01	Saltarello						02:36
	02	Song of Sophia						01:23
	03	Ulysses						04:54
	04	Cantara						05:52
	05	The Garden of Zephirus						01:18
	06	Enigma of the Absolute						04:12
	07	Wilderness						01:23
	08	The Host of Seraphim						06:17
	09	Anywhere out of the World						05:05
	10	The Writing on my Fathers Hand						03:50
	11	Severance						03:21
	12	The Song of the Sybil						03:45
	13	Fortune Presents Gifts not According to the Book						06:03
	14	In the Kingdom of the Blind The One-eyed are Kings						04:09
	15	Bird						05:00
	16	Spirit						04:58

A Passage in Time
Date of Release Oct 1991

AMG EXPERT REVIEW: It was only a matter of time before some sort of introduction to American audiences came about, especially following the band's successful tour of the States, so Rykodisc did the honors with this excellent compilation — if there's one thing anyone needs to get from the duo, it's unquestionably this. While there's no chronological order to the collection, and the sequencing and arrangement from the original albums are unfortunately if inevitably lost, the choice of songs to feature is completely spot on. The biggest gap is the lack of anything from the self-titled debut and the Garden of the Arcane Delights EP, including the track the collection takes its title from. As such songs would jarringly stand out sonically from the rest, though, it's an understandable omission. Nearly every undisputed highlight from the band is included, covering both Perry's and Gerrard's contributions in equal measure. "The Host of Seraphim" here forms the centerpiece of an album rather than the start, , and two new tracks help to round things out — while they aren't among the most deathless numbers the band has created, they're still worth listening to. "Bird" piles on the ambient jungle noises and animals calls and cries, but is saved from neo-New Age bathos by both its arrangement and the central combination of drumming and Gerrard's singing, here a touch lighter than normal. "Spirit," in contrast, predominantly features electric guitar and strong bass pulse, feeling a bit like a number from the very first album heavily stripped down with a new tension and beauty. Perry's singing suits the performance well, another excellent effort. — Ned Raggett

1. Saltarello (Dead Can Dance)
2. Song of Sophia (Dead Can Dance)
3. Ullyses (Dead Can Dance)
4. Cantara (Dead Can Dance)
5. The Garden of Zephirus (Dead Can Dance)
6. Enigma of the Absolute (Dead Can Dance)
7. Wilderness (Dead Can Dance)
8. The Host of Seraphim (Dead Can Dance)
9. Anywhere Out of the World (Dead Can Dance)
10. The Writing on My Father's Hand (Dead Can Dance)
11. Severance (Dead Can Dance)
12. The Song of the Sybil (Traditional)
13. Fortune Presents Bifts Not According to... (De Gongora)
14. In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed... (Dead Can Dance)
15. Bird (Dead Can Dance)
16. Spirit (Dead Can Dance)


1991 CD Rykodisc RCD-20215
1991 CS Rykodisc RACS-0215
1991 CS Rykodisc 215
1993 Rykodisc 20215
1998 CD 4AD 71010






Dead Can Dance,
Toward the Within
(4 A.D./Warner Brothers, 1994)




Australian Lisa Gerrard and Brit Brendan Perry usually work as a pair. But Dead Can Dance got a personnel upgrade for the album Toward the Within, a live recording from the Mayfair Theatre in Santa Monica, Calif.

Gerrard and Perry provide vocals and percussion. Perry adds 12-string guitar, Irish bouzouki and D whistle; Gerrard also plays the yang ch'in, a instrument similar to the hammered dulcimer. They're joined by Robert Perry on uillean pipes, Irish bouzouki, low D whistle and percussion, John Bonnar on keyboards, voice and percussion, Ronan O'Snodaigh on percussion and voice, Andrew Claxton on keyboards and Lance Hogan on bass guitar, 6-string guitar, percussion and voice. Combined, it's a lush arrangement of vocals and instrumentation which should satisfy any Dead Can Dance fan and bring new ones into the fold.

The album draws on various world music traditions for a mix of original and traditional, newly arranged material. The traditional tunes have been recreated like only Dead Can Dance can do; at the same time, the new compositions smack of antiquity. Percussion is a powerful element of their sound, but it stands on a par with, never dominating, the vocals.

The album begins with "Rakim," building a soundscape under Gerrard's delicate melody on the yang ch'in. The music leads into the first Perry vocals with distinctive percussion, while Gerrard's vocal harmonies give a subtle hint of what's to come. Then Gerrard demonstrates her own vocal acrobatics in "Persian Love Song," an a capella traditional song.

His lofty vocals in the drum-heavy "Desert Song" and hers in the atmospheric "Yulunga (Spirit Dance)" will have you solidly convinced that this is a pair of singers to grab and hold onto your attention. But that's not all; "Piece for Solo Flute" is exactly what the title suggests, amazing sweeps and flourishes in a nice display of Robert Perry's talents.

"The Wind That Shakes the Barley" is Gerrard's potent a capella treatment of a traditional Irish ballad about true love lost. Perry (that's Brendan) maintains the theme in the heart-breaking "I am Stretched on Your Grave," based on an ancient Irish poem and first turned into a song by Sinead O'Connor. This version is effectively punctuated by heartbeat percussion, with a crescendoing background soundscape leading into wild lamentations on flute and whistle.

"I Can See Now" and "American Dreaming," two Perry originals, show a touch of British progressive influence. While listening, I kept wondering how Greg Lake would sing them -- not that Lake would necessarily do it better; Perry's voice packs a punch.

"Cantara" has a baroque feel to start (on atypical instruments, of course) until the musicians kick it up a notch, the percussion plugs in and Gerrard soars into her wildest vocals yet. Perry proves he hadn't hit his vocal peak yet either; "Oman" matches his grand singing with some ponderous percussion and Middle Eastern ornamental touches. The singers pair up with an organ for the sacred-sounding "Song of the Sibyl," then Gerrard handles the mournful, partly spoken "Tristan" and the majestic "Sanvean." Gerrard has, without question, one of the strongest, most sensual female voices on record. The album ends with Perry singing "Don't Fade Away," average love ballad material made special by his voice.

Have you heard Dead Can Dance before? Toward the Within may surprise you. If you haven't heard them ... what are you waiting for?

[ by Tom Knapp ]