DEREK BAILEY & SIMON H. FELL - THE COMPLETE AUGUST 15th 2001

(confront collectors series ccs 22)

 

***CD EDITION SOLD OUT***

 

Derek Bailey : acoustic guitar 
Simon H. Fell : double bass 

 

This is the full recording - freshly remastered - of the 2001 duo gig, an excerpt from which appeared in 2002 on a long-deleted Sound 323 mini-CD which was voted a record of the year by THE WIRE magazine in 2002.

 

Here at last is the full performance in all its exhilarating acoustic power; an unplugged (but very intense) set from a hot and summery Wednesday afternoon, recorded in the basement of Sound 323 in London by Tim Fletcher.

 

“Fell and Bailey goad each other into some of the most impassioned playing I've heard from either artist. The opening is explosive, with sonic shards and fragments flying across the sound stage, the two instruments at times indistinguishable in the sound mass. The later part of the track yields some respite, with arco bass and gentle atonal guitar lines - 'insect music' maybe - but the overall tenor is muscular and intense. The antagonists show no signs of flagging in their search for new instrumental sonorities - at one point I could have sworn there was a dog yelping in there. The result could become quite a collector's item. Aesthetically, it's a delightfully minimal little product ... it might be a good idea to get yours soon.” (Andy Hamilton THE WIRE)

 

Voted one of SQUIDCO.COM's top 40 best selling albums of 2013