Your Invitation to a Presale of Art Zoyd's + Cuneiform's First-Ever Box Set

Cuneiform Records and Art Zoyd present

Art Zoyd's 44 1/2 : Live and Unreleased Works

A 14-disc Box Set of all Previously Unreleased Recordings.

A comprehensive collection of Art Zoyds previously unreleased material, this box set celebrates Art Zoyds far-sighted musical works over the decades and serves a key role in documenting their important legacy.

Every CD is filled to the bursting with nearly 80 minutes of music. There are basically eight CDs of live recordings stretching from the years 1972-2004 and four CDs of studio recordings, sketches and outtakes from 1980-2005.

Of the two DVDs, one is comprised of historical television appearances from the late 70s into the end of the 80s and the other being the entire performance of their celebration at the RIO Festival.

It will cost us a fortune to manufacture this, and we do not have a fortune, so we are asking Art Zoyd's fans and our friends and fans to help us to be able to release this by paying for their copy in advance directly from us. This will give us the needed funds to pay for its manufacture which we need in order to make this set a reality.

Important, please read:  If we do not sell enough copies of this set here, by March 1, we will be forced to cancel the release and your money will be refunded.

If all goes as we hope and plan, we will send you confirmation of production in early March, and we will ship the boxes and shirts to you sometime in May 2017.

In return, and in thanks for your early purchase, you will receive a...FREE LIMITED EDITION ART ZOYD T-SHIRT that will ONLY BE MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THOSE WHO PRE-BUY THIS BOX SET; if someone orders it from us after this pre-sale or anywhere else, the price will remain the same, but they will not receive the shirt!

If you want to order, please ONLY order this item. If you want other items from us, please place a separate order for those items.

Thank you for your help in making this gargantuan project happen!!

“Art Zoyd is a quartet, but their instrumental arsenal produces the sound of a mighty orchestra.”

– The New York Times

Originally founded as a psychedelic / progressive rock band in France in 1969, with the arrival of soon-to-be co-leaders Gerard Hourbette and Thierry Zaboitzeff in 1971 and then with the departure of the band’s founder, the group radically changed direction. By 1975 they were no longer a ‘rock’ band with guitars and drums, the band were now based around the unique sounds of violins, electric bass and cello and trumpet, with additional instrumentation.

In 1976, Art Zoyd released their first album, toured with Magma and within a few years were invited to become one of only eight members of the Rock In Opposition Movement, a musician-led organization of some of the most cutting edge bands from Europe who banded together to increase their opportunities for work.

By the early 1980s, they were touring internationally and were a figurehead of ‘new music’ or ‘avant rock’. Beginning in the mid 80s into the mid 90s, they were at their peak renown, collaborating with choreographer Roland Petit, who commissioned them to work with him on a full ballet: Le Marriage Du Ciel et De L’Enfer (The Marriage Of Heaven & Hell) as well as performing live, self-penned soundtracks to classic silent films such as Nosferatu, Faust and Haxan. Concurrent with this period and their work in ballet and with films, the music shifts towards a more electronic, stripped-down and modern sound during this era.

In 2014, after a period of inactivity, Gerard and Thierry began to speak to each other about the idea of performing some retrospective concerts to celebrate their many achievements and performing as much music from the past as was practical in a concert with as many old collaborators as could be included. The first of these events was held in September 2015 at the Rock In Opposition Festival in Carmaux, France.

Box Set Contents:

12 CDs featuring:

• Live in Berlin, The Loft (April 1986)

• Häxan, Live in Copenhagen, European Capital of Culture (February 1996)

• u•B•I•Q•U•e, Live in Maubeuge, La Luna (January 2000)

• Lindbergh (circa 1990)

• Le mariage du ciel et de l’enfer, Live in Paris, with the Ballet National de Marseille (Roland Petit), Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (March 1985)

• Live in Paris, Le Golf Drouot (1972)

• Live in Nancy (1975)   

• Live at Pop Club avec José Artur, Radio France (1974)

• Live in Paris, Théâtre de la Renaissance (1976)

• Live in Mons, with Musiques Nouvelles (2000)

• “La Nuit du Jabberwock,” with members of Musiques Nouvelles, Live in Armentières, Le Vivat (2002)

• Live in Grenoble, 38èmes Rugissants Festival (1990)

• Live in Maubeuge, Art Zoyd with the Orchestre National de Lille (2000)

• Symphonie pour le jour où brûleront les cités (1975/orch. 2000)

• Live in Mexico, Art Zoyd with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México (1999)

• Armageddon, actes 2 & 3, Live in Lille (2004)

• Musiques Inédites demos (1987-1992)

• Faust  (unreleased, 1992)

• Les Présidents (1980)

• Korbes (1995)

• Live at Pop Club avec José Artur, Radio France (1975)

• Les Escalators mystérieux (2005)

• Globe Arena (1989)

• Musique pour le Six-Centenaire du Beffroi de Bethune (1988)

• Bethune 1789 (1989)

• Les Inattendus de Maubeuge “Spoutnik” (1993)

• Les Trois Mousquetaires

• Flixecourt Tisserands

• La Guerre de Marguerite

• Au nom du Père (1991)  

• Malbodium (1987)

• L'étrangleur est derrière vous (1983)

• Terra Terra! (1986)

• Live in Nancy (1975)

• Live in Reims, Maison de la Culture (1980)

• Live performance (excerpt) for Radio Tonkraft, Stockholm (October 3, 1979)

• Marco Polo (1984)

2 DVDs featuring:

• 44 1/2, the birthday concert, Live at Maison de la Musique, Cap’Découverte, Le Garric, France, Rock In Opposition Festival 2015 (September 19, 2015)

• Live in Berlin, Centre Culturel Français de Berlin (April 14–15, 1986)

• Live on Phase IV / FR3 TV, Hôtel de Ville de Maubeuge (December 1982)

• Nosferatu - Teaser (1988)

• Musique pour l'Odyssée / FR3 Nord Picardie TV excerpt (1979)

• Le mariage du ciel et de l'enfer (excerpts) / Antenne 2 TV (1985)