Spleen_and_Ideal

<i>Spleen and Ideal</i>

Spleen and Ideal

1985 studio album by Dead Can Dance

For the poetry by Charles Baudelaire, see Les Fleurs du mal.

Spleen and Ideal is the second studio album by Australian band Dead Can Dance. It was released on 25 November 1985 by 4AD. The album spearheaded the group's sonic transition from their post-punk and gothic rock-influenced roots towards a neoclassical dark wave style.[6]

Quick Facts Spleen and Ideal, Studio album by Dead Can Dance ...

Background

The band's official website stated that the album title was taken "from 19th Century symbolist ideals". The title is directly taken from "Spleen et Idéal", a collection of poems by French poet Charles Baudelaire which form a section of his magnum opus Les Fleurs du mal.

Discussing the album's musical style, AllMusic commented that with Spleen and Ideal, Dead Can Dance "fully took the plunge into the heady mix of musical traditions that would come to define its sound and style for the remainder of its career. The straightforward goth affectations are exchanged for a sonic palette and range of imagination".[7]

The cover image shows the partial demolition of Grain Elevator No. 2 at Salford Quays, part of Manchester and Salford Docks.[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Dead Can Dance

Critical reception

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In a retrospective review, AllMusic praised the album, calling it "amazing [...] 'haunting' and 'atmospheric' barely [scratch] even the initial surface of the album's power".[7]

Release history

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Chart history

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Personnel

  • Lisa Gerrard – vocals, all other instruments, production
  • Brendan Perry – vocals, all other instruments, production, sleeve art direction
  • Gus Ferguson – cello
  • Martin McCarrick – cello
  • James Pinker – timpani
  • Tony Ayres – timpani
  • Richard Avison – trombone
  • Simon Hogg – trombone
  • Carolyn Costin – violin
  • Andrew Hutton – soprano vocals on track 1
Technical
  • John A. Rivers – production, engineering
  • Jonathan Dee – engineering
  • Colin Gray – sleeve photography

References

  1. [1]
    "Dead Can Dance | Spleen and Ideal". Post-Punk.com. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Dead Can Dance | Spleen and Ideal". Post-Punk.com. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  3. [3]
    "Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  5. [5]
    "Dead Can Dance - Spleen and Ideal (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  6. [6]
    "Dead Can Dance | Spleen and Ideal". Post-Punk.com. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  7. [7]
    Raggett, Ned. "Spleen and Ideal – Dead Can Dance". Allmusic. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  8. [8]
    Allen, Chris. "No. 2 Grain Elevator - I refuse to die". Geograph. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
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