page. If you’re interesting in reading about him I suggest you go there to get caught up. Short version: Dude was crazy prolific, diverse and fairly awesome.
Russell died in 1992, but recently his work has fallen into favor with the hipsters, leading to much of it being re-issued. But even with that renewed interest, this track, his very first single, still has yet to see a CD or digital release. Which would probably explain why it goes for $30-$60 online.
I bought it for $4 by the way. Yeah, I rock.
I’m not that big into disco, but like I said before, this is a pretty solid tune. It has a great groove to it, and combines killer synthesized beats with some great live instrumentation and vocals. It would fit great on a mix between something entirely electronic, like “I Feel Love” and something entirely live, such as Ian Dury’s “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick.”
I also appreciate that the “edited” version of the song is still nearly seven minutes in length. Fuck radio friendly running times!
if you have a chance, you have to check out the doc on him “Wild Combinations”…I’m a very casual fan of his, but it’s still pretty fascinating stuff
It’s me again, yes how do you guess, ’cause the last time you were really impressed.
Your favorite guy that periodically points out your factual errors is here to tell you that “Kiss Me Again (original edit)” HAS been released on CD. You can find it on the first “Disco Not Disco” compilation on Strut Records (which, not unexpectedly, ALSO sells for $30-$60!)
If I remember correctly, he is represented multiple times on both the first and second volume in the series.
At any rate, 2000’s “Disco Not Disco” was my introduction to his work.
I’m assuming you said this at one point:
““Your misguided attempts at patting yourself on the back never fail to amaze and amuse me. “Spasticus Autisticus (version)†is neither “freakishly rare†nor was it “only ever released as the b-side to the singleâ€. It was released on the first “Disco Not Disco†compilation, making it somewhat less rare than you’d like to believe.â€
and:
“You are literally ruining the blogosphere for everyone…”
and:
“… your pathetic whining…”
and:
“Your misguided attempts at patting yourself on the back never fail to amaze and amuse me.”
And you wonder why I don’t like you? It’s not because you correct me (which you usually do whilst adding your own mistakes), it’s because YOU’RE A RUDE ASSHOLE.
I’ve already admitted to sometimes being a sarcastic ass – but, like I’ve also said, I’m not any more of a sarcastic ass than you are. You can dish it out but you can’t take it.
HOWEVER, I do want to take issue with your latest words toward me – my last bunch of comments to you have not been rude in the least. I’ve been trying to even the keel with you, so why you decided to bring up the “Spasticus Autisticus” incident (twice!) in your recent reply is beyond me. Is it simply the “Disco Not Disco” connection? Which then prompts an additional question: Why didn’t you get that first compilation a long time ago?
I know why you don’t like me. We’re too much alike. But I’ve been polite with you now for awhile – why you still beefin’?
Also, the “literally ruining the blogosphere for everyone” was NOT me. I would never say anything like that – I can’t stand when people misuse the word “literally”.
Do you know what sarcasm is? You’re old comments aren’t sarcastic, they’re nothing more than mean-spirited, unprovoked insults. I’m still “beefin” because I don’t take kindly to that bullshit. Good on you for trying your hardest not to be rude this time, but that doesn’t undo your old comments and it sure as hell doesn’t make me like you.
You know, the next time you see me fuck something up, why don’t you just say “Hey, actually what you said is inaccurate…” instead of prefacing all your comments with “It’s me, the guy who liked to insult you.”
Or if you are really trying to be contrite and nice this time around you could start by apologizing for being a rude prick in the past.
Hey Lost turntable When i first found Arthur Russell I too was unsure because disco kept creeping in and like you i’m not really a disco fan…but this as you root through his discog you find that he’s a lot more than that. Try ‘This is how we walk on the moon’ and ‘Home away from home’.
I’m not geeky enough to have found out much about him but i do know that the more you listen to him, the groovier it gets.
Thanks for the post, i was super happy to find it… and thanks for the site.