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Thursday 31 March 2011

APOLOGIES!! from psychelatte

March 31st 2011 Aaagh I'M REALLY SORRY GUYS! posted wrong link for Philip Glass' mesmerising 'Einstein on the Beach.' That was just a tiny part. I have now posted correct link, 181mb, covering 3 cds of material! Please hear the rest if you haven't already!!

(just click same place again for new link!!)

Tuesday 22 March 2011

***Philip Glass - Einstein on the Beach (1979) freaking nuts choral piece!!***


This is a bizarre and relentless
opera-as the surreal title implies, more dream than drama. The first train episode, over 20 minutes long, remains mind-blowing in its relentlessness. The impact is heightened by the vividness of the recording, with spoken voices in particular given such presence that they startled me as if someone had burst into the room. The vision remains an odd one, but with a formidable group of vocalists and instrumentalists brilliantly directed, often from the keyboard, by Michael Riesman, the recording certainly justifies itself. An opera in 4 parts for ensemble chorus soloists. The so called knee play of this much spoken about opera serves as a recurring motive throughout the piece reaching its emotional apex in the second half of knee play 5 with its lovely violin piece and transcendent poetry embellishing all that is true in the human heart.

***Psychelatte says: SO SORRY, I GAVE YOU WRONG LINK BEFORE, ONLY SMALL PART! Here is all of the whole mad thing!!

MENTAL !!

Friday 18 March 2011

***Philip Glass - The Quatsi Trilogy - from unmissable & legendary 'image' time-lapse documentary films***

When Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass released in the 1982 movie about the technology and the silent mutation of the landscape, they hardly knew 'Koyaanisqatsi' and its two sequels, "Powaqqatsi" and "Naqoyqatsi" would become a cultural landmark. The film titles are Hopi language words, where the word 'qatsi' means life. The Hopi language belongs to the Uto-Azteca and is spoken by the Hopi, an Indian nation that lives in the U.S. northwestern state of Arizona. 'The qatsi Trilogy' is the informal name given to films directed by Godfrey Reggio, with soundtrack by Philip Glass and Francis Ford Coppola executive producing. All the films consist of images of nature and images of man and his creations, all stimulated by the minimalist music of Philip Glass. The films are structured on a tripod: the conceptual chain, the heavy load of images and the rhythm of music. It is difficult to judge each film, as they are not movies in the conventional sense. It is an experience of sounds and images to evoke feelings harmonized. Their role is to provoke, to raise questions. The first covers primarily the northern hemisphere, the second and the South Asian countries, and the third deals with the planet as a whole. Godfrey Reggio is often able to find poetry in even disturbing images, enhanced by the haunting music of Philip Glass.

Philip Glass is a North American composer, born in Baltimore, and is one of the most influential songwriters of the late twentieth century. His music is renowned for minimalist, though he did not appreciate this expression. The term Minimalism was used to refer to the musical production that has the following characteristics: repetition of small portions over vast periods of time and almost hypnotic rhythms. It is often associated with and inseparable from electronic music, psychedelic music or even punk rock. Philip Glass has produced operas, symphonies, concertos and soundtracks. Tibetian and advocates. 'Satyagraha' is an opera based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi which includes several mantras. The soundtrack of 'Koyaanisqatsi' is among the most influential. In addition to symphonic works, Glass also has strong connections with rock and electronic music. Several artists were influenced by his work and received among the influences that is the music of Ravi Shankar that changed your perception of Indian music.

"Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance "


was released in 1983. It is the first and best known of the trilogy. It's an apocalyptic vision of the collision between two distinct worlds: urban life and technology versus the environment. We are shown scenes of natural and urban landscapes, many with the speed changed. Some scenes are slow and some more rapid than normal, like everyday modern life increasingly faster due to technological innovations. Images of the time with majestic minimalist music. The title comes from the Hopi language and means "life out of balance '. The meaning is revealed at the end of the documentary are also sung when three prophecies of the Hopi people in their own language, translated, of course. It was a movie with no story, no dialogue and no narrative structure of any kind. There was little debate about the importance of 'Koyaanisqatsi' as a warning to humanity. Instead, there was only the cult of beauty of the images at high speed that have become cliches used in other films and television programs. Some see it as a film strongly pro-environment, while others say it is more spiritual. Others conclude that it celebrates the beauty and power of the things that man has with nature. To me it is painful proof of how humanity's greatest successes have led us to major flaws too, and maybe in the end, we will have created something totally contrary to life than Earth originally gave us.

