Richard Prince | Loud Song

Richard Prince
Loud Song
New York City, USA: 303inprint, 2016
12" LP
Edition of 250 signed copies



"Loud Song was recorded in Venice Beach California in a house that I rented in the winter of 1985.
I recorded the song on an electric keyboard.
I used two cassette tape recorders.
I Would play the keyboard and record what was played on the first cassette.
Then I would play what I recorded and play more keyboard and record both sounds on the second cassette.
Then I would play back what I recorded on the second cassette and play more keyboard and record all that onto the first cassette.
It was like I was using the cassette players as musicians.
I would record this way until the song got really loud.
At the time I was under contract with Warner Bros.
My job was to try to write “hit” songs. At least that’s what I thought my job was.
Nothing I wrote for this job ever appeared on a record."


"Loud Song was self-recorded in 1985 in Venice California. My band at the time, “Him,” played once in 1980 at Jenny Holzer’s loft at one of her “band parties.” By the time I had recorded “Loud Song” in 1985 I had reduced the members of Him to one. By 1986 I reduced the only remaining member to no one."

- Richard Prince

Previously released (in 2013) as a CD single, Gallery 303 will be launching a new special limited edition vinyl version of Prince's 1985 sound work at the LA Art Book Fair later this week. 

In 2004 Prince designed the cover for Sonic Youth's LP Sonic Nurse. Here, Kim Gordon returns the favour, designing a new cover for the 2016 release. The original graphic (below) now appears in the LP as a fold-out poster.