Sir Richard Bishop & David Oliphant – Beyond All Defects 180g LP

Richard Bishop and David Oliphant first met in Phoenix, Arizona in 1981 when the sprawling desert city was culturally young and somewhat innocent. The local underground scene was still new, open to all forms of DIY expression. Any given show could include punk, folk, free jazz, prog rock, noise, poetry and even comedy. But before long, hardcore and new wave became more commonplace and the experimental side of the scene was forced further underground by this increasingly specialized set of musical standards. Bishop and Oliphant refused to go along with what had become the new normal and over 30 years later, they have remained true to their experimental ways.

Although SRB and WDO worked together periodically in the 80s through Sun City Girls and Maybe Mental, they never set out to simply work together as a duo. Fast forward to 2011. SRB, feeling the need to temporarily step out of his solo guitar zone, approached David with the idea of a joint collaboration, knowing that David was capable of producing almost any kind of sonic landscape imaginable. The initial seed was planted when SRB shared his desire to work with “big-ass Tibetan horn sounds.” David was on board instantly, anxious to once again be working with a kindred spirit. Richard flew down to Phoenix in December of 2011 with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a desire to create something different. David took it from there. The result is Beyond All Defects.