Arthur Russell

I don't know if anyone is a fan of Arthur Russell, but they just released a 21 track collection of his rarest material, dating back as far as 1973.

Arthur Russell was an American musician who became famous in the late 70's for his 'odd' disco music. He began his career as a cellist, backing Allen Ginsberg at his poetry readings in 1973. Unfortunately he contracted HIV in the 80's and died in 1992.

Most of his material has been released in posthumous collections such as the album Calling out of Context and The World of Arthur Russell

The new collection was just released on Rough Trade titled Love is Overtaking Me. Unlike his other material, which is mostly early electronic music, the new album consists of classic style rock and contemporary folk ala Cat Stevens and The Band.

For me, it is THE album of 2008. Arthur Russell is often credited for his production innovations, or for being ahead of his time (see groups such as Dirty Projectors or Of Montreal), but this collection shows that Russell had immense versatility (and the good kind, not the obscure Jazz side-project kind).

Another example of a great artist lost before he gained true recognition.

buy the album here