Customer Reviews

Passion Sources

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This CD is one of the two soundtracks for the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ". The other one, "Passion", deals more with Peter Gabriel's performances. This one deals with the more traditional Middle Eastern music used and sampled for the film. This CD is perhaps the greatest introduction to Oriental (Middle Eastern, Indian, African, Persian, Turkish, etc) music that is available. It covers an incredibly diverse range of styles and cultures. The songs on here range from wonderful songs performed by excellent traditional artists (NFAK, Hossam Ramzey, Shankar,, etc) to authentic ethno-music recordings. The first song is a wedding song from the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself, giving a magnificent look into the traditions of Pakistan. NFAK's song is one of his best. This is followed by Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal performing the Call to Prayer, which is an integral part of Islam. I strongly recommend you understand and respect that when listening to this track. Returning to South Asia, we are treated to a lively, upbeat Indian number from Shankar and the Epedemics. Following this is a beautiful, ephemeral flute song entitled "Ulvi", performed by Kudsi Erguner, one of Turkey's greatest musicians. Hossam Ramzey, gives a lively Egyptian Raks Shari number entitled "Fellahi" (farmer). I was very impressed with this one. It gives a view of Ramzey at his best. Next is a sample of traditional Egyptian Arab music. Then we are treated to a celebratory bar song from traditional Ethiopian musicians. Those unfamilar with Ethiopian music will be pleasantly surprised by this. Then we get a Perso-Indian performance by Mahmou Tabrizi Zadeh. This song fascinates me to no end. After that is another historic ethnic recording, this time from a Moroccan wedding celebration. As the NFAK song above showed, wedding celebrations are perhaps the greatest opportunities to hear music in Islamic cultures, so this shouldn't be too surprising. Next is a number by Abdul Aziz el-Sayed, which was recorded for the brothel scene, but was used for the Lazarus scene instead. And then we get a lively number from the African band Fatala, with lively percussion and vocals. This song is lively and uniquely West African, but fits in very well with the other selections. Next is the song from Nass el-Ghiwane (an excellent Moroccan group) which wound up being used for the brothel scene in the movie. Following closely is a performance by the Egyptian Gypsy group, Musicians of the Nile. And finally, the CD closes with a traditional Armenian ney flute performance, which I found both haunting and ephemeral. Its easily one of my favorite songs on the CD.
Overall, this is an excellent and diverse CD. The music on here, which saw use in "The Last Temptation of Christ" is wonderful and inspirational, whether from Christian (such as Ethiopian or Armenian) or Muslim (such as Pakistani or Egyptian) sources. It is beautiful and wonderful. I cannot say enough good things about this CD.

This CD is the perfect compliment to the "Last Temptation" soundtrack. It's like an aural tour of the region, and a haunting one at that. The consecutive Kudsi Erguner and Hossam Ramzy tracks play beautifully together. Gabriel is generous enough to present these artists in their own right, allowing us exposure to music we might not pick up without his name attached. Bravo!

Some of us think The Passion is Peter Gabriel's best work. This album, much less influenced by him, shows that the source material (some "sources of inspiration" and some used in the soundtrack of The Last Temptation of Christ) stands up as well as its progeny. Though it doesn't flow as well as the Gabriel album, it is an excellent showcase of African, Middle, and Near Eastern music--perfect for getting a first or second taste of these increasingly popular forms.

The Last Temptation of Christ had two soundtracks. One was Peter Gabriels Passion, the other is this one. Where Passion featured a mix if traditional and modern sounds, Passion Sources is mostly the original traditional recordings that were eventually incorporated into the Peter Gabriel Passion album. This album may not be as easy to digest as the other Gabriel work but is worthy of including with it.

I enjoy both of them.

I used to just enjoy this album when I bought it a few years ago but after September 11, this album has had a new meaning to me and in fact has helped me rid myself of the hatred that I had of that part of the world and has actually made me even more fascinated with that area of the world.

I just wish people would stop hating on The Middle East and southern Asia and check out some of the awe inspiring music that musicians make.

Just the song Call To Prayer by Baaba Maal proves that the Middle East isn't a place of terror and hate but a place of wonderous musicians who could really give America a boost in it's music scene and end the corporate commercialism that has ruined Americas musical image.

