February 5th, 2007
Lisa Gerrard and Dead Can Dance
It seems fitting that I’m listening to the new Lisa Gerrard ‘Best Of’ on a Monday. If you want to be transported elsewhere and dispel Monday gloom, Ms. Gerrard does the trick. Like Mary Margaret O’Hara and Diamanda Galas, Lisa Gerrard is one of those challenging singers who have the power to bewitch and beguile. She’s a co-founder of Dead Can Dance (one of my favourite ever 4AD bands), who I’ve been lucky enough to see live twice. The first time, in 1996, ranks as one of the most unbelievable gig experiences ever. One of those that feels like you’ve necked a ton of peyote and gone on a spiritual journey. It was also one of the rare occasions when I went home after seeing a band and listened to the CDs.
Dead Can Dance are also responsible for my favourite album cover of all time. For the curious, start with albums Dead Can Dance, Within The Realm of a Dying Sun, Spleen & Ideal, Toward the Within and Into The Labyrinth. Gerrard’s solo work includes various film soundtracks including Gladiator (for which she won a Golden Globe), Ali, Whale Rider and both she and Brendan Perry (who lives and records in the amazing Quivvy Church studio in Cavan) provided the music for the fantastic Baraka.
The Best of Lisa Gerrard is released on February 16th on 4AD Records.
More videos and snippets:
*‘Yulunga’ video
*Gerrard’s live, unaccompanied version of ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’
*‘Emmeleia’ (not a promo vid, just someone who posted footage of a tent and some landscape on Youtube, but it’s worth it for the song, one of DCD’s best acapella harmonies).
*‘Sanvean’ (live)
February 5th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
her solo stuff always left me a bit cold to be honest.
February 5th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Ro, there’s a chunk of Dead Can Dance tracks on this Best Of. I really like the Gladiator stuff. It works so well in the film.
February 5th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I do love her voice. Only have the best of Dead Can Dance album though, keep meaning to take a loot at others, and usually keep forgetting.
February 5th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Sanvean is quite simply the most amazing piece of music I’ve ever listened to and the co-composer, Andrew Claxton, contacted me on another site when I wrote a piece about it and we’ve become good friends subsequently… I do love blog land!
February 6th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
It was Black Sun that did it for me, there is a mixture of a sense of foreboding and optimism. After that I made sure I picked up what I could. The 1996 gig in the Olympia was something special as I thought I might never get to see them live as I thought they had gone their separate ways.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Fence, I’d recommend any of the albums, particularly the ones I mentioned in the post. Some people find the earlier stuff quite dark. Try ‘Into The Labyrinth’ or starters.
Annette, I remember you telling me that! Mad. Do you still have a link to that piece? I’d like to read it again.
Dan, I love Black Sun, all that ancient instrumentation is fantastic.
I was meant to go and see them back Hn 1993 in Sligo, but had a huge row with my folks who then wouldn’t loan me the cash to go! I sobbed all weekend.
Also had tickets to see them in 1998/9 when they cancelled after splitting up, and was in the front row for the 2005 gig.
The Olympia in ‘96 was very special, one of my favourite gigs ever. Anyone I know who had never seen them before and went along in 2005 was blown away. I wasn’t so much; maybe because nothing beats the first time, but also I felt there was a palpable tension between Perry and Gerrard. The gig had a real seperateness about it, as it they were performing in isolation from each other.
Worst of all, I was supposed to interview them, but someone else blagged in pretending to be from the Irish Times and it all got scuppered. Never found out who it was, and a piece never ran in the paper.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Sinead - I don’t have it unfortunately…I flew to New York in 2005 to see DCD live in Radio City Music Hall - amazing gig but not a patch on the Olympia on in 96…