Soundtracks & Birdsongs

 UPDATE: I posted up side one 08/10/2013. I couldn't find side two so I'll have to dig out the vinyl & re-rip it asap, then I'll post it up too. Meanwhile...Enjoy, NØ

First the Moving Parts had a Mission of Burma, then the Birdsongs began...

The Moving Parts

In the late '70s, The Moving Parts created intensely challenging, offbeat music that few Bostonians heard. Members Roger Miller, Clint Conley & Erik Lindgren later became the core of both MISSION OF BURMA & BIRDSONGS OF THE MESOZOIC. Mandatory music for anyone into early Pere Ubu, Wire or Devo.

Birdsongs of the Mesozoic

Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic began in 1980 as a side project by half of Boston's now legendary Mission Of Burma, Roger Miller & Martin Swope. Miller & Swope joined forces with Rick Scott & Erik Lindgren for what was originally conceived as a recording project only. In 1983, they released a self-titled EP, Birdsongs Of The Mesozoic.

With the demise of Mission Of Burma at about the same time as the EP's release, Birdongs Of The Mesozoic became a full-time band for all members. In 1984 they released another LP, Magnetic Flip, & began extensive touring to support its release. A year later they released another EP, Beat Of The Mesozoic, & again set out on tour.

In 1987, Roger Miller left the group to concentrate on solo projects & was replaced by saxophonist Ken Field.

Soundtracks - Birdsongs of the Mesozoic / Erik Lindgren / Pink Inc., Arf Arf Records AA-020,1987.

side one -

To a Random - Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - 23:17
decryption code in comments

Soundtrack from the film TO A RANDOM by Michael Burlingame. On this recording: Erik Lindgren - synthesizer; Roger Miller - piano; Rick Scott - Farfisa organ; & Martin Swope - guitar. Recorded May 1986. TO A RANDOM: A black & white film by Michael Burlingame, a torpid slapstick which could be described only as a gruesome ballet, a darkly comic tale of a man lost in the gap between thought & action & his reluctant foray into a new archaeology...that of the remains of his own blackened soul. The soundtrack was improvised live in synchronization with the visuals. Michael Burlingame is a award-winning Boston-based independent filmmaker.

Birdsongs' instrumentation is as striking as its music: two keyboards, guitar, & saxophone blend with electronic & acoustic percussion to produce sound "...as meditative as it is physical, as rooted in classical structure & jazz improvisation as it is in rock 'n' roll." (The Boston Globe)

side two -

The Last 68 Million Years Summed Up in Less than 13 Minutes - Erik Lindgren - 12:55

Recorded December 1985, featuring Erik Lingren on synthesizers, rhythm machines, percussion, SFX, & voice. The suite includes selections from the electronic score to "Thomas Jefferson's Orbiting Minstrels & Contraband", a 21-st Century minstrel show which received its world premiere 12 February 1986 at Northern Illinois University. When combined in this particular sequence, an uncanny story line unfolds depicting an aural account of the Cenozoic era. Erik Lindgren produces commercial music for media & operates Sounds Interesting Productions out of Cambridge along with running Arf Arf Records.








Flames in Trains - Pink Inc. - 11:00

Recorded October 1984, Pink Inc. are:
Linda Brown - vocals;
Deb Roth - vocals;
& Erik Lindgren - music.
This soundtrack was commissioned
for a performance by Pink Inc. at
"The Little Train That Could" show
19 October 1984 on Boston's Pier 4.
In this piece, Pink Inc.'s performance
activated a specific sight with moving
sculptural forms. It involves a curious
train collision & an explosion of dancing flames.


Enjoy,
NØ