Art & ACT -- the remnants of Art Of Noise

July 30, 2023 11:20 AM

In 1985 , after one album using new technology and generating a market-changing single, three-fifths of Art Of Noise departed the ZTT music label for greener pastures. The remaining duo, Trevor Horn and Paul Morley vowed to continue at ZTT but didn't. The Art & ACT project's [Facebook post about history] manifesto remains yet to be found, but Life's A Barrel Of Laughs [YT playlist ~20m, linktree to various sources], the audio component has finally been released. This is mostly of interest to AON completionists, but it is of interest nonetheless.
posted by hippybear (15 comments total)

Very decent!
posted by chavenet at 11:34 AM on July 30, 2023

This is mostly of interest to AON completionists...

And we thank you!
posted by dragstroke at 11:51 AM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

A bit of digging reveals that the new technology was the Fairlight Music Computer, the album was 'Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise?', and the single was 'Moments in Love.'
posted by kaibutsu at 11:56 AM on July 30, 2023 [8 favorites]

A related link: (Who's Afraid of the) Art of Zang Tumb Tuum?, a site about ZTT's art, design, packaging & photography.
posted by misteraitch at 1:00 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

November.
posted by seanmpuckett at 1:31 PM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

November?
posted by hippybear at 1:34 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

November: Opus 4
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 1:39 PM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

And here I was thinking this was a scoop for an album announcement.

I just realized I have another AON post to make, so tomorrow. I can't believe I didn't make this one already.

Tomorrow is not November.
posted by hippybear at 1:44 PM on July 30, 2023 [4 favorites]

... and the single was 'Moments in Love...'

But, wow, one of the truly greatest MTV music videos of all time: Figure skating + a talking turtle! Curlicues on the ice synced with the harp glissandos!

Art of Noise also made a rather interesting music video for Close (To The Edit)...
posted by ovvl at 4:57 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Well I am an AON completionist I guess, I have a copy of "And What Have You Done With My Body, God", or as I like to call it, "Various Studio Floor Sweepings", so I may as well buy this too.

My initial reaction is that, wow, I always heard the breakup was because Horn wanted to make the AON much more of an art thing and less of a pop thing, but the first track of this really just sounds like half of a pop song and a lot less experimental than the Anne/JJ/Gary AON. The second one really feels like an unfinished attempt at a clone of Yello's Oh Yeah!, which *did* come out in July of the same year these were supposedly being worked on. And the rest's just various takes of the first two tracks.
posted by egypturnash at 5:04 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

Well I am an AON completionist I guess, I have a copy of "And What Have You Done With My Body, God", or as I like to call it, "Various Studio Floor Sweepings", so I may as well buy this too.

You may already own this! Life's a Barrel of Laughs was Disc 4 in the Daft As A Brush vinyl set released for Record Store Day 2019. This is a new digital release, but it's been out for a little while on vinyl.
posted by eschatfische at 5:11 PM on July 30, 2023 [1 favorite]

I am not enough of an AON completionist to be buying vinyl, so these are some new unfinished doodles of tracks, at least!
posted by egypturnash at 5:18 PM on July 30, 2023

Surely there's no coincidence in the fact that ZTT would put out a record by a band called Act very soon afterwards... and no coincidence that the act, Act, was one that featured Morley's then-spouse, Claudia Brucken (from Propaganda, another ZTT act).
posted by yellowcandy at 6:20 PM on July 30, 2023 [2 favorites]

I'm fairly confident in saying that the mid-Eighties were, for ZTT, quite full of Frankie, samplers, and cocaine. Nothing that happened is a coincidence, but that anything happened is a miracle.
posted by hippybear at 6:30 PM on July 30, 2023 [5 favorites]

A few years back I had a really, really bad day at work. Came home and drank half a bottle of whiskey (grouse) and watched the "Close to the Edge" / "Close (to the Edit)" on repeat until I went to bed. It helped my mood a little.

I am also remembering now for the first time in YEARS the EP (and music video) from AoN for "Paranoimia" featuring Max Headroom. "Tea."
posted by hearthpig at 5:48 AM on July 31, 2023 [1 favorite]