Locus Solus is an album of improvisations by John Zorn

John Zorn

John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...

 and other musicians. Originally released as a double vinyl album on Rift records in 1983 it was re-released as a CD with additional tracks on Eva/Wave in 1990 and on Zorn's Tzadik Records

Tzadik Records

Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...

 label in 1997.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Joslyn Layne awarded the album 3 stars stating "This captures over an hour's worth of John Zorn's search for the improvised song form.... Overall, an album of short, angular, experimental energy tracks".

Track listing

1. "Bass and the Treble" - 2:57
2. "Acquisition and Control of Fire" - 1:33
3. "Honey-Cab" - 2:33
4. "Switch" - 2:15
5. "Juan Takes It Out of His System" - 2:11
6. "The Wish" - 2:02
7. "A Case Arose" - 2:00
8. "The Elf" - 1:41
9. "Getting Curly" - 1:51
10. "Don't Switch" - 1:50
11. "Smooth Cheeks of a Big Ego" - 1:51
12. "Add Water" - 2:15
13. "Cold" - 1:31
14. "Fraiar T." - 0:58
15. "Too Me" - 2:16
16. "You Rang?" - 1:17
17. "Self-Satisfied" - 1:22
18. "Agora" - 1:10
19. "Dot, Dot, Dot" - 1:14
20. "Moi Non Plus" - 1:43
21. "Liver" - 1:49
22. "The Footman's Eyes Get Crossed" - 1:04
23. "Heike Cipher Mystery" - 1:47
24. "Jedi Mind Trick" - 1:06
25. "Mysterious Island" - 2:11
26. "You Only Live Twice, Mr. Bond" - 1:59
27. "When Arrows Meet" - 1:38
28. "Never Say Never Again" - 1:45
29. "Sign of the Four" - 2:13
30. "Locus Solus, Pt. 1-2" - 2:11
31. "Where Are My Victims?" - 2:06
32. "Disco Volante" - 2:06
33. "Kaiser in Borneo" - 1:48
34. "The Saint" - 1:40
35. "The Violent Death of Dutch Schultz" - 1:23
36. "Thunderball" - 1:43
37. "White Zombie" - 1:30
38. "The Slaves of Vesuvius" - 2:05

Personnel

• John Zorn - alto and soprano saxophones, game calls, Bb Clarinet
• Christian Marclay
  Christian Marclay
  Christian Marclay is a Swiss-American visual artist and composer.Marclay's work explores connections between sound, noise, photography, video, and film...
  
   - turntables
  Phonograph
  The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
  
   (tracks 1-9)
• Peter Blegvad
  Peter Blegvad
  Peter Blegvad is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and cartoonist. He was a founding member of the avant-pop band Slapp Happy, which later merged briefly with Henry Cow, and has released many solo and collaborative albums...
  
   - vocals (tracks 1-9)
• Arto Lindsay
  Arto Lindsay
  Arthur Morgan Lindsay is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He is a 1974 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida....
  
   - guitar, vocals (tracks 10-22)
• Anton Fier
  Anton Fier
  Anton Fier, , is an American drummer, composer and bandleader. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.Fier was an early member of The Lounge Lizards and The Feelies. He was in The Lodge , worked with Pere Ubu, was briefly in the Voidoids and founded The Golden Palominos...
  
   - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
   (tracks 10-15)
• M. E. Miller - drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
   (tracks 16-22, 31-38)
• Ikue Mori
  Ikue Mori
  , also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer.-Biography:Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She says she had little interest in music before hearing punk rock...
  
   - electronics (tracks 23-30)
• Wayne Horvitz
  Wayne Horvitz
  Wayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer.-Biography:Horvitz, a "defiant cross-breeder of genres", has led the groups The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, and the Four Plus One Ensemble...
  
   - keyboards (tracks 23-30)
• Whiz Kid - turntables (tracks 31-38)