Tracklist:
01. Koyaanisqatsi
02. Organic
03. Cloudscape
04. Resource
05. Vessels
06. Pruit Igoe
07 Prophecies

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'Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation'

was released in 1988 and as in other movies, there are narratives or dialogues. Also at the end is revealed the meaning of the name Powaqqatsi: Life in transformation. Using the deceleration of the images 'Powaqqatsi' denounces violence against nature. It follows an entirely different concept of 'Koyaanisqatsi', which focuses on inanimate structures built by mankind. This is a film about people and lifestyles in the developing world. Godfrey Reggio chose not to use visual techniques and high-speed photography and contented himself with a more discreet approach. Although the film can not match the impact of images of 'Koyaanisqatsi', considered the best by the opinion of the public and critics 'Powaqqatsi' theme has greater depth, it makes the public and critics think. The film is the better film portrait of the effects of modernity upon the natives of the Third World, emerging cultures of Asia, India, Africa, Middle East and South America, partly filmed in Brazil, who still live in the same way they did hundreds of years ago and how they express themselves through work and traditions. The scenes of people working, carrying baskets on their heads, show the enormous effort required to make these people an industrial revolution and in a very short period of time. The images show the tremendous work and sacrifice necessary to build a modern society. The structure of the film is the same as that of 'Koyaanisqatsi': early life, industrial life, and finally to modern existence. 'Powaqqatsi' conveys a humanist philosophy about the earth. The advancement of technology on nature and ancient cultures, and splendor as a result. The film focuses on the modern way of life and the concept of Global Village. 'Koyaanisqatsi' is the imbalance between nature and modern society, 'Powaqqatsi' is a celebration. To Godfrey Reggio is an analysis of how life is changing in a fascinating mixture of different backgrounds. It is a record of diversity and transformation. Cultures dying and prospering. With music by Philip Glass, the traditional instruments and electronics fused with tribal rhythms on a single theme.

Tracklist:

01. Serra Pelada
02. The Title
03. Anthem-Part 1
04. That Place
05. Anthem-Part 2
06. Mosque And Temple
07. Anthem-Part 3
08. Train To Sao Paulo
09. Video Dream
10. New Cities In Ancient Lands, China
11. New Cities In Ancient Lands, Africa
12. New Cities In Ancient Lands, India
13. The unutterable
14. Caught!
15. Mr. Suso # 1
16. From Egypt
17. Mr. Suso # 2 With Reflection
18 Powaqqatsi

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'Naqoyqatsi: Life as War'

ends the trilogy by Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass, with excerpts performed by Yo-Yo Ma, French cellist of Chinese origin. Fifteen years later, in 2002, Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass come back to the post-industrial society, marked by scientific advances and globalization of information. Of the three films, this is the most pessimistic. The film begins with the painting 'Tower of Babel, by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Tower built by mankind to reach for the sky at a time when the world spoke the same language with the same words. God did not like the project and confounded the language of all. The tower, allegorically explains the origin of many languages spoken in the world. The film ends with a man lost in space quoting '2001: A Space Odyssey 'of Kubrick. The film is structured by humans, the Earth, space and violence. Political leaders like Bush Jr., Lincoln and Arafat are present. Bin Laden appears briefly, walking among followers. 'Naqoyqatsi' shows the grandeur of the world connected, globalized world, immersed in technology that shortens distances and speeds up procedures for destruction because of their misuse. Unlike the other two films, we used films and digitally manipulated images, mixed with scenes produced by computer graphics. It is a succession of images, some from nature such as clouds and ocean waves, other human as buildings and bridges, and others are computer-generated fantasies. Thus, Godfrey Reggio also demonstrates that the presence of technology is essential and prevalent in film production. 'Naqoyqatsi' does reflect on our relationship with nature, the influence of technology in our lives and new unhealthy ways of relating to people because of the ease of connectivity technology. Humanity does not use technology as a tool, but the technology lives as a way of life. It is a necessity, we can not live without it. At the end of the film we are told that 'Naqoyqatsi' is a word that essentially means, war and violence. But Godfrey Reggio does not include pictures of mushroom clouds, street riots, violent video games. Godfrey Reggio examines a world where nature has been largely eclipsed by the computer. A chaotic world, which often have no time to stop and really look at all the beautiful things that go unnoticed. 'Naqoyqatsi' is the clash between nature and technology. 'Naqoyqatsi' takes us on an epic journey where the real gives way to an amazing virtual tide of digital imagery and music.

