Passion (Music for The Last Temptation of Christ) by Peter Gabriel (Album, Film Score): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music
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Passion (Music for The Last Temptation of Christ)
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ArtistPeter Gabriel
TypeAlbum
Released6 June 1989
RecordedFebruary 1988 - March 1989
RYM Rating 3.85 / 5.00.5 from 3,964 ratings
Ranked#4,252 overall, #190 for soundtracks
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spiritual, meditative, atmospheric, tribal, desert, instrumental, mysterious, sombre, Christian, suspenseful, rhythmic, religious, epic, dense, eclectic, ritualistic, hypnotic

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20 Issues

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Credits

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67 Reviews

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I heard this once at a friend's house many, many years ago and I will never forget how it made me feel.

We had all been smoking some powerful weed and I was completely and utterly baked. I just lay on his back lawn, unable to move, staring at the night sky as this music swirled into my brain and carried me off through the most euphoric, waking dream - the visions of which I can still clearly recall all these years later.

Sadly, my mate had taped it off the radio in a stoned delerium and had no idea who it was or what it was called. Soon after and before I could make a copy, he lost the tape.

Dropped it in the ocean while fishing.

For years after I would often wonder about it - who was it ? What was it called ? How will I ever find it again, knowing virtually nothing about it ?

For 10 fucking long years I was haunted by the ghost of this music, calling me from the watery blue depths.

And then one day, as easy as you like, it re-entered my world.

I was enjoying a few beers on the balcony of a friend's mountain home one evening (different friend to "tape-loser"), watching the sun set through the woods when his girlfriend, a belly-dancer, casually loaded it into his Hi-Fi to warm up for a gig that night and in doing so reconciled me with a long lost treasure.

I almost wept.

This is one of the more faithful offerings of what you could call 'World Music' and for me to finally learn that it is the work of none other than Peter Gabriel - someone, in my mind, so removed from my understanding of the genre was a revelation. Released at least a decade prior to all those awful "Arabic Chillout", "Cafe Del Mar", "World-beat" CDs this astounding album diminishes those ethnic sounding caricatures into insignificance.

It conjures so much imagery of the Middle-East but without 'Disnefying' them.

Ethnologically, Gabriel has assembled an impressive array of tribal musicians from various and sometimes primitive middle eastern and sub-continental regions and fused the whole lot into a powerful, shimmering pageant. There are instruments, voices and sounds embroidered into this that range from startling, unearthly to serene and meditative.

Sometimes, as with Jazz or Classical music, words/lyrics are simply not necessary, their natural tendency to engage you can clutter the path of what is going on behind them.

Here, the human voice is used as an instrument much like a Cello or Woodwind might be used to augment a particular passage of orchestral music, often to stunning effect and creates some aural scenery that I have not heard the likes of since.

Very much like watching a movie in your head.

This sits in my top 5 greatest of all time - buy it, you wont regret it.
Published
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Isn't it funny when an artists best work is the least representative?
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Certainly one of the criticisms of world music that has held up least well is the argument that it was culturally destructive, and thus immoral. It is easy from this vantage point in time to dismiss as both naive and paternalistic the "noble savage" stereotype that underlay much of this frankly political posturing. It takes no effort to point out to a twenty years' gone strawman that the radio and phonograph destroyed the British tradition of family singing in the home, or more pointedly that since the end of slavery and Jim Crow one seldom sees African-Americans singing spirituals in the fields. At the time, the idea that all music would "progress" towards some white person's utopian vision of bland universal pap seemed frighteningly plausible.

It is perhaps more productive to point out that all recorded music is inescapably music of the past, whether it be plainsong notated in the 12th century or a song written and recorded five minutes ago. Or that "traditional" music has never been timeless; we were merely unaware of the changes before tape recording came along. Perhaps more hopefully, we can note that while in the past 130 or so years we still have not realized the social effects or possibilities of recorded sound, we know that we can use it to create a new and better sound-world, or even a galaxy of sound-worlds, for everyone.

That, I think, is what the "world music" of the '80s was trying to do, what all music tries to do: Not creating _the_ future, but giving us the rudiments of _a_ future, in shiny sound-form. I further think that Peter Gabriel did it better than most. It not only told people things they probably didn't know (true or false, it hardly matters now, but I think mostly true), but it sounded good doing it, and it sounds good today.

I dig it.
Published
When I put this CD on the player for the first time, I was ready to hear Peter Gabriel's vocals, his usual intelligent pop and some interesting experimentations, so you can easily imagine how surprised I was. Most of this stuff can be described as ambient, with Gabriel painting beautiful, hypnotic desert soundscapes that pierce right through your subconscious. Apparently this mystical sound couldn't have been possible without some awesome backing by a bunch of musicians from the Middle-East and Africa, so the world music and traditional Middle Eastern music qualities are very audible. Youssou N'Dour also appears on a couple of tracks, while Gabriel mainly concentrates on the drum machines and synths. The whole combination works surprisingly well together and sounds undeniably magical.

