Superior Viaduct dip into the Liquid Liquid archives

The San Francisco label are planning a retrospective spanning the iconic New York act’s formative years as Liquid Idiot and Idiot Orchestra.

As Flora Pitrolo put it so colourfully when discussing Music From Memory’s Vito Ricci retrospective for her latest reissue column, “we’ve certainly had our fill of those 1970s and 1980s downtown New York ‘oh weren’t we all so much fun and so pioneering’ mythologies”. Of the many bands from this era of music, 99 Records act Liquid Liquid are amongst the most recognisable thanks to their cowbell-laden punk funk grooves and Sal Principato’s bracing yelp that inspired everyone from Grandmaster Melle Mel to JD Twitch and Johnny Wilkes’ Optimo (Espacio) in one shape or form. Sal Principato also makes a mean vegan pizza, as featured on this site a few years back.

Both Mo Wax and Domino have previously documented Liquid Liquid’s music on compilation releases and news now arrives San Francisco archivalists Superior Viaduct are planning their own programme of releases celebrating Principato & company’s contributions. August will see Superior Viaduct reissue three of the band’s classic 12″s in Liquid Liquid, Successive Reflexes and Optimo but it’s the album they have planned alongside them that is most interesting.

A 15-track Liquid Idiot/Idiot Orchestra LP details the two bands of the same name that members of Liquid Liquid were in prior to forming the group, drawing material from some rare 7″s that were pressed in hyper-limited editions and self-released. Liquid Idiot formed at Rutgers University, New Jersey, in the late ’70s but soon relocated to New York and soon became part of the city’s gig circle playing at Tier 3, Mudd Club and CBGB. The Idiot Orchestra was apparently an offshoot of Liquid Idiot, that featured over a dozen members which Superior Viaduct suggest resembled a No Wave version of Raymond Scott’s big band.

The forthcoming retrospective looks to be the first chance to assess both bands, and features a new interview with Liquid Liquid bassist Richard McGuire who has the following to say on the creative motivations of the two bands. “We weren’t trying to sound like anyone. We weren’t imitating anyone. We were just playing. I keep using ‘outsider art’ as a reference to what we were doing. None of it was made for a market; it wasn’t made with any intention other than the enjoyment of making it.” You can preview a track by both acts from the forthcoming release for an idea of what to expect.

Superior Viaduct will release s/t by Liquid Idiot/Idiot Orchestra on August 21 along with the three Liquid Liquid 12″ reissues.

Trackisting:

1. Medium Egg
2. Sweat Smelling Jungel
3. Hollow Baton
4. Scotty Laughs
5 .Times When I Go Liquid
6. Mr. Vacume
7. Yeah I Know
8. Brown Paper Suit
9. Coco and the Shakedown
10. Big City
11. Jungle
12. Duets
13. Four Bursts / 96 Fingers
14. Appolo Thinner
15. Is Ken Here?