Music by Hal McGee
Indianapolis, Middle Period, 1986
This music was recorded in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the time that Debbie Jaffe and I lived together at 5301 North Guilford Avenue. This middle period began in 1984 with the purchase of our first 4-track cassette recorder. In late 1985 we had begun to focus our energies on Cause And Effect as a label. In 1986 Viscera waned as we became more interested in our solo projects, Dog As Master and Master/Slave Relationship. 1986 was an especially productive year for me, with lots and lots of releases in a wide variety of experimental styles.
Indianapolis, Middle Period, 1984 and 1985
Indianapolis, Final Period, 1987-1988
Apollo Beach, Florida, 1988-1991
Gainesville, Florida, 1995-present
VISCERA
"The River "
from Tape Report 01, cassettezine (Die Ind, Austria, January 1986)
3:51 -- 5.2 MB mp3
Uddersounds label cover
Tape cover of the re-release on the SJ Organisation label.
INFO CORRECTED ON LENGTHS OF MP3'S >>>
Cause And Effect label reissue cover
Necronomicon 003 booklet back cover
VISCERA
"Not Exactly Pale"
Necronomicon 003 compilation (Spain, 1986)
5:01 -- 6.9 MB mp3
BWANA DOG
Cover of the Harsh Reality Music reissue of Green.
The cover is a modified Frito's brand Corn Chips bag. The cover and tape came in a zip-lock plastic pouch.
The cover was originally printed on orange paper >>>
HalTapes label CDR reissue
Listen to and download (Hi Fi 192 kbps -- ideal for broadband, high speed Internet connections) mp3 files of these tracks. Click on the HIFI button to stream the tracks. To save these files onto your computer, right click on the DOWNLOAD button and choose Save Target As.
Viscera Sweat (originally released on cassette in 1986, C15)
Sweat
was a 15-minute
one-sided cassette release by the duo of Hal McGee and Debbie Jaffe, released
on the Cause And Effect label. Re-released by Harsh Reality Music in 1990.
"Sweat" 14:27 -- 19.8 MB mp3
Every Ending // Gone // Sweat And Bleed
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Dog As Master Five Feuilletons Outlined In Red
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C56)
Five Feuilletons Outlined In Red Moog synthesizer soundscapes, keyboards, tape manipulations and cut-ups of television programs and telephone answering machine messages. Noisy, chaotic, electronic, with occasional ambient interludes. Like all of my tape releases from this era, Five Feuilletons was created with a Fostex X-15 4-track cassette recorder. Most of the basic tracks were recorded in December 1985. Completed and mastered New Year's Day 1986. Originally released on Rick Franecki's Uddersounds label, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; re-released by Cause And Effect (1987); S.J. Organisation, France (1987); re-re-released by Freedom In A Vacuum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1990) - cover pictured above.
"Five Feuilletons Outlined In Red Part One" 27:20 -- 37.5 MB mp3
Side One of the tape: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi // A Dog Wagging His Tail // Our Horse Wins The Race
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"Five Feuilletons Outlined In Red Part Two" 28:26 -- 39.0 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape: The King Was Disguised As A Peasant // Deshabille
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Dog As Master Places Without Air
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C57)
Places Without Air by Dog As Master consists of spoken word routines and audio theatrical works. Originally released by audiofile Tapes (aT13). Reissued by Cause And Effect in 1988. Re-released by Harsh Reality Music in 1989.
"Places Without Air Part One" 30:20 -- 41.6 MB mp3
Side One of the tape:
Enclosure I. The Bucket // Enclosure II. The Closet // Enclosure III. The Cage
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"Places Without Air Part Two" 26:16 -- 36.0 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape:
Enclosure IV./V. The Box / The Cellar
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Dog As Master Sheets Of Cruelty
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C41)
Sheets Of Cruelty is one of the most obnoxious, aggravating, trashiest, and noisy-nerdy tapes in my catalog. Sound elements include a restaurant worker describing how to make a club sandwich, Moog Rogue synthesizer grind, gratuitous overuse and abuse of effects, tape distortion, Commodore 64 computer game sounds (which prefigures some of my songs on Tapegerm), microphone feedback, pounding drums, electric guitar noise damage (similar to the second side of Coffee Spleen), snippets from other Dog As Master tapes, and me yelling a bunch of stuff over the top of the whole random mess. Originally released by Scott Colburn on his Gravelvoice Records label of Bloomington, Indiana. I mastered the tape on June 21, 1986.
