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MORGAN FISHER MINIATURES LP avant prog residents xtc

Miniatures -A Seuence of 51 Tiny Masterpieces edited by Morgan Fisher  
Pipe Records PIPE 2
1980 UK Issue

Original pressing with poster.

Condition - Cover: EX. Vinyl: Like New. Poster: Like New.

"... he invited 50 musicians who he admired to send in tracks of up to one minute in length. They responded with unanimous enthusiasm, and as well as receiving tapes through the mail from all over the world, Morgan also packed up his Revox tape recorder and went to several musicians homes to record them there. Original artwork for the album was contributed by the notorious Ralph Steadman. The album is an astonishing survey of the cutting-edge music of the period, and includes such gems as:

 THE RESIDENTS singing a song from “South Pacific”
 ROBERT WYATT singing a Frank Sinatra song
 DAVID BEDFORD compressing Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”
 FRED FRITH shrinking the entire works of Henry Cow
 ROBERT FRIPP playing a keyboard
 ANDY PARTRIDGE (XTC) offering the history of rock’n’roll in 20 seconds
 RALPH STEADMAN singing a John Donne poem
 R.D.LAING playing the piano
 MARTIN CHAMBERS (THE PRETENDERS) lecturing on ornithology while drumming
 PETE SEEGER playing Beethoven on the banjo"

Track Listing:

 a sequence of fifty-one tiny masterpieces (1980)

 edited by morgan fisher

 1. ollie halsall & john halsey / bum love
 2. the residents / we're a happy family + bali ha'i
 3. roger mcgough / the wreck of the hesperus
 4. morgan fisher / green and pleasant
 5. john otway / mine tonight
 6. pete challis & phil diplock / my way
 7. robert wyatt / rangers in the nightst
 8. stinky winkles / opus
 9. mary longford / body language
 10. andy 'thunderclap' newman / andy the dentist
 11. david bedford / wagner's ring in one minute
 12. fred frith / the entire works of henry cow
 13. maggie nicols / look beneath the surface
 14. joseph racaille / week-end
 15. the work vwith wings pressed back
 16. neil innes & son / cum on feel the noize
 17. herbert distel / toscany in blue (last minute)
 18. lol coxhill / an end to the matter
 19. ken ellis / one minute in the life of ivan denisovich
 20. steve miller / alice
 21. norman lovett / john peel sings the blues badly
 22. patrick portella / serrons nous les coudes
 23. george melly / sounds that saved my life
 24. robert fripp / miniature
 25. andy partridge (xtc) / the history of rock'n'roll
 26. phantom captain / breather
 27. ron geesin / enterbrain exit
 28. alejandro viñao / an imaginary orchestrina
 29. quentin crisp / stop the music for a minute
 30. simon desorgher / tetrad
 31. ralph steadman / sweetest love (lament after a broken sashcord on a theme of john donne)
 32. r.d.laing & son / tipperary
 33. trevor wishart / beach double
 34. john white / scene de ballet
 35. ivor cutler / brooch boat
 36. hector zazou / do tell us
 37. michael bass & ellen tenenbaum / a miniaturization of bartok's sonata for two pianos & percussion (3rd movement)
 38. martin chambers (the pretenders) / a swift one
 39. bob cobbing & henri chopin / refreshment break
 40. dave vanian (the damned) / night touch
 41. metabolist / racing poodles
 42. gavin bryars / after mendelssohn (137 years)
 43. 1/2 japanese / paint it black
 44. simon jeffes / arthur's treat
 45. mark perry / talking world war iii blues
 46. michael nyman / 89-90-91-92
 47. david cunningham (the flying lizards) / index of ends
 48. kevin coyne / james, mark & me (in the manner of tom waits)
 49. etron fou leloublan / hep!
 50. neil oram & ken campbell & the science fiction theatre of liverpool / the minute warp
 51. pete seeger / chorale from beethoven's 9th symphony


review excerpts:

“... monumentally deranged... essential listening...” - THE WIRE


 “Hurrah!..a conceptual masterpiece” - MOJO

“Irreverent and charming, this unique collection of 51 one-minute-or-less pieces (almost all exclusive) was concocted by Mott the Hoople keysman Morgan Fisher in 1980. Miniatures works surprising well considering all of the jarring juxtapositions and actually helps to make the set exhilarating many times. Fascinating covers come from Pete Seeger (whistling Beethoven), Half Japanese (demolishing the Rolling Stones), the Residents (squeaking the Ramones), Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Band) having his son shouting Slade, and Robert Wyatt (looping Frank Sinatra).

 Also featured are an inspired cast of English loonies like John Otway, Kevin Coyne and Ivor Cutler as well as 'non-musicians' such as psychologist R.D. Laing, writer/actor Quentin Crisp, and artist Ralph Steadman. Most impressive are the artists who do poignant encapsulations in their time limit: Fred Frith's Entire History of Henry Cow, and Andy Partridge (XTC) lecturing on the history of rock and roll.

 Most compilations suffer from predictable, unimaginative frameworks, but Miniatures presents a wonderfully diverse and fun perspective that's been sadly lacking in a lock of rock and pop since the time it was released.” - ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“This recording walks the line between being a compilation and a concept album by one artist. The curator of the compilation is Morgan Fisher, ex-Morgan and Mott the Hoople keyboardist and all-around avant-pop genius of the '70s and '80s, who worked with everyone from Queen to Lol Coxhill to the Dead Kennedys. The concept for Miniatures involved getting artists from all across the board to contribute tiny vignettes saying as much as possible in the shortest space of time. Featuring contributions from the Residents, Andy Partridge, the Damned, Robert Wyatt, and Michael Nyman, among others, this may give an indication as to the diversity of this project. In many ways, Miniatures reflects the career of Fisher, who excelled in many genres. The original LP of Miniatures is a highly sought-after collector's item, as it was released to limited distribution on Fisher's Pipe label. With 51 one-minute stabs that summarize the diversity of a changing post-punk era, this collection is an excellent artifact of the early-'80s independent scene.” - ALL MUSIC GUIDE

SHIPPING INFO
Note to US Customers: I am shipping from Hawaii. Ebay now requires that dealers offer Media Mail option for shipping LP's. Please be aware that Media Mail from Hawaii to the mainland takes 3-5 weeks versus 3-5 days for priority mail. 

(double albums and some gatefolds count as 2)
 
 US and CANADA Shipping Rate
 
Priority Mail (First Class Mail International  to Canada)
1 LP - $6.50
2-3 LP $10.50
 
Media Mail (USA Only)
1 LP $4.00 -- each additional $1.00

Rest of The World

1 LP 13.00 -- each additional $2.50

If you purchase more than one item, I will send an invoice with adjusted shipping cost as soon as possible after the auction closes.

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