Audio CD (28 May 2007)
Number of Discs: 2
Label: Rhino
Disc: 1
1. Kyrie Eleison
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei
7. Kol Nidre
8. Holy Are You
9. General Confessional
10. Individual Confessional
11. Our Father Our King
12. Adoration
13. Closing Hymn
14. Proud Sorrow
15. Hope
16. Death Of Juan Diaz
17. Truth
18. In The Wilderness
19. Worthless Pleasures
20. Returning Home
21. Song Of The Pirate
Disc: 2
1. Kyrie Eleison
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei
7. Kol Nidre (1)
8. Holy Are You
9. General Confessional
10. Individual Confessional
11. Our Father Our King
12. Adoration
13. Closing Hymn
14. General Confessional
15. Individual Confessional (1)
16. Our Father Our King (1)
17. Adoration
18. Closing Hymn
19. Holy Are You
After more than a decade of re-appraisal of his work as a producer and as an artist, David Axelrod has attained cult status withhis Capitol productions on Lou Rawls, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, David McCallum and his own solo albums being highly sought-afterby collectors and especially producers, notably Doctor Dre who sampled "the Edge" on the second David McCallum album to provide the backing for "the Next Episode". The only part of his career not yet anthologised are his productions on the third and fourth Electric Prunes albums "Release Of An Oath"and "Mass In F" where the original band were largely supplanted by Hollywood session royalty, including Carol Kaye (bass), Don Randi (keyboards),Howard Roberts (guitar), Lou Morrel (guitar) and Earl Palmer (drums). A third recording, the obscure and super-rare "Pride" album from 1970 rounds up all his Warner productions. The second disc of this album is entirely composed of previously unreleased instrumental takes and alternates of The Electric Prunes sessions which are a revelation and have not been heard since they were recorded nearly 40 years ago.
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The three albums on Disc 1 are great, with Release Of An Oath being the obvious standout. (I was glad to see the rare Pride LP finally make it to CD--been looking for that on vinyl for years with no success.) But it's the inclusion of the previously unreleased instrumental versions on Disc 2 that really elevates this compilation to must-have status. Without all the faux-Gregorian-chant vocals, you can hear the full power of Axelrod's compositions. Earl Palmer and Howard Roberts sound like gods. Plus: open breakbeats and sampling opportunites galore! If you've ever thrilled to Axelrod's work, you need this...
A conscientious & comprehensive 2CD reissue. The first disc contains three albums, two of which are notorious. In 1967 someone thought it would be a good idea to record a version of a Catholic Mass complete with choral chanting - done as psychedelic acid-rock! And then follow up by doing the same for Judaism. David Axelrod composed the music & hot band of the moment, The Electric Prunes, brought in to perform - except being a garage band they couldn't play the complex music and didn't want to anyway. The men in suits at the company decided this was no problem - the Electric Prunes were sacked but their name kept on the sleeves as a hip brand, while Axelrod arranged & produced the albums with his top LA session musician buddies. This infamous tale is recounted with much humour by Axelrod in the informative interview in the CD booklet.
The albums were seen by many as the unacceptable face of post Sgt Pepper psychedelia, the ultimate in concept album pretension, though they now have a certain kitsch value. Personally I still find them virtually unlistenable, but you may differ. The first CD also contains a third record, an obscure 1970 Axelrod concept album "Pride", a sort of Sketches of Spain done as mellow west coast rock.
The real news however is that on disc 2 you get 70-odd minutes of the original instrumental sessions, featuring the incredible LA musicians: Earl Palmer-drums, legendary Carol Kaye-bass, Howard Roberts-guitar, Don Randl-keyboard, plus Axelrod's string & horn arrangements. The rhythms & solos are somewhere between jazz, funk, psychedelia & rock, tight yet free & inventive. You can see why Axelrod became a hero to 1990s trip hop people & why he has been endlessly sampled. The "Release of an Oath" instrumentals are particularly good, sounding oddly contemporary. If you like Mo Wax/Ninja, Italian/French soundtracks or Serge G/Vannier, Morricone etc you'll probably enjoy this second CD.
As a big fan of the production and recording work of David Axelrod, this great release fills some gaps for most fans - and it's not just filler! The real gems here are the inclusion of instrumental versions of the 'Mass in F Minor' and 'Release of an Oath' albums - the freak out/laid back breakbeat funkiness is really brought to the fore! The Pride album is a grower and a very solid release, but it does not stand out as a concept, in the way the other work does.
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