The Seduction of Claude Debussy

Art of Noise

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1999)
• Original Release Date: June 29, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B00000JHCT
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #106,370 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Il Pleure (At the Turn of the Century)

2. Born on a Sunday

3. Dreaming in Colour

4. On Being Blue

5. Continued in Colour

6. Rapt: In the Evening Air

7. Metaforce

8. Holy Egoism of Genius

9. Flûte de Pan

10. Metaphor on the Floor

11. Approximate Mood Swing No. 2

12. Pause

13. Out of This World [Version 138]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Seminal mid-'80s electro-pop players (their hit "Close to the Edit" recently provided sample fodder for Prodigy's "Firestarter"), Trevor Horn, Paul Morley, Anne Dudley, and new addition Lol Creme (of 10cc), have regrouped as Art of Noise just in time to introduce classical-jungle fusion to the world. Using revered composer Debussy's melodic blueprint to build its elaborate, velvety drum & bass compositions, the group manages to make what initially seems like a dodgy idea sound somewhat viable, particularly on dreamy, atmospheric tracks like "Out of This World." Vocal contributions come from Sally Bradshaw, Donna Lewis, Rakim, and even actor John Hurt. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Asia reissue of the experimental techno pop/rock group's 1999 album features 13 tracks organized around the work of French modernist composer showcasing what made the group so great. ZTT. 2004. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece (aside from Metaforce), May 16, 2001

By	Matthew Gladney (Champaign-Urbana, IL USA) - See all my reviews

First, let me state that this album is, in my ever-so-humble opinion, the best album of 1999, and ranks in my Top 10 albums of the 1990s.

I was aware of the Art Of Noise for some time, but never actually listened to one of their recordings until this one. It blends their rhythmic synth-beats with the classical undertones of composer Claude Debussy.

Never before has an album been so melodic, so wonderful, so complete. The songs flow from one into the next, sounding similar, but never the same. The continuity of Debussy's compositions is readily evident, yet the Art Of Noise has not held-back showcasing their own talents. The sound of the album is exquisite. Actor John Hurt narrarates throughout (odd, I know, but it works), and the voices of the female singers used are near-perfect. Music and voice blend together wonderfully.

Only one song, "Metaforce", jarred me at first, for its style is markedly different from the rest of the CD. But even that track eventually sounds as though it fits in, a weird sort of way. It simply adds to the diverse, yet cohesive tone of the CD.

It is important that this work be listened to as a 'complete album'. It is not of the typical 'pop/single market' today, where one can skip to any track they choose. Do that, and this album will lose much of its beauty.

"The Seduction of Claude Debussy" is, quite simply, a complete, modern masterpiece. You will not find another one like it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sound and perfume swirl in the evening air, May 15, 2006

By	Joseph Geni (Evanston, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The Seduction of Claude Debussy" is not just a remarkable musical triumph, it is doubly so given how easily the whole thing could have collapsed under the weight of its considerable hubris. The Art of Noise are not exactly bashful, and here they are even less so than usual as they attempt what amounts to an electronica Debussy cover album. On top of it all, John Hurt provides highly stylized narration interspersed in the lulls and even sometimes during the most heightened drama of the album, describing Debussy's life and artistic brilliance, referencing half-known poets and the like. This project could have been totally dire in less capable hands, but fortunately AON knows what they're doing.

The source of strength of this release is that it is an album, not a collection of weak Debussy remixes. No techno-ridden piano-and-string loops here. Instead we have luscious piano cascades and classical guitar and mighty string crescendos flowing beautifully over ambience, dub beats and jackhammer drillnbass alike. After all, it wouldn't be enough for Art of Noise to put new beats to old music. After declaring at the end of "Il Pleure" that Debussy "was the revolutionary that set 20th century music on its way," they could do nothing less than give us a full and rich sampling of the entire palette of 20th century music, from jazz to bubblegum pop to dub and drum and bass to hip hop. Anything less would be an insult their chosen subject and hero. For the most part, they succeed, although I personally found the rapper Rakim's surprising arrival in the middle of Track 6 to be a little jarring.

Most importantly, though, is that "Seduction" doesn't just work as an artistic concept, it works as music. It is a beautiful composition, with rich arrangements and terrific mixing, and covering an impressive degree of ground, never growing repetitive, always original and filled with aggressive experimentation and originality. I can't imagine whether Debussy himself would have liked or hated it, but what is probably certain is that he would not have been bored by it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, January 9, 2000

By	Denny Johnson (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Brilliant.

A clever meat cleaver that chops up the past, present and future of musical styles, influences and desires.

Too often musical artists borrow from the somewhat small room of musical ideas and influences to produce things that sound an awful lot like "the latest thing" or themselves, ending up with a product that is completely uninspired and weak.

Tha Art of Noise however with this CD realized that sounding like themselves in a previous life or like the new "big thing"(?) was ridiculous were they to keep with the ideals of their name.

This CD is an extraordinary mix of stylistic touches, from Debussy's groundbreaking breaks, to Trevor Horn's perfect studio manipulation, Anne Dudley's magnificent ivory manipulation to Paul Morley's witty wonderful word manipulation.

Many songs that equal a whole. A painting of notes and words.

Try it.