history / edit

Artist

Shortcut Code: [a99064]
Data Quality Rating: Correct
35 submissions pending
Add to List

Shopping

Search for this:
 eBay .uk
 Amazon .uk .de
X 116 For Sale

Jump To

Big City Orchestra

Profile:
One of the most idiosyncratic and original groups of the past two decades, BCO is not your standard Orchestra. Situated in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the band has released an enormous catalog of recorded material over the past two decades. Formed in the late 1970's the ensemble continues to maintain a free-flowing roster of artists from around the world that collaborate on specific projects. Categorizing the Orchestra into any given genre can be a task, as releases continue to surprise even the most devout listener. There is never any way to precisely classify the next BCO release. An album of authentic sea-shanties? A wall of noise? A shimmering downpour of lullabies whispered to the wind? A humorous or thought-provoking album of Sound Collages? Vocal excursions set to make Rod McKuen blush? We press play, leaning forward with slight apprehension. We await the first wave of blissful deception. We are perpetually rewarded.
Sites:
Members:
In Groups:
Variations:
edit genres sort

Discography

Releases:
Arph, Arph, Arph (Cass)   A.R.P.H. Tapes 1985
Massacre Of The Innocents (Cass, C90)   Sound Of Pig 1985
Bob Hope's Fruit Loop Special (Cass, C60)   Audiofile Tapes 1986
Daydreams Of Night (Cass, C45)   Zeal SS 1986
Edge Of Destruction (Cass)   Swinging Axe Productions 1986
Gateway Of Fruit Loops (Cass)   The Subelectrick Institute 1986
Massacre Again (Cass)   Tonspur Tapes 1986
Parade Of Idiots (Cass)   Bog-Art 1986
Annual 1986 (Cass)   UBUIBI 1987
Arc Of Infinity (3 versions)   Harsh Reality Music ... 1987
Fury From The Deep (Cass)   Markus Schwill 1987
Hand Of Fear (Cass)   Calypso Now ! 1987
Mile After Mile (Cass, C60)   Sound Of Pig 1987
Mind Of Evil (Cass)   The Subelectrick Institute 1987
Myth Makers (Cass)   Nihilistic Recordings 1987
Trail Of Destruction (Cass, C60)   S.J. Organisation 1987
A Good Time To Start Something New (Cass)   Epitapes 1988
Absence Sharpens, Presents Strenghtens (Cass)   GGE Records 1988
Animal Religion (Cass)   Ralph Records 1988
Annual 1987 (Cass)   UBUIBI 1988
Everyman Is A Volume (2 versions)   Korm Plastics 1988
In The Near Future (Cass)   Freedom In A Vacuum 1988
Long Term Stimulation (Cass, Ltd)   SSS Productions 1988
Magnetic Personality (Cass, Comp, Ltd)   IEP 1988
Tryst 3 (Cass, Ltd)   UBUIBI 1988
Web Of Fear (Cass, C60)   S.J. Organisation 1988
Aime-Morot (2 versions)   Harsh Reality Music ... 1989
Annual 1988 (Cass)   UBUIBI 1989
Bretagne (Cass, C60)   Nihilistic Recordings 1989
Childhood Rememberences (Cass)   Seiten Sprung Aufnahmen 1989
Headache Remedy (Cass)   Ecto Tapes 1989
Obivion Realized (Cass)   Minus Habens 1989
Painfull Audio Enema (Cass)   Lowlife Audio 1989