Tracklist:

01. Naqoyqatsi
02. Primacy of Number
03.Mass Man
04. New World
05. Religion
06. Media Weather
07. Old World
08. Intensive Time
09. Point Blank
10. Vivid Unknown
11. Definition
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*** Philip Glass -The Music of Candyman -UNMISSABLE GOTHIC, MESMERIC, SPOOKY ORGAN & CHOIR MASTERPIECE! ***


Amazon.co.uk Review

Philip Glass has never been what you'd call a prolific composer for film, but when the horror genre called, he answered immediately and in style. Although behind-the-scenes politics turned the first Candyman into something of a stalk-'n'-slash flick, the music does wonders for its faux mythological premise. The delicate "Music Box" motif which is in fact "Helen's Theme", is the central pivot of what is a cyclic tale of destiny. Revolving around upon itself, it perfectly characterises a legend foretold. Almost every other cue is dominated by chorus, who in chanting repetitively add weight to the sense of inescapable doom. Several other motifs swim around, such as the gorgeous "Floating Candyman", and then they're given resolution in "It Was Always You, Helen". It doesn't end there however, since the album then seamlessly blends into the few additional cues Glass was talked into providing for the inevitable sequel. Apart from some bold use of church organ, the best cue is "All Falls Apart" with its sit-up-and-take-notice beeping effect. Ending on a remix of "Helen's Theme", this is an extremely well-conceptualised album. Just don't look at the disc and say the name aloud five times... --Paul Tonks

Customer review: (1 of 4 x 5 star ratings)

The Music of Candyman is a welcome release from the Glass back catalogue and is an example of one of the finest musical scores of the las 20 years. The film Candyman has a cult following and is a highly regarded work of filmic horror, much of this being down to the superb Glass score. Haunting piano melodies, ghostly choirs and some very gothic organs combine to create an intense sound once heard, never forgotten. This music has not been available previously and I would thoroughly recommend that you buy this, just don't listen alone!

01. Music Box
02. Cabrini Green
03. Helen's Theme
04. Face to Razor
05. Floating Candyman
06. Return to Cabrini
07. It Was Always You, Helen 08. Daniel's Flashback
09. The Slave Quarters
10. Annie's Theme
11. All Falls Apart
12. The Demise of Candyman 13. Reverend's Walk

here

Sunday 13 March 2011

***Philip Glass with the Kronos Quartet- Dracula Soundtrack - Completely manic & strung out stuff! RECOMMENDED!!***


Amazon.com

It's no surprise that some of Philip Glass's most inspiring projects have been multimedia. The composer's minimalist tendencies lend themselves to the accompaniment of vast landscapes, silent films, and--now--Tod Browning's 1931 horror classic, Dracula. With longstanding collaborators the Kronos Quartet performing the score, Glass has created a soundtrack that moves with rapid-fire momentum and a timeless chamber-music feel. Dracula never sounds sinister or ironic, just ominous--the perfect companion to a film with plenty of dialogue but no pre-existing score. So what if we've already heard Glass's stylistic trademarks--striking arpeggios, repeated motifs, and the like--on any number of albums (for example, the Kronos/Glass soundtrack to Mishima or Uakti's 1999 release, Aguas de Amazonia)? Unlike the epic three and a half hours of Music in Twelve Parts, this enjoyable disc takes just over an hour and it's well worth hearing. In the new video release of Dracula, accompanied by Glass's score, you'll never see Bela Lugosi's mug the same way again. --Jason Verlinde

