Unfinished music no. 1 : Two virgins

"The Lennon/Ono collaborative albums were a critical part of their take on celebrity coupledom. Their first two LPs carried the series title "Unfinished Music," a conceptual gambit with deeper roots in the aesthetic of the Fluxus art movement than in that of the British Invasion. The first set to be issued, subtitled Two Virgins, was a sound-collage set reportedly produced during their first night together. The album's name, and the full-frontal nudity of its cover, referenced the couple's sense of innocence in approaching a new beginning-as well as the fact that the recording took place just prior to the consummation of their relationship.As the product of a first date, Two Virgins is fascinating. As a sound artifact from the initial decade of Fluxus-inspired activity, it has plenty of competition. Casual clips of the couple's conversations-mixed in alongside Lennon's tape loops-blur the distinction between the private and the public-facing. This approach recalls efforts bysomeof Ono's contemporaries, like Charlotte Moorman and Benjamin Patterson. But what makes Two Virgins distinct is the range of Ono's voice".

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"If Unfinished Music No 1: Two Virgins is to be believed, we got a love affair. Recorded over one night in May 1968, the two 15-minute sides are a loved up hodgepodge of musique concrète, bird song and tape delay. It's also the sound of one of our Two Virgins losing their Dadaist cherry, Lennon's piano channelling Les Dawson as much as John Cage. To mis-quote George Harrison, they avant-garde a clue but they just don't care".

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