Sweetening Bitter Music Memories
Nov 13th, 2008 by Donagh
Once, while I was in college, I caught a friend holding a vinyl record covetously inside his jacket. There was a group of us, loitering with unfocused energy in the middle of one the dullest concourses on the planet, and it was clear he was planning to ‘lend’ the record to someone. The person came up and he produced the record. In this day and age to hand over a big square of cardboard with a plastic disk inside seems absurd, unless you’re doing so at a record stall, or you’re an extra groovy DJ, and lord knows enough students have earmarked that career path, so perhaps they’re still doing to this sort of exchange to this day.
Being a music luuuver myself I jumped in between the two a little too aggressively, perhaps, and asked what the album was.
My friend was dismissive. He didn’t want to tell me and made a gesture, from what I remember, that suggested that it’s not my thing. Now, I found this mildly offensive.
In the moment that I was considering bashing him around the head with my Norton Anthology, however, I spotted that the album was by Dead Can Dance.
Because he had offended me I asked him that most awkward of questions one can ask with regard to music: “oh, I’ve been meaning to listen to them, what are they like?’
“Well, ur, they’re like, em….well, you wouldn’t like them.”
Which almost made me biff him on the underside of his chin with my Riverside Chaucer.
I didn’t, of course. I just stored up the bitter little memory, and since then have always thought of the moment whenever I came across the name ‘Dead Can Dance’. But I also never bothered to listen to them, knowing only that they’re music is a kind of art goth, new world music, ethereal, willowy tunefulness that I probably wouldn’t like.
Until today when I listened to this:
And I thought, hey, I quite like this.
I’m a long time DCD fan and would definitely recommend you listen to them, particularly the older stuff like the first eponymous album, Within the Realm of a Dying Sun and The Serpent’s Egg. My favourite album cover of all time is one of theirs (Spleen and Ideal) - http://www.sineadgleeson.com/blog/2005/04/13/the-best-album-covers-of-all-time/.
The first time I saw them play Dublin (sometime in the mid 90s) was one of the most affecting, emotive, hairs-standing-on-the-back-of-your-neck performances. Lisa Gerrard’s voice is unbelievable and they have so many amazing instruments; Gerrard on hammer dulcimer and Perry playing a hurdy-gurdy.
Unfortunately, I only have Spiritchaser at the moment but have been listening to it alot - and now also realize what I have been missing. Reading about them now I obviously had my head in the sand. 4ADs most successful act, broke through commerically in the States in the mid 90s, remastered records, four compilations and a reunion tour. Thanks for the suggestions Sinead, I’ll have to check more of their stuff out.
The cover of Spleen and Ideal is great. It’s funny, but if its an album I really like, and I have an original copy of it, I usually find myself scrutinizing the cover of an album far more than the quality of the art work justifies. And following on from the point you made in your post I can’t actually think of that many that are memorable. Jim of this shop mentions the Queen is Dead, and I certainly spent far too long looking at each of the photos on the front cover of all the Smith albums. And for some reason I have vivid memories of the cover of Dinosaur Jrs Bug and while I know I listened to it alot I wouldn’t call it one of my favourite albums of all time.