Nurse With Wound: Chance Meeting on Dissecting Table of a Sewing Machine and an Umbrella. (United Dirter)
For no particularly good reason, I thought I might do a deeper dive into my vinyl collection of NWW records. Just what the world wanted! I don't how long and diligently I'll continue with this. I am again trying to develop more routines in my retired life, and I should check back in here more often again. Retired from a day job and education but hardly from music in general, to be clear.
So there's this record. It's fair to call it more of a curiosity or historical piece than anything. It's the first NWW LP, and the first on Steven Stapleton/John Fothergill's label United Dairies.
I've always found United Dairies a great name for their record label. It's funny but also is an early reflection of their interest in Surrealism. UD was initial both Stapleton and Fothergill, but before long it was strictly Steven's label. There was a time when I'd collect anything on UD, which mostly turned out good. Mostly.
I most definitely do not have an original copy. As far back as the mid 80s a copy could have set you back well over $100, and copies on discogs.com start at $2000 currently. For a record that's been reissued many times over, and really isn't that great of an album.
So three weirdo record collectors (weirdos collecting weirdo records) were given some free studio time. Without any particular ability to play nor plan, this record is the result. My vinyl reissue copy, from 2001, includes notes from Steven about the record's origins. He found John's guitar with ring modulator to be disappointing ("...ring modulators always sounded so great on album credits."). There's more here, and clearly more intentionality than a primitive trio improvisation: other musicians were added (Nicky Rogers on "commercial guitar), tapes were edited and manipulated. Nonetheless, it's a pretty modest beginning of what would be (primarily) Steven's creative life.
This album's original inner sleeve, reproduced in this reissue, may be as well known as any of the sounds in the grooves. Steven, in his more recent notes, states that the three friends (I've failed to mention the third, Heman Pathak) were avid record collectors. What attracted their interest? 1. Long tracks; 2. lack of vocals; 3. psychedelic-inspired art. The image on the sleeve is the so-called Nurse With Wound List. Text at the top reads: "Categories strain, crack and sometimes break, under their burden - step out of the space provided." That's a bold credo, statement of intent from the start. Below that text is a long list of artists they've collected, with the name Nurse With Wound breaking through chasm-like in the enter. There are many familiar names in the list: Kraftwerk, Terry Riley, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Throbbing Gristle, The Residents, Steve Lacy, even Tangerine Dream and Frank Zappa. But other names include Out of Focus, Moving Gelatine Plates, Operation Rhino, Thrice Mice, Brainticket, Ovary Lodge, and many others of whom I have no knowledge. There are people who have tried to collect all of the artists listed, and more recently there are at least two compilations (one of French artists, one of German) of people on the NWW List.
In the more recent notes, Steven writes, "I would like to dedicate this record to John and Heman, wherever you are now; it was a great time and I think we made a beautiful album."
Listening to it now, it really feels like more than enough by the end even if you're patient with it. Particularly the second side's "Black Capsules of Embroidered Cellophane" which clocks in at 28:21.
On, but there's more. This reissue has a second disc. One side is "Strain, Crack, Break", which is a mixed/overlapped/manipulated reading of the NWW List by David Tibet. Concluding with, "All of these bands are completely shit." The reverse side has the figure from the cover image etched into the vinyl. Spiffy!
Well, it's mostly onward and upward from this one, should I continue.
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