BILL LASWELL

DECONSTRUCTION - THE CELLULOID RECORDINGS

 Disc one :
  1/  World Destruction - Time Zone              (Bambaataa,Laswell)           5.30
  2/  Killing Time - Massacre                    (Massacre)                    2.52
  3/  Mean Machine - Jalal Nuriddin & D. ST.     (Nuriddin,Showard)            4.40
  4/  Electric Africa - Manu Dibango             (Dibango)                     10.23
  5/  Worksong - Bill Laswell                    (Laswell,Beinhorn,Lewis)      7.16
  6/  Memories - Material                        (Houston)                     3.58
  7/  Death Rattle - P. Brotzmann & B. Laswell   (Brotzman,Laswell)            4.24
  8/  Reduction - Material                       (Material)                    5.30
  9/  Uprising - Bill Laswell                    (Laswell,Beinhorn,Lewis)      1.08
  10/ Boat Peoples - Deadline                    (Dibango,Turre,Wilson)        7.02
  11/ For A Few Dollars More - Material          (Morricone)                   4.22
  12/ Get Movin' - The Last Poets                (El-Hadi,Worrell)             5.58
  13/ Busting Out - Material                     (Laswell,Beinhorn,Maher)      8.03

          Tracks 4,7 & 12 produced by Bill Laswell
          Tracks 5,6,8,9,11 & 13 produced by Material
          Track 1 produced by Bill Laswell & Afrika Bambaataa
          Track 2 produced by Massacre
          Track 3 produced by Bill Laswell & D.ST
          Track 10 produced by Bill Laswell & Phillip Wilson


 Disc two :
  1/  Oh My People - The Last Poets              (El-Hadi)                     6.50
  2/  Cross Examination - Fela Anikulapo Kuti    (Kuti)                        11.53
  3/  Interlock - Ginger Baker                   (Baker)                       4.55
  4/  Harima - Mandingo                          (Suso)                        6.03
  5/  Locomotive - P. Brotzmann & B. Laswell     (Brotzman,Laswell)            3.33
  6/  Change The Beat -  Fab Five Freddy         (Zekri,Material)              7.43
  7/  Shango Message - Shango                    (Material,Bambaataa)          7.44
  8/  Legs - Massacre                            (Massacre)                    2.03
  9/  My Balls/ Your Chin - Last Exit            (Last Exit)                   2.20
  10/ Square Dance - Material                    (Frith,Laswell,Maher)         4.29
  11/ Natalia - Toure Kunda                      (Toure)                       4.56
  12/ O.A.O. - Material                          (Material)                    4.43

          Tracks 1,2,3,5 & 11 produced by Bill Laswell
          Track 4 produced by Bill Laswell & Foday Musa Suso
          Tracks 6 & 10 produced by Material
          Track 7 produced by Bill Laswell & Afrika Bambaataa
          Track 8 produced by Massacre
          Track 9 produced by Last Exit
          Track 12 produced by George Gomelski & Material
Disc One :
(1) Afrika Bambaataa & John Lydon : vocals; Bill Laswell : bass, DMX; Bernie Worrell : synthesizer; Nicky Skopelitis : guitar; Aiyb Dieng : percussion; (2) Fred Frith : guitar, voice, Cassiotone; Bill Laswell : 4 & 8 string basses, pocket trumpet; Fred Maher : drums, percussion; (3) Jalal Mansur Nuriddin : vocals; D. ST. : vocals, DMX, Prophet 5, Moog Rogue, Moog source, turntables; Bill Laswell : shortwave; Infinity : the Fliest Booski God Father KC; King Pin Shahiem : background vocals; (4) Manu Dibango : vocals, saxophone; Herbie Hancock : Yamaha DX-7, piano; Bill Laswell : Fairlight CMI, AMS; Aiyb Dieng : jimbe; Valerie Lobe & Brice Wouassy : drums, percussion; Joseph Kuo : Simmons; Jerry Malekani & Vincent Nguini : guitar; Francis Mbappa : bass, vocals; Florence Dimbeng & Sissy Dipoko : vocals; Segona Peter Tholo : trumpet; (5) Bill Laswell : electric basses; Michael Beinhorn : Prophet 5, shortwave, synthesizer, tapes; George Lewis : trombone; Ralph Carney : bass saxophone, contrabass clarinet; Daniel Ponce : congas; Philip Wilson : drums; (6) Whitney Houston : vocals; Archie Shepp : tenor saxophone; Raymond Jones : Yamaha CP-70B, electric piano; Yogi Horton : drums; Michael Beinhorn : synthesizers; Bill Laswell : basses; (7) Bill Laswell : electric basses; Peter Brotzmann : bass saxophone; (8) Bill Laswell : 4 & 6 string basses; Michael Beinhorn : synthesizers, prepared piano, percussion, tapes; Fred Maher : guitar, drums, percussion; (9) Bill Laswell : electric basses; Michael Beinhorn : tapes, Prophet 5, synthesizers, shortwave; Ronald Shannon Jackson : drums; Fred Frith : guitar, violin, string console; (10) Manu Dibango : tenor saxophone, voice; Bernie Worrell : synthesizer; Steve Turro : conch shells, didjeridu; Olu Dara : cornet, wood trumpet; Aiyb Dieng : congas, cowbell; Phillip Wilson : DMX, percussion; Bill Laswell : DMX, AMS; (11) Bill Laswell : 4, 6 & 8 string basses; Henry Kaiser & Robert Musso : guitar; Grand Mixer D.ST. : turntable; Daniel Ponce : percussion; Anton Fier : drums; Michael Beinhorn : tapes, synthesizer, radio, guitar, drums, voice; (12) Suliaman El-Hadi : vocals; Bernie Worrell : synthesizer; Aiyb Dieng : chatan, cowbell; Bill Laswell : DMX, AMX; (13) Nona Hendryx : lead vocal; Ronnie Drayton : guitar; Fred Maher : drums; Michael Beinhorn : synthesizers; Bill Laswell : basses.