Thê Mån Øf Stêál™ (Cass, C60)   Audiofile Tapes 1989
Annual 1989 (Cass)   UBUIBI 1990
Bell, Book And Candle (Cass)   Tears Compilations 1990
IOS-BCO (Cass)   Realization Recordings 1990
Prattling Box (Cass)   Tragic Figures 1990
Resurrection Men (Cass)   Seiten Sprung Aufnahmen 1990
Sounders ; A Herd Of (Cass)   Industrial Therapy Unit 1990
Tallywags (Cass)   Eko Product 1990
We Like Noize (Cass)   UBUIBI 1990
Annual 1990 (Cass)   UBUIBI 1991
The Four Cassettes Of The Apocalypse (CD)   The Subelectrick Institute 1991
Beatlerape (CD)   Realization Recordings 1993
Greatest Hits And Test Tones (CD)   Pogus Productions 1993
Schall & Rauch (Cass)   Tonspur Tapes 1993
So Much Dancing Then Nothing (Cass)   Old Europa Cafe 1993
A Child's Garden Of Noise (2 versions)   Drone Records 1994
So Much Nearer Than Ubiquitious (Cass)   UBUIBI 1994
The Beatlerape (CD, Album, Car)   Staalplaat 1994
Tryst 7 (Cass)   UBUIBI 1994
Grass B/W Grass (7")   Sick Muse Records 1995
The Consumer (CD)   Commercial Failure 1995
Tryst 8 (2xCass, Ltd)   UBUIBI 1995
Anguilliform (Cass, Ltd, C60)   EE Tapes 1996
Instructions For Use (CD)   Pure (4) 1996
And When We Get Homme, We Find Someone Else's Male (Cass)   FDR Tapes 1997
And When We Wake Up, There Is Sheep In Our Eyes (Cass)   Doomsday Transmissions 1997
Dark At Night (Cass, Ltd, C60)   Altered States Recordings 1997
Eek! (Cass, Ltd, C60)   EE Tapes 1997
Split (7")   Aquese Recordings 1997
Untitled (Cass, Single, Ltd)   Doomsday Transmissions 1997
Butchered (2 versions)   Fiend Recordings 1998
The Collected Works Of Od McUb (CD)   Vinyl Communications 1998
Virus Radio Vol. I (Cass)   Mutant Cactus Recordings 1998
Don't Let Him Touch You (Cass, Album, C60)   BLACK ORCHID Productions 1999
Block Cedar Oakandstraw: Would (CDr)   Blade Records 2001
Eurotour 2001 (CDr)   UBUIBI 2001
New Beat For Baby (CD, Album)   Negative Foundation 2002
Scarab (CDr, Ltd)   EE Tapes 2002
When We Wake Up... (CDr, Album, RE)   HalTapes 2002
Can't We Just Have Sex Instead? (File, MP3)   Brokenwave 2003
In A Persian Market (CDr)   Verato Project 2003
Moisture (CDr)   Reduktive Musiken 2003
Pixies (CDr, Album, Ltd)   Dhyana Records 2003
Trixxy Pixxy (File, MP3)   Comfort Stand Recordings 2004
Airre (CDr)   Entr'acte 2005
Big City Orchestra (File, MP3)   Beta:Sound 2005
Boom Crash Crash (File, MP3)   Comfort Stand Recordings 2005
Kismet (File, MP3)   Umbrella Noize Collective 2005
Things Fall Down (File, MP3)   Lostfrog 2005
Azimuth (File, MP3)   Umbrella Noize Collective 2006
Dada Is Dead, Long Live Dada (CDr, Album)   UBUIBI 2006
DoUBle The TroUBle (File, MP3)   Umbrella Noize Collective 2006
Does Art For... (CDr, Ltd)   Roil Noise Offensive 2006
Love Film Greats (CDr)   Roil Noise Offensive 2006
Red Dog 9 (CDr, Album, Ltd)   UBUIBI 2006
Signals & Code (File, MP3)   Umbrella Noize Collective 2006
Sound Effects Library Vol. 14 (45xFile, WAV)   Radical Matters 2006
