Comprised of 1/2 the members of the legendary HENRY COW, during the late 70's this group made 3 of the most powerful statements yet in the world of Art-Rock. Whereas Henry Cow showed an inclination to write long-ish compositions interspersed with improvisational aspects, ART BEARS' approach combined a more lyrical display, with shorter, extended-song forms. Typically, the word-strong poetry of drummer CHRIS CUTLER was the impetus for the group's recordings. Once written, it was set to music by multi-instrumentalist FRED FRITH, (often in a spur-of-the-moment fashion) and was then extrapolated upon and built up by the group during the recording/mixing process in a way that usually validated the lyrical intent.

HOPES AND FEARS: This shows the group at its most formidable stage in terms of composition. The pieces are often highly complex, with ideas that zig-zag through a maze of musical imagery, highlighting the group at their peak of virtuosity. DAGMAR KRAUSE's vocal prowess is stunningly effective as a narrative point to the lyrical subject matter, and the recording itself was edited in a sequence where re- peating themes and studio wizardry present the album as a cycle of related, "songs".

WINTERSONGS: is no less experimental, but offers an even stronger, clearer set of artistic visions. Here the trio of ART BEARS stand alone, and the stripped- down sense of instrumentation, which almost resembles a standard combo (guitar, bass, piano, drums and singing), makes a simpler (though more poignant) musical statement. Often Fred Frith's penchant for angular melodies is forestalled, and re- placed with single note, "non-melodies" in a sort of minimalist, rhythmic accordance to the text's settings. Experimental studio work and effects abound, yet the sound is more economical and hard-hitting than the band's earlier work.

THE WORLD AS IT IS TODAY : is a scathing, brutal and disturbingly honest venture into the horrors of contemporary inhumanity and political digression. Here ART BEARS forage even more boldly into aspects of using the recording studio as a compositional instrument : A tape of a lawnmower is slowed down several steps to convincingly create the sounds of machine-gun fire and bombs. A Geiger counter is emulated by radically E.Q.ing drum sticks played on a tile flooring in the studio. No punches are pulled, and the band goes all-out on this, their final recording. The playing is aggressive and hefty, and the sound immaculate, intense and, at times, downright scary.

ART BEARS REVISITED : As the years passed and technology marched on, the band decided to let some other artists (all of whom are well-known for their advanced focus on music thru innovation) to remix the three original albums. On the 3 disks referred to as "REVISITED" in this box, we are treated to how others percieve the importance of the Art Bears' back catalog by their own standards in the current studio world, using the resurrected master tapes as a starting point. In all cases the work is as radical today as it was when the band first offered it up a quarter of a century ago. Features:Bob Drake, Stephan Tickmeyer, Jon Rose, Christian Marclay Thomas Dimuzio, Musci-Venosta, Lars Pedersen (When), Warrick Swinney (The Kalahari Surfers), Biota, The Residents, Otomo Yoshida, and, well..too many more to mention here. You get the idea. It harkens the Art Bears trilogy into a new era of technology, aesthetic and sound, all of which had yet to be introduced back when the albums were made.

Also on these disks are previously unreleased concert recordings, a reissue of the "Collapse" 45 rpm (from Ralph Records), a newly completed piece by the band aptly called,"Rebirth" (which was hitherto a poem in the coveted "Wintersongs" book), "All Hail" from the Recommended Sampler, and the extremely rare live version of "Coda to Man and Boy" from the Cantu recording.