Through the Hill

Harold Budd, Andy Partridge | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 8, 1994)
• Original Release Date: July 5, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Gyroscope
• ASIN: B0000035D0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,234 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hand 19

2. Through the Hill

3. Great Valley of Gongs

4. Western Island of Apples

5. Anima Mundi

6. Hand 20

7. The Place of Odd Glances

8. Well for the Sweat of the Moon

9. Tenochititlįn's Numberless Bridges

10. Ceramic Avenue

11. Hand 21

12. Missing Pieces to the Game of Salt and Onyx

13. Mantle of Peacock Bones

14. Bronze Coins Showing Genitals

15. Bearded Aphrodite

16. Hand 22

Editorial Reviews

On Through The Hill, one is immediately struck by the space in the music,

Partridge acknowledged that Harold allowed him to ‘un-Baroque’ things.

Budd is a consummate improviser on keyboards and piano. This excellent recording is now available with a bonus track and expanded liner notes. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Western wind, July 23, 2000

By 

loteq (Regensburg/Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Hill (Audio CD)

Although his collaborator Andy Partridge, best known as the singer/guitarist of XTC, is quite a household name, "TTH" is perhaps the most overlooked item in Budd's catalog. Using a greater variety of instruments -- electric guitars, cymbals, gongs, and various other percussives -- there's nevertheless nothing here that will remind you of XTC's sophisticated singer/songwriter-rock. The sparse, sometimes dissonant arrangements allow for interplay between the musicians, and while this set of tracks and traces is less cohesive and melodic than Budd's best albums, certain elements here are enchanting. Each song sets another instrument to the front; "Great valley.." has floor-shaking piano bursts, "Western island.." comes up with descending guitar chords, "Well for.." and "Bronze coins.." feature vocals performances by Budd. My favorite pieces, however, are those with Budd's typical piano playing, particularly the title cut. Unfortunately, there are also some tracks here which seem fragmentary and unfinished even by Budd's own standard, and the scattershot quality of this album is slightly annoying. A good sound quality and a costly art-work package with several fold-out prints further augment the record's abstract allure, but it's hard to shake the suspicion that "TTH" could have been much greater if Budd and Partridge had shown a little bit more passion and enthusiasm.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Space, December 29, 2005

By 

R. R. Muller "Parson Jack Russell" (Laguna Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Through the Hill (Audio CD)

This album is as beautiful as it is haunting and mysterious. Though much closer to a Harold Budd album than anything Andy Partridge has ever done, after repeated listenings, Andy's fingerprints are clearly evident.
Whether you are enjoying this as background/ambient music or are actively listening to it, it is equally applicable.
The album evokes dark imagery and the space isn't always comfortable, but it is always fascinating.
I give it my highest recommendation.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's best not to even look for cohesion, March 21, 2002

By 

R. R. Muller "Parson Jack Russell" (Laguna Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Through the Hill (Audio CD)

I understand when people say that "this album lacks cohesion, even by Budd's own standard." The problem isn't in the album's lack of cohesion, the problem is someone trying to find it. That would be, indeed, a futile search. This collection is one to be listened to as one best lives life; observing the waves and the inevitable sudden about faces with interest and alacrity, a willingness to try to grasp what isn't easily understood. Anybody can see the beauty in a Michelangelo or Monet. It takes a little more patience and discernment for a Picasso or Miro.