Drone Gnomes (10", Ltd, Mar)   Substantia Innominata 2007
Lullaby (File, MP3)   Umbrella Noize Collective 2007
Misterioso (File, MP3, Album, 192)   Baked Tapes 2007
Musical Box (CDr, Album, Ltd)   UBUIBI 2007
The TroUBador (Giusseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore) (CDr)   UBUIBI 2007
Tierce (Cass, Album, C60)   No Lyrics Records 2007
Villanella (CDr)   UBUIBI 2007
sUBito (File, MP3)   Umbrella Noize Collective 2008
Eerily (CD, Ltd)   EE Tapes 2009
The Big City Orchestre 30th Anniversary Disc (CD, Comp)   UBUIBI 2009
Acacia (CDr)   UBUIBI  
Baobab (Cass)   Biotope Art Organization  
Fresh Prezzies - Exclusive Tracks For Radio And Friends (CDr)   Not On Label  
Gaiement (Cass)   Le Réseau  
Mind Bent And Fancy Free (Cass)   Industrial Therapy Unit  
Our Life In The Bush Of Kate (Cass)   UBUIBI  
Pandora Flutter Tongue (Cass)   Ecto Tapes  
Pandora Snicker Eros (Cass, C60)   Ecto Tapes, Ubuibi  
Planet Of Giants (Cass)   Peuleschille Tapes  
Progressive Composition (Cass)   ZNS Tapes  
Quirks In Law (2 versions)   Auricular Records ...  
Raw Footage (VHS, PAL)   Old Europa Cafe  
Recycled Music (Cass)   RRRecords  
Rites Of Wrong (Cass)   UBUIBI  
Seeds Of Doom (Cass)   BloedvlagProdukt  
So Much Quicker Than Tomorrow (Cass, C60)   Ecto Tapes  
Sound Choice Cassette Culture Selection (Cass)   Sound Choice  
Telegraphe (Cass)   New Flesh Tapes  
Tryst 6 (2xCass, Ltd)   UBUIBI  
Untitled (Cass)   Kadef  
Untitled (Cass, C60)   Mechanical Orchestration Music  
Untitled (Cass, Comp)   Another Umbrella Corporation  
Verstimmt (Cass)   Ecto Tapes  
We Like Noize Too (Cass)   UBUIBI  
Appears On:
Chain Crow (Cass, S/Sided, C60)   ZH27 1988
Choosing The Weapons (Cass, S/Sided, C60)   ZH27 1988
Zan's Big Orch Stone (Cass, S/Sided, C60)   ZH27 1989
Open To Degradation (CDr)   ZH27 1998
Paradoxymoron (CDr)   ZH27 1998
Bewilder Via Gesticulations (CDr)   ZH27 2003
Through The Rush And Then... (CDr)   ZH27 2003
Your Life Has Been Answered For You (CDr)   ZH27 2003
Zanstones Survey Clifton (By The Sultans's Appointment) / Bewilder Via Gesticulations (CDr, Album) Untitled ZH27 2003
Retro-Spektacles: Ten Years Of NorCal NoiseFest (DVDr)   NorCal NoiseFest 2006
Mellow Utility (CDr, Ltd) BCO Mystified Remix Ambolthue Records 2007
Norcal Noisefest Eleven (XI): Visual Documentation (DVDr)   NorCal NoiseFest 2008
Porky Pig EP (CD, EP, Ltd)   Standard Oil Records 2008
Two Dead Guys (CDr, Album)   Banned Production  
Tracks Appear On:
Insane Music For Insane People Vol. 9 (Cass, Comp) MCX Insane Music 1984
Sex & Bestiality (4xCass, Comp, Ltd) UB Kitty Mount Bain Total 1984
Sex & Bestiality (Cass, Comp) UB Kitty Mount Bain Total 1984
Audio Arm #2 Cassette Magazine (Cass, Ltd, Comp) Child Abuse A.R.P.H. Tapes 1985
Home-Made Music For Home-Made People Vol. 6: "Crazy But Chic" (Harsh Blend) (Cass, Comp) Fiend, Master, Freak (... Insane Music 1986
Insane Music For Insane People Vol. 25 (Cass, Comp) Big Tall Man Insane Music 1986
