Aion [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Dead Can Dance

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• Original Release Date: September 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: 4ad / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MQ7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,819 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Arrival and the Reunion

2. Saltarello [Instrumental Danse]

3. Mephisto

4. Song of the Sibyl

5. Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book

6. As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins

7. End of Words

8. Black Sun

9. Wilderness

10. Promised Womb

11. Garden of Zephirus

12. Radharc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Long before No Doubt brought back ska and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy resurrected swing, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry were making music that recalled an earlier time. How early? Try the Renaissance. Everything old--really old--is new again on Aion, the band's fifth and arguably finest album. Like DCD's other discs, Aion revolves around the interplay between Gerrard's soaring glossolalia and Perry's baritone crooning. A range of styles are explored, from the polyphonic choral heights of "The Arrival and the Reunion" to the smooth balladry of "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book" to the Middle Eastern sensuality of "Radharc." Other standout tracks include the playful "Saltarello," a traditional 14th-century instrumental dance piece, and "As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins," a strikingly melodic song carried by bagpipes and Gerrard's angelic voice. --Steve Landau

Product Description

Out of print in the U.S.! Import pressing of this classic 1990 album from one of the 4AD label's most popular and influential bands. At the core of Dead Can Dance is guitarist Brendan Perry and vocalist Lisa Gerard, who created a body of work that remains invigorating and uniquely their own. 12 tracks. 4AD. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the crossroads of DCD's career, December 20, 2000

By	"emeraldavatar" (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This is the best DCD album I have heard, which makes it one of the most beautiful bits of music ever. By now a lot of people know about Lisa Gerrard's beautiful voice and Middle Eastern-influenced dance beats, and those are displayed very nicely here. Radharc is one of the best examples of the latter. But Aion is dominated slightly more by the neo-classical and Renaissance vibe - Saltarello, the second track on the album, is far and away the best "pure" (no drum machines or samples) Medieval dance track you will ever hear. I play this track often to techno and trance junkies, and usually they are simply stunned. Aion also features some of Brendan Perry's trademark dark, droning vocals that will have Nick Cave and Peter Murphy fans weeping with delight - Black Sun is the standout. A great album to start your DCD collection with, especially if you've just heard about the band and don't quite know the material yet. (Note - their first albums are mostly slow and dark, like Black Sun. Their later work is more dancy and "exotic", typically more like Radharc. Lisa Gerrard's solo work is pretty much all like that.)

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Etheral, June 26, 2000

By	Christopher R. Cicatelli "cicatelli" (bethesda, md) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I happened to stumble across this AION due to my experience with Cocteau Twins, which are on the very same label as Dead Can Dance..."4AD". I read reviews for <Aion> and other Dead Can Dance releases. <Aion> sounded like the one I would enjoy the most, and well, I was right.

This CD is simply amazing. Flavors of medieval times swirl....sweeping hills and valleys....majestic cathedrals and castles...villages gathering, creating a festival like atmosphere...flames dance atop their torches as stars sparkle in the night sky above.

The beauty of this album starts with the cover. A mysterious and enchanting doorway....once you go through, a new world appears. This music is beautifully written, and wonderfully produced, and is unlike any musical experience you've ever had. Soaring vocals...gothic drums echo throughout...14th century strings to accompany. T'is a feast for your musical soul, and if you listen closely enough, you just might hear yourself.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired by Renaissance music, Dead Can Dance excel, June 6, 2001

By	Christopher Culver - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Released in 1990, AION shows Dead Can Dance, the duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, exploring styles of Medieval times and the Renaissance. The production is excellent, and it ranks among DCD's best albums.

AION opens with "The Arrival and the Reunion," a short piece that shows off Lisa's amazing voice as overdubs allow her to provide her own polyphony, with David Navarro Sust (a collaborator on 1989's THE SERPENT'S EGG) providing backing vocals.

There are a number of quiet, instrumental pieces on this album which sound highly authentic, such as "Saltarello" (which really is a piece from the 14th century), "Wilderness," and "The Garden of Zephirus."

As with any Dead Can Dance album, there are songs that feature either Brendan or Lisa more heavily. Lisa provides among others "Radharc," "The Promised Womb," and "The Song of the Sibyl," although for that last one I prefer the live version on TOWARD THE WITHIN.

Brendan gives us the tragicomic "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book" and the odd "Black Sun."

It's remarkable how this album, the first after Lisa and Brendan split up (she went to Spain, he went to Ireland), features such excellent collaboration. Definitely one of Dead Can Dance's best albums, although I think the best is WITHIN THE REALM OF A DYING SUN.