Art Bears
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Art Bears were a Marxist experimental rock group, formed in England in 1978 by percussionist Chris Cutler, guitarist Fred Frith, and German singer Dagmar Krause, during the dissolution of their previous band, Henry Cow. Their debut album, Hopes and Fears, was released in 1978, with the other members of Henry Cow credited as guests.
Their second album, Winter Songs, was released in 1979; the group toured Europe in the same year. Winter Songs was distributed in America by Ralph Records, who also released the song "Rats & Monkeys" as a single. The band released one final album in 1981, The World as It Is Today, before splitting shortly thereafter.
In 1983, Cutler and Krause founded the group News from Babel with Lindsay Cooper and Zeena Parkins, recording two albums and disbanding in 1986. The trio of Cutler, Frith and Krause briefly reunited in 1983 and 1984, forming half of the avant-rock sextet Duck and Cover. In 1993 the trio collaborated on the album Domestic Stories by Cutler and Lutz Grandien.
In 2008, Cutler and Frith (with other artists) formed Art Bears Songbook, a live "review" of Art Bears material, which premiered at the 25th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Quebec. Art Bears Songbook performed again, this time with Krause, in September 2010 at a Rock In Opposition event in Carmaux, France.
Discography
Studio albums
- Hopes and Fears (1978)
- Winter Songs (1979)
- The World as It Is Today (1981)
Singles
- "Rats & Monkeys" (1979)
- "Coda to Man and Boy" (1981)
- "All Hail" (1982)
Box sets
- The Art Box (2004)
Remix albums
- Art Bears Revisited (2004)