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The Ugly One with the Jewels

by Laurie Anderson

Released: March 14, 1995

Avant-garde, Experimental music, Spoken word

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Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Genre Shift.

The Album

"The Ugly One with the Jewels" stands as a distillation of that project into album-form, with Anderson drawing from personal experiences, travelogue-like stories, and commentaries on modern life. "The Ugly One with the Jewels" is a studio album by American avant-garde artist, Laurie Anderson. Released on March 5, 1995, it represents a departure from her prior work as it is not a music album in the typical sense.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

Instead, the album is a spoken word performance…

Instead, the album is a spoken word performance, providing the listener with a storytelling experience focused on spoken narratives set to minimalist music backgrounds.

This album is an offshoot of Anderson's larger…

This album is an offshoot of Anderson's larger project, "Stories from the Nerve Bible," a performance art piece that spanned her entire career up to that point.

Laurie Anderson is well-known for her innovative use…

Laurie Anderson is well-known for her innovative use of technology in the realm of performance art.

The spoken word narratives in this 17-track offering…

The spoken word narratives in this 17-track offering are compelling and unusual, infused with her signature thought-provoking style.

As a whole, the album is less about…

As a whole, the album is less about melody and more about narrated stories to create an immersive audio experience.

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Laurie Anderson - The Ugly One with the Jewels

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The Complete Album Story

"The Ugly One with the Jewels" is a studio album by American avant-garde artist, Laurie Anderson. Released on March 5, 1995, it represents a departure from her prior work as it is not a music album in the typical sense. Instead, the album is a spoken word performance, providing the listener with a storytelling experience focused on spoken narratives set to minimalist music backgrounds.

This album is an offshoot of Anderson's larger project, "Stories from the Nerve Bible," a performance art piece that spanned her entire career up to that point. "The Ugly One with the Jewels" stands as a distillation of that project into album-form, with Anderson drawing from personal experiences, travelogue-like stories, and commentaries on modern life.

Laurie Anderson is well-known for her innovative use of technology in the realm of performance art. The spoken word narratives in this 17-track offering are compelling and unusual, infused with her signature thought-provoking style. As a whole, the album is less about melody and more about narrated stories to create an immersive audio experience.