Early History of The Contortions #1 (Introduction)
Early History of The Contortions #2 (Dec '77 - May '78)
Early History of The Contortions #3 (May '78 - August '78)
Early History of The Contortions #4 (Oct '78 - Feb '79)
2.1979 – unknown recording studio, New York, NY
1. Design To Kill 2. My Infatuation 3. I Don’t Want To Be Happy 4. Anesthetic 5. Contort Yourself 6. Throw Me Away 7. Roving Eye 8. Twice Removed 9. Bedroom Athlete - other titles possibly recorded, unknown.
James Chance (voc, as, organ), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Place (slide guitar), George Scott (bass), David Hofstra (bass), Don Christensen (drums).
A major shakeup took place during the sessions leading to the Contortions full-length debut “BUY”. Circa February 1979, the band entered an unknown studio and laid down four separate sessions in an attempt to record the album. Tension mounted as egos flared, with James and Anya in one corner and the musicians in another, each accusing the other of incompetence. Chance allegedly began to assert his sole leadership of the band in no uncertain terms and Harris, Scott and Christensen walked out in protest. According to George Scott, he refused an offer to complete the session on February 17, 1979 and was soon replaced by David Hofstra on bass. Harris and Christensen returned in a “sideman” capacity and finished the recording with Chance and Pat Place. The band was slated to perform at Max’s Kansas City the next night, 2.18.1979 with Lawrence Talbot and Klaus Nomi opening. I don’t know if the show went on without Scott or not. There are rumors that a version of “BUY” exists with George Scott playing bass – copies of this tape may be in the hands of the musicians and/or in George Scott’s tape archive. The group reconvened and finished the record which was finally released in September 1979, months after the lineup had disintegrated. One of the interesting features on “BUY” is David Hofstra’s use of fretless bass guitar. His tone is more rounded than Scott’s rough attack and is often tonally ambiguous. His versions of Scott’s basslines are generally somewhat different (although throughout his stint, Scott would often change his note choices from gig to gig). “Design To Kill” leads off the album and Jody Harris takes a nice, scratchy overdubbed guitar solo on the track. Mirroring many of the past setlists, “My Infatuation” appears second. Jody Harris’ guitar is completely absent on this track, ostensibly replaced by an overdubbed saxophone ostinato by Chance. Members of the band were very unhappy about this upon hearing the final product. “I Don’t Want to Be Happy” appears here with its final disco backbeat. Overall, James Chance’s vocal performances are less intense and more nuanced than his usual bilious live outpourings. Don Christensen’s drums are a bit boxy sounding in general here. A turgid performance of “Anesthetic” follows, with staccato layer of percussive white-noise organ accents. There is some barely audible organ on the bridge which almost sounds like violin playing. “Contort Yourself” is snappy and tight sounding. The second side opens with “Throw Me Away”, which is played at a very fast tempo with crisp James Brown-type syncopated funk drumming. There are pungent backup saxophone parts overdubbed on the track. “Roving Eye” sounds great in its fully funked-out form. Chance lays down some dissonant organ under the saxophone solo in the middle of the song and Jody Harris takes an overdubbed solo on the final verse of the song. “Twice Removed” follows. There are some organ overdubs in the middle section as well as some whale-song-like guitar playing by Harris towards the end. “Bedroom Athlete” finishes the album with a bang, starting and ending with a newly arranged intro-outro section. The model on the front cover of “BUY” is professional dominatrix Terence Sellers, garbed in a bikini designed by Anya Phillips. No personnel are listed in the artwork, but it does say “produced composed arranged and mixed by James White”. The back cover sports a live photo of James Chance performing in front of an audience. Pat Place and Jody Harris can barely be seen but are identifiable. Reissues of “BUY” after 1994 sometimes append the three live 5.1978 “Grutzi Elvis” soundtrack cuts with the album as bonus tracks. In 1980 PVC Records released a compilation ofselect tracks from “BUY” and “Off White” under the name James White and the Contortions called “Second Chance”.
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4.1979 – Max’s Kansas City, New York, NY
1. Design to Kill 2. I Can’t Stand Myself 3. My Infatuation 4. Anesthetic 5. Almost Black 6. Roving Eye 7. Jaded 8. Bedroom Athlete
James Chance (voc, as), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Place (slide guitar), David Hofstra (bass), Don Christensen (drums).
There doesn’t seem to be any readily advertised activity by the group during March 1979 – Anya Phillips’ managerial tack shifted towards non-rock scene venues, so perhaps there were gigs, but they didn’t appear at Max’s or CBGB’s that month to my knowledge. The Contortions did play a show in Chicago with David Hofstra on bass, but the date and venue are unknown (possibly at La Mere Vipere?) “Design To Kill”, “Almost Black” and “Anesthetic” sound very much like their recorded versions. A video clip of “I Can’t Stand Myself” exists from this performance, most likely shot by Paul Tschinkel for the cable access “Inner Tube” show. “My Infatuation” is intense here with some very aggressive saxophone work. James Chance trades some insults with the audience before launching into “Roving Eye”. “Jaded” appears here with some interesting tonal extrapolations by David Hofstra on bass. The backbeat kicks in halfway through, but Jody Harris does his normal guitar work on it rather than the chordal stuff from the James White and the Blacks 2. 2.1979 gig. Next, the band segues immediately into “Bedroom Athlete”. I’m not sure if this is the complete set or not. It is very likely this recording is the majority of the first set of the following listing.
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4.6.1979 – Max’s Kansas City, New York, NY
1. Throw Me Away 2. White Savages/Sophisticated Cancer 3. Roving Eye 4. Anesthetic 5. I Don’t Want To Be Happy 6. Jaded 7. Contort Yourself
James Chance (voc, as), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Place (slide guitar), David Hofstra (bass), Don Christensen (drums).
The band has a two-night run at Max’s on 4.6 and 4.7.1979 with The Rentals (Boston-based band led by Jeff and Jane Hudson who put out a Lust/Unlust Records EP and later moved on up to Beggar’s Banquet Records) opening the Friday show and Internationals (featuring Felix Cabrera on harmonica) and the Cutthroats opening Saturday. “Throw Me Away” is played tight and fast. It might be the concluding number of the first set above, judging by the sound quality and the Max’s announcer introducing them after the song ends. “White Savages”/”Sophisticated Cancer” whizzes by at high speed. “Roving Eye”, “Contort Yourself” and “I Don’t Want To Be Happy” are performed in a typical manner. “Jaded” is similar to the one in the early set.
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The Contortions were advertised as playing at Max’s on 4.21.1979 with Model Citizens, Jeffrey Lohn, Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca as well as a show either under the Contortions or James White and the Blacks guise at Hurrah on 4.27.1979 with support from Information. Another James White and the Blacks show was advertised for 5.29.1979 with opening act Single Bullet Theory. The band flew to Paris to play one gig on 6.1.1979 at the Hippodrome with Teenage Jesus and possibly Robin Crutchfield. Beirut Slump and DNA were advertised on a poster for the show, but it is unlikely they played. David Hofstra flew back the following day. James Chance and Anya Phillips allegedly ditched the other members of the band and they had to find their own way back to New York, effectively ending the original Contortions formation. The disgruntled ex-members would go on record soon after alleging that James Chance ripped them off for money from gigs and recording sessions, also claiming that Chance had turned into a monster under the influence of drugs and Anya Phillips influence. Chance retorted saying they were incompetent musicians and were easily replaceable. It seems the old issues eventually became bygones as the original group, sans the late George Scott - who died on August 5, 1980 of a drug overdose – and Adele Bertei, reunited for sporadic gigs starting around February 2001. Talk of a 1996 Contortions reunion show in San Francisco is around, but I have no concrete evidence of it. Adele Bertei has played with the group again recently, but David Hofstra was never asked back despite requests by some of the other band members.
Early History of The Contortions #2 (Dec '77 - May '78)
Early History of The Contortions #3 (May '78 - August '78)
Early History of The Contortions #4 (Oct '78 - Feb '79)
2.1979 – unknown recording studio, New York, NY
1. Design To Kill 2. My Infatuation 3. I Don’t Want To Be Happy 4. Anesthetic 5. Contort Yourself 6. Throw Me Away 7. Roving Eye 8. Twice Removed 9. Bedroom Athlete - other titles possibly recorded, unknown.
James Chance (voc, as, organ), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Place (slide guitar), George Scott (bass), David Hofstra (bass), Don Christensen (drums).
