Dust to Gold

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 26, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 20, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B00004S5ZV
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,712 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #62 in Music > World Music > India & Pakistan > Pakistan

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You might think this posthumous release of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and party would either suffer in quality of music or be a patched-together compendium of leftover bits from Real World's archives, but this is not the case with Dust to Gold. These recordings from Nusrat's hometown of Lahore, Pakistan, feature the great singer performing as vibrantly as ever with tabla and clapping rhythms thriving. His voice sounds robust and flexible, as do the ensemble's joined chant. Nusrat trades call and response with ensemble member Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan on tracks "Khawaja Tum Hi Ho" ("Master It Is Only You") and "Koi Hai Na Ho Ga" ("There Was No One, There Will Not Be Anyone"), and the vocal artistry reaches the same divine, drunken brilliance that Nusrat and party concocted when the master was alive, full of life, and touring. It's unclear where exactly these performances were recorded, but the sound quality is stunning. It's perhaps one of Real World's best offerings, without the dryness of such earlier collections as The Last Prophet or Shahbaaz. Here the tabla's low end is round and fruitful, the harmonium bounces off a slight echo, and there's a live-room effect that adds a richness to all tonalities. This is one of Nusrat's final releases, so how satisfying that it's also one of his best. --Karen K. Hugg

From Rhythm Magazine

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan may have been one of Pakistan's greatest singers, but his posthumous release Dust to Gold feels so academic that you aren't likely to enjoy it unless you're an anthropologist or a Sufi. The album consists of four lengthy qawwali tracks, so traditional that you'll think you should be taking class notes. If you're a qawwali enthusiast, however, you're likely to be thrilled by Khan's dizzying vocal style, which rivals that of the great opera stars.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent traditional work from Real World, July 4, 2000

By 

Stuart Rice "Education Executive, Yoga Advent... (Tempe, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dust to Gold (Audio CD)

This collection of unreleased recordings from Pakistan represent four of the best tracks available on any of Nusrat's Real World releases. This work does not feature any of the more fusion oriented materials found on Mustt Mustt, Night Song, or Star Rise, so listeners who only enjoyed these particular releases may want to steer away from this new release.

Each track last approximately between 15 and 17 minutes, which is fairly normal for "unabridged" pieces from the Artist. Prominent here is the virtuoso percussion and harmonium work from his party, along with impressive second-vocals provided by Farrukh Ali Khan. The recordings are crystal clear, and Nusrat's powerful voice pushes each song forward, demonstrating the intensity and skill that is so breathtaking on other albums from Real World.

For a western collector of Nusrat's recordings, this album should be an important addition. For those looking to start exploring Nusrat's compendium of work, the more broad and shorter-tracked Love and Devotional Songs would be more appropriate.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real World finally hits gold!, June 22, 2001

By 

"billy79" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dust to Gold (Audio CD)

FINALLY, an international release of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's best work. None of the usual tampering, no attempts to "modernize" the music... just pure, raw, untouched improvisational qawwalis in their full form. 64 minutes of absolute ecstasy.

And an added bonus for those not fortunate enough to understand the words... English translations printed on the sleeve! Of course, they don't do justice to the beauty of the original words, but they're a step towards understanding the general theme of each qawwali.

THIS is what Sufi poetry was meant to do... transport you to a world where everything exists in spirit, where one lives on one's devotion alone.

This is Nusrat's true legacy. A must buy - for novices and devotional fans alike.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nusrat's final Gold collection, June 27, 2000

By 

SANJAY CHAUBEY (New York, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dust to Gold (Audio CD)

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a matchless Quwwali singer of our times and undoubdtly this album "Dust to Gold" is appearantly his one of the last performances as the jacket reflects that it was recorded in June 1997 and Nusrat travelled to heavenly abode in August 1997. Ustad Nusrat had definitly devoted this album to the praise of God as he had some intution of forthcoming events. Dust to Gold is basically a collection of four Sufi Kalams(Poetry)in traditional devotional style of Quwwali. As usual Nusrat as Mohri(Principal or Chief singer) is excellent and has demostrated par execellence of his understanding and control over classical singing with great fusion of folk lore as the first number "Khawja Tum Hi Ho" sung in Sadhukaddi( Mix of Rajsthani, Awadhi and Urdu) and rest in urdu. This number is number One of the collection. Rest of the numbers are Good and more like Quwwali at a Dargah or Mazar. Followeres like reviewer who are ardent fans of Nusrat will admire his all aspects of singing and style but Fans who like Nusrat's western fusion (Night Song)may not appriciate the traditional sufi devotional singing in this collection. Another good side of this collection is the performance of 'Awazia'(second lead or alap man) he has also demonstrated excellent skills of classical singing.Second number 'Data Teira Durbar' has simillar tune and song as in any praiseworthy song has but a new style is reflected in number 'Koi Hai Na Hoga' which has vilambit(slow) and drut(fast) both the modes. However "Noor-E-Khuda " last but not the least in ultimate appriciation of the God's greatness as the opening line itself suggests. Wonderful selection by Nusrat to put all the praises of God in his final album making it a "Collectors Album".