Tracklist:

01. (1:15) Dracula
02. (0:43) Journey to the Inn 03. (3:24) The Inn
04. (1:17) The Crypt
05. (2:13) Carriage Without a Driver
06. (3:12) The Castle
07. (1:08) The Drawing Room 08. (2:48) "Excellent, Mr. Renfield"
09. (1:30) The Three Consorts of Dracula
10. (1:34) The Storm
11. (1:22) Horrible Tragedy
12. (1:17) London Fog
13. (2:50) In the Theatre
14. (2:23) Lucy's Bitten
15. (2:57) Seward Sanatorium 16. (2:56) Renfield
17. (1:31) In His Cell
18. (2:09) When the Dream Comes
19. (4:01) Dracula Enters
20. (4:40) Or a Wolf
21. (3:12) Women in White
22. (3:26) Renfield in the Drawing Room
23. (2:22) Dr. Van Helsing and Dracula
24. (4:41) Mina on the Terrace 25. (3:52) Mina's Bedroom / The Abbey
26. (4:06) The End of Dracula

here

Saturday 12 March 2011

Charanjit Singh - Ten Ragas to A Disco Beat (1982) Amazing early 'House' electronica sound, instrumental with Bollywood & Psychedelic vibes


1982 released LP containing Kraftwerk-like acid house music, years before the genre was invented ! TIP!
Performed on the synths that would later define Acid House, the Roland TB-303 and TR-808, the album sounds light years ahead of its time with its repetitive beats and hypnotic electronic melodies. Its maker, Bollywood session musician Charanjit Singh, set out to translate ancient Indian classical Ragas to the modern synthesizer and in doing so seems to have invented House music along the way. The 10 tracks make a consistent listen from A to Z. Its restrained minimalism and lack of cheesiness makes it incredibly contemporary, sounding animated, fluid and unabashedly alive.

1. Raga Bhairav
2. Raga Lalit
3. Raga Bhupali
4. Raga Megh Malhar
5. Raga Yaman
6. Raga Kalavati
7. Raga Madhuvanti
8. Raga Todi
9. Raga Bairagi
10. Raga Malkauns

here

Thursday 10 March 2011

***Julian Cope - 20 Mothers (UK 1995) Gorgeous, whimsical, top-rate modern Psych from a real legend! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!***




Psychelatte says: I have listened to most of his albums and this one stands out as being supremely beautiful, whimsical & psychedelic. Not to be missed! (I also recommend his first 3 solo albums.)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Julian Cope (born Julian David Cope, on 21 October 1957) is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, and poet who came to prominence in 1978 as the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band The Teardrop Explodes. Since then, he has released many solo albums and is a founding member of both Queen Elizabeth and Brain Donor. Cope has written four books of non-fiction: Krautrocksampler (1995), The Modern Antiquarian (1998), The Megalithic European (2004) and Japrocksampler (2007), plus two volumes of autobiography: Head-On (1994) and Repossessed (1999).

Cope's musical career began in July 1977, as bass player with a Liverpool punk rock band known as Crucial Three, which also featured Ian McCulloch (later guitarist and singer for Echo & the Bunnymen) and guitarist Pete Wylie, who later formed The Mighty Wah. Although the Crucial Three lasted for little more than six weeks, and disbanded without ever playing in public, all three members went on to lead successful post-punk bands.

Cope went on to form other short-lived bands UH? and A Shallow Madness with McCulloch, before finally achieving fame and success as the singer, original bassist and primary songwriter of The Teardrop Explodes. [3]

In 1981, Cope compiled Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker, which was released by Bill Drummond's Zoo Records. This sparked renewed interest in the work of the reclusive singer; though years later Cope commented that Walker's "Pale White Intellectual" outlook on life no longer held any fascination for him.

