Laurie Anderson - Big Science (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by the Enhanced CD reissue released in 2007 by Nonesuch Records.

One night not too long ago, I was listening to my copy of the Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 7, which concludes with O Superman (For Massenet), a single which peaked at #2 in the UK but laid an egg here in the US. It had been a good while since I had heard the song and I stopped what I was doing and simply listened. I hit the repeat button and did it again. It is such a great work from a master storyteller. My LP copy of Big Science is scratched to hell so I ordered this CD and here we are.

In the liner notes, Anderson describes this piece as being about "technology, size, industrialization, shifting attitudes toward authority, and individuality." Which kinda sorta meshes with my thoughts of it being all about power: who wants it, who takes it, who keeps it, etc. The somewhat minimalist music is secondary to the lyrical imagery, but it's all about pushing everything forward. I usually don't pay much attention to lyrics, but the music practically forces you do so and how can I not admire writing such as:

• "I came home today and you were all on fire"
• "this book would be thick enough to stun an ox."
• "Your eyes. It's a day's work just looking into them."
• "This is the time. And this is the record of the time."

I'm sure you would have different favorites, but that's what is catching my ear today. I was a bit too young to be a part of the alternative NYC/No Wave scene, but I would love to travel back there and hang out with people like Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, and Arthur Russell.

Press of the time:

• Robert Christgau (A-): "she achieves moments of humor so exquisite that I just have to hear them again"
• Musician: "This is the avant-garde art music album for folks who generally hate the stuff"
• Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "I think it's great."
• Billboard: "playful, provocative, and challenging"
• Stereo Review: "low-budget Mike Oldfield crossed with early-Seventies bubblegum"
• Rolling Stone (★★★★): "Even without visual aids, Laurie Anderson manages to communicate three ideas at once."
• Trouser Press: "a rewarding experience with limited impact"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #124
• CashBox: #113
• Rolling Stone: #23

Tracks: It's all one song cycle and really should be experienced as a 39 minute whole. I have to admit, however, that I have to be in exactly the right mood to spin this one.

This 2007 disc was released as an "Enhanced CD" so let's find a computer with a CD/DVD drive and check out the extras:

• video for O Superman (recommended)
• Bonus track plus downloadable MP3 and WAV files of Walk The Dog, the b-side of O Superman
• lyrics and credit for Walk The Dog
• links for the websites of Anderson and the record label.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I was first exposed to this album around age 16 or 17, I was mesmerized by the possibilities. And when I finally saw the video for O Superman, I was fully convinced that I need to become some sort of starving performance artist squatting in a loft in NYC. This never happened for two reasons: 1) a crippling case of stage fright which usually rendered me completely nervous and exhausted prior to any performance then a limp, sweaty pool of wasted anxiety following the show; and 2) a complete lack of talent. Still, I wish I had given it a shot, if only to upset the adults in my life. 😈 At the very least, I might have learned something from the attempt.