Prehistory (album)

Prehistory
Studio album by Circle X
Released	1983
Recorded	1981 at Skyline Studios, New York City, United States
Genre	Post-punk, experimental rock
Length	35:38
Label	Index, Enigma
Circle X chronology
Circle X (1979) Prehistory (1983) Celestial (1994)

Prehistory is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Circle X. It was recorded in 1981 but was not released until 1983, jointly through record labels Index and Enigma.

Background

Prehistory was recorded upon their return to New York City, after staying nine months in Dijon, France.^[citation needed]

Release

The LP went out of print rapidly, but was later reissued semi-legally by the French label Sordide Sentimentale, featuring the addition of a booklet of essay texts and skin disorder photos.[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Circle X (David Letendre, Rick Letendre, Tony Pinotti, Bruce Witsiepe)

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Current"	6:22
2.	"Prehistory (Part I)"	5:10
3.	"Prehistory (Part II)"	5:16

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Culture Progress"	6:28
2.	"Underworld"	7:49
3.	"Beyond Standard"	4:33

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Trouser Press, whilst calling the album "more ambitious" than 1979's Circle X EP, wrote, "submerging energy in sloppy polyrhythms and echoey dub production, the album sometimes drags haphazardly and generally lacks its predecessor's field-plowing impact."[3]

Personnel

Circle X

• David Letendre – drums, percussion, guitar on "Current", album cover concept
• Rick Letendre – guitar, drums, percussion, tape operation, vocals, album cover concept
• Tony Pinotti – guitar, tape operation, vocals, bass guitar on "Current", album cover concept
• Bruce Witsiepe – guitar, tape operation, vocals, album cover concept

Additional personnel

• Jason Huang – Hammond organ on "Underworld"

Technical

• David Lichtenstein – engineering

References

1. "Matador Records | Circle X Biography". matadorrecords.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
2. Unterberger, Richie. "Prehistory – Circle X : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
3. Mamone, Jordan. "trouserpress.com :: Circle X". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 14 March 2013.

External links

• Prehistory at Discogs (list of releases)