Angus Maclise

In 1981 a large cache of analog tapes were found containing recordings by Angus Maclise, with contributions by notable collaborators such as Tony Conrad and John Cale. This double release contains re-mastered selections from the source tapes, recorded between 1965 and 1976, offering musical snapshots into the development of a dedicated and intense artist. The first disc contains treated field recordings of urban environments and instrumental improvised jam sessions with Maclise on a variety of percussive instruments. On disc two, there are more jam sessions, treated electronic sounds and a poetry reading, but this time, Eastern sounds emerge reflecting Maclise’s growing interest in Eastern philosophy. Despite the re-mastering of these tapes, the material still has lo-fi analog limitations. Maclise is one of those peripheral artists in the New York ’60s underground music scene who worked with those who would become influential musicians and was even a founding member of the Velvet Underground. The Cloud Doctrine is not so much a compendium of chronologically arranged tape recordings as a spiritual journey of a seeker looking for inner peace and a respite from urban chaos and "first world” vacuousness. Within the liner notes is a revealing chronology of Angus Maclise during his lifetime that includes his worldwide travels and schooling in ethnic drumming from the age of 13 to his death in Kathmandu, Nepal at 41. This release is one of those delightful artefacts that succeeds as both a historical document, artefact and work of art.