I could have sworn I bought this album in the Knitting Factory in New York on the evening in 1999 when M and I went to see Joey Baron's band play there. It's as though I can remember picking it off the shelf there. But my database says I got it in 2001, and the £8 sticker undermines the memory. It is on Knitting Factory Records though.
My copy still has one of those fold-over promotional slips (don't they mainly have those in US stores?!) that makes much of the involvement of "longtime collaborators" Damon Krukowski (of Galaxie 500) and Sean Eden (of Luna). Hmm, I wonder if Andy knows about this album. Kramer's made the most of some great collaborations, no doubt about it. The members of Galaxie 500 have never sounded better than they did when Kramer was producing them. I don't know much of Ann Magnuson's work beyond Bongwater, but Kramer's arrangements and settings of her words on The Power of Pussy are a big part of the greatness of that album.
On the evidence of Songs from the Pink Death, he was unable, when left to his own devices, to come near to those achievements. I think I suspected that might be the case even before I bought the CD, but I wanted to be sure.
MusicBrainz entry for this album
Certainly know about it (and own it) but it never made it onto AHFoW which, given some of the barely related nonsense that has made it in, is unforgiveable.
IN the mailing list archive was this exchange...
"Has someone listened to this album? How does it sound?"
"It's virtually unlistenable. Skip it"
I'd say a bit harsh... but only a bit! The album did get some love in a later thread.
There are Kramer albums I like quite a lot but not really this one.
Posted by: Andy | 27 April 2011 at 02:32 PM