Mayo Thompson has led the Red Krayola through 32 years, countless different lineups, and stylistic shifts from freaked-out psychedelia to Marxist funk, but he's rarely chosen to step out from under the Krayola's umbrella. This collaboration, which was recorded in 1983 but remained on the shelf for 15 years, is one such occasion. The other participants were veterans of Germany's electronic-music scene; keyboard player Dieter Moebius has recorded with Cluster, Harmonia, and Brian Eno, while trumpeter and producer Conny Plank has worked with Devo, Kraftwerk, and Ultravox. The two Germans constructed Ludwig's Law's backing tracks using the emulator, an early sampler that enabled them to duplicate the other instruments without having to deal with the musicians who played them. The duo recorded a series of stately fanfares and brittle Talking Heads funk, over which Thompson narrated a series of skewed monologues about philosophy, art, history, and careless farmers. --Bill Meyer