{"product_id":"charles-joseph-smith_experimental-works-and-war-of-the-martian-ghosts_2026_mdl","title":"Collected Works And War Of The Martian Ghosts","description":"Collected Works and War of the Martian Ghosts is the definitive collection of the work of Charles Joseph Smith, a living legend of Chicago's DIY scene. It is also the first archival reissue from Chicago's Sooper Records label. This entire body of music is available to the general public for the very first time. This 90-minute box set brings together 30 years of self-produced works by Charles, exploring concert piano, electroacoustic experimentation, electronic rhythms, free improvisation, and two instrumental versions of his constantly evolving sci-fi opera, War of the Martian Ghosts (a 2023 electronic version and a 2018 piano version). This double vinyl \/ triple CD collector's edition includes a 9,000-word booklet dedicated to the artist's life and work, as well as poems, interviews, quotes, and 30 archival photographs. A piece of Chicago music history. Dr. Charles Joseph Smith's remarkable story begins with the musical gift of a mute child, and the deliberate way he cultivated this talent into both a life practice and his raison d'être. Charles chronicles this artistic journey in his autobiography, \"The 88 Keys That Opened Doors,\" a self-published work that traces a life where music has been (and still is) the main key to overcoming the immense challenges posed by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). His musical career began in church, extended to the international piano concert circuit, and eventually bore unique fruit in Chicago's experimental underground scene. Over time, Charles Joseph Smith's compositional voice absorbed and assimilated popular music, from pop to jazz, gospel, the classical repertoire, contemporary dance scores, and the subversive experimentation of his city's DIY subculture, of which he has been a central figure for over 30 years. Since the mid-1990s, Charles has performed live, danced, and sold his self-published musical and literary works, often at local shows he frequents. In Chicago, he is recognized as a living symbol of the power of music and the community spirit so dear to the DIY movement. Here is the definitive collection of his original recordings – although it would be impossible to summarize the immensity of the prolific Dr. Charles Joseph Smith's musical, poetic, and literary work.","brand":"Charles Joseph Smith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56713562489176,"sku":null,"price":20260403.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/0789091611769.jpg?v=1771011141","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en\/products\/charles-joseph-smith_experimental-works-and-war-of-the-martian-ghosts_2026_mdl","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}