Grand Guignol Review
| Band | |
|---|---|
| Album |  Grand Guignol |
| Type | Album (Studio full-length) |
| Released | 1992 |
| Genres | Avant-garde Jazz, Grindcore |
| Labels | Avant |
| Length | 1:01:37 |
Album rating : 40 / 100
Votes : 2 (1 review)
Votes : 2 (1 review)
September 27, 2021
An interesting development in the discography of the mad maniac John Zorn. While the previous Naked City albums were pure Avant-Garde Jazz and Grindcore, this one has a healthy dose of Classical and Ambient sensibilities. Of course, these are all created with the same ensemble of instruments as far as I can tell, so it’s usually a dissonant hum, but certainly interesting to hear this group cover composers such as Debussy.
The rest is classic Naked City, and I’m not sure giving this the Avant-Garde Metal title is truly deserved. It’s a bizarre affair, that’s for sure, but as most tracks are short, different elements are usually kept separate as opposed to woven together, making this a very eclectic collection of songs rather than a unique genre that ties them all together.
If you like John Zorn’s mad rambling music, you’ll surely like this. If not, you might appreciate some of the Classical stuff, so it’s worth a shot.
The rest is classic Naked City, and I’m not sure giving this the Avant-Garde Metal title is truly deserved. It’s a bizarre affair, that’s for sure, but as most tracks are short, different elements are usually kept separate as opposed to woven together, making this a very eclectic collection of songs rather than a unique genre that ties them all together.
If you like John Zorn’s mad rambling music, you’ll surely like this. If not, you might appreciate some of the Classical stuff, so it’s worth a shot.
1 like
Track listing (Songs)
| title | rating | votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Grand Guignol | 17:40 | 45 | 2 |
| 2. | La cathédrale engloutie | 6:24 | 50 | 2 |
| 3. | Three Preludes op. 74 i. Douloureux déchirant | 1:17 | 52.5 | 2 |
| 4. | Three Preludes op. 74 ii. Très lent, contemplatif | 1:42 | 55 | 2 |
| 5. | Three Preludes op. 74 iii. Allegro drammatico | 0:48 | 52.5 | 2 |
| 6. | Prophetiae sibyllarum | 1:46 | 57.5 | 2 |
| 7. | The Cage | 2:00 | 55 | 2 |
| 8. | Louange à l'éternité de Jésus | 7:07 | 60 | 2 |
| 9. | Blood Is Thin | 1:00 | 45 | 2 |
| 10. | Thrash Jazz Assassin | 0:45 | 45 | 2 |
| 11. | Dead Spot | 0:31 | 45 | 2 |
| 12. | Bonehead | 0:51 | 45 | 2 |
| 13. | Piledriver | 0:33 | 45 | 2 |
| 14. | Shangkuan Ling-Feng | 1:14 | 45 | 2 |
| 15. | Numbskull | 0:29 | 45 | 2 |
| 16. | Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh | 0:24 | 45 | 2 |
| 17. | Jazz Snob Eat Shit | 0:24 | 45 | 2 |
| 18. | The Prestidigitator | 0:43 | 45 | 2 |
| 19. | No Reason to Believe | 0:26 | 45 | 2 |
| 20. | Hellraiser | 0:39 | 45 | 2 |
| 21. | Torture Garden | 0:35 | 45 | 2 |
| 22. | Slan | 0:23 | 45 | 2 |
| 23. | The Ways of Pain | 0:31 | 45 | 2 |
| 24. | The Noose | 0:10 | 42.5 | 2 |
| 25. | Sack of Shit | 0:43 | 45 | 2 |
| 26. | Blunt Instrument | 0:53 | 45 | 2 |
| 27. | Osaka Bondage | 1:14 | 45 | 2 |
| 28. | Shallow Grave | 0:40 | 45 | 2 |
| 29. | Kaoru | 0:50 | 45 | 2 |
| 30. | Dead Dread | 0:45 | 45 | 2 |
| 31. | Billy Liar | 0:10 | 45 | 2 |
| 32. | Victims of Torture | 0:20 | 45 | 2 |
| 33. | Speedfreaks | 0:48 | 45 | 2 |
| 34. | New Jersey Scum Swamp | 0:41 | 45 | 2 |
| 35. | S-M Sniper | 0:14 | 45 | 2 |
| 36. | Pigfucker | 0:23 | 45 | 2 |
| 37. | Cairo Chop Shop | 0:22 | 45 | 2 |
| 38. | Facelifter | 0:54 | 45 | 2 |
| 39. | Whiplash | 0:19 | 45 | 2 |
| 40. | The Blade | 0:35 | 45 | 2 |
| 41. | Gob of Spit | 0:18 | 45 | 2 |
Line-up (members)
- John Zorn : Alto Sax, Vocals
- Bill Frisell : Guitars
- Wayne Horvitz : Keyboards
- Fred Frith : Bass
- Joey Baron : Drums
- Yamatsuka Eye : Vocals
- Bob Dorough : Vocals (on "the cage")
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▶ Grand Guignol Review (1992)
SilentScream213 40/100Sep 27, 2021 Likes : 1
An interesting development in the discography of the mad maniac John Zorn. While the previous Naked City albums were pure Avant-Garde Jazz and Grindcore, this one has a healthy dose of Classical and Ambient sensibilities. Of course, these are all created with the same ensemble of instruments as far as I can tell, so it’s usually a dissonant hum, but certainly interesting to h...