You know, "Of These, Hope" sounds like exactly one of my weirdest dreams where I wandered through a huge desert. This is exactly that kind of music, which awakes those feelings. "A Different Drum" is one of the definite highlights here, the chorus parts always give me the goosebumps. But, as much as I hate to admit, this is one of those albums you'll have to be in a certain mood to fully appreciate it, and the whole thing may be quite a torture to listen through in one sitting just like wandering through a hot, dry desert. Still, I'm always awed by the creativity and the sound of this work.
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This is music to have long hot sex with your partner. Candle light and maybe some herb if you got it. This CD is so damb good I lent it to a co-worker and I never got it back! Hope they're still f'n to it.
Published
Despite being more well known for his leading role in Genesis, Peter Gabriel transformed himself into a poet of ethnic music for the industrial age. Tasked with creating the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ”, he composed “Passion”, a work of monumental synthesis and ethnic origins. By manipulating African and Asian folk sources, Gabriel created a sort of sonic murale about Jesus' Passion. The 21 panels re-interpret musical sources from around the world into a form of (what Brian Eno would call) psycho-ambient music: each piece evokes “ambience” and its psychological qualities. At the same time, the original source is lost in a stylistic research that belongs to classical music, rock music and folk music. The praxis recalls the archaic futurism of Jon Hassell, although here the flavor is more properly rhythmic.

“The Feeling Begins” describes its own philosophy. As the overture to the album, its whirling Persian dervishes and tribal percussion set the high standard for the remaining pieces. “Gethsemane” is abstract and austere chamber music filtered through an ethnic lens, while “Of These, Hope” is one of the central pieces of the album. The funereal flute litanies and the syncopated beat, coupled with the strange electronic scratches, evoke a prayer out in the desolate wastes of the desert. “Lazarus Raised” is instead a brief but gothic violin passage that leads into the reprise of “Of These, Hope”. The electronic breathing found on “In Doubt” perfectly segue into “A Different Drum”, the masterpiece of the whole soundtrack. Desperate voices rise from the sinister beat materialized from the funereal tones of the Prophet 5. The whole piece culminates in wordless choruses that evoke the spirit of revelation and hope within the desert.

The second side begins with “Zaar”. A minimalist concerto that is gripping and suspenseful thanks to the booming surdo percussion, ghostly vocals, and above all, the monstrous violin and assorted percussive jungles. “Troubled” is even more sinister; a successful reinterpretation of Indian raga for post-industrial funk music with overdubbed synths and vocal choirs. However, there is a brief moment of respite on “Open”. A majestic psychedelic journey with psycho-ambient drones and ethereal violin and vocal counterpoints. “Before Night Falls” focuses entirely on the tinkling of Arabic percussive instruments and the flute to create an atmosphere of stealth and deception. The second side finishes with the masterpiece, “With This Love”. A quiet and tragic oboe melody fills the space as it floats over a double-violin that mimics the cello found in baroque and romantic music; all while faint melodic ambience drones in the background. This piece exudes the sorrowful fatalism of Ennio Morricone's scores and the dejected majesty of Albinoni's Adagio.

The second half of the record begins with the ominous “Sandstorm”, fuelled by the distorted kemanche. It invokes the surreal archaic tribalism of Jon Hassell’s electronic “fourth world” ambient music. “Stigmata” is more dramatic, again using the kemanche to great effect. Peter Gabriel’s wordless vocals submerge the music into a dirge of emotional tension and lugubrious elegance. The masterwork of this side of the record is “Passion”. A cosmic raga that encompasses Islamic, Christian, and Buddhist liturgist into a spectral carnival of vocal interplay. Led by Gabriel's muezzin-like lament, Nusrat Fateh's angelic soprano, and Youssou N'Dour's equatorial cry, everything leads back to the central element of the piece; Jon Hassell’s macabre and mesmerizing trumpet phrases. Caribbean percussion and gloomy electronics cap off the piece in metaphysical suspense, evoking both genesis and apocalypse. The last piece of this side is a choir version of “With This Love”.

The final side of the record is the most dramatic. Beginning with the flute dirges of “Wall of Breath”, it comes full circle to the depressed litanies of “Lazarus Raised” and “In Doubt” found on the first side of the record. Then comes the post-industrial affair of “The Promise of Shadows”, which sounds like the inner machinations of a foreboding mechanical genesis. It is as if industrialism has caught up to the religious ceremony; exorcising it of the ethereal and Satanic spirits that plague the musicians. In “Disturbed”, the chaotic and electronically modified percussion dominates the faint cries of Shankar’s violin as it intones a droning requiem. The jubilant "wall of sound" of “It Is Accomplished” features nearly every listed musician in a triumphant and glorious mystery of the glorification of God. It leads to the languid hymn of “Bread And Wine”, which itself evokes the mystified Aborigine tribal ambience of Steve Roach.

