Naked City was an avant-garde music group from New York City, New York, Uni… Read Full Bio ↴Naked City was an avant-garde music group from New York City, New York, United States led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn, performed from 1988 to 1993. The ensemble was notable for remaining unconfined to any musical category, juxtaposing unrelated styles of music often within individual compositions at breakneck speed. Its music incorporated recognizable elements of jazz, grindcore, surf, classical, thrash, country music, punk rock and other genres. Carl Stalling has been cited as an influence on Zorn and the work of Naked City.
An embryonic version of Naked City appeared on Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary (1990). Zorn was joined by singer Yamatsuka Eye, guitarist Robert Quine, bass guitarist Bill Laswell and drummer Ted Epstein, for a spastic, caterwauling version of The Stooges' "T.V. Eye".
In Naked City's characteristic early style, songs were often performed at astonishingly fast tempos, drawing heavily on thrash metal and hardcore punk's emphasis on extreme speed. Many songs were quite brief, and typically switched musical genres every few measures, perhaps comparable to spinning a radio dial at random and hearing the same band performing on every station. One critic described Naked City's music as "jump-cutting micro-collages of hardcore, country, sleazy jazz, covers of John Barry and Ornette Coleman, brief abstract tussles — a whole city crammed into two or three minute bursts." This fast-change tendency was inspired in part by Carl Stalling — a Zorn favorite — who wrote music for many Warner Brothers cartoons (featuring Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others); music that featured frequent shifts in tempo, theme and style.
Naked City's eponymous first album was distributed by Elektra Nonesuch and featured a famous Weegee photograph (taken 1943) of a dead gangster on its cover along with macabre illustrations by Maruo Suehiro. There was disagreement between Zorn and the label over cover art on subsequent albums. Zorn wanted to use explicit S&M pictures, images from 19th century medical archives, and execution photographs, most notoriously of a Leng Tch'e victim; Elektra Nonesuch refused. Zorn ended his relationship with Elektra, releasing subsequent Naked City albums on Shimmy Disc and his own Avant and Tzadik labels.
Naked City varied their stylistic approach on later releases. The cover repertoire was expanded to include pieces from various modern classical composers such as Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen, whose works are featured on the album Grand Guignol. The album Leng T'che featured a single piece, over 31 minutes in length, of gruelingly slow heavy metal. Torture Garden was made up of several "hardcore miniatures," and Absinthe was ambient and noise textures.
Naked City found perhaps their greatest following among the fans of the many death metal, metal and grindcore bands with which they performed, such as Blind Idiot God, Napalm Death, Carcass and Live Skull. The appearance of "Osaka Bondage" - taken from the album Torture Garden - on the Earache sampler Grindcrusher 2: The Ultimate Earache helped this to some extent.
Zorn discontinued Naked City after Absinthe in 1993 when he felt "... the need to write music for other ensembles, in other contexts, with new ideas." A brief reunion occurred in 2003 for a few shows at European jazz festivals.
The original lineup:
John Zorn - saxophone, vocals, composer;
Bill Frisell - guitar;
Wayne Horvitz - synthesizer, piano;
Fred Frith - bass guitar;
Joey Baron - drums.
Additional members:
Yamataka Eye - vocals (early years);
Mike Patton - vocals (mostly for live shows).
An embryonic version of Naked City appeared on Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary (1990). Zorn was joined by singer Yamatsuka Eye, guitarist Robert Quine, bass guitarist Bill Laswell and drummer Ted Epstein, for a spastic, caterwauling version of The Stooges' "T.V. Eye".
In Naked City's characteristic early style, songs were often performed at astonishingly fast tempos, drawing heavily on thrash metal and hardcore punk's emphasis on extreme speed. Many songs were quite brief, and typically switched musical genres every few measures, perhaps comparable to spinning a radio dial at random and hearing the same band performing on every station. One critic described Naked City's music as "jump-cutting micro-collages of hardcore, country, sleazy jazz, covers of John Barry and Ornette Coleman, brief abstract tussles — a whole city crammed into two or three minute bursts." This fast-change tendency was inspired in part by Carl Stalling — a Zorn favorite — who wrote music for many Warner Brothers cartoons (featuring Road Runner, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others); music that featured frequent shifts in tempo, theme and style.
Naked City's eponymous first album was distributed by Elektra Nonesuch and featured a famous Weegee photograph (taken 1943) of a dead gangster on its cover along with macabre illustrations by Maruo Suehiro. There was disagreement between Zorn and the label over cover art on subsequent albums. Zorn wanted to use explicit S&M pictures, images from 19th century medical archives, and execution photographs, most notoriously of a Leng Tch'e victim; Elektra Nonesuch refused. Zorn ended his relationship with Elektra, releasing subsequent Naked City albums on Shimmy Disc and his own Avant and Tzadik labels.