After The Teardrop Explodes disbanded in late 1982 following the completion of three albums, Cope returned to live close to his hometown of Tamworth, settling in the nearby village of Drayton Bassett with his new American wife Dorian Beslity.

In 1983 he recorded some introspective works for his first solo album, World Shut Your Mouth, released on Mercury Records in March 1984. This record was followed just six months later by Fried, which featured a sleeve with Cope clad only in a turtle shell. The failure of this record caused Polygram to drop Cope, but he signed a deal with Chris Blackwell's Island Records. Cope's third solo album was the well-received Saint Julian (produced by Ed Stasium) and released the single "World Shut Your Mouth", which became his biggest solo hit, reaching #19 in the UK in 1986, becoming his only Top 20 single there. The follow-up album My Nation Underground spawned only one Top 40 single in "Charlotte Anne", and Cope fell out with Island Records at this time. Cope found modest American success with "Charlotte Anne" reaching the top of the Modern Rock Tracks. He recorded his next album, the low-fi Skellington, in secret during the course of a single weekend, playing in the same studio used for My Nation Underground. Neither his record company nor management had any desire to release Skellington (Zippo, 1989), and Cope refused to record any other material while he feuded with them to try to get his new work released. This became the first of many feuds with record companies. Cope next released a Texas-only album entitled Droolian (Mofoco, 1990), the profits of which were used to aid of one of his heroes Roky Erickson, who was in jail without legal representation. When Cope's war with Island Records had abated, he released the double album Peggy Suicide (Island, 1991), which was heralded by critics as his best work thus far. The record was recorded during the anti-Margaret Thatcher Poll Tax Riots, in which Cope took a prominent role, wearing a huge theatrical costume throughout the march. Cope was later featured on the BBC's Poll Tax documentary, a lone protester walking down Whitehall in the costume surrounded by seven lines of mounted police. For his anti-police tirade "Soldier Blue", Cope sampled Lenny Bruce's Berkeley Concert and mixed in samples of the Poll Tax riot itself . The song was later re-mixed by Disposable Heroes of Hiphopricy's Michael Franti, who also provided a rap for the new mix. When Island Records refused to release the record as being too overtly political, another argument ensued. Many of the songs on Peggy Suicide also reflected Cope's hatred of organized religion, and his increasing interest in the occult, animal rights, paganism, women's rights, the goddess and ecology. In 1992, Cope released another double album, the fiercely anti-Christian Jehovahkill. While the lyrics of such songs as "Poet is Priest", "Julian H. Cope", and the single "Fear Loves This Place" were again highly critical of the Church, much of the music on Jehovahkill reflected his teenage fascination for both Detroit hard rock and a more electro-acoustic based Krautrock. However, the contents of Jehovahkill were too much for Island Records, who dropped Cope the same week that his three shows sold out at London's 1800 capacity Town & Country Club. The press mounted an outcry at Island Records' decision, with the New Musical Express (NME) featuring him on their front cover under the headline 'Endangered Species' while Select magazine started a campaign to have Cope re-signed. Cope refused to comment because he was engaged in a tour of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In the mid-1990s, Cope signed with Rick Rubin's Def American label, releasing Autogeddon (1994) and 20 Mothers (1995), spawning the single "Try, Try, Try", accompanied by two Top of the Pops performances. He was dropped by the label when he refused to visit the USA. In 1996, Cope released the album Interpreter (Echo Records). Cope's ongoing battle with those he referred to as "greedheads" eventually saw him turn his back on the music industry from this point onwards.