“Passion” is one of the most in-depth analyses of ethnic sound. Each piece cultivates its own sound, yet also finds the opportunity to construct a new, post-industrial form of new age music. Every piece is a sign; a construction of multiple origins that come to life in a series of supernatural tracks. It is quite unusual for Gabriel’s best work to not only spring forth from such a secular origin, but also for that work to be the least representative component of Peter Gabriel’s entire career. Regardless, it remains as the greatest soundtrack of all time, and one of the best rock albums of all time, if it can even be classified as such.
Published
With the way some of these mfs made this shit sound, I was expecting Jesus to crawl his tasty scribbly ass right out of the screen and twist my nipples like he's setting the stove knob on high. Little did I know is that the only thing that'll be high is my dumbass trying to numb the pain from this Lion King dingleberry.

It's cheesier than Axl Rose's foreskin and while there wasn't any ass-shaking goodness it def left my ass shaking in anguish. There's actually a few decent songs in here but the rest sounds like stock image music for a Planet Earth documentary on Muslim anal sex (and somehow not in a good way). So much effort went into this apparently, this should've sounded like the royal orgy of Bismillah Khan, Ali Ekber Cicek, Vilayat Khan, L. Subramaniam, Muslimgauze, and a reverb pedal.

Ok let's talk about the music. Imagine a 30 year old white woman just put on "inspirational Indian music". If you haven't just repainted your undies white with the passion of 1000 suns, hang on homie it's time for wave 2. Imagine that... but with better production. Now that you've officially killed more kids than the German army you may now experience this grand force of enlightenment and flaccidity head on. Or don't if you want to save yourself 65 minutes.

Standouts: I already forgot lol put on something decent and it feels like I just baptized myself with in liquid orgasms and baby powder
Published
I've never seen the film, but the Passion album is deeply beautiful and one of the instrumental releases I return to most frequently. I consider it one of the main releases in PG's catalog, and not a soundtrack off on the side.
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Catalog

Ratings: 3,964
Cataloged: 2,860
Track rating sets:Track ratings: 170
Rating distribution
Rating trend
Page 1 2 .. 26 .. 53 .. 79 .. 106 .. 132 .. 159 .. 185 .. 212 .. 238 .. 265 >>
23 May 2024
JesuvioDiurnal  4.50 stars incredible
22 May 2024
22 May 2024
wonderbread87  4.50 stars Close to Da Perfect Guisc
21 May 2024
GroggyP  4.00 stars Solid album. Worth listening to.
  • 4.00 stars A1 The Feeling Begins
  • 3.50 stars A2 Gethsemane
  • 4.00 stars A3 Of These, Hope
  • 4.00 stars A4 Lazarus Raised
  • 4.00 stars A5 Of These, Hope (Reprise)
  • 3.50 stars A6 In Doubt
  • 4.00 stars A7 A Different Drum
  • 4.00 stars B1 Zaar
  • 3.50 stars B2 Troubled
  • 4.00 stars B3 Open
  • 3.50 stars B4 Before Night Falls
  • 4.00 stars B5 With This Love
  • 3.50 stars C1 Sandstorm
  • 4.00 stars C2 Stigmata
  • 4.00 stars C3 Passion
  • 4.00 stars C4 With This Love - Choir
  • 3.50 stars D1 Wall of Breath
  • 3.50 stars D2 The Promise of Shadows
  • 4.00 stars D3 Disturbed
  • 4.00 stars D4 It Is Accomplished
  • 3.50 stars D5 Bread and Wine
20 May 2024
J_VERSC  4.00 stars Brilliant
16 May 2024
14 May 2024
MuffinsFan666 CD4.50 stars Excellent stuff!!
13 May 2024
hereistandforyou  3.50 stars 😄 / 좋음
12 May 2024
11 May 2024
Nomzamo  4.50 stars
  • 4.50 stars A1 The Feeling Begins
  •   A2 Gethsemane
  • 4.00 stars A3 Of These, Hope
  • 4.00 stars A4 Lazarus Raised
  • 4.00 stars A5 Of These, Hope (Reprise)
  •   A6 In Doubt
  • 4.00 stars A7 A Different Drum
  • 5.00 stars B1 Zaar
  • 3.50 stars B2 Troubled
  • 4.00 stars B3 Open
  • 4.00 stars B4 Before Night Falls
  • 5.00 stars B5 With This Love
  • 3.50 stars C1 Sandstorm
  • 4.00 stars C2 Stigmata
  • 5.00 stars C3 Passion
  • 5.00 stars C4 With This Love - Choir
  • 4.00 stars D1 Wall of Breath
  • 4.00 stars D2 The Promise of Shadows
  • 4.00 stars D3 Disturbed
  • 4.00 stars D4 It Is Accomplished
  • 5.00 stars D5 Bread and Wine
8 May 2024
8 May 2024
napanoyhta  3.50 stars joy
4 May 2024
saura2  4.00 stars
4 May 2024
3 May 2024
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Contributions

Contributors to this release: albert22, unclebob, peecee, jkra3168, groonrikk, nitsnats, alvareo, drfeelwell, silentman, alainsane, THRAK, coptic_cat, finnaboing, QuartzM386, djlanda, swo17
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