Customer Reviews

Let It Begin Now

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album makes me think of Godspell, but for Pagans. Do you know that play? Godspell is a musical that's sort of a celebration of Christianity and Christian values.

Well, this album is like the Godspell for pagans. It's like a musical play, in which each singer takes on a different "role" and together, they present a loose story based on pagan beliefs and values.

Some of the singers are absolutely fabulous. The a capella opening chant praying to the four elements in a time of trial is a beautiful intro to the album. It's followed by a group chant about generosity toward friends in Wiccan terms. That's a very haunting piece that really sticks in your head when it's over. Then a beautiful male vocalist sings praise to a couple of male gods. And then the highlight of the album, no doubt is the theme "Let it Begin Now" which is an extra long-playing song in which all the characters take part and sing a verse. There's some improv, there's some contageous chanting. The song just goes and on, freely and wildly. And it is wonderful!

I would definitely recommend this album if you collect music related to one of the older European religions (pre-Christian). I would also recommend it if you enjoy musical plays, because it sounds like the soundtrack to a play, with all the characters singing different parts.

You certainly can enjoy this album no matter what religion you are. There's some very good singing and song writing.

The music presented in 'Let It Begin Now' is rich and real, relying less on theatrics and production and more on *feeling*, theology, creativity, and spirit. It's subtitle, 'Music from the Spiral Dance' lets us know a little bit about what we might expect; the Spiral Dance being the name of the annual Samhain (Halloween) celebration that is offered every year by Starhawk and the Reclaiming community that honors the processes of death and renewal. Included are mournful dirges, and well as uplifting pieces that remind us of the continuing cycle of life. ("The old years' fruit comes to your hand... it's the seed of the year that's to begin...")

I had an old warn out cassette of this music and I'm glad to see that it's now available in CD format. The sound quality is much better than the old cassette. The style is what one might call "pagan folk." Some of the singers have great voices, and the arrangements are well done. I'm always disappointed when it comes to the end of the songs.

This CD follows the cycle of a Samhain (Halloween) ritual, with purification, invocations, and magical working. You may have to fill in a few gaps with your imagination, but this CD has a nice magical flow.

The music is acoustic, and is mostly rhythmic. Various hand-drums are the most prominent instruments, along with guitars, keybords, and occasional horns or strings. The singing varies in quality. But overall it holds up well after repeated listenings. The lyrics, by Starhawk and others, are very rich, and give a strong ecological twist to "Earth-Based Spirituality."

For Pagans of any stripe, this is a five-star CD. For the curious, it is a good starting place (or perhaps try "Chants: Ritual Music," by the same people). For ecologically-aware listeners, this music places ecology in a broader spiritual framework without diluting it.

The Bay Area Reclaiming Community is renowned for their annual Halloween Spiral Dance ritual. Each year thousands flock to San Francisco to partake in the Spiral Dance to remember the beloved dead, journey to the Underworld, and dance the spiral the renews the world.

LET IT BEGIN NOW is the soundtrack to the magickal and inspirational music of the Spiral Dance. It opens with prayer to the four elements then proceeds into elaborate and colorful invocations to the elements, the Goddess, the God, and a journey to the Underworld. The ritual climaxes at the title track, Let It Begin now, during which participants dance the spiral and spin their musical spell to bless the world. Singers sing of this blessing: "Let it begin with each step we take, and let it begin with each change we make, and let it begin with each chain we break, and let it begin with each time we awake."

The musical sound of LET IT BEGIN NOW is similar to many Pagan chant CDs, relying strongly on drums and a cappella arrangements in such tracks as Lyke-Wake Dirge, The God Song, Set Sail, and the Gates. LET IT BEGIN NOW does not stop there, though, it also incorporates a fiddle, guitar, saxophone, bass, cello, and many others. Its strength is both in talented singers and colorful musical arrangements.

Perhaps the greatest strength of LET IT BEGIN NOW is in its lyrics. The album is, in fact, ritual poem in song. Tracts like There is No End to the Circle: Goddess Invocation can bring listeners to tears with just one listen. Another particularly powerful song is the conclusion track, There is No End to the Circle: Goddess Devocation in which the chorus sings, "For we are the guardians of the world, and we can heal the earth again. As the hills turn green from winter rain, ours is the power to sustain. And we can dream what's never been, unbounded love for women and for men, for all that grows, all that leaps and flies and swims, and ours in the power to begin."

This CD is a marvel - the music is great, the performances are heartfelt and amazing, the overall experience is overwhelming. My family has made it a tradition to listen to "Let It Begin Now" each October. I cannot listen to it without the tears flowing. If you wish to mark the turning of the Pagan year, this is the CD to have.

This cd has all of my favorite Spiral Dance music on it. It's so great to be able to take the Spiral Dance with me throughout the year!

If you've not been to Reclaiming's Spiral Dance, I wonder how this would translate as it is very focused on our tradition and the way this event flows. So if you're not familiar get ready for a journey!

For me, this cd has been something I listen to regularly at least a few months out of the year for the years that I've had it. It reminds me of what kind of world I want to live in and inspires me to love my community more deeply. There are pieces that I use to inspire myself and pieces that I listen to when I need a good cry or release.

It's certainly worth owning and definitely worth gifting to your favorite pagan.

After reading all of the other reviews, I was convinced that this was one of the greatest CDs for ritual that could be found. One person even referred to this CD as a "ritual in a box." Well, I guess that person has never been to a ritual that was anywhere near being worthy of anyones time. The songs lacked sound structure, there was no lyrics sheet (because, of course, there was no structure), and the music was absolutely horrible. The voices of the singers was so beyond being abrasive, that I couldn't bear to listen for very long.