Naked City varied their stylistic approach on later releases. The cover repertoire was expanded to include pieces from various modern classical composers such as Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives and Olivier Messiaen, whose works are featured on the album Grand Guignol. The album Leng T'che featured a single piece, over 31 minutes in length, of gruelingly slow heavy metal. Torture Garden was made up of several "hardcore miniatures," and Absinthe was ambient and noise textures.
Naked City found perhaps their greatest following among the fans of the many death metal, metal and grindcore bands with which they performed, such as Blind Idiot God, Napalm Death, Carcass and Live Skull. The appearance of "Osaka Bondage" - taken from the album Torture Garden - on the Earache sampler Grindcrusher 2: The Ultimate Earache helped this to some extent.
Zorn discontinued Naked City after Absinthe in 1993 when he felt "... the need to write music for other ensembles, in other contexts, with new ideas." A brief reunion occurred in 2003 for a few shows at European jazz festivals.
The original lineup:
John Zorn - saxophone, vocals, composer;
Bill Frisell - guitar;
Wayne Horvitz - synthesizer, piano;
Fred Frith - bass guitar;
Joey Baron - drums.
Additional members:
Yamataka Eye - vocals (early years);
Mike Patton - vocals (mostly for live shows).
Asylum
Naked City Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Asylum' by these artists:
- I Hold on Lemme tell you something I think I know why you…
4/4 You know this asylum's a cave One they'll make sure Becomes …
7 Minutes in Heaven I might be growing up but I will always be…
A Wedding Anniversary A stranger has come to share my room in the house not…
A9 この世界は人に優しいとは到底言えない これは遺言だ 失くした?失くしたものを知らず 空虚な 不協和音の中で 自分の立…
allalonealaska Now my hands are tied And every one's So full of lies But…
Antigama You used to be better Anything could amuse you There…
Art Life is deceiving while death is revealing The mystic forces…
Asylum Welcome to the place Where your dreams are burn Where the vo…
Aurium Jimmy Cream was keen, his brain was always winnin' I ca…
Awaiting Fear Innocent creation Hatred now Made to be the highest Yet betr…
Billy Woods I think Mengistu Haile Mariam is my neighbor Whoever it is…
Box Of Frogs I've been laughing, smoking, drinking Joking for the last th…
Caerimonium No one heard the yelling I tainted his furious dreams The …
Canidas I do all this sleeping for you I do all…
Chantal Kreviazuk I get so blind From all of these colors Dressed up like…
Chloe Foy I was waiting for so long And when time stops I'll…
Crass I am no feeble Christ not me. He hangs in…
Cressida Lunatic Larry beating his head on the wall Soon it will…
D.F.K. So, based on the charts we have And the diagnosis given We’r…
dälek Adverse effects affect the 10% that might listen Welcome to …
Daughtry There's a reign over the horizon The lunatics have taken the…
Dead Soul This is the darkest thing awhile I have ever seen If…
Disturbed Release me No remnants were ever found of it Feeling the ho…
Disturbed (★) No remnants were ever found of it Feeling the hot bile Wit…
Disturbed - The Studio Album Collection Release me No remnants were ever found of it Feeling the ho…
Disturbed /Disturbed No remnants were ever found of it Feeling the hot bile With…
Disturbed/Musicfire.in Release me No remnants were ever found of it Feeling the ho…
Disturbed倀 No remnants were ever found of it Feeling the hot bile Wit…
Drapht Close to a decade of my life would fly by School…
Ejmatt Pytasz co mi zostało ja nie mam nic więcej A mogę…
Elusive There's a poison running slowly through the veins. All refl…
Emerald Vale I’ll show you inequality, but you’ll be dead before you…
Emerald Vale [deathcore] I'll show you inequality, but you'll be dead before you…
Eminem/Slaughterhouse The lunatics now run the asylum The doctors are dead, nurses…
Flymore Holding nothing Falling down this time Beating kind of som…
From The Ground Up Darkness surrounds me I'm losing all control My thoughts are…
Galt Aureus There is a pulsing heat Like pressure Against my face And re…
Gloomy Grim Dark Forest, Mighty Force Of Nature My Deed is done, Betray…
Goth Mystery Mafia Watered down coke And I spoke with my demons They said I…
Grapefruit Sound Lab Where am I? Help me I can't take the screams anymore Stop…
Grey Mouse In a desperate land Of your hallucinate mind Hear that she c…