Necronomicon 3 (Cass, Comp, C90) Opening Piece Necronomicon 1986
Idealistic Idiot Volume 4 (Cass, C90) Headstrong On Big Wheels Nihilistic Recordings 1987
Music From The White House Volume 3 : U.S.A. (Cass, Comp, C60) Ice Warriors Exart Cassettes 1987
Northern California Is A Noisey Place Indeed (Cass, Comp, C60) Break Your Neck Sound Of Pig 1987
Organisation Orange 2 (2xCass, Comp, Ltd) Orange Is The Color Of... S.J. Organisation 1987
Orgasmus Compilation II (Cass, Comp) Tribal Headless Schutt Und Asche 1987
Rogues Gallery 1 (Cass, C90) For We Love No-One, I ... Bog-Art 1987
There Is No God And He Is Your Creator (Cass, Comp) Ubhuman Four GGE Records 1987
Durchschnittsanfall 3/4 (2xCass, Comp) Thank You Prion 1988
Gears=Sexthree (Cass, Ltd, Comp) Empty Is This World Of... Empty Records 1988
Neue Muster Volume 3+4 (2xCass, Ltd, Comp, C90) Into The Business Tonspur Tapes 1988
Transmission (Cass, Comp, Promo, Smplr) Untitled Tonspur Tapes 1988
Woundz Never Heal! Volume 1 & 2 (2xCass, Comp, C90) Grindy Windey Harsh Reality Music 1988
Composite Drawing (LP) Contrascarp DECO Records (3) 1989
Defaecatio 1 (Cass) Eat To Live Biotope Art Organization 1989
Imperium (Cass, Comp) Live At Marinoni 29-01-89 Minus Habens 1989
Neue Muster Volume 5+6 (2xCass, Ltd, Comp, 2xC) Integrity & Consistency Tonspur Tapes 1989
Notre Dame 3 (Cass, Comp, Ltd, Chr) Totally Acceptable EE Tapes 1989
Rub Out The Word (2xCass, Comp, Ltd) Volta Big Body Parts 1989
Schizophobia (Cass) Abbaye De L'Echaude Interrupt Product 1989
The Ambient Wax Ritual (Cass, C90) Guiding Star Mechanical Orchestration Music 1989
The Best Of Tonspur Tapes (Comp) (2 versions) Untitled Echtzeit ... 1989
There Is A Hope Of Stars In The Transparency Of Tears (Cass, Comp, C90) You Will Be Sucessful ... Epitapes 1989
Welcome To Sleepy Eye (Comp) (2 versions) Yvette IRRE Tapes 1989
Eat Your Pets (Cass, C60) Livestock ZNS Tapes 1990
Errorelk (Cass) Transvaal Fool's Paradise 1990
Notre Dame - An Introduction To EE Tapes (Cass, Smplr, C45) Totally Acceptable IRRE Tapes 1990
Only Industrial & Noise (Cass, Comp) Siam Biotope Art Organization 1990
Put Down Your Pencil (Cass) Long And Healthy (exce... Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center 1990
Rap'n Crack (Cass, Comp, C60) Seze Dedali Opera 1990
Silent Talking (Cass, Comp, C60) Woodpecker IRRE Tapes 1990
Swamp-To-Tape No. 2 (Cass, C90) Judge A Man By His Act... Swamptape Compilation Project 1990
Antebellum Vol. 3 (Cass, Ltd, C90) Manouvering The Apostles Antebellum 1991
Many Dogs Are Dumb... (Cass, Album, Ltd) In A Bad Skin Tiny Dog 1991
Wakened By Silence (2xCass) Schelmisch Charnel Music 1991
Audio Drudge Issue 1 (Cass) Riprendere, Vortrag (L... Malignant Records 1992
RRR-100 (Comp) (2 versions) Untitled RRRecords 1993
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (CD) Mimikri Fool's Paradise 1994
Notre Dame 7 (Cass) Gradatamente EE Tapes 1994
