Dead Can Dance 1981-1998 [Box set] [Enhanced]

Amazon.com
1981-1998 reveals why Dead Can Dance was such an influential group and why their music remains very much alive. From the opening notes of "Frontier," the first piece Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry improvised together, Dead Can Dance opened a doorway into worlds at once ancient and alien, frightening and glorious. 1981-1998 compiles the output of Dead Can Dance from their seven studio albums, live performances, and sundry collections. Through their many stylistic shifts, it reveals the music of ecstasy, a state of spiritual release that can be as serene as a Gregorian chant and as intense as a Persian dervish. But then, Dead Can Dance always had two sides. There were Perry's Jim Morrison-meets-Sinatra vocal croons, and there was the uncanny and passionate Gerrard, whose Middle Eastern, Bulgarian, and Gregorian singing styles created a transcultural dialect of the imagination. Perry surrounds Gerrard in a gothic architecture of synthesizers, strings, the Chinese hammered dulcimer called the yang ch'in (played by Gerrard), bouzoukis, and hurdy-gurdys. As ancient as its sources, Dead Can Dance is as modern as the end of time, which is where a lot of this music still sounds like it's headed. 1981-1998 follows the pair from their beginnings in Australia to their final studio album, the African-Indian derived Spiritchaser. Among the gems are their last song together, "The Lotus Eaters," recorded just before their final split, and a Gerrard composition called "Bylar." Performed here by Dead Can Dance, this rapturous piece was previously available only on The Echoes Living Room Concerts Volume 2, in a version by Gerrard. In concert, Dead Can Dance was almost a religious experience and that aspect is nearly captured on the final disc of this box in a DVD of their live concert film, Toward the Within. Also included are some videos. --John Diliberto

Product Description
This is a 3x audio CD / 1x DVD box set. The DVD is Region 1 / NTSC.

1981-1998,Dead Can Dance,Rhino / Wea,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop

Dead Can Dance 1981-1998 [Box set] [Enhanced]

Average customer rating:

Underrated Band-some songs you already have and More!
A must for any Dead Can Dance collector
Fine Collection
Out Of This World
The best of Dead Can Dance

1981-1998
Dead Can Dance
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Toward the Within
The Mirror Pool
Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
Memento: The Very Best Of Dead Can Dance
Aion

ASIN: B00005R1QG
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Tracks:

Frontier (demo)
Labour Of Love (radio)
Ocean (demo)
Orion (radio)
Threshold (radio)
Carnival Of Light (radio)
In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated
De Profundis (Out Of The Depths Of Sorrow)
Avatar
Enigma Of The Absolute
Summoning Of The Muse
Anywhere Out Of The World
Windfall
Cantara
In The Kingdom Of The Blind The One-Eyed Are Kings
Bird
The Protagonist

Tracks:

Severance
The Host Of Seraphim
Song Of Sophia
The Arrival & The Reunion
Black Sun
The Promised Womb
Saltarello
The Song Of The Sibyl
Spirit
Yulunga
The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove
Sloth (radio)
Bylar
The Carnival Is Over
The Spider's Stratagem
The Wind That Shakes The Barley (radio)
How Fortunate The Man With None

Tracks:

I Can See Now
American Dreaming
Tristan
Sanvean
Rakim
Gloridean
Don't Fade Away
Niereka
Song Of The Nile
Sambataki
Indus
The Snake & The Moon (edit)
The Lotus Eaters

Amazon.com

1981-1998 reveals why Dead Can Dance was such an influential group and why their music remains very much alive. From the opening notes of "Frontier," the first piece Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry improvised together, Dead Can Dance opened a doorway into worlds at once ancient and alien, frightening and glorious. 1981-1998 compiles the output of Dead Can Dance from their seven studio albums, live performances, and sundry collections. Through their many stylistic shifts, it reveals the music of ecstasy, a state of spiritual release that can be as serene as a Gregorian chant and as intense as a Persian dervish. But then, Dead Can Dance always had two sides. There were Perry's Jim Morrison-meets-Sinatra vocal croons, and there was the uncanny and passionate Gerrard, whose Middle Eastern, Bulgarian, and Gregorian singing styles created a transcultural dialect of the imagination. Perry surrounds Gerrard in a gothic architecture of synthesizers, strings, the Chinese hammered dulcimer called the yang ch'in (played by Gerrard), bouzoukis, and hurdy-gurdys. As ancient as its sources, Dead Can Dance is as modern as the end of time, which is where a lot of this music still sounds like it's headed. 1981-1998 follows the pair from their beginnings in Australia to their final studio album, the African-Indian derived Spiritchaser. Among the gems are their last song together, "The Lotus Eaters," recorded just before their final split, and a Gerrard composition called "Bylar." Performed here by Dead Can Dance, this rapturous piece was previously available only on The Echoes Living Room Concerts Volume 2, in a version by Gerrard. In concert, Dead Can Dance was almost a religious experience and that aspect is nearly captured on the final disc of this box in a DVD of their live concert film, Toward the Within. Also included are some videos. --John Diliberto

Album Description

This is a 3x audio CD / 1x DVD box set. The DVD is Region 1 / NTSC.

