Strange Angels

Infobox Album | Name = Strange Angels
Type = Album
Artist = Laurie Anderson


Released = October 24, 1989
Recorded =
Genre = Avant-garde
Experimental music
Pop music
Length =
Label = Warner Bros. Records
25900
Producer = Laurie Anderson
Roma Baran
Mike Thorne
Arto Lindsay
Ian Ritchie
Reviews =
Last album = "Home of the Brave"
(1986)
This album = "Strange Angels"
(1989)
Next album = "Bright Red"
(1994)

"Strange Angels" is the title of singer Laurie Anderson's fifth album, released by Warner Bros. Records in 1989.

With this release, Anderson attempted to move away from her previous image as a performance artist into a more musical realm. Although music had always been part of her performance, it was never brought to the fore as much as it was on "Strange Angels".

Completion of this album was delayed for nearly a year when Anderson decided that she needed to take singing lessons; in the process she discovered that she was a mezzo-soprano.

The album includes contributions from vocal artist Bobby McFerrin. Its striking cover photo was shot by Robert Mapplethorpe. One of the songs on this album, "The Dream Before" (also known as "Hansel and Gretel Are Alive and Well") had been introduced several years earlier in her short film, "What You Mean We?", while she had performed "Babydoll" and "The Day the Devil" previously on "Saturday Night Live".

Reaction to Anderson's new direction was mixed, with some critics praising her new style, while some accused her of abandoning her performance art roots, even though Anderson soon began work on a major piece entitled "The Nerve Bible". Her next album would not be released for five years.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Laurie Anderson; except where indicated

# "Strange Angels" – 3:51
# "Monkey's Paw" – 4:33
# "Coolsville" – 4:34
# "Ramon" – 5:03
# "Babydoll" – 3:38
# "Beautiful Red Dress" – 4:43
# "The Day the Devil" – 4:00 (Peter Laurence Gordon)
# "The Dream Before" – 3:03
# "My Eyes" – 5:29
# "Hiawatha" – 6:53

Personnel

*Laurie Anderson - vocals, keyboards, drums on "Coolsville"
*Chris Spedding - guitar
*Jimi Tunnell - guitar
*Peter Scherer - bass, keyboards, and drum programming
*Mark Dresser - bass
*Sue Hadjopoulus - percussion
*Joey Baron - drums
*Cyro Baptista - percussion
*Alex Foster - alto saxophone
*Bobby McFerrin - vocals
*Steve Gadd - drums
*Anton Fier - drums
*Nana Vasconcelos - percussion
*Tony Levin - Chapman stick
*Jimmy Bralower - drum programming
*Lenny Pickett - tenor saxophone and horn arrangements
*David Van Tieghem - percussion
*Leon Pendarvis - drum programming
*David Spinozza - guitar
*Dave Lebolt - keyboards, synthesizers
*Ray Phiri - guitar
*Bakithi Khumalo - fretless bass
*Mark Egan - bass
*Tom "T-Bone" Wolk - accordion
*Hugh McCracken - harmonica
*Gib Wharton - pedal steel guitar
*Louis Del Gatto - baritone saxophone
*Manolo Badrena - percussion
*Ian Ritchie - drum programming
*Gene Tyranny - keyboards
*Lisa Fischer - backing vocals
*Bennie Diggs - backing vocals
*BJ Nelson - backing vocals
*Yolanda Lee - backing vocals
*Phil Ballou - backing vocals
*Angela Clemmons-Patrick - backing vocals
*Paulette McWilliams - backing vocals
*Darryl Tookes - backing vocals
*Diane Wilson - backing vocals
*Earl Gardner - trumpet
*Laurie Frink - trumpet
*Steve Turre - trombone, conch shell
*Robby Kilgore - keyboards
*Crusher - percussion
*John Selolwane - guitar
*Arto Lindsay - guitar
*Mike Thorne - keyboards, drum programming
*Bill Buchen - percussion
*The Roches - backing vocals
*Meatloaf - backing vocals, chant

Babydoll

The lyrics to this song appeared on the liner for the vinyl recording the words centered and formatted into the shape of a doll.cite album-notes
title = Strange Angels
albumlink = Strange Angels
bandname = Laurie Anderson
year = 1989
last = Anderson
format = vinyl
publisher = Warner Bros.
publisherid= 25900]

References