Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings cover

Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings

John Zorn · 2005

327 min · 121 tracks · avant-garde jazz

A chaotic blend of avant-garde jazz, punk energy, and cinematic soundscapes that defy genre boundaries.

Is this for you?

Good fit if you like

  • wave-like pacing with surprises
  • short bursts of intense energy
  • immersive cinematic soundscapes
  • chaotic exploration of sound
  • dynamic shifts in emotion

Maybe skip if you want

  • prefer predictable song structures
  • seek straightforward listening experiences

Where this album fits

Career context
By the time 'Naked City: The Complete Studio Recordings' was released in 2005, John Zorn had already established himself as a pioneering figure in avant-garde music. This compilation showcases his innovative work from the late 1980s and early 1990s with the band Naked City, following their groundbreaking self-titled debut album in 1989 and solidifying his reputation for genre-defying experimentation.
Stylistic neighbors
Mike Patton· The Thing· Merzbow

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

Disc 1

  • 1 Batman 2:04
  • 2 The Sicilian Clan 3:32
  • 3 You Will Be Shot 1:31
  • 4 Latin Quarter 4:11
  • 5 A Shot in the Dark 3:13
  • 6 Reanimator 1:43
  • 7 Snagglepuss 2:20
  • 8 I Want to Live 2:12
  • 9 Lonely Woman 2:45
  • 10 Igneous Ejaculation 0:24
  • 11 Blood Duster 0:16
  • 12 Hammerhead 0:11
  • 13 Demon Sanctuary 0:41
  • 14 Obeah Man 0:20
  • 15 Ujaku 0:30
  • 16 Fuck the Facts 0:14
  • 17 Speedball 0:43
  • 18 Chinatown 4:28
  • 19 Punk China Doll 3:04
  • 20 N.Y. Flat Top Box 0:45
  • 21 Saigon Pickup 4:50
  • 22 The James Bond Theme 3:06
  • 23 Den of Sins 1:15
  • 24 Contempt 2:54
  • 25 Graveyard Shift 3:32
  • 26 Inside Straight 4:16

Disc 2

  • 1 Grand Guignol 17:49
  • 2 Blood Is Thin 1:03
  • 3 Thrash Jazz Assassin 0:48
  • 4 Dead Spot 0:35
  • 5 Bonehead 0:56
  • 6 Piledriver 0:37
  • 7 Shangkuan Ling-Feng 1:18
  • 8 Numbskull 0:32
  • 9 Perfume of a Critic’s Burning Flesh 0:28
  • 10 Jazz Snob: Eat Shit 0:27
  • 11 The Prestidigitator 0:47
  • 12 No Reason to Believe 0:27
  • 13 Hellraiser 0:42
  • 14 Torture Garden 0:39
  • 15 Slan 0:26
  • 16 The Ways of Pain 0:35
  • 17 The Noose 0:12
  • 18 Sack of Shit 0:48
  • 19 Blunt Instrument 0:56
  • 20 Osaka Bondage 1:16
  • 21 Shallow Grave 0:43
  • 22 Kaoru 0:54
  • 23 Dead Dread 0:49
  • 24 Billy Liar 0:15
  • 25 Victims of Torture 0:26
  • 26 Speedfreaks 0:51
  • 27 New Jersey Scum Swamp 0:44
  • 28 S/M Sniper 0:16
  • 29 Pigfucker 0:27
  • 30 Cairo Chop Shop 0:24
  • 31 Face Lifter 0:57
  • 32 Whiplash 0:23
  • 33 The Blade 0:43
  • 34 Gob of Spit 0:28
  • 35 La cathédrale engloutie 6:26
  • 36 Three Preludes, op. 74: I. Douloureux, déchirant 1:22
  • 37 Three Preludes, op. 74: II. Très lent, contemplatif 1:42
  • 38 Three Preludes, op. 74: III. Allegro drammatico 0:51
  • 39 Prophetiae Sybillarum 1:52
  • 40 The Cage 2:03
  • 41 Louange à l’éternité de Jésus 7:23
  • 42 Grand Guignol (version vocale) 17:40

Disc 3

  • 1 Main Titles 1:28
  • 2 Sex Games 2:23
  • 3 The Brood 2:49
  • 4 Sweat, Sperm + Blood 2:04
  • 5 Vliet 0:50
  • 6 Heretic 1 2:33
  • 7 Submission 4:23
  • 8 Heretic 2 1:46
  • 9 Catacombs 2:46
  • 10 Heretic 3 2:43
  • 11 My Master, My Slave 2:23
  • 12 Saint Jude 2:13
  • 13 The Conqueror Worm 2:32
  • 14 Dominatrix 2B 2:15
  • 15 Back Through the Looking Glass 2:40
  • 16 Here Come the 7,000 Frogs 1:59
  • 17 Slaughterhouse/Chase Sequence 2:19
  • 18 Castle Keep 1:49
  • 19 Mantra of Resurrected Shit 1:43
  • 20 Trypsicore 1:47
  • 21 Fire and Ice (Club Scene) 2:37
  • 22 Crosstalk 1:41
  • 23 Copraphagist Rituals 0:53
  • 24 Labyrinth 5:49

Disc 4

  • 1 Asylum 1:55
  • 2 Sunset Surfer 3:24
  • 3 Party Girl 2:33
  • 4 The Outsider 2:28
  • 5 Triggerfingers 3:31
  • 6 Terkmani Teepee 3:59
  • 7 Sex Fiend 3:32
  • 8 Razorwire 5:31
  • 9 The Bitter and the Sweet 4:52
  • 10 Krazy Kat 1:54
  • 11 The Vault 4:44
  • 12 Metaltov 2:07
  • 13 Poisonhead 1:09
  • 14 Bone Orchard 3:54
  • 15 I Die Screaming 2:29
  • 16 Pistol Whipping 0:57
  • 17 Skatekey 1:24
  • 18 Shock Corridor 1:08
  • 19 American Psycho 6:09

Disc 5

  • 1 Val de travers 6:19
  • 2 Une correspondance 5:09
  • 3 La fée verte 5:12
  • 4 Fleurs du mal 4:08
  • 5 Artemisia absinthium 4:34
  • 6 Notre Dame de l'oubli (For Olivier Messiaen) 4:51
  • 7 Verlaine, Part One: Un midi moins dix 4:28
  • 8 Verlaine, Part Two: La bleue 6:03
  • 9 ...rend fou 6:16
  • 10 Leng Tch'e 31:38

Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata