In 1979 the quintessential
no wave group released two albums simultaneously;
Buy was effectively
the Contortions' debut, originally appearing on the indie label
ZE, while the same project was released as
Off White under the adopted alias of
James White, one of the many identities of leader
James Chance.
The Contortions are considered to be one of the most important and influential groups of the New York
no wave scene, which spawned the crazed postmodern persona of
James Chance alongside
Lydia Lunch,
Mars, and
DNA, among others.
James Chance was a sort of
avant lounge lizard personality cult who led numerous projects throughout the '80s, yet he never quite topped the warped distillation of
punk,
funk, and
free jazz presented here, making
Buy a pivotal recording of the
New York post-punk era. His hybrid of
free jazz sax blowing and agitated
funk takes the contortions up a notch from the four tracks the band contributed to the
Eno-produced
No New York compilation, which debuted the furious angular syncopation of transfigured
funk and
disco rhythms which became
the Contortions' signature.
Chance's vocals and discordant sax will sound strangely familiar and appealing to fans of early
Roxy Music and
Television. ~ Skip Jansen