Objekt 666 (2xCass, Ltd, Comp) Heart Of Oak Ladd-Frith 1994
The Arbitrary Nature Of Meaning (CD) Karawane Isomorphic Records 1994
Verbindungen 2 (Cass, Album, Comp) Jean Cocteau, Louis Pa... Tonspur Tapes 1994
Macrocephalous Compost II° (Comp) (2 versions) Kaleidoscope One Old Europa Cafe 1995
Noisenet #6 (Cass) Pony Girl, How Dare Yo... Noise 1995
America Salutes Merzbow (CD) Weltanschauung Vinyl Communications 1996
Take Five, Project Two (Cass, Album) Untitled Ecto Tapes 1996
Lado Obscuro Vol. II (Cass, C30) Washington Crucified Dark Side 1997
Notre Dame 9½ (Cass, Comp) Klangfarbe EE Tapes 1997
Ambient Intimacy Volume 2 (CDr, Ltd) When The Lights Are Lo... EE Tapes 1998
Another Compilation Without A Selling Title 7 (Cass, Comp, C60) Jesus & The Cats That ... JM-Tapes 1998
Circles Of Infinity (2xCass, Ltd) Circle Danse Myotis Records 1998
Society For Unnatural Acts (CDr) When We Wake We've Bec... Bandaged Hand Produce 1998
Tape Heads Six - World Domination (Cass, Comp, C90) Broken Tape Head HalTapes 1998
The Disarticulation Room (Cass, Album) Kennedy & Monroe Escap... Mutant Cactus Recordings 1998
The Rosary - The Remix Album (Cass, Album) The Rosary Is Once Aga... Musicus Phÿcus 1998
The Schmoll Compilation (Cass, Ltd) George Washington Dhyana Records 1998
Birds Of Prey (2xCDr) Ub Of Prey, Ub Of Pray Mandarangan Recordings 2000
Commercial Ad Hoc (CD) Carter's Little Liver ... Illegal Art, Seeland, Cha-Bashira 2000
Industrial Goat Frenzy (CDr, Comp, Ltd) Flying Ear Drum Noisegood 2000
Infinity Paradox (CDr) Ninety-Nine Clics Fusion Audio Recordings 2000
Lockers (12") Cricket ERS 2000
Notre Dame #12 - The Final Edition (CDr, Ltd) Painted Lady EE Tapes 2000
Bubble Bunny Music A Sweet Label Compilation (CD) Schleena Schneetreiben 2001
Death By Noise!!! (2xCDr) Death By Ub Mandarangan Recordings 2001
Microcassettor Volume One (CDr, Comp, Ltd) Untitled Sounds From The Pocket 2001
Wrath Of Nothing (CDr) Stoned Fishclaw I.S.M. Recordings 2002
An Eloquent Mass: Experiments In Sound V1 (2xCDr) Silver Bubbles Kolorform Records 2003
Found Sound V.2 (CDr) Atttt Sounds From The Pocket 2003
The Anniversary Compilation (LP) The BCO Dhyana Comp Track Dhyana Records 2003
PhonoStatic 7: Audio Anxiety (File, MP3, Comp) Headache (Excerpt) UbuWeb 2004
Cataclastic Fracture Vol. 2 (CD) Dead Powerfull Deadline Recordings 2005
Koji Tano (2005 - ∞) - A Tribute (File, MP3, Comp) Byebye Steinklang Industries 2005
Noise and Toys Volume 1 (CDr, Album) We Are Bent Gently, Oops We Are Records 2005
Noise/Drone Anthology 1984-1989 (CD, Comp) Life Of Joy (Excerpt) Projekt, Ikon (3) 2005
Raiding The 20th Century - Words & Music Expansion (CDr, Mixed) Bulldog Ninja Tune 2005
Tadapilation Volume 2 (File, MP3, Comp) Starr Tada Recordings 2005
Tan Enfora (File, MP3, Mixed, Comp, 192) Foot Op3n.net 2005
Fossil Species (2xCDr) September Roil Noise Offensive 2006
