BOX.release
.us 12aug03
.eu 18aug03
.uk 18aug03
buy the box
& book
For ten years,
Björk has made albums and orbited the earth like a satellite on a mission;
the mission to share the music live in concert. Understandably, nobody can
not go to every nook and cranny in the world, and thus, everybody may not
get a chance to attend a concert.
For ten years, the fans
have had to seek to bootlegs of various degree of quality if they want to
sample that liveness. So, Björk thought she'd make a proper taste of
liveness, of proper sound quality, to celebrate a decade of musicianship.
This taste turned out quite a mouthful; a box full
of treats. One cd per album, a collection of audiomorsels from various tours.
Not only 5 audio cd's, but also a book/let and a dvd; a book/let with 36
pages of words about all her albums from <debut> to <vespertine>,
and a dvd with 5 videos recorded live in concert.
mtv
unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] later with jools holland [1995] mtv unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] mtv unplugged [1994] |
01 |
human
behaviour one day venus as a boy come to me big time sensuality aeroplane like someone in love crying the anchor song violently happy |
First
and last draft I always have difficulty in finding something to follow up listening to Björk, except perhaps silence. She was a whole new experience for everyone. The time was perfect, coming as the London scene seemed to catch fire. At that time she did not seem absolutely certain about where to head. Life was romantic, she was open and sensitive to new influences. Yet her musical vision was personal and clear and shared with no one, although her music and songs were open to be handled in all kinds of ways. This was in the heyday of remix culture. When Björk released <Debut>, a unique voice appeared at exactly the right moment. But for some while at least, her voice would overshadow her talents as a musician, lyricist and songwriter. |
Björk
entered the world of pop after being part of the Sugarcubes, as a
fully formed artist, creative and experimental. Fusing popular culture
with the classical world of different ethnic backgrounds. This is
the essence that she conceptualises in the reworking of her first
album, <Debut>, for an MTV Unplugged session. At the time this
was a cultural statement that influenced and shifted the direction
of popular music. For me, the evolution of <Debut> is a symbol
of originality and freedom. The MTV Unplugged session is in effect
a reincarnation of <Debut>, although the music in it is closer
to the origin or essence than <Debut> itself was. It was a refreshing
venture that heralded a creative and exciting future for popular music.
Björk’s Unplugged performance is a kind of journey bringing
you into touch with the world you will later discover in her music. |
shepherd's bush empire [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] later with jools holland [1997] later with jools holland [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] shepherd's bush empire [1997] tfi friday [1996] taratata [1996] shepherd's bush empire [1997] |
01 |
headphones army of me one day the modern things isobel possibly maybe hyperballad i go humble big time sensuality enjoy i miss you it's oh so quiet the anchor song |
The
Future Of Music Björk is a creator of a unique style that in its own way is as important as anything in popular music. It’s about creativity, taking risks and being popular, all at the same time. The performances are strong and her music is experimental, but at the same time romantic and lyrical. Björk has never been limited to one level at a time. She has never been obvious. The <Post> tour is interesting when seen in the context of Björk’s whole career. Like the <Debut> period, three projects are in progress at once. <Post> the album, the remix version <Telegram> and t he concert tour whi ch i s documented here at first hand. A very different approach to music is being made here. By this time, Björk had a different role in the melting pot of the world of pop from when she made <Debut>. She leads the way instead of receiving. She is a pop star in Britain whom the rest of the world looks towards, waits for, but at the same time she follows her own private path and is doing very modern things in the pop music world. |
She
is forging the style here. The music is influenced by all sounds.