A major shakeup took place during the sessions leading to the Contortions full-length debut “BUY”. Circa February 1979, the band entered an unknown studio and laid down four separate sessions in an attempt to record the album. Tension mounted as egos flared, with James and Anya in one corner and the musicians in another, each accusing the other of incompetence. Chance allegedly began to assert his sole leadership of the band in no uncertain terms and Harris, Scott and Christensen walked out in protest. According to George Scott, he refused an offer to complete the session on February 17, 1979 and was soon replaced by David Hofstra on bass. Harris and Christensen returned in a “sideman” capacity and finished the recording with Chance and Pat Place. The band was slated to perform at Max’s Kansas City the next night, 2.18.1979 with Lawrence Talbot and Klaus Nomi opening. I don’t know if the show went on without Scott or not. There are rumors that a version of “BUY” exists with George Scott playing bass – copies of this tape may be in the hands of the musicians and/or in George Scott’s tape archive. The group reconvened and finished the record which was finally released in September 1979, months after the lineup had disintegrated. One of the interesting features on “BUY” is David Hofstra’s use of fretless bass guitar. His tone is more rounded than Scott’s rough attack and is often tonally ambiguous. His versions of Scott’s basslines are generally somewhat different (although throughout his stint, Scott would often change his note choices from gig to gig). “Design To Kill” leads off the album and Jody Harris takes a nice, scratchy overdubbed guitar solo on the track. Mirroring many of the past setlists, “My Infatuation” appears second. Jody Harris’ guitar is completely absent on this track, ostensibly replaced by an overdubbed saxophone ostinato by Chance. Members of the band were very unhappy about this upon hearing the final product. “I Don’t Want to Be Happy” appears here with its final disco backbeat. Overall, James Chance’s vocal performances are less intense and more nuanced than his usual bilious live outpourings. Don Christensen’s drums are a bit boxy sounding in general here. A turgid performance of “Anesthetic” follows, with staccato layer of percussive white-noise organ accents. There is some barely audible organ on the bridge which almost sounds like violin playing. “Contort Yourself” is snappy and tight sounding. The second side opens with “Throw Me Away”, which is played at a very fast tempo with crisp James Brown-type syncopated funk drumming. There are pungent backup saxophone parts overdubbed on the track. “Roving Eye” sounds great in its fully funked-out form. Chance lays down some dissonant organ under the saxophone solo in the middle of the song and Jody Harris takes an overdubbed solo on the final verse of the song. “Twice Removed” follows. There are some organ overdubs in the middle section as well as some whale-song-like guitar playing by Harris towards the end. “Bedroom Athlete” finishes the album with a bang, starting and ending with a newly arranged intro-outro section. The model on the front cover of “BUY” is professional dominatrix Terence Sellers, garbed in a bikini designed by Anya Phillips. No personnel are listed in the artwork, but it does say “produced composed arranged and mixed by James White”. The back cover sports a live photo of James Chance performing in front of an audience. Pat Place and Jody Harris can barely be seen but are identifiable. Reissues of “BUY” after 1994 sometimes append the three live 5.1978 “Grutzi Elvis” soundtrack cuts with the album as bonus tracks. In 1980 PVC Records released a compilation ofselect tracks from “BUY” and “Off White” under the name James White and the Contortions called “Second Chance”.  |
| Contortions live at Max's Kansas City, Spring 1979 left to right: Jody Harris, James Chance, David Hofstra (obscured), Pat Place. |
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4.1979 – Max’s Kansas City, New York, NY
1. Design to Kill 2. I Can’t Stand Myself 3. My Infatuation 4. Anesthetic 5. Almost Black 6. Roving Eye 7. Jaded 8. Bedroom Athlete
James Chance (voc, as), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Place (slide guitar), David Hofstra (bass), Don Christensen (drums).
There doesn’t seem to be any readily advertised activity by the group during March 1979 – Anya Phillips’ managerial tack shifted towards non-rock scene venues, so perhaps there were gigs, but they didn’t appear at Max’s or CBGB’s that month to my knowledge. The Contortions did play a show in Chicago with David Hofstra on bass, but the date and venue are unknown (possibly at La Mere Vipere?) “Design To Kill”, “Almost Black” and “Anesthetic” sound very much like their recorded versions. A video clip of “I Can’t Stand Myself” exists from this performance, most likely shot by Paul Tschinkel for the cable access “Inner Tube” show. “My Infatuation” is intense here with some very aggressive saxophone work. James Chance trades some insults with the audience before launching into “Roving Eye”. “Jaded” appears here with some interesting tonal extrapolations by David Hofstra on bass. The backbeat kicks in halfway through, but Jody Harris does his normal guitar work on it rather than the chordal stuff from the James White and the Blacks 2. 2.1979 gig. Next, the band segues immediately into “Bedroom Athlete”. I’m not sure if this is the complete set or not. It is very likely this recording is the majority of the first set of the following listing.
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4.6.1979 – Max’s Kansas City, New York, NY
1. Throw Me Away 2. White Savages/Sophisticated Cancer 3. Roving Eye 4. Anesthetic 5. I Don’t Want To Be Happy 6. Jaded 7. Contort Yourself
James Chance (voc, as), Jody Harris (guitar), Pat Place (slide guitar), David Hofstra (bass), Don Christensen (drums).
