Some Cultural Input No. 5

lucifer, originally uploaded by John Barleycorn.

Loads of culture tonight! First a great short movie (Rendezvouz), and now it's time for two fantastic albums.
Let's begin with Lucifer Rising. This almost mythical soundtrack, by Kenneth Anger and Charlie Manson protégé Bobby BeauSoleil, is finally released on CD. It was created for Kenneth Angers legendary movie with the same name. It's sold in a nice 2-disc fold-out digipak set with an interesting 32 page colour booklet that contains all the background story you'll need alongside pictures of those involved, original promotional material and shots from the movie. The music is both dark and radiant, weird and beautiful. It's a perfect companion to Kenneth Angers invocation and apologia of the Light God Lucifer, the Morning Star. The sound is rich and impressive, even though it was recorded inside Tracy Prison during 1977 - 79 on home built equipment. This is a total must have for all fans of kosmische musik and progressive rock.
And then - another prog-rock classic. Genesis magnum opus The Lamb Lies down at Broadway from 1974. This surreal concept album is totally impressive. Loads of great themes and details. Why can't anyone make music this beautiful, inventive and complex nowadays? Released on two fantastic CD:s that don't even once try to sell me a pair of jeans, a soda, a boring lifestyle or some other useless crap! It's such a relief from all the lightweight sellouts that dominate todays "alternative" or "independent" music scene. It is a true masterpiece. Songs like Carpet Crawlers, The Waiting Room, In the Cage, The Lamia, Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats, Ravine are just some of all the memorable songs on this album. I never get tired of it. It's the absolute peak of the prog-rock era. So shut up and listen to the old man now - check out these excellent albums!