Exclusive video premiere of ‘Music’ by Bruce Haack, taken from ‘Captain Entropy’ album from 1974 that Shimmy-Disc will reissue on August 25th.

Today, Shimmy-Disc announces their forthcoming posthumous reissue of Bruce Haack’s 1974 record, ‘Captain Entropy,’ to arrive on August 25.

‘Captain Entropy,’ described as “a participation journey for elementary and high-school people — through the soul of space-ship earth — from principles of thermodynamics to folks like the American eagle,” was created and totally performed by Bruce Haack. It’s an electro-surrealist musical journey from the mind of “The Captain,” capturing his inventive genius musically in tandem with tapping into the voice of his inner child. It displays innovative story-songs inspired by Haack’s diverse musical interests and a love of Science and explorations of the Natural World, songs to excite the imaginations of listeners, both young and old.

This forthcoming reissue of ‘Captain Entropy’ was remastered by Kramer for this Archival Reissue. The free digital download that comes alongside purchase of the vinyl also contains an exclusive additional 20 minutes of previously unreleased bonus material. The LP was originally released in 1974 on Dimension 5, the artist’s own label. This new reissue will be on limited edition hand-numbered Black Vinyl (limited to 555 copies), and on Clear Vinyl LP for Retail.

To introduce the new reissue, today, Shimmy-Disc unveils the record’s first cut, Bruce Haack’s ‘Music’. The narrative-song teaches about “a beautiful soundwave language,” merging science and history in sound, his musical crystallization of abstract thoughts into concrete feelings. It describes humans creating ‘magic switching systems that change the shape of soundwaves.’ Haack’s vision was always of the future, where ‘music is made by just thinking about it.’

<a href="https://brucehaackofficial.bandcamp.com/album/captain-entropy">Captain Entropy by Bruce Haack</a>

In the original 1974 liner notes, Haack described the track as such: “An early soul-beat plus electronic ‘strings’ gives a space-capsule insight into where music is really at. Believe it or not, people used to scrape strands of animal tissue with hair from a horse’s tail to make it.”

As Kramer wrote on the forthcoming reissue and this new cut: “‘Captain Entropy’ is not simply a brilliant work of art and a pioneering ingredient in the history of electronic music. It’s also a unique “kids” record and the ideal introduction to Haack’s work for listeners previously unaware of his extraordinary creations. Like Fred Rogers, everyone loves Bruce Haack. His spirit is universal, and his musical output is as wide and as far-reaching as Creation itself.

Haack’s work had always focused on tinkering, inventing, innovating, and creating, but at its very core, everything he has done, from start to finish, is about music, with a prime focus on how music can teach, inform, illuminate, and explain what life and what being alive is all about. His connection to kids – and in helping them to understand how the world works – couldn’t be more clearly articulated than it is in Ryan Hover’s video for ‘Music,’ premiering today. Bruce Haack truly cared about kids, about community, about culture, and about everything he saw and felt around him. The entire world was his home.

Haack was the consummate musician, but he was a composer first and foremost, and Shimmy-Disc is proud to partner with his estate in spreading the word about the sounds and visions of his life’s work. This reissue LP is only the beginning. Captain Entropy is no “novelty” release made solely for kids. This record, like everything else Bruce Haack ever created, is for Everyone.” – Kramer, July 2023

Bruce Haack Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp
Shimmy-Disc Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp
Joyful Noise Recordings Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube