Released
1997
Label
Cold Spring
Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund
Contact
Cold Spring Records
87 Gloucester Ave.
Delapre, Northampton
NN4 9PT
United Kingdom
Visit
Last Edit/Update
24 april, 1998
Psychic Tv
THEMES 2:
A PRAYER FOR DEREK JARMAN
Track Listing
1. The Loops of Mystical Union
2. Elipse of Flowers
3-4. Mylar Breeze (Parts 1,2 and 3)
5. Prayer For Derek
6. Rites of Reversal
Derek Jarman was
one of the most eccentric and deeply personal film makers ever to commit his life and
imaginings to celluloid (see some of his later and more readily available films Wittgenstein,
Blue and his contribution to Aria). It is therefore not surprising that he
should have chosen equally personal and experimenting musicians to compose the soundtracks
for his films. Coil recorded the theme music for his last work Blue,
as well as for his 1985 Super 8/video piece The Angelic Conversation, while Psychic
TV provided music for a number of his earlier works.
Genesis Orridge was
a close friend of Jarman's throughout his life, and apparently worked very
closely with Jarman on the films for which he supplied the music. These
recordings were originally released as a limited vinyl album accompanying early copies of Psychic
TV's Force The Hand Of Chance album in 1984. Now, Cold Spring
has released a CD version entitled Themes 2 (the initial vinyl release was Themes
1), which not only features re-masterings of the original material, but additionally
includes three tracks that did not make it onto Themes 1 due to lack of space.
The five pieces on Themes
2 are all instrumental, and decidedly belong at the more experimental end of Orridge's
musical spectrum. Each track is very much a self-contained piece, quite unique and unlike
from any of the other tracks on the CD. In the accompanying booklet, Orridge has
provided extensive notes explaining the thoughts, emotions and processes that went into
the composition of each piece, as well as a number of personal anecdotes and reminiscences
of his friendship with Derek Jarman.
First on Themes 2
is "The Loops of Mystical Union," which is dedicated to the
classical/avant-garde composer Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915). On this eighteen
minute piece, Orridge used a continuous tape loop of the climatic 'chord of
mystical union' from Scriabin's "Poem of Ecstasy." Over this ecstatic
background tone, the sound of John Goslin playing his so-called vibrolin (a noise
generator distorting the sound of a violin with a vaginal vibrator) are added to create a
disconcerting, yet hypnotic atmosphere. The theme was originally requested by Jarman
for Home Movies, a film based on his personal Super 8 journals, but has to Orridge's
knowledge never actually been released.
The second piece
"Elipse of Flowers" was likewise recorded for Home Movies. Used to
underscore depictions of 'Flower Child' garden parties of the 60s swinging London, the
piece carries a nostalgic and slightly melancholy mood. The ingredients are quite simple
and compelling: a slow acoustic beat, an electric guitar theme, and background chimes.
Only the ending of some manipulated, wicked laughter really makes this piece believable as
the work of Psychic TV.
Even more surprising,
however, are the startlingly beautiful sequences of acoustic piano music that constitute
parts 1 and 3 of "Mylar Breeze." The first part of this piece was originally
recorded for a brief film made by Jarman for his own enjoyment entitled Mylar
-- a segment of film showing "...a ripped piece of silver milar caught on a branch of
driftwood on the beach that was blowing in the sea breeze and catching the sunlight in
sparkling flashes as it moved." Later (in 1993) Orridge, who never felt the
piece had been finished went back and recorded parts 2 and 3 of the soundtrack. The middle
segment contrasts with the twinkling serenity of the piano musings of parts 1 and 3 -- a
brief choral arrangement of voices (amongst them Orridge's) repeating the line
"Jesus walked on the water."
"Prayer For Derek"
is Orridge's homage to Derek Jarman, or as the subtitle reads: "[a]
Theme expressing personal reminiscence and prayers from 1969/1993 and beyond." The
theme is a highly evocative collage of sounds, and segments of ritualistic music. The
echoing sound of waves, bird song, and babies' cries are combined with slow chanting,
tribal percussions and howling drones, producing an extended sonic impression of 'life.'
The final track "Rites
of Reversal" was created for a film by Orridge on William Burroughs,
for which Jarman did the camera work. The dominant element are some truly
frightening treated recordings of growling (dog or man?) The background is a continuous
subdued presence of looped buzzing and ringing sounds. A piece likely to conjure up some
nasty nightmares.
It goes without saying that
this collection is a must for anyone appreciating the artistic endeavors of Derek
Jarman and/or Genesis P-Orridge. Themes 2 is furtermore a rich
example of alternative approaches to creating soundtracks for moving images, and would
therefore probably make interesting listening for anybody with a strong interest in film.
Certain of the pieces ("Elipse of Flowers" and "Mylar Breeze") could
obviously have made great underlying music for any number of films; the other, more
challenging, pieces on the CD possess such strong 'visual' qualities that these musical
compositions really are little films in themselves.
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