miniatures – a sequence of 51 tiny masterpieces
edited by morgan fisher

1980, uk: pipe records / cherry red records pipe 2
1981, japan: japan records jal-2502

1994, re-issued on cd, uk: blueprint/voiceprint records bp159cd

2008, reissued as a medium-priced double cd with miniatures 2
uk: cherry red records cdbred361

download the miniatures poster here

track list (arranged in groups as on the lp and cd):

1/1. ollie halsall & john halsey / bum love
1/2. the residents / we’re a happy family + bali ha’i
1/3. roger mcgough / the wreck of the hesperus
1/4. morgan fisher / green and pleasant
1/5. john otway / mine tonight

2/1. pete challis & phil diplock / my way
2/2. robert wyatt / rangers in the nightst
2/3. stinky winkles / opus
2/4. mary longford / body language
2/5. andy ‘thunderclap’ newman / andy the dentist
2/6. david bedford / wagner’s ring in one minute

3/1. fred frith / the entire works of henry cow
3/2. maggie nicols / look beneath the surface
3/3. joseph racaille / week-end
3/4. the work / with wings pressed back
3/5. neil innes & son / cum on feel the noize

4/1. herbert distel / toscany in blue (last minute)
4/2. lol coxhill / an end to the matter
4/3. ken ellis / one minute in the life of ivan denisovich
4/4. steve miller / alice

5/1. norman lovett / john peel sings the blues badly
5/2. patrick portella / serrons nous les coudes
5/3. george melly / sounds that saved my life
5/4. robert fripp / miniature
5/5. andy partridge (xtc) / the history of rock’n’roll
5/6. phantom captain / breather

6/1. ron geesin / enterbrain exit
6/2. alejandro viñao / an imaginary orchestrina
6/3. quentin crisp / stop the music for a minute
6/4. simon desorgher / tetrad
6/5. ralph steadman / sweetest love (lament after a broken sashcord on a theme of john donne)
6/6. r.d.laing & son / tipperary

7/1. trevor wishart / beach double
7/2. john white / scene de ballet
7/3. ivor cutler / brooch boat
7/4. hector zazou / do tell us
7/5. michael bass & ellen tenenbaum / a miniaturization of bartok’s sonata for two pianos & percussion (3rd movement)

8/1. martin chambers (the pretenders) / a swift one
8/2. bob cobbing & henri chopin / refreshment break
8/3. dave vanian (the damned) / night touch
8/4. metabolist / racing poodles

9/1. gavin bryars / after mendelssohn (137 years)
9/2. 1/2 japanese / paint it black
9/3. simon jeffes / arthur’s treat
9/4. mark perry / talking world war iii blues
9/5. michael nyman / 89-90-91-92

10/1. david cunningham (the flying lizards) / index of ends
10/2. kevin coyne / james, mark & me (in the manner of tom waits)
10/3. etron fou leloublan / hep!
10/4. neil oram & ken campbell & the science fiction theatre of liverpool / the minute warp
10/5. pete seeger / chorale from beethoven’s 9th symphony

bonus tracks on cd:
11. no artists / one minutes silence
12. all artists / the miniatures miniature

In 1980, as the owner of his own label and studio, Morgan was overwhelmed by the number of ideas he thought up for albums that he could now record and release. Realising that it was impossible to do everything he conceived, he decided to see how many of these ideas could be included on one album. Rather than recording the music himself, he invited 50 musicians who he admired to send in tracks of up to one minute in length. They responded with unanimous enthusiasm, and as well as receiving tapes through the mail from all over the world, Morgan also packed up his Revox tape recorder and went to several musicians homes to record them there. Original artwork for the album was contributed by the notorious Ralph Steadman. The album is an astonishing survey of the cutting-edge music of the period, and includes such gems as:

THE RESIDENTS singing a song from “South Pacific”
ROBERT WYATT singing a Frank Sinatra song
DAVID BEDFORD compressing Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”
FRED FRITH shrinking the entire works of Henry Cow
ROBERT FRIPP playing a keyboard
ANDY PARTRIDGE (XTC) offering the history of rock’n’roll in 20 seconds
RALPH STEADMAN singing a John Donne poem
R.D.LAING playing the piano
MARTIN CHAMBERS (THE PRETENDERS) lecturing on ornithology while drumming
PETE SEEGER playing Beethoven on the banjo

Reviews of the “Miniatures re-issue on CD:

“Re-issue of the year… monumentally deranged… essential listening…” – THE WIRE

“…This excellent re-release – great fun” – ROCK’N’REEL

“One of the most unusual albums I have ever heard” – FEEDBACK

“Hurrah!..a conceptual masterpiece” – MOJO

“Irreverent and charming, this unique collection of 51 one-minute-or-less pieces (almost all exclusive) was concocted by Mott the Hoople keysman Morgan Fisher in 1980. Miniatures works surprising well considering all of the jarring juxtapositions and actually helps to make the set exhilarating many times. Fascinating covers come from Pete Seeger (whistling Beethoven), Half Japanese (demolishing the Rolling Stones), the Residents (squeaking the Ramones), Neil Innes (Bonzo Dog Band) having his son shouting Slade, and Robert Wyatt (looping Frank Sinatra).
Also featured are an inspired cast of English loonies like John Otway, Kevin Coyne and Ivor Cutler as well as ‘non-musicians’ such as psychologist R.D. Laing, writer/actor Quentin Crisp, and artist Ralph Steadman. Most impressive are the artists who do poignant encapsulations in their time limit: Fred Frith’s Entire History of Henry Cow, and Andy Partridge (XTC) lecturing on the history of rock and roll.
Most compilations suffer from predictable, unimaginative frameworks, but Miniatures presents a wonderfully diverse and fun perspective that’s been sadly lacking in a lock of rock and pop since the time it was released.” – ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“This recording walks the line between being a compilation and a concept album by one artist. The curator of the compilation is Morgan Fisher, ex-Morgan and Mott the Hoople keyboardist and all-around avant-pop genius of the ’70s and ’80s, who worked with everyone from Queen to Lol Coxhill to the Dead Kennedys. The concept for Miniatures involved getting artists from all across the board to contribute tiny vignettes saying as much as possible in the shortest space of time. Featuring contributions from the Residents, Andy Partridge, the Damned, Robert Wyatt, and Michael Nyman, among others, this may give an indication as to the diversity of this project. In many ways, Miniatures reflects the career of Fisher, who excelled in many genres. The original LP of Miniatures is a highly sought-after collector’s item, as it was released to limited distribution on Fisher’s Pipe label. With 51 one-minute stabs that summarize the diversity of a changing post-punk era, this collection is an excellent artifact of the early-’80s independent scene.” – ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“one of the strangest albums of all time”
– philbrodieband.com

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