Beat Box (partially found various versions of Art of Noise single; 1983)

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Cover for BeatBox.jpg

The Cover box for "Beat Box"

Status: Partially Found

In December 1983, English avant-grade synthpop group Art of Noise released their debut single, "Beat Box", from their first EP, Into Battle With the Art of Noise.[1] It was a hit for the band and they made other versions of the song, such as "Beat Box Diversions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten", "One Made Earlier" and "Diverted". Most of them were publicly released, but others were unofficially released through some online vinyl stores in the early 1990s.

From June 24 through September 30, 1999, people who purchased their concept album The Seduction of Claude Debussy from certain retailers were offered the opportunity to order a special custom-burned and individually numbered Art of Noise compilation CD-R in a promotion arranged with digital music distributor amplified.com. The discs began shipping after the album (which would be their last) was released in America on June 29.

Three album titles were available to choose from: Bashful, Belief System, and An Extra Pulse of Beauty, each with its own insert and tray inlay design. Initially, purchasers had to select from 5 to 10 of the twelve available tracks, most of which were from the band's original ZTT recording sessions, and the rest of which were previously unreleased. Because the tracks were selected by the customers, the track order varied from disc to disc. Toward the end of the promotion, the track limit was raised to 12, and then the distributors just began burning all 12 of the tracks on every disc, regardless of what was selected.

The album in itself remains lost, but bits of songs have hit the Internet (such as parts of "Beat Box Diverted"), and an NME-exclusive cassette from 1984 called "Department of Enjoyment" featured a song called "Diversions 3 & 4". "Diversion 3" has been released on a compilation called What Have You Done With My Body, God?, while "Diversion 4" has yet to be found. The only fragment of "Diversion 4" was released on the 2010 compilation Influence, A remix of Diversion 3 and 4. The Diversion 3 & 4 Remix can be heard on YouTube.

External Link

References

  1. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 57. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.