Buy

Description

Shortly after their debut in 1978 on No New York, a compilation produced by Brian Eno that defined the no wave scene, James Chance's band Contortions was already evolving, becoming sharper, tighter, and simply faster. Despite the loss of keyboardist Adele Bertei and bassist Geoge Scott (who refused to sign a new contract demanded by James Chance and his then-partner, Anya Phillips, the band's manager), Contortions was firing on all cylinders, and their first full album, Buy, released in 1979, is a marvel of electric energy. Led by Chance's cheeky yelps and free sax wails, Contortions spits out fiercely paced tracks, charged by Jody Harris's guitar lines and Pat Place's dizzying slide guitar. With drummer Don Christensen slipping in pointillist rhythms and David Hofstra's infectious bass lines, the songs on Buy crackle with precision and abandon. The opening track "Designed to Kill" sends sparks of sound flying in all directions, while "Contort Yourself" is a nihilistic dance number where Chance urges his listeners to tie their bodies and minds in knots. Heavily influenced by the showman funk of James Brown (whose band had covered "I Can't Stand Myself" on No New York), Contortions invented a dance-punk sound typical of downtown New York that had an immediate impact on the no wave bands that followed, including Pat Place's Bush Tetras and the Bronx trio ESG, as well as on the emerging disco movement. On Buy, the model created by Contortions is so deeply embedded in the grooves that it feels like they are on the verge of breaking, capturing a combustible band in all its fury.