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PRESS RELEASE #1
On 4th November Björk releases a collection of songs that span her solo
career to date.
Simply entitled "Björk's Greatest Hits", the album has been compiled
by a unique web vote, which enabled fans to choose which tracks were their
favourites and/or best reflected her career. Interestingly, her biggest hits
were not necessarily amongst the most chosen tracks and thus the final track
listing truly demonstrates that this album is not simply a commercial entity,
but a true representation of Björk's evolution into the eclectic and pioneering
artist we know today.
The 15 tracks mark Björk's progression as an artist and retrospectively reflect
on a solo career that has spanned more than a decade, including the release of
four solo albums, "Debut", "Post", "Homogenic" and
most recently "Vespertine". Tracks include: "All Is Full Of
Love", "Play Dead", "Human Behaviour" and "Venus
As A Boy" amongst others.
To compliment the release of the "Greatest Hits", Björk will also
release a special box set entitled "Family Tree" comprising six CDs;
five 3" and one 5" of her favourite songs which in Björk's words
represent "the story of how I got to where I am today and in my musical
words to say how I developed as a musician".
"Family Tree", the six CD box set, will also be available from
November 4th and will include tracks, some previously unreleased, taken from Björk's
whole career, not just her solo career.
The "Family Tree" project will include one CD on which Björk compiles
her own 12-track 'greatest hits', and a series of 3" mini-CDs divided into
Roots, Beats and Strings collections.
The two mini 'Roots' discs will together comprise 10 tracks, including some
Sugarcubes tracks and Glóra, a piece Björk wrote on the flute when she was 15.
This CD includes tracks from Björk's career, which demonstrate where she
"took the biggest leaps as a songwriter".
The 'Beats' CD, which comprises 4 tracks, displays the very first experiments in
rhythm Björk did with Graham Massey and Mark Bell after leaving The Sugarcubes
and gives the first hints at the importance electronica was to take in her solo
work.
Last but by no means least, are two 'Strings' CD's on which Björk, for the
first time, confronts and accepts the formal musical training she received as a
child. These discs feature the classical arrangements of Björk's songs by the
Brodsky Quartet first heard at the breathtaking shows they played together at
the Union Chapel in England, in 2000.
The "Family Tree" box set will be packaged in a custom made
transparent rose coloured plastic case, ingeniously configured to house the six
disc set. The box will also include a 16 page lyric book, a map guiding
purchasers through the "Family Tree" collection and individual
packaging for each branch of the tree. This unique package, and that of the
"Greatest Hits", have both been designed by the acclaimed Parisian
designers 'M/M', and feature illustrations and photos by the Icelandic artist
Gabriella Friðriksdóttir.
The "Family Tree" collection will be the first collection released of
it's type and promises to provide the definitive insight into the many facets
which make Björk the truly individual, enigmatic and experimental artist she
is. This collection will provide fans and collectors alike with a fascinating
insight into the many different musical paths she has taken and into the
influences and inspirations that have helped make her the artist she is today.
For Björk, no "Greatest Hits" album could be released without this
sort of back up and the "Family Tree" promises to fill in all the gaps
that the release of a simple "Greatest Hits" CD could never provide.
The albums will be released simultaneously on Elektra Records, One Little Indian
Records and Universal on November 4th and represent the career of an artist that
has continuously set precedents and broken boundaries and become the musician we
know today.
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PRESS RELEASE #2
Bjork has unveiled the tracklist
for the six-disc box set, "Family Tree," which, as previously
reported, will be released November 4th via Elektra. "Family Tree" was
delayed due to its elaborate packaging, which will comprise "an ingenious
custom transparent rose-colored plastic case" with a 16-page lyric book and
a map to guide listeners through the collection, according to the label.
The first disc features Bjork's
own hand-picked favorites, ranging from the thumping electronics of
"Hyperballad" to the vocal acrobatics of "Isobel" and the
more plaintive strains of "Pagan Poetry" and "All Is Full of
Love." Two "Roots" discs feature a range of early career material
and rare items, including the B-side "Generous Palmstroke" from
recording sessions for last year's "Vespertine" album.
A four-track "Beats"
CD offers Bjork's first forays into unconventional rhythms following her exit
from the Sugarcubes, with assistance from producers Graham Massey and Mark Bell.
"The Modern Things" made it onto 1995's "Post," while
"I Go Humble" was featured as a B-side on the "Isobel"
single. "Karvel" and "Nature Is Ancient" are previously
unreleased.
The final two discs are filled
with orchestral interpretations of such Bjork songs as "Possibly
Maybe," "Unravel," and "I've Seen It All" by the
Brodsky Quartet, with whom she collaborated in 2000 for several concerts in
London.
The fan-chosen "Greatest
Hits" also arrives on November 4th, complete with the new single "It's in
Our Hands." The track is due to arrive Sept. 23 at U.S. radio outlets for
airplay consideration.
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