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."
Joan
Art Bears Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the dark days I heard voices
Emptied of fear
My shell, was a vessel of love
Light led me forward
Death was not questioned
I embraced him my breast with
Child of my life: the names turned my
Flesh into legend.
I have known ecstasy,
Killed and led armies
To Victory
– Was I a witch? In the darks
I heard voices.
The song "Joan" by Art Bears is a commentary on the life and legacy of Joan of Arc, the medieval French heroine who was executed for heresy at the age of 19. The lyrics suggest that Joan may have been a witch, as she heard voices in the dark days and was able to lead armies to victory. However, the song also portrays Joan as an empty vessel of love, fearless in the face of death and willing to embrace it as a part of her martyrdom. The reference to Joan's milk swelling suggests that she may have been pregnant or had recently given birth, adding a new layer of complexity to her story. The closing lines of "Was I a witch? In the darks I heard voices" emphasize the mysterious, almost supernatural quality of Joan's life and the questions that continue to surround her to this day.
Overall, the song "Joan" is a haunting and thought-provoking tribute to one of history's most enigmatic and fascinating figures. It explores Joan's experiences in a poetic and evocative way, highlighting both her strength and her vulnerability as a woman living in a time of great turmoil and upheaval. While the lyrics may be open to interpretation, they offer a powerful glimpse into the mind and soul of a courageous young woman who defied societal norms and ultimately paid the ultimate price for her convictions.
Line by Line Meaning
Was I a witch?
Did my supernatural powers and abilities make me a witch?
In the dark days I heard voices
During difficult times, I would hear inner voices that guided me
Emptied of fear
Lacking fear and uncertainty in my path
My shell, was a vessel of love
My physical body was full of love that I could share with others
Light led me forward
I followed a guiding light towards my destiny
Death was not questioned
I did not fear death or question its purpose in my life
I embraced him my breast with
I accepted death with open arms
Milk swelling.
My motherly instincts were present and strong
Child of my life: the names turned my
My child was the most important part of my life and their name became legendary
Flesh into legend.
My existence became a legendary tale
I have known ecstasy,
I have experienced extreme happiness and joy
Killed and led armies
I have both taken lives and led armies to victory
To Victory
I successfully led my army to a victorious outcome
Was I a witch? In the darks
Again, do my supernatural powers make me a witch? I heard voices during dark times.
Contributed by Elena O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
krnewman
kicks butt