Within the Realm of a Dying Sun

Dead Can Dance

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 4ad / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MQ9
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,815 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Track Listings

1. Anywhere out of the World

2. Windfall

3. In the Wake of Adversity

4. Xavier

5. Dawn of the Iconoclast

6. Cantara

7. Summoning of the Muse

8. Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry actually manage to out-shimmer the Cocteau Twins on this 1987 release, which finds their beautiful minimalism adorned with increasingly developed compositional genius. The cascading melodies that grace "Summoning of the Muse" and "Persephone" are tailor-made for that next Christmas or Winter Solstice celebration, while more conventional (albeit somewhat somber) pop tracks like "Xavier" and "Anywhere Out of the World" keep the going from getting too arcane. All in all, more fun than a barrel of goths. --Billy Grenier

Product Description

Out of print in the U.S.! Import pressing of this classic 1987 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. Eight tracks. 4AD. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crystal-clear dark compositions from a remarkable duo, February 21, 2001

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

WITHIN THE REALM OF A DYING SUN was the third LP by Dead Can Dance, the duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, released in 1987. In it, they go further with the classical structures explored in 1986's SPLEEN AND IDEAL and in doing so forged what may be their best album.

It's remarkable that Perry and Gerrard wrote the music for this album after simply picking up a couple of books on scoring. This is an album that, after the somber introductory tracks by Perry, moves into clashing cymbals, thundering timpanis, and exploding brass. The musicians who accompany Perry and Gerrard are extremely skilled, and Peter Ulrich, percussionist, adds a great deal of talent to the album. And of course, there are the voices. Brendan Perry's voice is among the most profound and sagely of modern music. And Lisa Gerrard, as anyone who has heard her sing, has the voice of a goddess.

Other reviewers, much to my chagrin, have thought of this as a "goth" album. Although the album is indeed dark, Perry and Gerrard have always denied attempting to present a gothic image. This is a somber album because Perry further explains his world-view, and because Gerrard's tracks move the spirit in a way that is too sacred to make light of.

Some have criticized this album's layout, saying that it is a mistake to divide the album into a first half of Perry's philisophically pensive songs and a second half of Gerrard's choral pieces. Nonetheless, part of what makes Dead Can Dance's work interesting is the duality between the two musicians, and making the album bipolar merely highlights the differences between their styles.

Every track on this album is excellent, and this was the first album I ever bought where I can't complain about even a single song. WTRDS is probably the best place to begin listening to Dead Can Dance.

63 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gothic-Arcane Perfection, One Of The Greatest Albums Ever, November 3, 2000

By	David Baker (Nosgoth) - See all my reviews

Although I don't consider this to be my favorite album ever (that title goes to Nine Inch Nails' "The Fragile"), Dead Can Dance touch upon a dark beauty that even that CD doesn't quite reach up to. This is Dead Can Dance's darkest album, no question about that; where Gothic music (in the sense of the Victorian era) meets Arcane. "Anywhere Out Of The World" starts off with dark piano notes that bleed into Brendan Perry's beautiful voice. The song perfectly sets the mood for "Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun," with it's Gothic piano notes and and somber mood (not to mention Brendan Perry's magnificent vocals and lyrics). "Windfall" is a beautiful instrumental that lives up to it's name quite well. The song is absolutely stunning, the way the violins weave in and out sends chills up and down my spine. "In The Wake Of Adversity" is like it's predecessor, only with vocals and a more Arcane feel. Very nice. At this point in the disk, I realized that, while the songs were perfect, they've been lacking an important part of Dead Can Dance: Lisa Gerrard! She does, however, make her entrance on this disk with "Xavier." Lisa does the intro and Brendan takes over from there on. The song, just like all the other ones here, is perfect. A great song, and a chilling outro. It's the only song on "Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun" that the two team up vocally. Lisa finally gets the spotlight with "Dawn Of The Iconoclast." The horns (or trumpets, whatever they're called, I'm bad at naming instruments) and drums lead and then give way to Lisa's voice. The song is short, a little more somber, darker, and softer as well. It ends beautifully, with violins that leave a haunted feeling. Absolutely exquisite. "Cantara" is probably the most Arcane of all these songs. The guitar in the beginning is beautiful, as well as the piano. Then the song lets loose with everything moving the tempo up and Lisa's eloquent vocals. I originally bought this CD for this song, turns out it was my least favorite here. The last two songs are of something from another realm, they are the best songs here (easily). "Summoning Of The Muse" showcases Lisa's best vocal work here. This song is just touching, it's very mournful, and her voice is so good I want to cry. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - forget Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, Lisa Gerrard has the single greatest voice ever. Her vocal display in these last two songs just aren't mortal. "Peresphone (The Gathering Of Flowers)" is the best way to close this CD. Again, very mournful and sad, in fact, this is probably the most depressing song here. The song is such a journey going through different changes, but without changing too much. I'm frustrated at not being able to describe the song in the right words. Just listen to it; I guess that's all I can say. "Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun" is flawless and absolutely perfect, I listen to it all the way through when playing it. It makes the entire Projekt label look like a bunch of shoegazing high schoolers. I cannot express my love for this CD enough; no words can do the justice this album so rightfully deserves. It deserves to be heard by music lovers everywhere.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A transcendent and chilling piece of musical genius, September 5, 2002

By	M. Haswell (Nagoya, Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must confess that I was quite late in becoming familiar with Dead Can Dance, and missed their glory days by a longshot. Considering that I was listening to a number of their stylistic contemporaries, I'm not sure how I missed out for so long. It's very unfortunate that Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry are no longer making music together, but the material that they did create easily stands among the finest and deepest in the past couple decades. To me, Within the Realm of a Dying Sun represents their first true (and arguably purest) masterpiece. Everything they made from Spleen and Ideal onwards was unique and rich both in melody and content, but this particular album sends shudders down my spine like few others can. Although this is far from being a bright and pretty work, the growth between it and their rather unexceptional, Goth-style debut in 1984 is really quite an extraordinary shift.

The arrangement of the songs is a bit peculiar from the very first listen; this is the only album in which Brendan and Lisa evenly split the vocal/songwriting responsibilities, and - in particular - each respectively get one half of the album. As awkward and unnatural as it may sound, it works perfectly, with the two halves complementing each other like they were meant to fall in that order. Still, there is a heavy medieval and Gothic tinge to the songs, intensifying more and more as the album progresses. The atmosphere is only charged further by the addition of strings, tympani and horns, which accent the music beautifully. Brendan's songs are dark, but not quite depressing, with lyrics focusing more on a spiritual and philosophical plane than a dreary and nihilistic one. Each song of his seems to be part of a gradual crescendo, slowly becoming more urgent and intense. It all comes to a head on "Dawn of the Iconoclast," a downright unsettling piece that heralds Lisa's entrance as the primary vocalist. The tension loosens a bit with the beginning of "Cantara," but thunders up again after a minute into the song, continuing until the chimes and orchestra of "Summoning of the Muse" take its place. The grand finale is "Persephone," which begins with Lisa's incredibly rich lower register, moving into a stirring string section that then segues into a thoroughly beautiful vocal performance. Her singing becomes increasingly powerful, building the song up more and more before finally letting it collapse down into a bittersweet and disquieted ending.

Within the Realm of a Dying Sun is probably not the easiest introduction to Dead Can Dance's work (try Aion or Into the Labyrinth), but it is likely one of the most rewarding after repeated listens. The subsequent effort, The Serpent's Egg, begins a steady shift away from their heavier and darker work, so in a way this release marks the final climax of their early period. It is without a doubt one of their finest moments, however, and should not be neglected in any fan's collection.