Gavin Bryars: Sinking of the Titanic · Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Repost)

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Gavin Bryars: Sinking of the Titanic · Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Repost)

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All Music Guide
A holy grail among contemporary music collectors, this release on Brian Eno's Obscure label, which went out of print almost immediately, features two of the finest compositions of the late 20th century, both by Gavin Bryars. The title track, Sinking of the Titanic, had since been recorded again on two occasions, arguably to better effect on Les Disques du Crepuscule in 1990 and once, more pallidly, on Point in 1994, but this initial production was an extremely special event. Bryars' idea was to construct an aural picture of the disaster, complete with songs and hymns supposedly played by the ship's orchestra even as she was sinking. He combined this with the acoustical phenomenon of the enhanced ability of sounds to travel great lengths underwater and produced an eerie and romantic sub-aqueous soundscape of remarkable subtlety and beauty. As though one masterpiece wasn't enough, however, the second composition on the album might be even greater. Surely one of the most beautiful "concept" works ever created, Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet begins with the faint, faded-in voice of a London tramp singing the old hymn plaintively but without pathos and more or less in tune. The lush, sensuous music, entirely sympathetic to the song, gives it increased strength and humanity as it swells to near-majestic proportions and then, just as gradually, subsides. The emotional impact of this 25-minute piece, in its honest and charitable stance toward the singer, cannot be understated.

Tracklist

1 The Sinking Of The Titanic (24:40)
2 Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet (25:57)


The Cockpit Ensemble
Derek Boiley, guitar
Michael Nyman, organ
John White, tuba
John Nash, violin
Sandra Hill, double bass
Gavin Bryars, conductor

Reissue of the original Eno / Obscure production (1975)
Remastered by Don C. Tyler @ Precision Mastering (1998)

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Gavin Bryars: Sinking of the Titanic · Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Repost)

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