THE ART OF NOISE ONLINE www.theartofnoiseonline.com

Source: TOTAL MUSIC

Author: Andy Basire

INFLUENCES

THE ART OF NOISE
(Who's Afraid Of?) The Art Of Noise! (ZTT)

Right from the opening on “A Time For Fear”s industrial clanking, littered with Fairlight generated orchestral stabs and sampled commentary, the meeting of ugly angular factory noise and sweet beguiling sub--classical whimsy, this was an album that turned heads. It was also an album that changed lives, and still does if the creators claim to be one of the most sampled acts of all time is to be believed (and it is). You've barely had time to assimilate the onrush of mad juxtapositions before "Beat Box" is upon you, careering around vocal stabs and some particularly brutal vari-speed snare thudding and THAT car sample. Christ on a bike it's only two songs old and already there's more ideas fighting to break out of this than the entire four sides of Yes's Tales From A Topographic Ocean. The cover and inner sleeve are littered with Paul Morley's demented Rimbaud and Goethe spouting ramblings (“The Genesis Of Stupidity' anyone? Nope us neither), and the supremely talented Anne Dudley is letting J.J. Jeczalk, Gary Langan and of course Trevor Horn waz all over her muse with all manner of wide eyed lunatic madness. Three tracks in and, after a brief popcorn Interlude ("Snapshot"), "Close (To The Edit)" raises the stakes even higher by turning from light hearted banter to dark and moody depression in less than a beat. Sound effects jump back an forth from track to track, ideas and sounds are revisited, and yes certainly, some of the synth sounds are a touch on the cheesy side now but given how experimental this was back in 1984 (and we're talking about experimental with an eye on, actually selling a few copies here as opposed to arty bollocks only ten people ever get to hear), it's astounding how much of this still comfortably stands the test of time. Side two leaps straight into the fray with a spooked angular chop through Yho's Afraid (Of The Art Of Noise)" before the truly sublime Voments In Lov& melts the heart and weakens the knees. Innovative, groundbreaking, before it's time '(Who's Afraid Of ?) The Art Of Noise!' is all of these and more. Ignore the later dreadful Max Headroom and Duanne Eddy farragos, THIS is the record that you'll find buried away in pretty much every major dance act of the last twenty years record collection. Listen and find out why.