Doctor Nerve - complete discography (Usa)

Out To Bomb Fresh Kings (1984, Punos Music)

Musicians:

Nick Didkovsky/ guitar,.nail violin,tapes
Don Davis/ tenor sax
Yves Duboin/ soprano sax
Mike Leslie, Steve McLean/ bass guitar

Michael Lytle/ clarinet
Jim Mussen, Brain Farmer, Brain Carter/ drums

Marc Wagnon/ vibraphon
Anne Brudevold/ electric violent
Joachim Litty/ alto sax
Chuck Verstraeten/ overtones & trombones
Stan Micro/ guitar
Doug Brown/ bass
Lucian Burg, Bill Lippencott/ sax

Out to Bomb Fresh Kings was Doctor Nerve's first album. It came out on Nick Didkovsky's own label Punos Music in 1985 and was picked up the next year by No Man's Land for European distribution. The album features an immature version of Doctor Nerve, as Nick Didkovsky was still looking for the right lineup: sax players, bassists, and drummers change from one track to the other. This first attempt contains all the elements that would define Doctor Nerve's sound for the next 15 years: ultra-complex compositions, the predominant roles of the electric guitar and the brass section, the humorous nature of the music, and the importance of Frank Zappa as a source of inspiration ("It's a Tincture" and "Personnel Dept." are actually snippets of dialogues interspersed among the songs, a technique Zappa used particularly on Sheik Yerbouti). But the album also features less typical Nerve numbers, like the jazz-funk opener "Mink Shadows" and the rocky "Doctor Nerve."

(François Couture)

Armed Observation ‎(1987/ Cuneiform Records)

Musicians:

Nick Didkovsky/ guitars, treatments
Samm Bennett/ percussion
Anne Brudevold/ electric violin
Dave Douglas/ trumpet
Yves Duboin/ saxophone
Mike Leslie/ electric bass
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet
James Mussen/ drums
Kyle Sims/ electric bass
Marc Wagnon/ vibraphone, percussion, piano

Armed Observation loses the jazzier numbers of the first album and concentrates on the more complex material while shortening the average track length. The album opens on a thunderous angular rock number, "Out to Bomb Fresh Kings," which initiates a series of song titles taking up the previous album's title. This track, along with "Sister Cancer Brother Dollar," "I Am Not Dumb Now," and "Wir Sind Dickhauter," all exhausting speed-driven numbers, will become high points of the band's live performance for years to come. But Armed Observation also introduces the more "contemporary composition" side of Nick Didkovsky in the form of his "Three Curiously Insubstantial Duets." This avenue will be more thoroughly explored on later albums. (François Couture)

Did Sprinting Die? (1990/ Wayside Music Archive Series)

Musicians:

Nick Didkovsky/ guitars and vocals
Greg Anderson/ bass
Leo Ciesa/ drums
Yves Duboin/ soprano sax
Rob Henke/ trumpet
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet
Marc Wagnon/ keyboards

Did Sprinting Die? is a live show from 6/14/89 captures all the fun and energy of a Nerve concert.

Beta 14 Ok ‎(1991/ Cuneiform Records)
Musicians:
Greg Anderson/ bass
Leo Ciesa/ drums
Nick Didkovsky/ guitars, vocals, claps
Dave Douglas/ trumpet, baritone thing, effects
Yves Duboin/ sax
Rob Henke/ trumpet, vocals
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, vocals
Marc Wagon/ vibraphone, piano, samples, claps

Beta 14 OK contains Screamingly high energy performances of superbly convoluted compositions.

Skin (1995/ Cuneiform Records)

Musicians:

Greg Anderson/ electric bass
Leo Cieso/ drums, skins
Nick Didkovsky/ electric guitars
Dave Douglas/ trumpet, "baritone thing"
Yves Duboin/ soprano sax
Rob Henke/ trumpet, voice
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet
Marx Wagnon/ vibraphone, samples 

On Skin, Nerve finds the unlikely meeting ground between heavy metal, thrashcore and artrock. The densest, heaviest, most intricately composed music you could ever imagine!

Every Screaming Ear (1997/ Cuneiform Records)
Musicians:
Greg Anderson/ bass
Leo Ciesa/ drums
Nick Didkovsky/ guitar, vocals
Dave Douglas/ trumpet
Yves Duboin/ sax
Rob Henke/ Trumpet, vocals
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet
Marc Wagnon/ vibraphone
Guests musicians:
NewEar
Isso Yukihiro Group
Meridian Arts Ensemble

Every Screaming Ear could be considered an overview & summation of the group's work to date, as it includes live reworkings of material from their previous recordings, as well as compositions, deconstructions & improvisations, all with excellent sonics. In addition, there are two amazing tracks by Nick Didkovsky with Japan's Isso Yukihiro group [from Nick's recent Japanese tour], a chamber orchestra performing a Nerve piece, & a new studio recording of Nerve with The Meridian Arts Ensemble performing Capt. Beefheart's "When It Blows It's Stacks".

Doctor Nerve With The Sirius String Quartet - Ereia ‎(2000/ Cuneiform Records)
Musicians
Greg Anderson/ bass
Leo Ciesa/ drums
Nick Didkovsky/ electric guitar
Yves Duboin/ soprano saxophone, flute
Rob Henke/ trumpet
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet
Kathleen Supové/ keyboards

Guests:
Joyce Hammann/ violin
Mary Whitaker/ violin
Ron Lawrence/ viola
Tomas Ulrich/ cello
Todd Reynolds/ violin (Second movement)
Liz Knowles/ violin (Second movement)
Mary Wooten/ cello (Second movement) It is a large work in three movements that spans intimate composition for solo viola, tightly reigned composition for full ensemble, explosive conducted improvisation of orchestral scope, and incendiary solos over rock grooves. It includes a no-holds-barred live performance of the second movement, recorded at Ereia’s premiere at the FIMAV ’97 Festival.

The Monkey Farm ‎(2009/ Punos Music)

Musicians:

Greg Anderson/ electric bass
Leo Ciesa/ drums
Nick Didkovsky/ tabletop guitar, conductor
Yves Duboin/ soprano sax
Robert Henke/ trumpet
Michael Lytle/ bass clarinet
Kathleen Supove/ laptop
Valeria Vasilevski / narration