"Sheets Of Cruelty Part One"
Side One of the tape: "This CRUELTY is a matter of neither sadism nor bloodshed" 19:28 -- 26.7 MB mp3
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"Sheets Of Cruelty Part Two "
Side One of the tape: "Systematically cultivating horror" 20:51 -- 28.6 MB mp3
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Dog As Master Conduit
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C53)
Conduit This is one of my favorite Dog As Master works and an excellent place to start for those interested in checking out some of my electronic industrial music from the 1980s. Heavy Moog synthesizer soundscapes mixed with cut and paste tape collages, oblique spoken word interjections. Powerful, propulsive, fiery. A good example of my work that burns with "positive anger". Originally released on the Cause And Effect label.
review by Allen Densen, Black Orbit Newsletter, Canada,
1986
"A set of four harsh electronic pieces to wake the neighbors. The
first track, 'gauge', is an industrial sequencer piece; the next two are
fascinating sound destructions with meticulous layout and editing; and
the final track, 'eclipse', could be described as the noisiest death knell
I've ever heard. Hal McGee could be the J.S. Bach of Industrial electronics."
"Conduit Part One" 25:43 -- 35.3 MB mp3
Side One of the tape: gauge (00:00 - 08:16) // concourse (08:16 - 25:43)
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"Conduit Part Two" 26:38 -- 36.5 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape: range (00:00 - 17:54) // eclipse (17:54 - 26:38)
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If, Bwana / Dog As Master Untranslatable
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C46)
Untranslatable was the first full-length collaborative work of If, Bwana (Al Margolis) and Dog As Master (Hal McGee)... Bwana Dog. Originally released on cassette by Cause And Effect. Re-released by Harsh Reality Music.
"Untranslatable Part One" 21:55 -- 30.00 MB mp3
Side One of the tape: How To Do Dreaming // Another Kind Of Time // The Darkness Swallows Him // Criss-Cross
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"Untranslatable Part Two" 23:46 -- 32.6 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape: Secrecy Is The Price You Pay // The Next Immediate Breath // Untranslatable // Circuits And Details // Kill Festival // I Had To Find My Pockets
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If, Bwana / Dog As Master
Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony
(originally released on cassette in 1986, 23 minutes)
Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony by Dog As Master / If, Bwana originally appeared as one half of a split tape, with the Belgian group Ain Tow, titled At Last, on the Broken Flag label, United Kingdom (catalog number BF 55). Re-released by Cause And Effect (1987).
Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony, Part One:
Stepping Stones To Odd Places
11:04 -- 15.2 MB mp3
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Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony, Part Two:
The Present Does Not Forget The Distant // Limit Of Power // Vessel Of Anxiety
11:29 -- 15.7 MB mp3
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Dog As Master Pure Torture
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C62)
Pure Torture Originally released on the Cause And Effect label. Reissued by Harsh Reality Music in 1990 (HR207 - not listed in the current Harsh Reality Music online cassette catalog). If you are unfamiliar with Dog As Master, you want to start with one of the earlier tapes.
"Pure Torture Part One" 30:51 -- 42.3 MB mp3
Side One of the tape:
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"Pure Torture Part Two" 30:36 -- 42.0 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape:
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Dog As Master Green
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C92)
Green Originally released on the Cause And Effect label in 1986. Reissued by Harsh Reality Music in 1989 (HR143 - not listed in the current Harsh Reality Music online cassette catalog). Ambient, ultra-minimal, long-format music that changes and evolves slowly over time. But watch out for surprises. Similar in some respects, and related to Occupant: No Specific Answer and Dog As Master: Trompeur Et Sournois - start with one of those tapes first.
"Green Part One" 46:03 -- 63.2 MB mp3
Side One of the tape:
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"Green Part Two" 45:56 -- 63.0 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape:
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Dog As Master Corroboree
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C62)
Corroboree was originally released on the Cause And Effect label in 1986. Reissued by Harsh Reality Music in 1990 (HR206 - not listed in the current Harsh Reality Music online cassette catalog). On Corroboree, recorded Spring 1986, I collaborated with my brother, percussionist Mark McGee, on a foray into primitive tribal industrialism. Mark played drums on all of the early Master/Slave Relationship cassette releases. Mark McGee: congas, timbales, octo-bans, misc. percussion, synthetic percussion (Pearl Syncussion). Hal McGee: prepared guitar, synthesizers, acoustic and synthetic percussion, voice, production and concept. Debbie Jaffe: clarinet on the song "Beating And Changing".
"Corroboree Part One" 30:58 -- 42.5 MB mp3
Side One of the tape: Let Him Stir Himself Up // Hungry And Disorderly // The Demon Region // Drinking Fire // Moving To The South And To The West // Thunder And Rain // Looking Down, The Earth... // The Boundary Line // Looking Up, The Heavens... // Resistance Of A Hard Surface
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"Corroboree Part Two" 30:43 -- 42.1 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape: When The Man Lifts His Eyes // Beating And Changing // The Voice Of The Ancestors // Frozen Expression // Sweating Teeth // Tension In Time // Glistening Bodies, Furious Hands
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Dog As Master Dog Food
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C20)
Dog Food is another oddity in my catalog, and something of a novelty. A minimalist, random, chance process composition consisting of four tracks of sounds from a friend of mine and Deb's, Toby O'Brien, playing a Commodore 64 computer baseball game. The use of lo fi lo tech electronic consumer product sound samples prefigures much of my work at Tapegerm.com in the 2000s. Originally released on the Cause And Effect label.
from the January 1988 Cause And Effect catalog:
An interesting concept tape, a cut-up collage of electronic junk. Unique
and a definite collector's item for the hardcore DAM fan.
