I’m not sure if Arthur Russell counts as unfamous – you’ll either have heard of him, and probably have everything he ever released or be thinking, yup, unfamous.
Regardless of how controversial a choice for this unfamous category, Arthur Russell was one of the original electronic music experimenters, as well as an extraordinary cellist who accompanied Allen Ginsberg, and worked with David Byrne, Ernie Brooks (of The Modern Lovers) and Philip Glass.
While “What It’s Like” has a more traditional sound than his disco output, it’s undeniably the product of a unique mind. Structurally there’s an undeniable influence from The Velvet Underground, and you can definitely hear how much influence he had subsequently on bands such as Lambchop, Grizzly Bear and even Joan of Arc
As usual, please hit the play button rather than sit through me rambling on.
Annoyingly I can’t find the date that this was recorded, although it was released on the Love Is Overtaking Me album of 2008 which compiled much unreleased work, and was actually digitally restored by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear.
I would guess ’80s. See what you think…
For more check out Matt Wolf’s documentary Arthur Russell: Wild Combination.
