This limited edition, blue 7" vinyl single comprises two songs recorded live at the October Gallery in London on October 5, 2003. Both of the songs are done in the intimate "voice and piano" style familiar from Current 93 releases such as Soft Black Stars and Hypnagogue, with Maja Elliott providing the musical accompaniment. Side A has David Tibet tackling the singularly epic "Time of the Last Persecution," the title track from underappreciated singer-songwriter Bill Fay's materful 1971 concept album. Fay's original version had all the dramatic orchestral swells of a sixties Scott Walker production, augmented by mind-blowing fuzz guitar and a truly monumental climax. For all the overblown majesty of the original, however, the song holds up amazingly well with the minimal arrangement by Tibet and Elliott. Tibet's voice is a perfect instrument to portray the resigned dread of Bill Fay's Armageddon scenario: "It is the time of the last persecution/And Caesar shall be raised/He will ask for his feet to be kissed by your sister/And your children will fear at his name." It's as if Tibet and Fay are spiritual songwriting partners, as both share the same affinity for hallucinatory visions of Gnostic Revelation. Side B is a fine but unremarkable rendition of "Black Flowers, Please," a track off Swastikas for Noddy and a perennial live favorite. For the version of "Time of the Last Persecution" alone, however, this single is worth tracking down.

Jonathan Dean
Sunday, 25 July 2004