"Sparse electronic run-away mod noise funk", Robin James, Sound Choice.
"An enjoyable listen; one that makes you smile", Scott Colburn, Blow It Off.
"Dog Food Part One" 9:52 -- 13.5 MB mp3
Side One of the tape:
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"Dog Food Part Two" 9:52 -- 13.5 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape:
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Dog As Master Club Sandwiches
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C44)
Club Sandwiches: The Dog As Master Radio Show - Misadventures In Sound with Dog As Master was originally recorded and intended for radio airplay. It debuted on November 27, 1986, on Dave Prescott's radio show on WZBC in Boston. It was aired a few days later, December 7, 1986, on a program hosted by Robin James (of Cassette Mythos) on KAOS in Olympia, Washington. In addition to waxing goofy about the subject of club sandwiches and other banal topics, and repeatedly announcing my contact address over and over again, I also play some un-released material, as well as play excerpts from Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony, Brash Pussy, and Incidental Vibrations. The real highlight of the show is when I coax my miniature dachshund, Coffee Binx, to bark into the microphone. Originally released on the Cause And Effect label as a one-sided tape. I gave copies #3 through #7 to Scott Colburn, Al Margolis, Carl Howard, Byron Hoesman, and John Eberly.
"Club Sandwiches" 44:41 -- 61.3 MB mp3
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Viscera Snot
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C37)
Viscera: Snot. Live recording from the Viscera performance at Phyllis' Musical Inn, August 28, 1986, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Algebra Suicide headlined. Hal McGee: vocals, tapes, psychiatric mad religion. Debbie Jaffe: vocals, keyboards (Casio MT-11 and Moog Rogue), clarinet, tapes. Personal assistant to Viscera: Scott "Viscera Dude" Colburn. Sound Board: Al Davis. Special thanks to: Don Hedeker & Lydia Tomkiw. Originally released on the Cause And Effect label. We also released a videotape of the show, including Algebra Suicide's performance too. Steve Albini of Big Black was in the audience.
"Snot Part One" 17:26 -- 23.9 MB mp3
Side One of the tape: Every Ending // Nation // Hot And Cold // Sweat And Bleed
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"Snot Part Two" 19:32 -- 26.8 MB mp3
Side Two of the tape: Strange New Failures // A Whole Universe Of Horror Movies // (Who Is) This One
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Dog As Master / Jabon Incidental Vibrations
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C17)
Incidental Vibrations by Dog As Master / Jabon is a live performance recording from September 24, 1986 at the Hoosier Ballroom in Indianapolis, Indiana. Totally improvised ultra-minimalist on-the-spot stream-of-consciousness free association dada fluxus deconstructed rock music performance art comedy farce by Hal McGee (Dog As Master) and the legendary and mysterious quartet Jabon, who hail from Stinesville, Indiana. A cautionary tale about the pitfalls of ingesting hallucinogenics before a live performance. Not for all tastes - proceed with caution. An extension of some of the deconstructed rock "techniques" on 60 Minutes Of Laughter. Contains references to the second part of Symbolic Accidents Of Ceremony; curious references to cigarette butts, diet soft drinks, club sandwiches, bats (the flying kind), the Marquis De Sade, the TV show Dallas; and innumerable decontextualized blues and rock "gestures" and riffs. All notions about "content" are stripped away and live performance is reduced down to the level of a free-form automatistic collage of random incidents, non sequiturs, and thoughts about nothing in particular. Audience reactions and laugh tracks were NOT added on after the fact. Released by Cause And Effect (1986).
Side One of the tape: "Everyone Has To Take The Big Trip" 7:09 -- 9.8 MB mp3
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Side Two of the tape: "Rock And Roll..." 9:49 -- 13.4 MB mp3
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Best Text Of Japan Cause And Effect Compilation 001
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C59)
Best Text Of Japan was the first Cause And Effect label compilation. Compiled and produced by Hal McGee. Originally released in a limited edition of 300 numbered cassette copies.
