Cage's "4'33"" Going for UK Xmas Number One

[Robin Landseadel]

In the UK, the race to become the number one song in the country at  
Christmas is a big deal. Last year, a Facebook campaign succeeded in  
making Rage Against the Machine's years-old track "Killing in the  
Name" the Christmas number one, upsetting X Factor winner Joe  
McElderry. This year, an indie-leaning all-star group of artists is  
attempting the same thing, with a "cover" of John Cage's experimental  
piece "4'33"", which famously consists of four minutes and 33 seconds  
of silence.

The group of artists getting together to record the new version of  
"4'33"" are using the name Cage Against the Machine, naturally. Their  
number includes Pete Doherty, Billy Bragg, producer Paul Epworth, and  
members of the Big Pink, the Kooks, UNKLE, Orbital, Coldcut, and many  
others. (More artists may join up.) They'll all gather at London's  
Dean Street Studios on December 6 to record the track, and director  
DickCarruthers will film it. Wall of Sound will release it-- along  
with "pocket remixes" by Hot Chip, Herve, Adam F, and Mr. Scruff -- on  
December 13. (It's tough to imagine how a remix of silence will sound,  
but it's happening.) And even though this version hasn't been recorded  
yet, there's already a Facebook campaign to get it to number one.

Proceeds from the single will go to five charities, including the  
British Tinnitus Association. Britain has a long tradition of "We Are  
the World"-esque all-star charity singles topping the charts; check  
Pitchfork contributor Tom Ewing's long-running Popular blog, which  
reviews every British number one ever, for evidence. But if this  
particular track succeeds in hitting the top spot, it'll be a massive  
coup for quixotic conceptual stunts. A college professor once told me  
that "4'33"" ended music forever, so maybe this release will end all- 
star charity singles forever?

Posted by Tom Breihan on December 2, 2010 at 4:20 p.m.



http://pitchfork.com/news/40885-cages-433-going-for-uk-xmas-number-one/