Believe me this album after last years horrific events has been like a medicine and helped me maintain my respect for the Middle East plus I also happen to love music from the Middle East.

I hope I didn't stray too far off the topic of this CD but I just wanted to voice how this album helped me through this turbulent time. Believe me I alway prefer the Middle Eastern chanting anytime over the staccato of that awful Swedish Pop of Britney Spears.

God Bless both America and The Middle East

"Passion Sources" contains a sampling of Middle East and African music used for the controversial Scorcese film "The Last Temptation of Christ." Peter Gabriel's "Passion", released around the same time in 1989, contains original music reworked from the film's actual soundtrack. "Passion Sources" contains some original and altered field recordings plus songs recorded specifically for the movie. Music from both CDs appeared in "Last Temptation." Both soundtracks appeared over a year after the film's release because Gabriel wanted to shape the music into a coherent album. "Passion Sources" did not undergo such restructuring.

With Peter Gabriel's name on it, this CD probably introduced more westerners to non-western music than any other CD at the time. Subsequently, Gabriel's "Real World" records aimed to dampen the dominance of western music throughout the globe. The label continues to this day. "Passion Sources" was its very appropriate first official release.

The CD begins with an absolute bang: the spectacular Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan from Pakistan. Khan quickly became Real World's best selling artist. Sadly, he passed away in 1997 after gaining a worldwide reputation. He even appeared in Rolling Stone (a definite first for a Qawwali singer). As Khan's song slowly fades, Baaba Maal's amazing performance of the traditional Islamic call to prayer takes its place. Other highlights include Shankar's frenetic double violin bowing, Fatala's equally energetic drumming, Nass El Ghiwane's contemplative "Ya Sah", and the utterly relaxing "Song of Complaint" which sounds more like "Song of Relaxation." Another future Real World act, The Musicians of the Nile, also play up a storm.

Though overall an enjoyable listen, this collection does present somewhat of a mixed bag. As such, it plays more as a compliation than as a coherent thematic unity. That in no way detracts from the amazing music it contains or its ability to open up ears to new musical styles. Regardless, fans of "Passion" should not expect more of the same from this CD. Though most will probably enjoy everything here mainly because it contains the inspiration that led Gabriel to compose his soundtrack masterpiece. But best of all, "Passion Sources" will hopefully inspire an openness to the music of other cultures and of the world at large.

If you've come this far as to be reading this review, buy the CD. You will NOT be disapointed.

An excellent introduction to the rich music that the Middle East provides the world. Some first class performances by musical masters who really put their heart into their playing. A must have!!!

There are so many good tracks here, but the whole album lacks cohesiveness which i think is important for this type of music. The songs here show little resemblence to what they inspired (Gabriel's wonderful Passion) and they have a much more earthy feel to them, 'Yorky' and 'Tejbeit Ethiopian Bar Song
' being prime examples with such a fresh flavour to them, even after repeated listening. Yet whilst taken at their own merit, it still has the feel of a compilation, and it's perhaps best to look at the album as a taster record for each artist. Whilst it in no way compares to Passion proper, it is still a welcome addition to any music collection, and avoids the uneasy 'fusion' flaw that dogs too many Realworld releases.

To begin with, a confession. The truth is, I'm simply not a big fan of field-recordings of random "ethnic" music. If you are, then this is probably a must-own for you.

What it is, specifically, is a collection of music from all over the middle east, Africa, and Asia, which Peter Gabriel listened to, took inspiration from, sampled, or otherwise found useful in composing the score for the film "The Last Temptation of Christ" - that score itself being the basis for Gabriel's finest studio work, PASSION. These tracks are interesting even if you aren't familiar with that album; if you are, they're fascinating because you hear snatches here and there, but you can almost never say, "Oh, he used this in composing that;" you realize how completely an artist like Gabriel transforms the sources he works with.

The only real problem with the album is that it's very uneven. Not that any of the tracks are not good, but there's no flow from one to the next, and some of the transitions are quite jarring.

Peter Gabriel's Passion album is my favorite CD, and it is a real privlege to hear some of the music that inspired it. It gives his fans a glimpse into the creative process behind what may be the most brilliant recordings ever made.