Disc Two :
(1) Suliaman El-Hadi : vocals; Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin : vocals; Jamal Abdus Sabur : bass; Kenyatti Abdur Rahman : congas; Aiyb Dieng : talking drums, chatan, cowbell; Phillip Wilson : cymbals, percussion; (2) Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80 with; Bernie Worrell : Hammond B3; Aiyb Dieng : Yamaha DX 11, chatan, cowbell; Sly Dunbar : drums; (3) Ginger Baker : drums; Foday Musa Suso : dousongonni; Shankar : violin; Bernie Worrell : organ; Nicky Skopelitis : 6 & 12 string guitars; Bill Laswell : bass; Daniel Ponce : bata, bells; Aiyb Dieng : talking drum, chatan, bells; (4) Foday Musa Suso : kora, dousongonni, kalimba, lead vocal, talking drum; Herbie Hancock : Yamaha DX-7; Joe Thomas : bass; Abdul Hakeen : guitar; Adam Rudolph : congas, Morrocan bongos, frafra bell, Gnouan clappers, shekere, turtle shell; Hamid Drake : drums; Reymond Sillah : dundungo; Isatou Walker & Nora Harris : backing vocals; Aiyb Dieng : talking drums; Bill Laswell & Foday Musa Suso : DMX programming; (5) Peter Brotzmann : bass saxophone; Bill Laswell : electric basses; (6) Fab Five Freddy : vocals; Phillip Wilson : percussion; Bill Laswell : DMX, bass; Michael Beinhorn : synthesizer; Roger Trilling : voice; (7) Afrika Bambaataa & Bernard Fowler : vocals; Bill Laswell : bass, percussion; Michael Beinhorn : Prophet 5, percussion; (8) Fred Frith : guitar, voice; Bill Laswell : 4 & 8 string basses, pocket trumpet; Fred Maher : drums, percussion; (9) Sonny Sharrock : guitar; Peter Brotzman : tenor, alto & bass saxophones, taragato; Bill Laswell : Fender 6 string bass; Ronald Shannon Jackson : drums, voice; (10) Bill Laswell : 4,6 & 8 string bass; Fred Frith : guitar, violin, xylophone; Henry Threadgill : alto saxophone; George Lewis : trombone; Michael Beinhorn : synthesizers, tapes, radio, voice, guitar, drums; (11) Ismaila Toure, Sixu Tidiane Toure & Ousmane Toure : vocals, percussion; Bernie Worrell : Prophet 5, synthesizer, fairlight CMI; Foday Musa Suso : kora, talking drum; Aiyb Dieng : chatan, cowbell, jimbe, percussion; Nicky Skopelitis, J.C. Bonaventure & Roger Chico Dru : guitar; Michel Abissihra : drums; Ben Benlinga & Michel Billez : saxophone; Nabou Diop : vocals; Albain Ehrlich : piano; Lionel Jouot : trombone; Christian Martinez : trumpet; (12) Michael Beinhorn : synthesizers, piano, clarinet, tapes; Bill Laswell : bass; Fred Maher : drums, rhythm box; Cliff Cultreri : guitar.

          1993  -  Restless (USA),  7  72665-2  (2CD)
          1994  -  Celluloid (Europe),  CELCD 5100  (2CD)

REVIEWS :

A more than adequate overview of Laswell's work at Celluloid, where he successfully blurred the division lines between hip-hop, rap, reggae, African music, jazz, and avant-garde, this two-CD anthology includes his work as a producer as well as solo and band recordings. Laswell displays both his strengths and weaknesses (brilliant bass playing, over-reliance on some technotoys, an ear for combinations, a tendency to lock down in one place). One of his strongest pieces, "World Destruction" (Timezone, featuring Afrikaa Bambaataa and John Lydon) kicks the album off, and after that it's a true roller-coaster ride that sails through various line-ups of Material via Manu Dibango, Massacre, Fela Anukulapo Kuti, The Last Poets, and Ginger Baker, amongst others. Some listeners will explore further, which they will most likely find beneficial.

Steve McDonald (courtesy of the Get Music website – originally from the All Music Guide)