1. Wheelbarrow Man 3:02
2. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 2:35
3. Try, Try, Try 3:27
4. Stone Circles 'N' You 1:48
5. Queen-Mother 3:30
6. I'm Your Daddy 2:13
7. Highway to the Sun 6:14
8. 1995 3:47
9. By the Light of the Silbury Moon 2:13
10. Adam and Eve Hit the Road 2:05
11. Just Like Pooh Bear 3:41
12. Girl-Call 4:23
13. Greedhead Detector 3:49 14. Don't Take Roots 2:13
15. Senile Get 3:37
16. The Lonely Guy 4:42
17. Crying Babies Sleepless Nights 3:35
18. Leli B 3:14
19. Road of Dreams 6:05
20. When I Walk Through the Land of Fear 5:26


just like pooh bear

more!

Wednesday 9 March 2011

***Jean Claude Vannier- L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches (France 1972) - mix of Psych, Classical, Themic & Avant-Garde HIGHLY RECOMMENDED WEIRDNESS!!***


L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches is the concept LP (released in 1972) from the musical arranger of Serge Gainsbourg's classic Historie De Melody Nelson, Jean-Claude Vannier and it follows in a similar avant-garde rock-opera vein. Legend has it that when Msr. Gainsbourgfirst heard the bare bones of L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches he offered to write the bizarre liner notes (reproduced in French on this reissue) depicting the journey of a young child travelling through the nightmarish "Fly Kingdom" -thus consummating the most extraordinary concept album of all time. At the time L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches was released as a promo only in ridiculously small numbers and is regarded as the Holy Grail among French psych/prog collectors and also hip-hop producers and beat-heads. It's a great LP -and difficult to pigeonhole -with equal doses of psychedelic, classical, soundtrack-esque, jazz, fat beats, avant garde and funk. As a bonus(CD only) we also get two great tracks from Jean-Claude Vannier's super-rare 7" EP Point D'Interrogation -music taken from the soundtrack to the French TV drama (review by moviegrooves.com).

Tracklisting:

1.L'Enfant la Mouche et les Allumettes 2.L'Enfant au Royaume des Mouches
3.Danse des Mouches NoiresGardes du Roi 4.Danse de L'Enfant et du Roi des Mouches
5.Le Roi des Mouches et la Confiture de Rose
6.L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches
7.Les Garde Volent au Secours du Roi
8.Mort du Roi des Mouches
9.Pattes de Mouches
10.Le Papier tue Enfant
11.Petite Agonie de L'Enfant Assassin

Bonus tracks:

12.Je M'appelle Geraldine (Mid-Tempo Version)
13.Je M'appelle Geraldine (Up-Tempo Version)

Jean Claude Vannier:
Claude Engel, Denys Lable, Raymond Gimenez: guitars Tonio Rubio: guitar Pierre Alain Dahan: drumsean Pierre Sabar: piano Marc Chantereau, Michel Zanlonghi: percussions

"Child Killer Flies"

***The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Part One & Volume Two -FANTASTIC UNMISSABLE U.S PSYCH BAND!!***


The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's first album for Reprise was the best of the group's career, in large part because it was the most song-oriented.

It was still plenty weird, almost to the point of stylistic schizophrenia, but when you got down to it, much of the record was comprised of fairly catchy songs in the neighborhood of two and three minutes.

At times they sounded like reasonably normal, fairly talented Byrds-like folk-rockers ("Transparent Day," P.F. Sloan's "Here's Where You Belong"); at others, a Kinks-like garage band ("If You Want This Love"); and at others, a fey Baroque pop outfit (the orchestrated "Will You Walk With Me"). There was an undercurrent of unsettling weirdness and even paranoia, though, in some cuts with otherwise pleasing tunes, like "Shifting Sands," with its sizzling distorted guitars; "I Won't Hurt You," with its heartbeat bass and disconnected vocals; and "Leiyla," where a standard teen garage rocker suddenly gets invaded by spoken dialog that seems to have been lifted from a vampire B-movie.

The cover of Frank Zappa's "Help, I'm a Rock" flung them into freakier pastures, emulated convincingly on the group original "1906," an apt soundtrack to a bummer acid trip with its constant spoken refrain, "I don't feel well." It's true that all but one of these songs (the nondescript "'Scuse Me, Miss Rose," written by famed Bob Dylan/Johnny Cash/Simon & Garfunkel producer Bob Johnston) is on the Transparent Day compilation.