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| Kill The Hippies: Contortions live at Max's Kansas City, Spring 1979 James Chance, David Hofstra and victim. photo by Ebet Roberts |
The band has a two-night run at Max’s on 4.6 and 4.7.1979 with The Rentals (Boston-based band led by Jeff and Jane Hudson who put out a Lust/Unlust Records EP and later moved on up to Beggar’s Banquet Records) opening the Friday show and Internationals (featuring Felix Cabrera on harmonica) and the Cutthroats opening Saturday. “Throw Me Away” is played tight and fast. It might be the concluding number of the first set above, judging by the sound quality and the Max’s announcer introducing them after the song ends. “White Savages”/”Sophisticated Cancer” whizzes by at high speed. “Roving Eye”, “Contort Yourself” and “I Don’t Want To Be Happy” are performed in a typical manner. “Jaded” is similar to the one in the early set.
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| The original Contortions' last stand: Paris Hippodrome 6.1.79 left to right: Jody Harris, unknown stagehand and James Chance |
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8.22.1979 – Max’s Kansas City, New York, NY
1. Good Times 2. Sophisticated Cancer 3. Almost Black 4. Melt Yourself Down 5. Disposable You 6. Design to Kill 7. Disco Jaded 8. Disco Jaded (cont.)/Contort Yourself
James Chance (voc, as), Steven Kramer (organ), Kristian Hoffman (guitar), Patrick Geoffrois (guitar), Bradley Field (bongos), James Webster (bass), Walter Thompson (drums).
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| The "New" Contortions, late 1979. left to right: unknown bassist, James Chance, Kristian Hoffman, Steven Kramer. |
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The group appeared a few days later on 8.25.1979 at Squat Theatre and on a 9.5.79 Hurrah bill with Scientific Americans. The band, with new drummer Mickey Sevilla, formerly of Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, headlined the “Marathon ‘80” Fest in Minneapolis on 9.23.1979. Video footage of the entire festival is known to exist. Upon return the band played a 10.5.1979 gig with Polyrock at Max’s Kansas City. It’s unclear how the personnel fluctuates after September 1979. At one point guitarist/drummer Greg Barrett is included in the line-up. Footage of the “new” band performing an unintentionally hilarious, addled version of “Contort Yourself” exists, most likely filmed by Paul Tschinkel for “Inner Tube”. The Max’s Kansas City logo appears in the background, so the date would have been after the logo was painted, possibly at one of the October or December shows. Joseph Bowie and (most likely) Byron Bowie appear on horns and Steven Kramer plays bongos instead of organ in the clip. Bradly Field, Kristian Hoffman and Geoffrois are on stage, but the rhythm section are unidentified. On 11.29.1979, James White appeared as a guest with the newly formed band Defunkt (originally spelled “Defunked”), led by St. Louis bred trombonist and vocalist Joesph Bowie and featuring a constantly fluctuating cast of backing musicians. At some point, the personnel of Defunkt briefly morph into either James White and the Blacks as well as a new group called The Flaming Demonics, but it’s difficult to nail down the exact line-ups for every gig. On the 12.28.1979 Squat Theatre gig, Patrick Geoffrois Is still in the band and guitarist Vernon Reid (later of Living Colour fame), bassist Melvin Gibbs (later to play in Rollins Band) and saxophonist John Purcell are part of the lineup, as well as Bowie. 
In June 1980, the band embarked on a European tour, documented on the Invisible Records 1980 LP “Live Aux Bains Douches” and the excellent ROIR cassette “Soul Exorcism”, first issued in 1991. The great band during this tour included Chance, Geoffois, Fred Wells on guitar, Ornette Coleman bass player Albert MacDowell, trumpeter Lorenzo Wyche and gifted teenaged drummer Richard Harrison. Anya Phillips is with on the trip and contributes occasional backup vocals. Once back in New York, Geoffrois and most of the band exit the line-up, but Harrison stays. A new group eventually coalesces around Chance, Harrison, Ornette Coleman guitarist Bern Nix, guitarist Tomas Doncker (who also plays in downtown art-funk group The Dance), bassist Colin Wade and occasional appearances by Joseph Bowie. This unit lasts into early 1981, and is documented on the raw “Live In New York” ROIR cassette, released that year. Backup singers Bemshi Jones and Cherie Donovan begin appearing with the group as “The Discolitas”. This lineup is filmed at performing the song “Sax Maniac” live at the Peppermint Lounge probably in either December 1980 or January 1981 in the Glenn O’Brien feature film “Downtown ‘81” featuring Jean-Michel Basquiat and many others, released in 2000. By mid-to-late 1981 the group winds up restabilizing again around guitarists Jerry Antonius and Chris Cunningham with various personnel and albums like “Sax Maniac” (Animal, 1982), “Flaming Demonics” (ZE, 1983) and “Melt Yourself Down” (Selfish, 1986) appear.  |
| James Chance, 1980. |
Early History of The Contortions #1 (Introduction)
Early History of The Contortions #2 (Dec '77 - May '78)
Early History of The Contortions #3 (May '78 - August '78)
Early History of The Contortions #4 (Oct '78 - Feb '79)
