McLuhan Anomaly Information

Swedien The Legend

Well - Being driven by the Internet, Information Age, Global Information Era, whatever, I easily discovered, that Bruce Swedien, the Studio Engineer who produced our album, has become a God!  I read that description of him in several places recently having googled his name.  Try googling him if you have about a month to look through all of the references to Mr Swedien.  I haven't got a phone number for him yet but I am going to look further when I get a minute.  I'm thinking it is very likely that Bruce has forgot about the McLuhan album, Anomaly, but would quickly remember the Spring of 1972 when it was born, and would be pleased that it is being ranked by the Gnosis group among the top albums of it's kind, whether from 1972 or without regard to date.  Most of the information I see is about Michael Jackson and all of the albums he produced for him, or Quincy Jones and other legends from earlier Jazz communities.  However, Bruce, you should give a listen again.  "Anomaly", the album,  might be special.

Anomaly - A Push From McLuhan

Not sure where I am going with this but my daughter Stephanie pointed out something that had been kicking around in my subliminal thoughts but she expressed it.  That is, Anomaly the album circa 1972 Brunswick Record label, has been given a re-birth, 34 years after inception, totally through the Electronic Age, the Media being the message.  Without funding, without promotion, without awareness, without any strategy, effort, program or plan, the album was discovered and given life.  How?  Through our new Internet driven Global Village without a doubt.  And, of course, the theme of the group McLuhan and it's only album, Anomaly, was The Medium is the Message.  Very frightening, goosebumps, etc.  In particular, cut #4 on the album, A Brief Message From Your Local Media, detailed the history of Man in terms of the stages of Technology; Tribal (Touching and Feeling), Print (secluded), Assembly Line (specialization), Electronic Man (TV images creating Global Village), and now the Computer, which seems as if it is jacking our information age up exponentially.

At this point it would seem that awareness of Anomaly, the album, is confined to be within the Collectors, Fusion or Rock Historians, and maybe Music Seekers who have their ears tuned to the internet to grab or discover something they had not heard before.

As Tom Hayes, co-founder of the Gnosis project, gnosis2000.net suggested to me, the illegal CD's are probably not very significant with respect to any distribution. 

I am still trying to contact others, including Dave Wright, Neal Rosner, John Mahoney, Marvin Krout, Stoney Phillips, Tom Toja Laney, Mike Lynn, Bruce Swedien and others to see if any of the ideas that are emerging about a legitimate re-release on CD might be possible.

Paul Cohn

In Search of Dave Wright

Seeking information on the whereabouts of David Wright, McLuhan's chief architect, composer, and trumpet player.  Last information was that Dave was in Chicago in the early 70's and worked at Schilke Trumpets in Chicago at that time.  He is probably unaware of the recognition the McLuhan Anomaly album (Brunswick Records) has been receiving.  He was certainly the main genius behind the concept, composition, and production of this unbelievable album.  Hoping to locate him to explore possible re-release opportunities and to make him aware of the recent, internet driven world-wide recognition of the album.  Please contact Paul Cohn 616-396-9000 at CityWide.

Dave attended University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Campus and was involved in the Music program at that time (1971).  Also, would like to contact Stoney Phillips (Guitar) Tom Toja Laney (Organ), Marvin Krout (Organ), and John Mahoney (Drums).  Please contact Paul Cohn 616-396-9000 with any information you may have.