But there are good reasons to consider buying the Sundazed 2001 CD reissue: The thorough liner notes start to unravel the history of this mysterious band, and mono single mixes of "Help, I'm a Rock" and "Transparent Day" are tacked on as bonus tracks (Richie Unterberger)


The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, no strangers to weirdness on their prior 1967 album Part One, had still often stuck to relatively straightforward, concise, and pop-flavored songs on that LP.

Here they stretched out into less structured, more avowedly psychedelic (and indeed experimental) territory, with mixed results.

"Smell of Incense" (covered for a small hit by Southwest FOB) was sublime psych-pop.

Yet "Suppose They Give a War and No One Comes" was just some fool -- actually the band's chief investor, lyricist, and tambourine player, Bob Markley -- grafting silly, self-consciously freaky recitation of a vintage 1936 Franklin Roosevelt speech onto an ominous fuzz guitar backup.

Other cuts like "In the Arena" and "Overture -- WCPAEB Part II" were free-form psychedelic creepiness without the strong content of, say, likely influence Frank Zappa.

Yet some of the strangest efforts exert their own strange charm, like "Buddha," with its unfathomable delineation of a garden of delights set against chimes, tinkles, and gongs.

Interspersed with all this was some generic country-folk-rock (although the wavering backup bagpipes on "Delicate Fawn" give even that a weird sheen), fair harmony soft rock ("Queen Nymphet"), and unhinged garage-psych-fuzz madness.

There's half a decent (if screwy) psychedelic album here, and half incoherence, particularly when so many disparate tracks and styles are slung against each other.

The CD reissue on Sundazed adds mono single mixes of "Smell of Incense" and "Unfree Child." (by Richie Unterberger)

Tracklisting:

(Part One)
01.Shifting Sands - 3:54
02.I Won't Hurt You - 2:24
03.1906 - 2:18
04.Help, I'm A Rock - 4:26
05.Will You Walk With Me - 3:01
06.Transparent Day - 2:18
07.Leiyla - 2:55
08.Here's Where You Belong - 2:50
09.If You Want This Love - 2:52
10.'Scuse Me Miss Rose- 3:03
11.High Coin' - 2:04

(Vol Two)
01.In The Arena
02.Suppose They Give A War And No One Comes
03.Buddha
04.Smell Of Incense
05.Overture: Wcpaeb, Pt. II
06.Queen Nymphet
07.Unfree Child
08.Carte Blanche
09.Delicate Fawn
10.Tracy Had A Hard Day Sunday
11.Smell Of Incense

The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band:
*Dan Harris (guitar)
*Shaun Harris (bass guitar, vocals)
*Michael Lloyd (guitar, vocals)
*Bob Markley (tambourine, percussion, vocals)
*Ron Morgan (lead guitar, electric sitar)

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2

Tuesday 8 March 2011

***Philip Glass & Ravi Shankar -Passages (1989?) -Awesomely beautiful, joyous modern classical East/West collaberation! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!***


Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass met in Paris in 1965, when Glass was a young aspiring composer and Shankar was confirminghis place in the world's classical canon. Shankar acted as an informal mentor to Glass, and their interaction inspired Glass to consider the possibilities of rhythm. By the time they joined forces at a New York City studio, in 1989, the two occupied a more level playing field. PASSAGES differs from previous collaborations that Shankar had undertaken withWestern musicians such as Yehudi Mehuhin, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and George Harrison. On four of the six pieces, the two don't improvise together so much as refine each other's material, while on the remaining tracks, each composer is entirely responsible for the final composition. Shankar's lush orchestrations are most evident on "Prashanti" and the graceful "Ragas in Minor Scale", while Glass's repetitions manifest most hauntingly on "Channels and Winds". But on the finest tracks, "Offering" and "Meeting Along the Edge", their individual talents are subsumed into the collective experience.

