Restocked: Sub Rosa presents a real sensation: 159 minutes of minimal electronic music, readings, and soundtracks from the archives of composer, poet, occultist, calligrapher, and original Velvet Underground drummer Angus Maclise from 1963-1976, featuring Tony Conrad, John Cale, Piero Heliczer, Beverly Grant Conrad and Hetty Maclise. This deluxe 2CD set features rare music, performances, soundtracks, and spoken word by this seminal poet and musician who was active in the New York avant-garde of the '60s. Included is a historical text by poet/photographer Gerard Malanga and many unpublished photographs.
Press Reverse / Press Play by Gerard Malanga
In 1965, Angus would become one of The Velvet Underground's founding members, yet his association with the group would be quickly shortlived. Disenchanted with the direction in which the group's musical agenda was heading, he allowed himself to be fired by Lou Reed, thus curtailing his own part in the Velvet's future recording career, also shortlived. And so the existent old tapes served as a substitute for the past live performances he no longer pursued, nor would he have any hopes of listening to again. The boxes and boxes of tapes remained undisturbed in Don Snyder's closet halfway around thew world in New York. In the end it was destitution and chronic ill-health, not isolation, that led to his untimely death at 42. Astonishingly, his oeuvre spanned hardly a decade.
Choice and Method of Archives Material
Musically the adventure starts here, in 1963, in the company of Tony Conrad - very present throughout the disc - and is prolonged with John Cale circa 1965 and continues either with Angus alone, or with Conrad, or with his wife Hetty. It all ends a few years prior to his death, during an important reading at the Millenium Film Workshop, in New York, on the 17th September 1976. We will be at liberty, through almost 160 minutes of this adventure, to understand the importance of this musician fascinated by the biggest underground activity of New York at that time - we may even discover a few missing links