Arbeiter at the Gate

Arbeiter At the Gate is a post-punk, experimental noise-rock album. It was the fifth album released by Jewish-American bi-polar outsider musician, Steve Lieberman on 18 October 2004. He was 46 years old when the CD was released.

Arbeiter At The Gate
Studio album by
Steve Lieberman
Released18 October 2004
RecordedApril – July 2004
GenrePunk rock, Garage, Obscuro, PitBash, Progressive Rock
Length63:36
LabelBad'lan USA
ProducerSteve Lieberman
Steve Lieberman chronology
Liquidatia 455
(2004)		 Arbeiter At The Gate
(2004)		 Jew In The Underground
(2005)

The album title is a play on a Biblical verse in Isaiah 29:21 ' (the wicked) lay a snare for the arbiter (judge) at the gate' (by changing to "arbeiter" it becomes Yiddish for "worker").[1]

Of Lieberman's 22 releases to date, Arbeiter At The Gate still remains a top album pick of the AllMusic Guide[2]

Arbeiter had charted on a number of college radio stations, most notably peaking at #42 on WXDU Duke University[3] and #87 at KZSU Stanford University.[4]

It was while on tour for the Arbeiter album that a reporter from Newsday interviewed Lieberman at one of his shows and stated that the essence of his music is (Lieberman's) message and emotion, not his talent in an article about outsider musicians on Long Island published on 27 February 2005.[5]

The record is considered darker than his works preceding Arbeiter as Lieberman suffered a bi-polar dark cycle through much of the cd's production, dealing with the illness of his beloved Labrador mix Buttons, who passed just before Arbeiter's release.

Critical reception

Greg McIntish from AllMusic wrote: ' A lo-fi sonic sock in the gut built around Lieberman's ultra-fuzzed-out bass, multitudinous flute overdubs and other sundry sounds. Certainly outsider music there's no doubting that Lieberman's sound is unique, but like such artists as Wesley Willis it is completely stagnant... Mostly, the appeal of Arbeiter At The Gate and all of Lieberman's work is the sheer and impressive fearlessness of it. Rating 3.5 Stars out of 5[6]

NeuFutur Magazine's James McQuiston noted: 'Although vocally, sometimes achieving an Ozzy-like inflection, the production and mixing of Arbeiter is almost painful to listen to because of the overdoing of the cheesy distortion Lieberman loves... Steve is unique, that much can be said. He's trying to make a coherent yet different album which doesn't necessarily make for solid, listenable music. But i sense here an evolution that eventually, we could get a solid album from him. Rating 4.0 Stars Out of 10.[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Lieberman except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Rock Me In The Bomb-shelter"3:27
2."My Call-girl"4:01
3."Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" (Harris,Rolf)4:45
4."Zionist"3:57
5."Hippy In The Middle"4:15
6."A Dose of Viagra"2:02
7."Freak of the Week"2:18
8."All-Day Media Player"3:46
9."Bullet For the Arbeiter"2:52
10."Father Daughter Dance" (Lieberman,Steve, Lieberman, Rebekah)3:36
11."Desert Viet-Nam 2004"3:52
12."Taber'ah"4:23
13."The A.M.G."2:37
14."Counting Skinheads in Adventureland"3:57
15."Bumper Car Spring-Green #5"7:59
16."Gin'ot For Buttons/Alive At My Own Funeral"4:55

Personnel

References
  1. Isaiah. Book of Isaiah. Prophets. 29.21. Pre-exile Judah. p. 672.
  2. "All Music Guide-Steve Lieberman The Gangsta Rabbi Discography". October 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  3. "WXDU Top 88.7". November 24, 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  4. "KZSU Zookeeper charts". May 22, 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  5. "Newsday, Long Island's Outsider Musicians". February 27, 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  6. McIntosh, Gregory, A.M.G.-Steve Lieberman-'Arbeiter At The Gate' Review, retrieved 18 August 2011
  7. McQuiston, James, NeuFutur Magazine-Steve Lieberman-'Arbeiter At The Gate' Review, retrieved 18 August 2011
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