CURATORS, THE - CONTACT HIGH WITH THE CURATORS (LP)

"Unbeknownst to the general public at the time and underappreciated until today, arguably the world's first punk record was recorded on September 28, 1966, in New York. On that day, The Godz got together to record their first album "Contact High with The Godz" in about 30 minutes, to be released on the avant-garde label ESP. It comprises eight rudimentary songs (plus one bizarre Hank Williams cover), played without prior rehearsals or repeats, sounding deliberately incompetent and completely lacking even the political undertones or avant-garde ambitions of other far-out music produced in New York at the same time. In 2008, Berlin-based musician and journalist Jacek Slaski met ESP owner Bernard Stollman in New York and learned the story behind the Godz' first album. He decided to trace and re-enact that historical moment and got together his band The Curators to perform a note-by-note replay of "Contact High with The Godz". Again, without rehearsals or repeats. They set up (without audience) in the Festsaal Kreuzberg in Berlin on November 30, 2008, began by listening to the first Godz song, repeating it, then the next, then the next. The resulting first derivative of the original album was duly titled "Contact High with The Curators" and is finally released here after having laid around on external hard drives for 15 years." (label info) Edition of 200 with insert containing liner notes, and a beautiful sleeve design by Nathan D'Arcy.