n e g a t i v l a n d

these guys are four or five young to middle age guys
with normal jobs in or around oakland, ca
who create audio collages with a firm but playful political slant.

they voice anti-handgun, anti-copyright, anti-drunkdriving, and other
leftish bents throughout much of their work, which roars and hums
with sound bytes and just plain odd noises.

their early work is all noise and beeping, but their latest has 
progressed into actual song-length "songs", some with actual beats.

the discography i know:

"negativland" (1-20)
     --20 unnamed tracks
"points" (i don't have this, can't tell you about it)

"a big 10-8 place"
     six tracks, two lengthy ones: 
          13 minute wall of suburbian/weird noises
          18 story set in Contra Costa county, CA

"escape from noise"
     radio excerpts, top 40 artists, nuke power protesters, a hiccuping
     girl singing "over the rainbow", and a very controversial song 
     called "christianity is stupid".*

          their light-heartedness oft promotes scandal w/ this
          group; this song was intentionally and wrongly linked
          by the group to an axe murder in middle america involving
          a young boy who reportedly killed his family over an 
          argument with his parents about religion....

"helter stupid"
     the resulting album from the above scandal. has a disco-ish bent.
     second half about 70's music revival. 

"u2" --a discontinued single
     another big to-do.
     uses casey kasem outtake tapes, fragments of u2's "i still haven't
     found what i'm looking for", & past material of their own.

          they were sued by both island records (u2's label), for
          use of u2 lyrics & a big "U2" on the cover, and by their
          _own_ label (sst) for a misunderstanding in payment of the
          first case's damages.  all unsold copies confiscated by island.

"free"
     much more song-formatted.  includes "our national anthem", commenting
     on the questionable origins of "the star-spangled banner"'s tune,
     & "we are driven", about drunk driving.

"guns"
     a single all about handguns.
     "then": western movie samples, gunfighting noises.
     "now": sound bytes from "girls w/ guns" film, & the jfk/oswald
          shootings.

i have addresses for their negativmailorderland & sources of the lost "u2"
single, if any are interested.