Customer Reviews

A Passage In Time

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I find it curious and ironic to see reviews of this album that focus and criticize on the aspect of the album missing "this track" or lacking "that transition" in the band's career. One reviewer even goes as far as giving this album a two-star rating, and I think to myself "Has he actually listened to the disc?". Allow me to explain. This album was in fact the first Dead Can Dance album I ever heard. It was recommended to me by a friend of a friend .... One's perspective can not be more unbiased than a first impression of an album and group. No previous albums to compare to, no chronology to gauge the music to.
On its own, A Passage In Time is exceptional. There is a stylistic theme to the album that eludes many compilations. For those who have yet to listen to Dead Can Dance, this album would almost give one the sensation of attending an ancient Byzantine court, or traversing the Aegean sea in a Phoenican trading ship. The music feels antiquital, but it is very refreshing. Classical, yet modern, New Age yet rooted in traditional styles of ancient music. In this era where so much music is repetitive, the DCD duo has been able to honor the past by giving rebirth to the old instead of mimicing it.
Two star rating? No. That comes from listeners not finding what they want and expect. What you will find in this album is an excellent sample of a moment in DCD's career. It is only a passage to explore, a glimpse, not the treasure chamber of DCD that comprises of their entire career.

Took me a while to really get into Dead Can Dance but now I can't imagine not having them in my CD collection. I've always loved exotic, ambient and meditative music and Dead Can Dance are unlike anything else I've heard. This compilation consists of a rich mixture of tribal, choir, medievil gothic, world and ambient soundscape. I don't feel it's fair to categorise DCD as merely 'new age' or 'gothic' when it is both and a whole lot more. I've hunted for music like this for so long before I was even aware of DCD and it's all here. Very raw, minimal, sensual and soothing without being ruined by added layered synths and electronica. Stripped down and peaceful. One of the best CDs I own.

Chances are, you don't have anything else like this in your cd collection. I've been listening for 13 years and still have no real comparisons. Only the "Cocteau Twins" or a darker "Enya" come to mind...but not really. Though some of their stuff has kind of a tribal sound to it, most of this collection is more gothic, more medieval. I always envision this music coming out of some cathedral, in a far away and mysterious place, hundreds of years ago. That's what's so wonderful about "Dead Can Dance". They can transport you to places other music cannot. I also enjoy both the male, and female vocals, on the tracks that have them. I honestly think that someone would enjoy most of their albums equally, but this does give you a taste of many of them. This is a good place to expand your knowledge of music through time.

This is a sampler drawn from other albums as follows: from Spleen and Ideal (1985) comes the Enigma of the Absolute; from Within the Realm of a Dying Song (1987) comes Cantara and Anywhere Out of the World; from The Serpent's Egg (1994) come Song of Sophia, Ullyses, The Host of Seraphim, The Writing on my Fathers Hand, Severance and In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-eyes are Kings; from Aion (1990) come Saltarello, The Garden of Zepharus, Wilderness, The Song of the Sybil, and Fortune Presents Gifts not According to the Book; only Bird and Spirit are recorded specifically for this album.

I would not have made the same choices of cuts from the album. However, in this selection, I found myself paying closer attention to the lyrics which for Enigma of the Absolute are excellent. The selection leans towards the more electronic and less traditional, Medieval sounds. This includes the Middle Eastern flavor being less pronounced. Nonetheless, the album is a good introduction although I, personally, would recommend Aion to my friends first.

Is it ethereal, atmospheric, gothic, dark, ambient or world music? The Dead Can Dance style is all of these genres and more. Celestial and refined to say the least, DCD's music touches all senses. If harmony of heavenly voices, celtic chants, profound lyrics, and captivating music ever existed...it has the Dead Can Dance "ex-libris" all over it. This album includes some of DCD's best material...an album that asserts the DCD as the most evolutionary band of all times.

...not that any of these were hits in any sense of the term, though. I picked up this disc (cassette at the time) some ten years ago simply based on the cover art, never having heard of them. I was blown away and still am. This is my favorite DCD...utterly original and haunting. It makes you believe music is somehow magical. I've since bought all of their music, but this disc would remain my desert island favorite.

This 1991 release "A Passage In Time" is a 16 track sampler of Dead Can Dance's dark, brooding, and must I say, even terrorizing compositions that the Perry/Gerrard duo made between 1985 and 1991. Most of these songs I think were wise choices for this collection and must I say, even with some of the songs from different albums, sometimes having totally different moods, the songs flow almost without any major road bumps. "Ulyssus", "Cantara", "Kingdom of The Blind", and "Enigma Of The Absolute" are the shinigng gems on this CD. The "Ulyssus", and "Cantara" song combo is awesome as the former merges well into the latter. The main flaw to this collection is that it completely overlooks their self-titled debut album. The two last songs "Bird" and "Spirit" were recorded solely for this album. While still enjoyable to a degree, they don't rank up there with some of their earlier classics from their 1980s works. Still, there's no denying that this is a great CD for DCD starters to own. For veteran fanbases though, I would recommend their regular proper studio albums instead but for those who love the last two songs on here, this CD is a must-have.

Sometimes we listen to a new release and love it right away--yet a month later it languishes on the shelf. Other releases--a good example in my case some of Richard Thompson's stuff--take repeated listenings before their craftsmanship emerges. It's a rare release indeed that we love upon first listen and never tire of listening to again and again, months or years down the road. This CD's one of the rare ones.

Granted, I love ALL of DCD's catalog, even their--to my ears--unpolished first release. DCD remains peerless in their ability to evoke by turns dark Celtic melancholy, ancient Sufi devotion, and medieval longings of the spirit. As ably shown in this CD, their music is an eclectic sampling across cultures and ages that resonates deeply with anyone knowing what it means to be human.

What drew me to try listening to this group was the very fact that its music is on the 4AD label.

About eight years ago, WVXU (a non-commercial Cincinnati radio station) spent two hours showcasing the 1983-1991 box set of This Mortal Coil (also on the 4AD label). That evening introduced me to a sort of music unlike anything I have ever heard before. Subsequently, the same program (Soundscapes) on the same station devoted an evening to playing music from 4AD artists. It was then that I realized that this record label caters to artists of an unusual nature whose music--unlike anything the so-called "mainstream" can offer--is for those on another level, perhaps a higher level, of music appreciation.

I agree that A Passage in Time is most effective with lights off. Beyond that, you have to come to your own appreciation.

Warning: Top 40'ers may find this music intimidating. Not for the squeamish.

My daughter brought the CD on a recent road trip, hoping I would like it as much as she does. While this disk isn't one I would be likely to choose for driving tunes, when I got it home and could listen to it more carefully, I discovered a rich sound full of movement and color for the imagination.

The mixture of music types flows from culture to culture, touching on legends and myths allowing us to sample places and times we may otherwise miss. As soon as I return her CD, I will be making a purchase (or two) and start my own collection of Dead Can Dance.