No Maniacs Only: Noise Fest Ten (CDr) Code Letter NorCal NoiseFest 2006
Open / Closed (File, MP3, 192) Consumer #47 Op3n.net 2006
50 BPM Or Less Volume 1 (CDr) Das Execution Canned Beef Records 2007
Do You Ever Dream? - Compilation Series: Volume One (18xFile, MP3, Comp) Point Should Be Made B&R Records 2007
Doctor Who vs. The Noise (CDr, Ltd) Untitled The Institute For Organic Conversations 2007
Risveglio Di Una Citta (In Memory Of Luigi Russolo) (6xCDr, Comp) Lento, Landker, Parkke... Impulsy Stetoskopu 2008
Dictaphonia Microcassette Compilation, Volume One (M/cass, Comp, MC6) Treasure For Daddy HalTapes 2009
Glass Anvil II. (CDr, Comp, Ltd) Sxng Zvukovina 2009
We Like Folk Noise, Who Cares, Destroy Us (Cass, Ltd) Putz Green Records And Tapes 2009
A Very Large Array (Cass, Comp, C60) Making A Living As A M... Sound Of Pig  
Black Sickle (Cass, Comp, C90) Wathever You Choose To... Epitapes  
Calling All Reactive Agents Volume 3 (CDr) Macroinstitution Langa... Anima Mal Nata  
Hominivorax (Experimental House Music) (Cass) Beater Case Biotope Art Organization  
Idealistic Idiot Vol.7 (Cass) Forced Dread Nihilistic Recordings  
Mental / Disorder (2xCass) Sloe Down, The Time Me... P.S. Tapes  
N D 7 (Cass, Comp, C90) Worksong N D  
Nice Noise Volume 4 (Cass, C60) Soffocato Nihilistic Recordings  
Save The Children (Cass, Comp, C60) It's Good, Sailor Song... Tears Compilations  
Sick Musings One (Cass) Fluxus Piece, Particle... Sick Muse Records  
Songs Of The Whippoorwills (Cass, Comp, C90) Napalm Bird Epitapes  
Tape Iz Flesh; Thu Second Cumming (Cass, Comp, C90) Improve Your Standing Ecto Tapes  
The Endless Fight (Cass, C60) Drown A Fascist ZNS Tapes  
The Long March (Cass, Comp, C60) From "Number 5" Sound Of Pig  
The Sound Of Hate 2 (Comp) (2 versions) Htes Formes Industrial Warfare ...  
The Stars Above Us Twinkle, Like Eyes Or Flashing Teeth. (Cass, Comp, C90) To Cull Our Heals Epitapes  
Total Recess 1 (Cass, Comp, C60) Invasion Of Time Mystery Hearsay  
Up 'N' Down (Cass, C60) Pali-Kao ZNS Tapes  
Unofficial Releases:
The Residents Unmasked! (3xCass, Comp, P/Unofficial, C60) Beyond The Valley: The... Ecto Tapes 1995
Demi-Quadrennial (Cass) Untitled Host-Age  
edit

YouTube Videos

▸ show all 1 review

Reviews & Discussion

Review by Alastis Apr 05, 2006 (edited over 3 years ago)
BCO (primarily Robo and Das with revolving cast of musicians) were around for more than 20 years now and i could easily put them into the list of greats like Zoviet-France. Unfortunately, this is the case where quite often quantity defies quality - its extremely uneven, with many tracks sounding as if though they were created in order to test the listener patience. Kudos to them, however, for promoting mp3-only albums - at least 5 or 6 of those appeared on various netlabels in the past 2 or 3 years. Overall, worth investigating if you're not against weirdness for weirdness sake and occasional self-indulgence.

Lists