Video: Arthur Russell, “Let’s Go Swimming”

September 16, 2011


Miraculously, there is still new Arthur Russell material being found and released. While Steve Knutson of Audika Records, Russell's primary historian and champion, was combing through the archives, Tom Lee, Russell's partner directed him to a video for the classic "Let's Go Swimming." The video itself was made in the ’80s by another legend, Walter Gibbons, who mixed ("with love") many of Russell's compositions. It's all found nature footage, which makes everyone seem way ahead of their time, and they were. Audika has this wonderfully prescient Russell quote on their site: “A lot of DJs take the tapes I make and try to make them into something more ordinary. ‘Let’s Go Swimming’ was supposed to be a futuristic summer record. Some DJs said that nobody would ever, ever play that. I think eventually that kind of thing will be commonplace." To continue to prove that, "Let's Go Swimming" will be reissued on Audika featuring all three versions of the song, along with an unreleased "epic 11-minute keyboard funk version of 'Make 1, 2' (Gem Spa Dub)." That's out September 27th, pick it up here.

Video: Arthur Russell, “Let’s Go Swimming”