winston tong
ltm catalog

Winston Tong is a San Francisco-based performer, known both for his solo work and his collaborations with the group Tuxedomoon. His song In A Manner Of Speaking has also been made famous by French lounge/bossa project Nouvelle Vague.


THEORETICALLY CHINESE (LTMCD 2382) £10
The classic electro album recorded in 1984 and 1985 and originally released by Les Disques du Crepuscule. Smoothly produced by former Associate Alan Rankine, Theoretically Chinese features a stellar supporting cast of musicians including Jah Wobble (bass), Steve Morris (drums), Dave Formula (keyboards), Simon Topping (percussion) and Niki Mono and Sussan Deyhim (backing vocals). As well as polished dance cuts such as Big Brother, Theoretical China and Broken English, the extended CD also includes more experimental material, including epic 16 minute piece The Hunger, recorded with Japanese musicians in Tokyo, and the rare Dream Assassins. Booklet features detailed biography and archive images. Digitally remastered from the original master tapes. Full tracklist: Big Brother, Endgame, The Quotidian, Theoretical China, Yellow Peril, Broken English, No Regrets, Reports From the Heart, The Principles of Movement, The Hunger, Broken English (Remix), Dream Assassins.

Reviews: "Highlights shine out with clarity. Broken English is a song that could define the genre - minimalist, impulsive, cool and exciting all at once. The Hunger is grandiose and fascinating, with lots of highly-sampleable noises aned beats too. Go buy, you nu-sonic archeologists" (Whisperin' and Hollerin', 09/04); "A classic electro album, exemplary work" (The Big Takeover, 9/04); "Producer Rankine brings shimmering energy to the album that pays off in spades, while The Hunger is a striking tour de force" (All Music Guide, 10/04)


IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING (BEST OF) (LTMCD 2520) £10
This comprehensive anthology gathers tracks from all stages of Winston's musical career, including two songs (The Stranger, In A Manner of Speaking) recorded with Tuxedomoon. Rare tracks include the Italian remix versions of Big Brother and Broken English, and rare compilation-only tracks such as Late Nite and Prelude to a Kiss. Booklet includes artist biography and archive images. Digitally remastered, this CD serves as an ideal introduction to Winston's work. Full tracklist: In A Manner Of Speaking; Reports From the Heart, The Principles of Movement, Theoretical China, Broken English (Remix), Big Brother (Remix), The Stranger, Like The Others, The Twelve Days of Xmas, Prelude to a Kiss, Miserere, Late Nite.

Reviews: to follow


MISERERE (LTMCD 2368) £10
Miserere ("Mercy") was composed in 1985 for a modern ballet of the same name staged by Belgian choreographer Pierre Droulers, based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The lyrics were written by Tong, and the music a collaboration with Persian-born vocalist Sussan Deyhim. Recorded using voices alone, the score employs no instruments at all, the effect being both eerie and hypnotic. Closer in tone to Tong's meditative cycle Like the Others than to his pop album Theoretically Chinese, Miserere is now revealed as a major work, which for many years was thought to have been lost. The booklet features Winston's text, and still shots from the performance. The album has been painstakingly digitally remastered from the original master tapes. Full tracklist: Prologue, Orpheo Walks, Vicious Circle, Song, Lovers, Soliloque, Metropolises, Cobalt Room, In Turning, Penumbra, Egypt, The Way to Me, Burdens of Passion, Beyond, Miserere, Compassion.

Reviews: "Miserere somewhat resembles the physical sound poetry of Henri Chopin. Its beats and rhythms are made up from repeated breathing exercises, grunts, laughter and other body music. This is particularly effective when the spoken text overlaps into the more abstract sounds of the other performers to create a feeling of the natural and the supernatural worlds coming together. The result is a compelling sound journey into the dark soul of the Orpheus legend" (The Wire, 6/03); "A holy, impressionistic incantation of seductive, hypnotic power and ethereal intent" (Glasgow Herald, 8/03); "Stunning and genuinely otherworldly" (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 6/03)


LIKE THE OTHERS (LTMCD 2440) £10
The first Tong solo album, recorded in 1982 and originally released on Les Disques du Crepuscule as a deluxe cassette and book package. On the haunting title track and In A White Room, Winston delivers a spoken word monologue backed by piano and percussion, with guest musicians including Blaine L. Reininger, Peter Principle, Bruce Geduldig and Daniel Link. The three bonus tracks include the rare French language version, Comme Les Autres, as well as the 1985 interview disc, and the rare 1978 Burroughs-hommage soundtrack Wild Boys. Total playing time of 70 minutes. Full tracklist: Like The Others, In A White Room, Going Out of My Head/For Your Love, Comme Les Autres, Interview, The Wild Boys.

