Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence [SOUNDTRACK]

Peter Gabriel

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 18, 2002)
• Original Release Date: April 16, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Real World
• ASIN: B0000647KC
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,430 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Aside from a multimedia pastiche he did for England's millennium celebration, this soundtrack for Philip Noyce's film marks Peter Gabriel's first full slate of original recordings in nearly a decade. In the meantime, Gabriel's globally ambitious Real World musical mini-empire has taken precedence; the knowledge the musician gleaned there is immediately apparent in his film cues here. While the booming electro-tribal rhythms of previous Gabriel work come instantly into play, there's a sense of spacious mystery that's perfectly emblematic of the story's Australian outback setting. Gabriel's penchant for dense aural construction gives way to an ambient soundscape punctuated by Aboriginal percussion, didgeridoo, and bird song, and occasionally washed over by lolling tides of synth and samples. It's an atmosphere that, like the Aboriginal world it evokes, is nearly devoid of traditional melody, but one infused with a gripping, almost subliminal power. "Cloudless" then brings in haunting indigenous voices as well, intertwining them with a wordless, Westernized choral to emphasize Gabriel's compelling world music vision. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description
2002 album from Peter Gabriel is the soundtrack to the highly acclaimed independent Australian film 'Rabbit Proof Fence' directed by Phillip Noyce (The Bone Collector, Patriot Games and others). 15 tracks. Realworld Records / 2002 release. No US release is currently scheduled.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Layers and layers of sound..., June 19, 2002

By	Manny Hernandez "Author of Ning For Dummies" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Gabriel doesn't dissapoint his fans or anyone else who is willing to step into the circle where his music can be heard. This time around, almost two years after his comeback recording "OVO" PG has yet another score to offer. He had previously done an outstanding work -his best in my opinion- with "Passion," the music to the Scorcese movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Birdy" the soundtrack to the movie of the same name, directed by Alan Parker. "Long Walk Home" is, like its predecessors, a highly charged ethnic album, where Gabriel blends influences from several corners of the world, including this time also samples from aboriginal Australian tribes in the closing tracks. The album is packed with layers and layers of sound, but the two most remarkable moments in it are, without any doubt, "Running To The Rain" (whose theme is repeated throughout the album) and the three-part track "The Return," both of which promise to give you Gabriel's "shiver," that same sensation you felt when you "experienced" songs such as "It Is Accomplished," "Bread and Wine" (Passion) and "Wallflower" (Security) in the past. Long story short: buy it. True PG fans cannot afford to miss this work and casual PG listeners will get a kick of this, his most recent work.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars encompassing... in all directions., September 14, 2002

By	Chris B "zerocard13" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Before I review this, let's get one thing absolutely clear: Do not buy this album expecting another "Us" or "So" or Afro-Celt Sound System. If you're waiting for Peter Gabriel's next pop smash, I can guarantee that you will be disappointed by this disc.

Having said that, this is still a tremendous album, easily on par with (and instantly comparable to) Gabriel's "Passion", the soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ. Gabriel has again brought together a host of musicians to collaborate on a soundtrack, succeeding in meshing disparate sounds into a cohesive whole that never sounds belabored or muddled. Ngankarrparni is an excellent example of this as aboriginal chanting is overlaid by dhobro, strings and vocals by the Blind Boys of Alabama.

If I had any complaint about this album, it's that Peter Gabriel did it again. But this is tempered by the fact that this is only the second soundtrack Gabriel has done like this and that, honestly, I'd rather hear Gabriel noodling around with world beats than most other artists who set out to compose with a mission in mind.

I find that I get lost to this music, losing track of time as it plays in the background. The simplest review? If you liked Passion, you'll like this. Simple.

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passionate Soundscapes From Mr. Gabriel, June 18, 2002

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Rabbit Proof Fence" is the new Australian film by Philip Noyce, telling the true story of three aboriginal girls who are kidnapped from their home in order to be sold as slave workers. But the three girls escape, and must travel alongside a 1500 mile-long "rabbit proof" fence that stretches across the Australian outback in order to get home. Peter Gabriel's new soundtrack album for the film, appropriately titled "The Long Walk Home," is a beautiful instrumental album that picks up where his classic previous instrumental album, "Passion: Music From The Last Temptation Of Christ," left off. This is a mostly quieter soundtrack album than "Passion," but it's no less powerful. Gabriel effortlessly infuses traditional Australian musical elements to the soundtrack's aural soundscapes, such as didgeridoo and tribal chant. He plays various keyboards, and also pitches in on background vocals for a couple of tracks. Credit must also be given to guest artists The Blind Boys Of Alabama, who contribute memorable, haunting vocals to the equally-haunting tracks, "Ngankarrparni," & "Cloudless." Wonderful stuff.While we still wait for the new "proper" solo album from Gabriel--10 years & counting now--"The Long Walk Home: Music From The Rabbit Proof Fence" is an incredible, beautiful, essential "stop-gap" Peter Gabriel album to add to your collection. Filled with gorgeous lushness & atmosphere, "The Long Walk Home" should succeed in holding you over until the new "proper" Gabriel album is released later this year. Enjoy. :-)