Best Text Of Japan Cause And Effect Compilation 001 Part One 37:43 -- 51.7 MB
Side One of the tape: Toshifumi Kawase (00:00-08:59) Sex * Pollution The Joke Project (08:59-10:52) Existence To Death Tetsuya Fukui (10:52-14:49) Introduction to Exhalation Satoshi Hashimoto (14:49-20:34) excerpt from Makuraga Merzbow (20:34-34:46) Smichion * Venoayasama * small motor-byke accident wounded lay on the road of Asagaya Ice 9 (34:46-37:43) live 11.02.83
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Best Text Of Japan Cause And Effect Compilation 001 Part Two 40:31 -- 55.6 MB
Side Two of the tape: Takahashi Numazawa Hashimoto (00:00-10:28) excerpt from Koutei O'Nancy In French (10:28-23:17) 1 * 2 * 3 Monomagnon (23:17-37:16) live 3.3.85 Morioka * live 26.7.83 Masaki (37:16-40:31) Text Of Japan
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The Heterodox Conclusion
Cause And Effect Compilation 002
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C68)
The Heterodox Conclusion was a compilation of female audio artists: Roberta Eklund (USA), Nadine Bal [Bene Gesserit] (Belgium), Debbie Jaffe (USA) [Master/Slave Relationship], Julie Frith (USA) [Psyclones], Tara Cross (USA), Zouka Dzaza (France) [X-Ray Pop], Audio Letter, An Bene, and Sylvie (France) [Deficit Des Annees Anterieures - DDAA]. Compiled and produced by Hal McGee. Originally released in a limited edition of 300 numbered cassette copies. The cassette was mastered by Debbie Jaffe on October 20, 1985.
The Heterodox Conclusion Cause And Effect Compilation 002
Part One 32:37 -- 44.7 MB
Side One of the tape: Roberta Eklund Why Nadine Bal Le Somnifère De L'Éternité Debbie Jaffe For Ever More * So Reverse Engines Julie Frith This Is A Recording * Triggerless
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The Heterodox Conclusion Cause And Effect Compilation 002
Part Two 34:41 -- 47.6 MB
Side Two of the tape: Tara Cross PK-15 Zouka Dzaza Inspecteur Broutaillard Mene L'enquête * Le Pays Du Charmant * C'est Lui Le Gras, Le Gros Debbie Jaffe Denial Julie Frith Developing The Answers Roberta Eklund Obsession Audio Letter About The Culture Of Sleep An Bene Alien Landscape Sylvie Chanson D'Hiver
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Mirage Cause And Effect Compilation 003
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C89)
Mirage was the third Cause And Effect label compilation. Compiled and produced by Hal McGee.
Side One of the tape: Mirage Cause And Effect Compilation 003 Part One
44:25 -- 60.9 MB mp3
Master/Slave Relationship, USA, Each Grain Of Sand Twilight Ritual, Belgium, Visions Of Steel Rat, Italy, My Colours Are Moving Psyclones, USA, Another Bridge Member Rules, France, Grey Cat F/i, USA, On/Off Monochrome Bleu, Austria, What Is A Linz? Zanoisect, USA, Fourbowding MCH Band, Czechoslovakia, Vylezl do tretiho patra
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Side Two of the tape: Mirage Cause And Effect Compilation 003 Part Two
43:37 -- 59.9 MB mp3
Controlled Bleeding, USA, A Shelled Earth Catharsist, Canada, No Next Time Schlafengarten, USA, This Alone Disism, USA, 2 X 2 Due Process, USA, Fragments Of Life Cheryl Sobas and Larry Olsen, USA, Sleepwalking Through China If, Bwana / Dog As Master, USA, Two Divided Lines Human Flesh, Belgium, Seventeenth Mirage
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Suburban Nightmare
Cause And Effect Compilation 004
(originally released on cassette in 1986, C59)
Suburban Nightmare was the fourth Cause And Effect label compilation, of artists from Brooklyn, New York and other suburban areas of the New York City area. Compiled and produced by Hal McGee.
Suburban Nightmare Cause And Effect Compilation 004 Part One
29:40 -- 40.7 MB mp3 Side One of the tape:
Ron Anderson City Of Churches (5:40) with Ken Claire, alto sax; Kathy Life, voice
If, Bwana Bwana In Brooklyn (8:16) // YRRAB (3:27) // LIEN (2:53)
Thick Slimy Whisper Trance And Dance (9:10) Cheryl Sobas, Paul Richards, Al Margolis
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Suburban Nightmare Cause And Effect Compilation 004 Part Two
28:28 -- 39.0 MB mp3 Side Two of the tape:
NOMUZIC Howard Beach Boogie (Beri'ah: The Neck & Shoulders) (6:25) Carl Howard, bass sequencer; Amaury Perez, drums; Al Margolis, bass; Larry Olsen, guitar; Doug Walker, synthesizer
Croiners Assembly 1 (5:28) // Assembly 2 (3:28)
Alien Planetscapes Ground Zero Brooklyn (13:05) recorded live at Space Station Studio