Reviews: "The literary focus of the release remains central, pitched somewhere between the spoken word/poetic recitation and a series of musical explorations. The core of the original release, the nearly half-hour long In A White Room, features Tong's vivid, yet almost feverish portrayal of a mysterious romantic/artistic relationship over his own gently rythmic piano playing. Weirdly compelling, and made more effective by Tong's gift for drama. And the LTM re-release features two unrelated by intriguing rarities" (All Music Guide, 12/05); "The title track is a beautiful four-minute cut where Tong riffs off late-night existential poetry like a bedraggled lounge singer who's down on his luck and a little drunk with self-sympathy, while the album centrepiece In A White Room never drags or gets boring over 24 minutes. This is classic 80s conceptual underground innovation at its very finest" (Exclaim!, 12/05)


GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST LTMCD 2426 £10
Digital remaster of the Crepuscule Christmas album first released in 1981 (TWI 058) with original Hennebert artwork and festive inserts, together with 9 bonus tracks from subsequent editions. Includes The Twelve Days of Xmas by Winston Tong. 20 tracks, 72 minutes of music, detailed sleevenotes. Full tracklist: Aztec Camera, Hot Club of Christ; The Names, Tokyo Twilight; Paul Haig, Christiana; The Swinging Buildings, Praying for a Cheaper Christmas; White Birds, Possessed by the Stars; The Durutti Column, One Christmas For Your Thoughts; Tuxedomoon, Weinachtrap; Simon Topping, Peep Show International; Thick Pigeon, Silhouettes; Michael Nyman, Cream or Christians; Magazzini Criminali, Honolulu 25 Dicembre 1990; The French Impressionists, Santa Baby; The Pale Fountains, Benoit's Christmas; Antena, Noelle a Hawai; The Arcadians, Write Your Letter; Mikado, Message de Noel; Paul Haig, Scottish Christmas; The Durutti Column, Snowflakes; Winston Tong, The Twelve Days of Xmas; Hillcrest Club, Breakfast at Christmas.


THE FRUIT OF THE ORIGINAL SIN LTMCD 2497 (2xCD) £12
Deluxe double CD remaster of 2xLP compilation released by Les Disques du Crepuscule in November 1981 (TWI 035), featuring The Next Best Thing to Death by Winston Tong. 31 tracks (including 8 bonus cuts), 120 minutes of music, readings and conversation. To read sleevenote click here. Full tracklist: (disc one) Peter Gordon The Fruit of the Original Sin, The French Impressionists My Guardian Angel / Boo Boo's Gone Mambo, Durutti Column The Eye and the Hand, Wim Mertens Multiple 12, Cecile Bruynoghe Clair de Lune, Marine A Man & A Woman, Paul Haig Mad Horses, Marine Animal In My Head, 323 Affectionate Silence, Swamp Children Flesh, DNA Taking Kid to School / Cop Buys a Donut / Delivering the Goods, Lawrence Weiner & Peter Gordon Deutsche Angst, Durutti Column Weakness & Fever, Rhythm of Life Summertime, The Lost Jockey Matters of Theory; (disc two) Rhine River III An End Remains, Richard Jobson The Happiness of Lonely, Marguerite Duras interview, Virginia Astley A Long Absence, Richard Jobson India Song, The Names Music for Someone, Thick Pigeon Sudan, Durutti Column Party, Arthur Russell Sketch for Face of Helen, Durutti Column Experiment in Fifth, Winston Tong The Next Best Thing To Death, William S. Burroughs Twilight's Last Gleaming, Cecile Bruynoghe Gymnopedie No 1, Rhine River III Departures, Rhythm of Life Soon, Lawrence Weiner Where It Came From.

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