Tracklist:

1. Offering
2. Sadhanipa
3. Channels And Winds (psychelatte: omg, this is MESMERIZINGLY beautiful!!!)
4. Ragas In Minor Scale
5. Meetings Along The Edge
6. Prashanti

Amazon uk reviews:

1)East meets West

I had some ideas of what this would sound like before I heard it, but when I heard it I realised I was completely wrong! I thought that it would be typical Philip Glass with some sitar and Indian scales and sounds. It is nothing of the sort. Each track is not so much a collaboration as a joining of distinct parts. You can hear which parts are Glass and which parts are Shankar, but the glue that holds them together is the compositional genius of the two men. It does not just encompass India either, as there are Middle-Eastern motifs and scales used here, and some very Western orchestral parts. It is very light on the sitar, and Ravi Shankar probably has more input vocally than with his sitar playing. This is orchestral music without using a conventional orchestra from the West. It is Indian music without being limited to the traditional Indian instruments and arrangements. It is World Music at its best!

2) Journey to the East...and back!

This album at first glance brings together two of the most unlikely composers one could think of in a collaboration that crosses huge cultural differences but works exceptionally well. Ravi Shankar, whose music has been known in the West for many years , is known for his work with Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison among others. His musical reputation goes far beyond his exemplary sitar playing in the traditional ragas and covers much classical Indian music also. Philip Glass, mostly known for his repetitive structures as a member of the minimalist school and for his powerful soundtracks, has gained a wider audience with classical and popular music afficionados outside of the USA. This album works in many different ways. Despite their differing backgrounds each musician has produced memorable soundscapes which reach deeply into the history of each of the collaborators and their musical heritage and which emerge to enchant and delight the listener. It is often difficult to distinguish the individual contributions from each other in particular pieces which underscores their deep understanding and appreciation of each others work. The pieces are extremely moving and cover a whole gamut of emotions. Each composition has it's own particular feature which causes me to come back to this album again and again. In some ways this album is greater than either of it's component parts and will be a lasting testament to the work of these two great composers.

Musicians: Vocals Ravi Shankar and S.P. Balasubramanyam and the Madras Choir.
Orchestral group from Madras.
Soloists: Ronu Mazumdar, Flute; Shubho Shankar, Sitar; Partha Sarathy, Sarod; Partha Sarathy, Veena; T. Srinivasan, Mridangam & Drum Speech; Abhiman Kaushal, Tabla. Production Glass: Music by Philip Glass. Produced by Kurt Munkacsi for Euphorbia Productions, Ltd., NYC. Conducted by Michael Riesman. Engineered by Blaise Dupuy. Assistant Engineers: Michael McGrath, Ramone Diaz. Recorded at The Living Room Studios, NYC. Executive Producer: Rory Johnston. Edited with Sound Tools by Digidesign. Musicians: Strings: Tim Baker Violin; Barry Finclair Violin, Viola; Mayuki Fukuhara Violin; Regis landiorio Violin; Karen Karlsud Violin; Sergiu Schwartz Violin; Masako Yanagita, Violin, Viola; Al Brown, Viola; Richard Sortomme, Viola; Seymour Barab, Cello; Beverly Laudrisen, Cello; Batia Lieberman, Cello; Fred Zlotkin, Cello; Joe Carver, Bass. Woodwinds: Theresa Norris, Flute; Jack Kripl, Flute, Soprano Saxophone;on Gibson, Soprano Saxophone; Richard Peck, Tenor, Alto Saxophone; Lenny Pickett, Tenor, Alto Saxophone. Brass: Peter Gordon, French Horn; Ron Sell, French Horn; Keith O'Quinn, Trombone; Alan Raph, Trombone. Gorden Gottleib: Percussion. Jeanie Gagne: Voice. Michael Riesman: Piano. Art Direction by Melanie Penny. Design by Candyernigan. Photography by Ebet Roberts.

Tracks 1,5,6 Composed by Ravi Shankar, Tracks 2,3,4 Composed by Philip Glass.

Passages