| Bird Head Son | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band | ||||
| Released | January 20, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | Meudon, France March 2008 | |||
| Genre | Jazz, funk, spoken word, afrobeat | |||
| Length | 79.00 | |||
| Label | Naïve/Heavenly Sweetness | |||
| Producer | Antoine Rajon | |||
| Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Fly Global Music | |
| Shook Magazine | |
| Mondomix | |
Bird Head Son is a 2009 album by poet Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band. It was recorded in just two days in March 2008 in Meudon, France and produced by Antoine Rajon. It is the band's sophomore studio album following 2007's Leggo de Lion. During the sessions, 20 songs were recorded live in the studio with no overdubs. The album features an expanded Spasm Band line up, a septet instead of the quartet that recorded the previous album, as well as guest performers Keziah Jones, Defunkt founder Joseph Bowie, David Neerman and Jamika Ajalon. A 3 track EP La Diablese was released by Heavenly Sweetness in July 2008. It included the tracks Vero, Robberman (both included on the Bird Head Son album) and a version of the Mighty Shadow's Poverty is Hell. The album was released in January 2009 by Naive/Heavenly Sweetness. Joseph's 3rd collection of poetry, also entitled Bird Head Son was published by Salt Publishing on February 7, 2009 to coincide with the UK release of the album, it features all the lyrics from the album.
Anthony Joseph is a British/Trinidadian poet, novelist, musician and academic.
Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band were a band led by Trinidadian poet, novelist and lecturer Anthony Joseph. The band was formed in London in 2005 as an offshoot of his then novel-in-progress The African Origins of UFOs. The band's musical influences include Free Jazz, Afro-Caribbean funk, spoken word, soca, rapso, Calypso, Rock and the hypnotic Spiritual Baptist rhythms that were prominent in Joseph's childhood in Trinidad. In December 2005, as a quartet, they recorded their first album 'The Spasm Band' in London. The album was self produced and received only limited exposure. It was heard via Myspace by Parisian producer and Jazz aficionado Antoine Rajon who signed Joseph to his Heavenly Sweetness label and released the Spasm Band's debut 12" EP Spirit Lash, which featured songs from their initial recordings.
"Leggo de Lion" is the first commercially released album by Trinidadian poet and lecturer Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band. It features lyrics taken from Joseph's novel The African Origins of UFOs. It was recorded in two sessions at Foma Studios in North London. The first session was held in December 2004. Another session followed in August 2006 from which the bulk of the album is drawn. The track "Buddha", recorded at the initial session was the first single from the album, released together with another song from the first session "Bo Nuggy" in November 2006 by the Parisian label Heavenly Sweetness on the Spirit Lash EP. The full album was released in April 2007 by Amsterdam-based label Kindred Spirits.
