The World as It Is Today

Infobox Album | Name = The World as It Is Today
Type = Album
Artist = Art Bears


Released = 1981
Recorded = Switzerland,
August–September 1980
Genre = Avant-progressive rock
Length = 32:11
Label = Recommended
Producer = Art Bears
Etienne Conod
Reviews =
*"Allmusic" Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fpftxq85ldke link]
*Piero Scaruffi (6/10) [http://www.scaruffi.com/vol3/henrycow.html link] | Last album = "Winter Songs"
(1979)
This album = "The World as It Is Today"
(1981)
Next album = "The Art Box"
(2003)

"The World as It Is Today" is the third and last album by English avant-garde rock group Art Bears. It was recorded at Sunrise Studio in Kirchberg, Switzerland between 24 August and 7 September 1980, and was first released in 1981.

For technical reasons, the original release of this album on LP vinyl record was pressed on a 12" disc at 45-rpm, and not the usual 33⅓ rpm.

Contents

"The World as It Is Today" comprises 11 songs, all composed by Fred Frith with texts by Chris Cutler. The last song, "Albion, Awake!" was recorded as an instrumental because Dagmar Krause objected strongly to the violent nature of the lyrics. [ cite web |url=http://www.ccutler.com/ccutler/interviews/fiori.shtml |title=Chris Cutler interview |work=Chris Cutler homepage |accessdate=2007-11-15 ] The lyrics for "Albion, Awake!", however, still appear in the booklet accompanying the album.

Track listing

;Side 1
# "The Song of Investment Capital Overseas" (Frith, Cutler) – 2:38
# "Truth" (Frith, Cutler) – 2:56
# "Freedom" (Frith, Cutler) – 3:25
# "(Armed) Peace" (Frith, Cutler) – 2:30
# "Civilisation" (Frith, Cutler) – 4:52;Side 2
# "Democracy" (Frith, Cutler) – 2:22
# "The Song of the Martyrs" (Frith, Cutler) – 4:09
# "Law" (Frith, Cutler) – 0:51
# "The Song of the Monopolists" (Frith, Cutler) – 1:48
# "The Song of the Dignity of Labour Under Capital" (Frith, Cutler) – 2:27
# "Albion, Awake!" (Frith, Cutler) – 4:08

Personnel

* Fred Frith – guitars, keyboards, viola, violin, xylophone
* Chris Cutler – drums, electric drums, noise
* Dagmar Krause – vocals

ound and art work

*Produced by Art Bears and Etienne Conod
*Cover art by Art Bear IV

CD reissues

*"The World as It Is Today" and Art Bears' previous album, "Winter Songs" were reissued on a single CD in 1988, entitled "25 Songs".
*The album was also reissued in 2003 in "The Art Box", a 6xCD box set of all Art Bears releases with live and unreleased tracks, plus remixes by other musicians.

References

External links

*amg | id = 10:fpftxq85ldke | label = The World as It Is Today
* [http://artbears.findus.dhs.org/discography.html#albums_theworldasitistoday Art Bears – An unofficial reference] . "The World as It Is Today".
* [http://home.arcor.de/nyds-exp-discogs/frith.htm Discography of Fred Frith]
* [http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=ab-twaiit Ground and Sky review] , accessed May 14, 2006