Customer Reviews:

Underrated Band-some songs you already have and More!.......2007-06-15

Like a few other fans of this band I had to have an inner debate as to whether or not to purchase this box set. The truth being that any serious fan would already have most of this material. This brings us to the "Box-set debate". Should a box set have more previously unreleased things or should a box set have absolutely everything the group has ever done as in the case of the Police box set which claims to have "every note"? The truth here is that spread across three studio CDs this has about 9 or so tracks that are unavailable anywhere else plus some that were only on their previous compilation album. So I was going to have to be buying a bunch of songs I already had at a not-cheap price as this set is apparently out of print and only available at high used prices. But with the excellent inclusion of their live show DVD (although it doesn't include "Yulunga"..was this edited out of the movie...and why as it is on the film's credits?). This DVD also has their videos which were of varying success. The "Yulunga" video is breathtaking and "The Carnival Is Over" video is just silly and much much more pointless than your own imagination when you hear it. The first CD has some very very very cool tracks from their first Peel session that show how cool they were early on and also why they could be forced into the "goth" camp which was a double edged sword for them. It gave them a "scene" to emerge from but carried inapplicable baggage that closed some potential listeners' minds to them. But so what? I do wish one of the CDs was nothing but a full live show of a concert from the "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun Days" or "Serpent's Egg Days" instead of lots of songs from "Aion" and those other albums of which most of us who would be interested enough to buy a box set would obviously already have. So...if you don't mind buying 2 album's worth of stuff you already have to get an awesome DVD and a good 9-11 songs worth of previously very rare or unreleased stuff that is as cool as anything this band has done then go for it. It took me a while to make the plunge and I don't regret it even if I am critical of it. I do wish there were more photos of the group during various eras in the booklet rather than sorta-arty photos of alleyways or leaves n' stuff. Great text though about life being in Dead Can Dance which apparently included being stuck in your London appartment and riding around on a bike. Inspiring. Here's a breakdown of the songs you might not have on this set:

"Labour of Love", "Ocean", "Orion" and "Threshold"; their entire first Peel session which is just grand. Makes me long for the post-punk explosion of the early 80's which was more emotional and interesting than today's alternative music.
I couldn't believe how well "Labour of Love" sounds. This is an awesome song.

"Carnival of Light" from their second Peel session but I wish they had put more songs from this session on here as I don't know any way of getting them not even as bootlegs.

"Bird" and "Spirit" from their compilation album which I never had because I didn't want to buy a whole CD for two songs...now I have them and they totally rock especially "Spirit".

"The Protagonist", a comp track that sounds good when you're stoned and falling to sleep next to that special someone, especially if you're 18 which I once was. Alas.

"Bylar" from a live radio set for the Echoes show. This one is soaringly beautiful with Lisa Gerrard's pan-Irish avant -folk.

"Sloth" and a version of "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" from a radio set that are nice treats but you'll still need "Into the Labyrinth" as it's a more raw recording of "Wind that Shakes" and the version of "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" here is a really lame short edited version that spoils the flow of the song.

"Gloridean" a dramatic Gerrard song left off of "Toward the Within" and is welcomed back here. It sounds like surveying the piled bodies and crying tears of a terrible medieval battle. Awesome.

"Sambaktiki" a funky afro-psychedelic 9 minute instrumental jam left off "Spiritchaser" which reminds me of Talking Heads. Super cool on a hot day.

"The Lotus Eaters" Their last studio recorded song from an aborted album. I hope they do another one someday. I'm a hold out, especially since they toured in 2005. What a show and there are some nice new ones that night which you can find on the limited live albums.

Too much stuff I had already but such a great band that never stayed put and were always unique and they possessed a really excellent emotional impact. The lyrics to their "Serpent's Egg" album seem more and more relevant today as we see our civilization careening towards environmental meltdown for the sake of petty greed and power entrenchment.
Focus Group

A must for any Dead Can Dance collector.......2007-02-08

While this album contains much of the music I already own, its great to have everything in one bundle. The photos and art inside make this well worth the investment for any collector of this fantastic group.

Fine Collection.......2006-10-01

For those who like this band this is a much have set. Unfortunately, this awesome box set is no longer available new on amazon. You can get it on itunes for about $35. That's the original price.

Out Of This World.......2006-06-09

I congratulate the ones that reviewed before me. They even found words to describe this Box and Dead Can Dance.

Because I just don't know how...

.

The best of Dead Can Dance.......2005-06-23

I had two of their albums already. This one is by far the best. I don't like the packaging much though. It's in the form of a small hardback book. There are four discs; 3 CDs and the DVD of Toward the Within. The music is absolutely phenomenal. My coworkers asked me "What style is it?" There is no one specific style. It's a conglomeration of Medieval sounds, Arabian music, Indian music, light rock, and others.

Rap Music:

Rap Music

rap music

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