Insights Auténtico suplicio Alejado de todos Ya no encuentro el color…
J-LIN Fortified Anodized It's our fear In these eyes Darkest ligh…
Jasepy Asylum Looking for asylum If the feelings all right Then I'm…
jay. Feels like I’m going crazy I’ve been thinking How to make it…
John Legend Our love's an asylum Where you and I go Our love's an…
Just like Gentlemen I know what you do with him, I know what you…
K.I.L.L Hold on Lemme tell you something I think I know why you…
Kevin Coyne Flowering cherry, roses bloom Sunlight streaming into my roo…
Kings & Creatures It's so cold in here feel like I'm in the…
KITCHEN - Supertramp Jimmy Cream was keen His brain was always winnin' I can't ke…
Kodeseven Tonight Losing myself, losing myself Tonight Losing myself, …
Lanes I'm breaking through cages to find my asylum (and I…
Lineaviola I piedi nudi e silenziosi non fanno alcun rumore mentre…
Lita Ford Walking through these halls Filled with anger Screaming fo…
LIVING ROOM - Supertramp Jimmy Cream was keen His brain was always winnin' I can't ke…
Lo-Fi Bitches I see a clinic full of cynics Who want to twist…
Lord Sko Stuck in the chamber of nothing I'm tryna escape but no…
Loudness [Music: Akira Takasaki, Lyrics: Masaki Yamada] The sun be…
Lysistrata Hey ! Sister ! I love you, I love you Hey…
Mirror of Deception [J. Fopp] In my melancholic asylum I embrace the things …
Mo Bangaz Barloss Two psyched out asylum in my head Two psyched out a…
Morne So many years have gone by So much time So many days…
Mull Historical Society I'd lend you my mind but I'm crazy I'd remember times…
Napoleon Da Legend Giallo Point As my habitat changes to passive ass neighbors I got more…
Neuraxis Confined into a cell/a faded glimpse of hope The cold metal…
O.S.I.S. Insomnia Insomnia…
Ohhms Who wants some? It's too late, too late They're coming and…
Phylactery Let the fire burn! My homeland burns in fire Raven circles …
Qulinez feat. Nevve Think I need an asylum Living in a world [?] nothing…
Rascal Miles I wanna be in a room just for me That's quiet,…
Samu.l Le brouillard se lève, ouah, commence à faire froid J'téma v…
Sara Serena Tick tick time time goes so fast Life can flip round…
Scream Silence be my fellow through the frozen pale and in the purple tun…
Shiv-r You mean everything to me Unstitch your eyes and your leathe…
Silverchair Contained in my cotton crib Where I feel no turbulence The o…
Siren Flowering cherry, roses bloom Sunlight streaming into my roo…
SkyDxddy Who are you to dictate what i do Who are you…
Slaughterhouse The lunatics now run the asylum The doctors are dead, nurse…
Slaughterhouse Eminem The lunatics now run the asylum The doctors are dead, nurses…
Slaughterhouse Feat. Eminem The lunatics now run the asylum The doctors are dead, nurse…
Slaughterhouse [Feat. Eminem] The lunatics now run the asylum The doctors are dead, nurses…
Steve Sniff Zase jsem sežral ty pilule Cvok, nejsem a nebudu, ani za…
Studio-X This that dark shit mane Psyche been slain, psyche been slai…
Supertramp Jimmy Cream was keen His brain was always winnin' I can't ke…
Supertramp (Crime Of The Century) Jimmy Cream was keen, his brain wal always winnin', I…
Supertramp - Crime Of The Century Jimmy Cream was keen His brain was always winnin' I can't ke…
Talanas No more asylum Farewell to all I have been It's for the…
Tears When I hear the men outside my window kicking down…
Temple Of Utopia I could not be the same As I started the game…
The Black Dahlia Murder To the ones that we've forgotten and labelled as insane In…
The Road To Milestone Open your eyes. Can you see me standing on the edge…
THISNESS Erasing couldn't beautify The plague of being alone Talking …
To-Mera Living inside a world of reflections Feeding off shadows cl…
Up Darkness surrounds me I'm losing all control My thoughts are…
Vanguard Soft was the blade that cut my throat Sweet was the…
Vended Heart pumping the madness Dilutions leading the status Life'…
W.A.S.P. [Doctor "D" to Jesse] Are you insane? Welcome to the…
Watchtower the fears of an idealistic society strike down the individ…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Naked City:
Blood Duster We are at the summit of the highest mountain We are…
Bonehead Rooaaaaaarr yieeeahh aaaaahhh yoohhh heeeaay Roooooarrrr…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Bionicleman 64
You like jazz?
flandestruck
yeah kinda