Beth Anderson - I Can't Stand It (2024)

Compilation of unreleased private press recordings from 1970s New York by sound poet Beth Anderson, key practitioner of the Text-Sound movement.

Anderson's not exactly obscure, but her work has barely made it to vinyl. The influential artist studied in San Francisco at Mills College with John Cage, Terry Riley and Robert Ashley before heading to New York in the late '70s, where she carved out a niche for herself on the poetry circuit. When her lone vinyl release - the bizarre 'I Can't Stand It' 7" - appeared in 1980, it was quite a shock. Backed up by a thick, pounding rhythm from Theoretical Girls' Wharton Tiers, it's two minutes of animalistic punk-funk mayhem that's been a digger's treasure for years. Of course, that's included here, along with the similarly wonked rap-leaning B-side 'Ocean Motion Mildew Mind', but that's only scratching the surface.

Finders Keepers has combed through Anderson's private press releases to dig up some of Anderson's most eccentric asides. The 14-minute 'Peachy Keen-O' is our pick, that fleshes out her spirited vocalizations with eerie organ drones and time-fluxing guitar improvisations.

Tracklist:
1. Beth Anderson - Ocean Motion Mildew Mind (01:32)
2. Beth Anderson - Yes Sir Ree (01:24)
3. Beth Anderson - I Can't Stand It (01:59)
4. Beth Anderson - Country Time (01:40)
5. Beth Anderson - If I Were A Poet (01:20)
6. Beth Anderson - Torero Piece (07:54)
7. Beth Anderson - Peachy Keen-O (13:51)