Dead Can Dance Album: “Spleen and Ideal”

Spleen and Ideal was the first DCD album I purchased, on cassette no less. And though I have have most of their recorded output this one, perhaps for sentimental purposes, perhaps not, is still my favorite. The spareness of the instrumentation, the wonderful world weary vocals of Brendan Perry and the strange almost Bulgarian womens choir like vocals of Lisa Gerard combine to make one of the most beautiful and atmospheric albums of the '80s. Exotic in all the right ways, it does what music should do: it takes me out of myself and presents new possibilities I never would have thought of on my own. Beautiful, elegiac and wonderous.

Often acclaimed as their best album, 1985's "Spleen and Ideal" (the title coming from Charles Baudelaire) saw Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry develop one of the most enchanting and unique sounds ever to be put before the modern music world.

Though there are traces of the drum machines found on

, otherwise the instrumentation of "Spleen and Ideal" is entirely acoustic and horns have a prominent part, so much so that often "Spleen and Ideal" reminds one of funk slowed down to 10 beats per minute. The key thing is that this slowness, whilst it makes the music have little content at first listen, actually adds to the emotion and makes Brendan Perry's voice - which could easily be used for awful soul-pop in the vein of Joe Cocker - sound really passionate and so deeply melodic that it really hits your heart just as much Lisa's siren-like wail that actually is on "Mesmerism" very close to Liz Fraser.

The real gems that make "Spleen and Ideal" a remarkable album, however, are the first three tracks. "De Profundis" even features Andrew Hutton as Boy soprano and the incomprehensible yet twinkling vocals of Lisa Gerrard really cry despair. "Circumradiant Dawn" shows Lisa singing with even more passion, whilst the mainly instrumental "Ascension" features some of the most powerful, gut-wrenching, soulful horns you will ever hear.

After this, "Spleen and Ideal" become a little less inaccessible, but its slow, soulful passion remains a taste very difficult to acquire. Perry's beautiful voice on "The Cardinal Sin", "Enigma of the Absolute" and "Advent" perfectly matches the despairing lyrics he was to perfect on their next album

. "Mesmerism" reminds one of another mystical masterpiece released a mere few months previously in Kate Bush's

but is more gorgeous and sensual than Bush ever was. "Advent" is as near to pop as Dead Can Dance were ever to be, but it is not easy to imagine the lyrics Perry sings on commercial radio.

"Avatar" makes for further Kate Bush comparisons with its joyful, mystical mood, but Lisa's voice is incredibly entrancing when you listen carefully and more upfront than on any other Dead Can Dance piece. Closer "Indoctrination (A Design for Living)" is really sedate, dark, yet totally danceable and really shows to great effect how people doom themselves to loss of freedom in its lyrics.

All in all, "Spleen and Ideal" can seem nothing on first listen but it is a truly beautiful and emotional work if you - unlike most listeners - manage to acquire a taste for it. Alternately despairing and ecstatically joyful, it was the true beginning of one of the most unique bands of at least the part forty years.

Dead Can Dance's 1985 effort "Spleen and Ideal" is a collection of solid jams from the original Australian lords of thizz..Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard..it is groovy cult music for all generations and must be listened to carefully, and obsessively..it is best in the wee hours of the morning, after a long day/night i.e. 4-5am..expensive speakers or headphones are highly recommended for this particular musical journey..i implore you all to get this bad boy under your belt QUICKLY, time is running out.

-Dr. Gonzo, PHDizzle

...well, toward the Dead Can Dance sound, I suppose. This release was the beginning of DCD's move away from the 'typical' 4AD label sound of darkish, goth-pop-styled music and atmospherics to begin to craft a sound that took advantage of a multitude of musical influences. And you do see some of this, particularly Western classical directions, starting to make major impacts here and there on this album. But by and large, there's still a lot of that 4AD feel here as well. A mixed bag, albeit a very well-done one. But I'd suggest skipping this, going on to the next album ("Within the Realm of a Dying Sun"), then coming back here if that clicks with you.

after SPLEEN they should have brought in the defibulators. I was stunned by the first DCD-it had DRIVE and LIFE to it-the dead WERE dancing-dark, complex Middle-Eastern (ME) tinged arrangements, sincere, intelligent lyrics, Lisa's amazing vocalizations-and her marvelous playing of the chinese stringed instrument-which seemed to vanish after SPLEEN pretty much -all seemingly custom made music just for me-I felt that music had died until their emergence (I still wish I knew the lyrics to OCEAN)

After this CD, with a few exceptions they became 'dead on Valium'. Too much slow, ponderous deep and profound preaching stuff-or else they became the resident musicians of the Smithsonian-sadly-then the new agers discovered them. OMG. This surprised me- as most of them seem to love YANNI-like corn syrup music...well, at least it benefited them personally-they didnt have to worry about rent money each month.

For what its worth I have all of the SACD albums-but I always come back to #1 and SPLEEN. ARCANE DELIGHTS has 2-3 great pieces on it, also. I am rather annoyed or perplexed they made it separate-it was on the previous incarnation CD as bonus tracks-and is now priced higher than the other full-on CDs!

Now this (SPLEEN) has some great tracks and excepting the rather bombastic kettle drum song (name i dont remember) I was still quite happy having found them. BUT

When DYING SUN came out, I felt alienated-except for CANTARA-lovely. They had moved on-too far on.

This was a nice mix-and I am not one to say they should do the same album over and over-but think they should have taken a vacation from brooding symphonies Period/Ethnic dabbling the deeply profound, and made an album with drive and LIFE to it-similar to the style of #1-but they would have incorporated- in the "rock" vein with all their newfound wealth-and gained experiences. They were EXCELLENT MUSICIANS-that cannot be denied, Brendons deep, sage like voice, came across as a very thoughfull, intelligent man at what-25? their ability to master musical styles and play instruments is nothing short of amazing

And Lisa's letting loose when she did was divine-until she joined the 'Sisterhood of the Sacred' Some of it is beautiful, but lacked spark. Dont get me wrong I LOVE them both and feel something unameable-but the first album made an imprint on me that summer which will not go away. OCEAN. WILD IN THE WORDS. FORTUNE. Still stun me. How can they not in their sparse economy move anyone?

DCD, Garden, and Spleen-then it was world/new age symphonic profoundness. Little drive-no more dance;

And you can examine the worlds problems and how to live properly so many times before it gets boring.

Thus 'World' and 'New Age' music are not my cup of tea-for the Spirolina set.

I listen to a lot of AZAM ALI, whose music has drive, mysticism and lyrics that dont preach-(or inform us 17 different ways of the miseries and short comings of living on Earth--a little of that goes a long way)-but she tells us of her experiences in life-and still sings of the positive. If you like the latter DCD you should try her PORTALS OF GRACE-a very brave and difficult acheivment from a woman who could have simply gotten by on her looks and singing Middle Eastern pop. She also part of a band called NYAZ- which play largely traditional ME motifs, with a few accomedations for electronics.

This review is all over the map, but I am locked out of DCD #1 by a previous review

As Ive already noted-the world is a richer place given that they are in it.