From: "Patrice L. Roussel" <proussel@ichips.intel.com> Jim O'Rourke: Reading THE WIRE and other magazines (the ones which care) we get the feeling that Jim transforms in gold everything that he touches (rock, improv, electronics, pop, avant-barnyard country punk, etc). After almost ten years of intense activity, I still can't think of one track by him that I can memorize.
ten tracks worth repeated listenings by Jim O'Rourke 1) "Muni/Michel Piccoli" (Table of the Elements, 7 Nitrogen, 1993,7") 2) "Sheep in Wolves Clothing" from Poetic Silhouettes compilation (AMF, 1034, 1993, cd) 3) "Captain's Bay Road" from Dutch Harbor: Original Film Soundtrack (Atavistic, ALP85CD, 1997, cd) 4) "George" (w/ L.M. Connors & D. Bailey) from Playbacks (Bingo, BIN 004, 1999, cd) 5) "There's Hell in Bern" (w/ L.M. Connors) from Meme compilation (Meme, Meme 000, 1998, cd) 6) "The harp factory on lake street" (Table of the Elements, 19 Potassium, 1995, cdep) 7) "Dry Bones in the Valley" (w/ D. Grubbs & Tony Conrad) from upgrade and afterlife (Drag City, DC90CD, 1996, cd) 8) "Thos. Dudley Ah! Old Must Dye" (w/ D. Grubbs) from Crookt, Crackt, or fly (Drag City, DC43, 1993, cd) 9) "Mere/A Young Person's Guide to Drowning from Disengage" (Staaltape/Korm Plastics, ST 048/KP 4292, 1992, cdx2) 10) most of Xylophonen Virtuosen (Incus, CD38, 2000, cd) The styles of these 10 tracks are diverse. Tracks 1-3 are guitar solos. Tracks 4-5 are guitar duets. Tracks 6-8 are gastr del sol "indie rock" tracks. Track 9 is a minimalist/musique concrete composition. Track 10 is euro free improvisation. I certainly won't take the position that every (or even a majority of the recordings) by O'Rourke are golden (and I haven't heard many of them), but these 10 tracks are. Have you ever heard "Dry Bones in the Valley"? Words don't do it justice. I don't know of many artists that I can, on demand, think of 10 essential tracks. There are many artists frequently discussed on this list that I think would envy a life-long body of work from which ten great tracks could be gleaned. Anyway, my two cents. David K. NP: Dock Boggs: His Folkway Years p.s. 11) Happy Days (Revenant, 101, 1997, cd) I can't believe I left this one off. An hour long track beginning with lovely guitar playing and ending in the roar of a hurdy gurdy drone. At least the first 15 minutes of this track have had many repeated listenings from me.