*300 copies limited edition* Before there was a second volume, there was this - the first installment of Charlemagne Palestine's archival excavation, and what a revelation it remains. Palestine has always been a prolific artist, his output spanning live performances, studio recordings, installations, and collaborations that stretch back to the late 1960s, yet much of this work has remained hidden in personal archives, heard only by those fortunate enough to be present at the original events. The God Bear Archives I began the process of bringing this material to light, and the results are nothing short of essential for anyone who wishes to understand the full scope of Palestine's achievement. Here we find the maestro in various modes and moods - the sustained keyboard work that made his reputation, certainly, but also vocal pieces, electronic experiments, and moments of unexpected tenderness alongside the more familiar walls of sound.

Palestine's relationship with repetition and duration has always been more complex than simple minimalism; there is an ecstatic, almost religious quality to his best work, a sense that through sheer persistence and concentration, one might break through to another level of consciousness entirely. These recordings capture that spirit in all its intensity, documents of a singular artist following his vision wherever it leads. The God Bear himself - that totemic stuffed animal that has accompanied Palestine through decades of performance - watches over proceedings with benevolent approval.