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    Rhys Chatham

    Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989

    Rhys Chatham - Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989

    11/05/2002

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    All Music Guide Review

    Table of the Elements' three-CD box set An Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989 fills in a significant gap in what is known about the development of the "downtown" New York music scene and one of its most vital participants, composer Rhys Chatham, whose first name is pronounced like "reese." Chatham moved from an academically based milieu of arch-minimalism in the early '70s toward massed electric guitar ensembles playing thorny, large-scale noise compositions (with a beat) in New York art galleries and nightclubs by the end of the decade. This collection covers some of the high points in Chatham's compositional oeuvre up until and including his first work utilizing an orchestra of 100 electric guitars, "An Angel Moves Too Fast to See" (1989). Chatham is definitely not a composer who is in a hurry -- the box set adds up to 162 minutes of music, yet contains only seven musical works. The whole of the first disc is devoted to a 1989 performance of Chatham's 1971 piece "Two Gongs" and the whole third disc to the five movements that make up the title work. In between are a number of shorter pieces, including a 1982 recording of the landmark "Guitar Trio" (1977) that is said to have spurred composer Glenn Branca on to his given choice of musical endeavor shortly afterward. The most bracing of these works is "Drastic Classicism" (1982), which in its time represented the big ugly in New York no wave tone-cluster guitar maximalism. "Waterloo No. 2" (1986) and "Massacre on McDougal Street" (1989) show off the talents ofChatham's brass band.

    Chatham was under-represented in the vinyl era, and what did appear then managed to be more representative of steps along the way rather than an overview of his style and musical journey. An Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989 redresses this issue both musically and in terms of documentation, as it includes a 143-page booklet with essays on the music by Tony Conrad, Lee Ranaldo, and Chatham himself. Of particular interest is a valuable multi-part memoir by Chatham entitled "Composer's Notebook 1990," which not only summarizes the evolution of the downtown New York loft scene of the 1970s and 1980s but ties this activity back to art music from earlier times. Not everyone will agree with the narrative that Chatham has provided here, but having his side of the story, and his thoughtful evaluation of what it all means for contemporary music, is tremendously helpful in any case. If a listener is interested in the underground music of this period and how its legacy continues to inform current styles, then he/she could hardly avoid acquiring this set. Those who are looking for instant, visceral gratification may find the going slow in spots, although the deliberate process through which Chatham takes his compositions can be highly satisfying intellectually. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

    Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989 Track Listing

    Credits of Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989

    • J.P.
    • Drums, Mixing
    • Jeff Hunt
    • Executive Producer, Art Direction
    • Susan Archie
    • Graphic Design, Art Direction, Editorial Assistant, Photography
    • Rhys Chatham
    • Guitar, Trumpet, Conductor, Guitar (Electric), Main Performer, Liner Notes, Mixing, Tambor


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