condition (record/cover): NM / VG+ (light general wear)
Glass's first record on a major commercial label. North Star started as a commission from Barbara Rose for the film Mark Di Suvero, Sculptor (1977), directed by François de Menil: a documentary about the Italian-American sculptor's return from self-imposed exile in France during the Vietnam War. Glass wrote one short piece for each of nine Di Suvero sculptures, then re-sequenced and remixed the cues for the LP. Seventeen miniatures result, almost all under five minutes.
Glass plays Farfisa, Yamaha and Hammond organs, Fender Rhodes and ARP. Dickie Landry on soprano and tenor saxophone and flute. Joan La Barbara and Gene Rickard on wordless voice. Kurt Munkacsi engineered and co-produced. Are Years What? takes its title from a Marianne Moore poem. Virgin originally released the LP in 1977 as cat. 2933 754; OVED 35 is the 1982 Overground-series reissue.
