IBM 1401, A User's Manual

IBM 1401, A User's Manual is the fourth full-length studio album by Icelandic musician Jóhann Jóhannsson, released by 4AD on October 30, 2006.

This article is about the 2006 album by Jóhann Jóhannsson. For the computer which the album is named after, see IBM 1401.
IBM 1401, A User's Manual
Studio album by
Jóhann Jóhannsson
ReleasedOctober 30, 2006 (2006-10-30)
Recorded2003–2006
StudioBarrandov Studios, Smecky Soundstage, Prague; various locations in Reykjavik, Skálholt, Florence, Madrid, Zürich, Piran, and Rennes
GenreElectronic, avant-garde
Length42:50
LanguageEnglish
Label4AD
ProducerJóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhann Jóhannsson chronology
Dís
(2004)		 IBM 1401, A User's Manual
(2006)		 Fordlandia
(2008)
Singles from IBM 1401, A User's Manual
  1. "The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black"
    Released: October 9, 2006

4AD released the album on vinyl for the first time on December 8, 2017. The reissue was a double LP pressing on clear-coloured vinyl and included two previously unreleased live bonus tracks.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
musicOMH[3]
Pitchfork Media6.9/10[4]
Slant Magazine[5]
Stylus MagazineB+[6]

Upon its release, IBM 1401, A User's Manual received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Pitchfork's Mark Richardson gave it a 6.9, saying that the record "begins beautifully" and has a "powerful finish", "but the long sag in the middle makes IBM 1401 – A User's Manual a bit harder to recommend overall."[7]

Sal Cinquemani for Slant Magazine said that the album "gives you the sense of hearing something truly ancient being married to something very modern and present, and, then, something very futuristic."[8] Cinquemani praised the album's ambition and thematic work while noting that it was less musically varied. "Some theorists claim humans can simulate anything with a computer, even a soul," Cinquemani concluded, "and with IBM 1401 - A User’s Manual, Jóhannsson comes chillingly close."[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jóhann Jóhannsson and Sigvaldi Kaldalóns

No.TitleLength
1."Part 1 / IBM 1401 Processing Unit"8:32
2."Part 2 / IBM 1403 Printer"9:32
3."Part 3 / IBM 1402 Card Read-Punch"10:23
4."Part 4 / IBM 729 II Magnetic Tape Unit" (vocals by Erna Ómarsdóttir)7:15
5."Part 5 / The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black" (vocals by Jóhann Jóhannsson, lyrics by Dorothy Parker)7:09
Vinyl-only bonus tracks[1]
No.TitleLength
6."Part 1 / IBM 1401 Processing Unit" (live with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra) 
7."Part 5 / The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black" (live with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra) 

Personnel

Credits for IBM 1401, A User's Manual adapted from Allmusic.[2]

References
  1. "4AD – Jóhann Jóhannsson – IBM 1401, A User's Manual". Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  2. "Jóhann Jóhannsson: ibm 1401, a user's manual". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  3. Hands, Steve (16 October 2006). "Jóhann Jóhannsson – Ibm 1401: A Users Manual". musicOMH. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  4. Richardson, Mark (9 November 2006). "Jóhann Jóhannsson – IBM 1401 – A User's Manual". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  5. Cinquemani, Sal (7 November 2006). "Jóhann Jóhannsson – IBM 1401 – A User's Manual". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  6. Teasdale, Paul (6 December 2006). "Jóhann Jóhannsson – IBM 1401 – A User's Manual". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
  7. "Jóhann Jóhannsson: IBM 1401 – A User's Manual Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-10-25.
  8. Cinquemani, Sal (2006-11-07). "Jóhann Jóhannsson IBM 1401 - A User's Manual | Album Review | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
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