Introduction chords by John Cage

SimplifiedGm · F · G · Bb · F#m …

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Verse 1
Gm 
In the grooves of this record
F 
Gm 
is the sound of John Cage.
G 
Gm 
John Cage, the avant -garde electronic composer,
has been astounding audiences
G 
with such non -musical sounds
as sitting at a piano for four minutes,
F 
G 
presenting a silent sonata,
designating the opening and closing
of a movement
by opening and closing the keyboard
cover on the piano
Bb 
Gm 
or  by attaching a contact microphone
G 
to his Adam's apple
F 
and drinking a glass of water.
Bb 
G 
Cage composes by chance,
trying to bypass his own ego,
taste, self,
G 
or whatever it may be called,
to create musical happenings
with a network of microphones
F 
that record and mix sounds
G 
such as the slicing of a carrot,
a collision on the street,
Gm 
Bb 
or the closing of a door.
G 
Due to unprecedented response
F 
G 
and demand for the Everest re cording of
John Cage's Variations IV,
Everest is proud to present
volume two of this composition.
The original rendition of Variations IV
was a six -hour performance.
Due to the length,
F 
the first volume,
F#m 
released as Everest recording
G 
number 3132,
contains certain portions
and excerpts from this work.
F 
G 
Volume two contains additional
material
from Variations IV,
which was not in the
F 
previous record release.
G 
Variations IV
Gm 
Bb 
is a re  cording of a concert
F 
given by John Cage and
G 
his associate David Tutor
Em 
at a prominent art gallery
G 
on La Cienega Boulevard
in Los Angeles.
The evening started
with the electronic equipment
distributed throughout the gallery
in two separate rooms.
In each room was
a complete sound unit
consisting of amplifiers,
speakers,
G 
radio tuners,
tape recorders,
mixers,
and so on.
Many of the speakers and microphones
were distributed in odd positions,
such as a mic on the street
in front of the entrance,
so that the sound of the traffic
F 
could be inserted into the system at will.
G 
G 
In each room was an oper
ator
under personal supervision
of either John Cage
or his associate in this project,
David Tuter.
The systems were actuated,
and the sounds which you're about
to witness
F 
were the object of the concert.
Eb 
Am 
Listen closely, and you will hear
G 
the sounds of the audiences
as well as the tinkle of the glasses
F 
G 
as the mic over the bar was in use.
Records and previous recorded tapes,
as well as radio broadcasts,
F 
are mixed in during the concert.
G 
As this project was such
an overwhelming success,
Mr. Cage has presented another concert
in New York City
at the Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall,
this time a continuation titled Variations 5.
F 
G 
Am 
The actuating of the sounds,
G 
F 
were not personally controlled by Mr. Cage.
G 
Gm 
G 
Instead, he had a as  they danced about,
their bodies interrupted
many light beams,
which in turn operated various
F 
electronic gadgetry,
Bb 
F 
G 
producing the sounds.
F#m 
As    John Cage has said,
G 
music is all around us,
if only we had ears.
There would be no need for concert halls
G 
if man could learn to enjoy the sounds
that envelop him,
for example at 7th Street and Broadway
G 
at 4 p .m. on a rainy day.
D 
So now, in five seconds,
G 
you will be transported
F 
to the Los Angeles famed art row,
La Cienega Boulevard,
and the John Cage concert,
Variations IV.