Baby Dee "4 Track EP" Durtro 059CD 2001 (15:28)
Look
What the Wind Blew In (2:57)
Small
Wonder (3:59)
The Moon and the Morning Star (3:45)
April
Day (4:47)
Current Ninety Three "Some Soft Black Stars Seen Over London" Durtro 058CD 2001 (26:33)
Larkspur
and Lazarus (5:22)
Mockingbird (4:02)
Anti-Christ and Barcodes (2:03)
The
Signs in the Stars (3:27)
Whilst the Night Rejoices Profound and Still (3:56)
A
Gothic Love Song (4:11)
The Signs in the Stars (3:31)
Originally intended for the New York City shows this past September, the unfortunate cancellation of said shows at least made way for a general release for these 2 EPs. Baby Dee's, limited to 500 copies, gifts us 4 new studio tracks while C93's presents just the "Soft Black Stars" portion of their April, 2001 London concerts. And though there are certainly no surprises to be found, more is always better when it comes to the cream of World Serpent's crop and completests such as myself. Here Dee's church inflected piano ballads serve as an epilogue to those of her debut "Little Window" and perhaps a prologue to her forthcoming double album "Love's Small Song". "Some Soft.." is one of numerous live C93 discs but it is also the premier (and pristine) live recording of any "Soft Black Stars" material. Technically the performance is identical to that of the studio versions yet live they are all the more powerful and are enthusiastically received by the crowd. Tibet's vocals are particularly charged with emotion, making the studio originals seem relatively flat in comparison. The minor but elegant backing vocals of Antony of Antony and the Johnsons makes all the difference in the world for "A Gothic Love Song" while Michael Cashmore's guitar backing goes even further in transforming one of two versions of "The Sign in the Stars". Essential releases for everyone? No, but they definitely should not be overlooked ...
Baby Dee
Current 93
World Serpent
Distribution
Where did I get these cds? - Forced Exposure