The Legendary Pink Dots, "Four Days"

This is a slightly remixed re-release
First pressing was limited to 1000 copies and distributed mainly through direct mail order from the Dots. In August 1995, 200 extra copies were pressed; a second re-pressing of 500 was made in 1996 mainly for the American market (distributed by Soleilmoon); and there have been several editions since.
"Nadelstadt" was retitled from the original release (where it was called "City of Needles") since it appears in another form as "City of Needles" on SHADOW WEAVER.

As the title suggests, "Four days" was a work conceived and recorded in an intense but well starved short period of time in 1988. On the fifth, Elke made the cover for the original tape release, while the results were presented to long term Dots friend, Henk, before the week elapsed it was to be a limited edition of our copy - a musical 'tHenk you' for a precious favour. Trouble is, we all liked the music and artwork too much to keep it under a carpet. Consequently, with the blessing of Henk, 'four days' was released in an edition of 100 numbered copies on casette only. by the time most people found out about it, 'four days' was four years ago - that's why it is re-appearing now, again with Henk's blessing. This time there are 1000 of them... it will not rear its head again. Dedicated, of course, to Henk.

Thank you to PIAS records for their blessing of this release. Klymnyeh - Sing while you may!
written and composed by P. Knight and E. Ka-Spel

Divine Resignation

In the interest of you all - the living and the temporarily indisposed I retire. You know, I had such ideas... When you are alone, with eternity to play with, to shape, to build - well you can understand the weight of my ambition. But I've created a monster, that was never the intention. The bureaucracy of my vision has now made it impossible to realize the totality of the vision itself. Merely a few friends, as equals. No delusions of grandeur. No pity, narrow winded struggles for "power" I'm sorry, it isn't possible. I can't cope anymore. As I said before, I retire.

The day she returned

you took my soul away snatched it and stole away stashed in a hole with a sack full of gold for a cold rainy day, gonna wash me away. Chasing the tail of a soft spoken whale in a gale in a flood. I got it in my blood. Gonna slice up my brother. I'll slice up my brother. I'll cater you. And nothing makes sense, I'm a hole in a fence and this planet's immense and expensive. I'm broke but I'm broken oyu push in a token you pull on a whul(?) It's no deal. It's a death. It's no deal wish a death it's no deal.

Four Days is the LPDs' most "industrial" disc, by a long shot. Sweeping violins, church-inspired keyboards, orchestral washes, light acoustic melodies, and the like are totally absent, in favour of churning, clanky, clattering sounds and deep bassy drones. Ka-Spel's voice is featured on two of the pieces, the first being the most interesting, a sort of sing- song chant, the words almost tripping and rolling into each other. Also of interest, for those who have _Shadow Weaver_, is the fourth piece on _Four Days_, "Nadelstadt", the German translation of "City of Needles", and the two are nearly the same track, with a bit of remixing in the different versions. Melody yields to tension on this CD, and it isn't for the meek or faint of heart. Four those in the mood for the some of the most challenging and "difficult- listening" sounds that the LPDs have put out, _Four Days_ comes highly recommended. For those looking for the more melodic sensibilities of _Any Day Now_, _Crushed Velvet Apocalypse_, or _The Maria Dimension_, you have been warned. This disc is for the most ardent of fans, seeking the more abstract side of our beloved Dots. And the LPDs have not made it any easier, either; the disc is a limited edition of only 1000 copies. The liner notes promise that this will be the entire extent of _Four Days_. And yes, I will not part with this voluntarily, either. And if I ever come across the bonus _MD_ three-incher, I'll snatch it right quick... - Don Scheidt (september 28, 1994)

In 1988, Edward Ka-Spel and the Silverman recorded an album's worth of material in, as the title suggests, four days, as a way to repay a friend for a favor. The one copy of this material was given to that friend, but the LPDs liked it so much they wanted to release it to their fans, and in 1989, a limited run of 100 cassettes was made available. Much later, in 1994, another limited run of 1000 CDs was issued on Terminal Kaleidoscope and sold via Soleilmoon. The music is of supreme quality for only four days of work, although it is mostly ambient and instrumental. The exceptions are "The Day She Returned," with a frantic, maddening vocal that sounds as if it were recorded in the interior of a storm cloud; "Divine Resignation," with its distorted speech, which acts as a sequel to Asylum's "A Message From Our Sponsor"; and the suspenseful industrial instrumental "Nadelstadt," originally titled "City of Needles" but given a new name after vocals were added to it for the 1992 album Shadow Weaver. - Rex