In her musical world we don’t experience <once>, we experience
the future of <now> and a lot of attitude. Sometimes Björk
sings a song that is written by someone else. Once we hear her sing
the song, it is hers. <It’s Oh So Quiet> is one of the
rare covers she has done during the last ten years. On the <Post>
tour this was always part of the programme. Here Björk performs
it unforgettably. Beyond Hollywood or Vegas. |
|
cambridge
[1998] paris [1998] washington [1998] prague [1998] spain [1998] spain [1998] london [1997] prague [1998] belgium [1998] vienna [1998] later with jools holland [1997] montreal [1998] prague [1998] later with jools holland [1997] later with jools holland [1997] cambridge [1998] |
01 |
vísur
vatnsenda-rósu hunter you've been flirting again isobel all neon like possibly maybe 5 years come to me immature i go humble bachelorette human behaviour pluto jóga so broken the anchor song |
The
Riddle of Emotion <Homogenic> conveys love and respect for nature. She sings about an emotional landscape. It is sometimes said that people are like the land and the air they breathe. We feel the freedom, calm and force residing there. The landscape houses a cultural reality. With emotions associated with culture and nature, we look inwards. At the heart of creativity i s fi re. Tongues of fl ame twine happi ness and disappointment, creation and stasis. It is not a question of missing something, but rather of triumphing and acquiring happiness. <Homogenic> is a journey home, into the essence. |
Music
comes into being in two worlds. It searches for its roots and portrays
its own independence. Looks close up and from a distance. Björk
creates the beat, the foundation from the forces within nature where
she was brought up. In many places in the songs there is an Icelandic
atmosphere, as in <Jóga> and <Immature>. In other
songs such as <Hunter> and <So Broken> we sense influences
from Spain, where much of the work on <Homogenic> took place.
The music that Björk presented with <Homogenic> is generally
highly structured, mysterious and emotional. |
<Homogenic>
makes me think about something that happened in Brazil in the 1960s:
<<The march against electric guitars>>. It wasn’t
really against electric guitars. This was a march against many things,
but the slogans were against foreign music. With <Homogenic> Björk
declares independence in the widest sense of the term. Independence
from prevailing values in the world of pop. <So Broken> is one
of the rarities included here. There are three known performances of
this song. One is the studio recording which appears as the B-side to
<Jóga> (CD 2), and another a live performance in Spain
where Raimundo joined Björk on stage to perform a 15-minute improvisation.
The version chosen here is a TV performance. This song is a sophisticated,
timeless feeling of broken promises delivered in a very direct way.
It’s a piece of emotion from something deeper and perhaps separate
from the core of the song itself. The sound is clear and genuine. As
one well known singer put it: She has a voice like an ice-pick. It seems
to travel through metal and concrete and glass. The music is like nature
in this way too, all-pervading. |
| all
live on tour 2001 |
01 |
frosti overture all is full of love cocoon aurora undo unravel i've seen it all an echo, a stain generous palmstroke hidden place pagan poetry harm of will it's not up to you unison it's in our hands |
Art
As Life <<Art should introduce us to life>>, said composer John Cage. An apt watchword when we explore the world of <Vespertine>. In <Vespertine> we enter a world of variegated sound. The rhythmical structure sometimes sounds complex and on first impression the music may seem experimental and modern. But it immediately engages interest. You want to peek behind the curtains. Distinctive sounds play an important role in the beautiful flow of lyrical melodies. <Vespertine> is about writing songs in the world of electronic pop, in the same way that <Debut> was songwriting in the world of house music. Here we do not experience distance in time and space, past or present. We are taken somewhere very special. |
She sings of love as openly and candidly as anyone has ever done. <Vespertine> is not the paradise of the dead but the perfect world where paradise is created by love. A moment of friendship and praise of quiet life. It’s about the feeling of being alone. It’s about opening up and experiencing your own emotions. She stepped out and brought with her a female choir from Greenland, an orchestra, a harpist and wizards of sound. Went on a tour around the world, in celebration of pristine nature, harmony and the beauty of human emotion. It happened in the most beautiful halls designed for music anywhere in the world. Some people might consider it regal, but popular culture usually dresses to fit the occasion. In concert we perceive and experience <Vespertine> in a new light, and equally importantly, in the context of Björk’s other work. |
| mtv
unplugged [1994] taratata [1996] later with jools holland [1997] royal opera house [2001] royal opera house [2001] |
01
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one
day it's oh so quiet jóga aurora it's not up to you |
In connection with the release of the Live Box, there will also be a Live Book This book features a transcribed conversation that took place between Björk and Ásmundur Jónsson in Björk's home in 2002, covering her whole solo career album by album, aswell as getting into about the people who have accompanied her on stage worldwide via their music and imagery. The book is in A4 format, 30 pages long, and features:
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