The Art Bears' music was often deeply political in content, reflecting the bands' socialist leanings, and frequently experimental. Art Bears were more "song oriented" than Henry Cow, although much of the material that comprised their debut album release was actually written with the intention of being performed by Henry Cow.
Art Bears were formed during the recording of Henry Cow's last album after disagreements arose over the album's content. Frith and Cutler favoured song-oriented material, while others in the band wanted instrumental compositions. As a compromise, Frith, Cutler and Krause agreed, early in 1978, to release the songs already created on their own album, Hopes and Fears, under the name Art Bears, with the rest of Henry Cow credited as guests. The instrumental material appeared later on the final Henry Cow album, Western Culture (1979).
Hopes and Fears (1978) thus consisted of Henry Cow songs plus new Art Bears material recorded later by Frith, Cutler and Krause to complete the album. Towards the end of 1978, Art Bears returned to the studio to record their first "true" album, Winter Songs (1979). It comprised fourteen short songs composed by Frith around texts by Cutler that were based on carvings on the stylobate of the Amiens Cathedral in France.
In December 1978, Art Bears joined Rock in Opposition (RIO), and toured Europe in April and May 1979. For the tour, they added Peter Blegvad (ex-Slapp Happy, guitar, bass guitar, voice) and Marc Hollander (Aksak Maboul, keyboards, clarinet) to their line-up, and rehearsed at the Cold Storage Recording Studios in Brixton, London before leaving for Italy in late April. They performed in Italy, France, Belgium and Czechoslovakia, including an RIO festival on the 1st of May in Milan. Some of the songs recorded during the tour were later added to the album release of Hopes and Fears and The Art Box (2003), a box set of Art Bears material.
The band returned to the studio in 1980 to make one final album, The World as It Is Today (1981), before splitting up. In October 1983 Frith, Cutler and Krause reunited again, this time with Heiner Goebbels and Alfred Harth from Cassiber, Tom Cora and from Skeleton Crew, and George Lewis from the ICP Orchestra under the name "Duck and Cover". The ensemble was initially commissioned for the 1983 Moers Festival at the request of festival director Burkhard Hennen to Alfred Harth, but the group only materialised later that year after another commission by the Berlin Jazz Festival. "Duck and Cover" performed a 40-minute musical piece entitled "Berlin Programme" at the Berlin Jazz Festival in October 1983 in West Berlin, and again at the Festival des Politischen Liedes (Festival of Political Song) in East Berlin in February 1984. The second performance was recorded by Rundfunk der DDR (East German Radio) and broadcast nationally. An edited version of the broadcast was released in September 1985 on one side of the "Rē Records Quarterly Vol.1 No.2" LP record. In 1993 Frith, Cutler and Krause worked together again on a song project, "Domestic Stories" (1993) by Chris Cutler and Lutz Glandien, with saxophonist Alfred Harth. While similar to Art Bears, the addition of Glandien's electronic music made "Domestic Stories" a distinctly different album.
An Art Bears "review" took place in May 2008 at the world premiere of the Art Bears Songbook at the 25th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada. It was performed by Cutler (drums), Frith (guitar, bass guitar, violin, piano), Jewlia Eisenberg (voice), Carla Kihlstedt (violin, voice), Zeena Parkins (keyboards, accordion), Kristin Slipp (voice) and The Norman Conquest (sound manipulation). Krause had been unable to participate and Frith and Cutler decided to rework the trio's repertoire for an expanded group, with the voices of Eisenberg, Slipp and Kihlstedt replacing Krause's "eccentric and idiomatic delivery". The project was so-named because Frith and Cutler did not want it to be seen as an Art Bears reunion. According to All About Jazz the Art Bears Songbook was "not just a highlight, but the highlight of the [five day] festival."
Collapse
Art Bears Lyrics
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Earth turns
It whirls, it
Hurls these men
Aside.
They know no longer
Which way's which
Nor where to turn.
Supports collapse
All things once bound
Are isolate
All things once still
Are agitate
Supports give way
The world turns upside down.
The opening lines of Art Bears's "Collapse" describe a scene of utter chaos and destruction. Stone blocks are spinning, the earth is turning, and men are being thrown aside. This imagery seems to suggest a violent upheaval or cataclysmic event that has disrupted the normal order of things. As a result, the men in the scene are disoriented and lost, unable to navigate their surroundings or find a sense of direction.
As the song continues, we learn that this collapse is not limited to physical structures or landscapes. "Supports" - whether they be social, political, or ideological - are also breaking down, leaving all things "once bound" and "once still" in a state of disarray. It seems that nothing can be relied upon or taken for granted, and the world is turned completely upside down.
Overall, "Collapse" is a bleak and unsettling portrayal of a world in chaos. Rather than offering any hope or resolution, the song leaves us with a haunting sense of disorder and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Stone blocks spin
The earth is constantly in motion, as shown by the rotation of massive stone blocks.
Earth turns
The world is constantly rotating on its axis, leading to a sense of disorientation.
It whirls, it
This chaotic spinning and turning of the world causes confusion and chaos.
Hurls these men
The unpredictable, tumultuous nature of the world throws people off balance, leaving them feeling lost and helpless.
Aside.
With no sense of direction, people are left on the sidelines, unable to navigate the chaos around them.
They know no longer
The disorienting nature of their surroundings has left them confused and unsure of themselves and their place in the world.
Which way's which
Without any clear direction or sense of purpose, people are lost and unable to make sense of their surroundings.
Nor where to turn.
Feeling adrift in a chaotic, unpredictable world, people are unsure of what actions to take or which path to follow.
Supports collapse
The foundations that once held society together are falling apart, making it difficult to maintain stability in the face of constant upheaval.
All things once bound
The ties that once held people and ideas together are fraying, leading to a sense of isolation and disconnection from the larger world.
Are isolate
As these connections break down, people are becoming increasingly isolated and disconnected from their communities and each other.
All things once still
The peace and stillness that once existed in the world is gone, replaced by chaos and unrest.
Are agitate
This constant upheaval and chaos is causing people and society as a whole to become increasingly restless and unsettled.
Supports give way
Without a solid foundation to build upon, society is at risk of collapsing completely.
The world turns upside down.
In the face of this chaos and upheaval, the very foundations of the world are being overturned, leaving people feeling lost and disoriented.
Contributed by Cooper O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cristaux Feur
Good stuff as always for Art Bears