Passion (Peter Gabriel album)

Last updated

Passion
Passion Cover Artwork.jpg
Soundtrack album / Studio album by
Released5 June 1989
RecordedFebruary 1988 – March 1989
Studio Real World, Box, UK
Genre
Length67:03
Label Geffen (US & Canada)
Virgin
Real World
Producer Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel chronology
So
(1986)
Passion
(1989)
Shaking the Tree
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [4]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
NME 6/10 [6]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Passion (re-released as Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ) is an album released in 1989 by the English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel. It was the first Peter Gabriel album to be released on Real World Records, Gabriel's second soundtrack, and his eighth album overall.

Contents

Passion was originally composed as the soundtrack album for Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), but Gabriel spent several months after the film's release further developing the music, finally releasing it as a full-fledged album instead of a movie soundtrack. The album was released in June 1989 (almost a year after the theatrical release of The Last Temptation of Christ in August 1988) as a vinyl double album and a 1-disc CD.

Passion is seen as a landmark in the popularisation of world music, and won a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 1990. It was remastered with most of Gabriel's catalogue in 2002.

Overview

Peter Gabriel's first film soundtrack, Birdy (1985), contained instrumental rearrangements of songs from Gabriel's earlier albums. Passion, on the other hand, contained music entirely original to Gabriel's catalogue.

To record the soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ, Gabriel used the resources of WOMAD, an organization he founded, to bring together musicians from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South Asia. He worked with them to create music meant to enhance the mood of the film, but he also added a modern ambient musical touch to the original pieces, producing a musical work that has influenced many musicians. Passion introduced many listeners to such artists as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N'Dour, L. Shankar, and Baaba Maal. N'Dour and Shankar had provided contributions to Gabriel's previous album, So (1986); Passion also features other musicians who had worked with Gabriel before, including David Rhodes, Manny Elias, David Bottrill, and Manu Katché.

Later in the year a companion album was released, Passion – Sources , featuring additional songs on which Gabriel does not perform. Gabriel described this album as "a selection of some of the traditional music, sources of inspiration, and location recordings."

The cover art for the album, Drawing study for Self Image II (1987), is a mixed media composition by the artist Julian Grater. [12] When re-released, the album was titled Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ due to "legal barriers" according to Gabriel in its liner notes. [13]

Reception

Upon its release, Passion received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviewing Passion for Rolling Stone , Jimmy Guterman wrote that "Gabriel’s journey is just as deeply felt as Scorsese's... [Passion] stands as a testament to the breadth of Gabriel's interests, as well as his talents." Noting songs which "successfully accommodate third-world melodies and cross-rhythms in a Western pop context," Guterman claimed, "Passion is stirring, stunning stuff: You won’t hear it on the radio like you heard ‘’Sledgehammer’’ or ‘’Big Time’’, but if you do search it out, you'll find a piece of work by an artist who remains idiosyncratic without being obtuse." [14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Peter Gabriel except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Feeling Begins"4:00
2."Gethsemane"1:26
3."Of These, Hope"3:55
4."Lazarus Raised"1:26
5."Of These, Hope – Reprise"2:44
6."In Doubt"1:33
7."A Different Drum"4:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
8."Zaar" 4:53
9."Troubled" 2:55
10."Open"Gabriel, L. Shankar 3:27
11."Before Night Falls" 2:18
12."With This Love" 3:40
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Sandstorm" 3:02
14."Stigmata"Gabriel, Mahmoud Tabrizi Zadeh2:28
15."Passion" 7:39
16."With This Love (Choir)" 3:20
Side four
No.TitleLength
17."Wall of Breath"2:29
18."The Promise of Shadows"2:13
19."Disturbed"3:35
20."It Is Accomplished"2:55
21."Bread and Wine"2:21

Personnel

  1. "The Feeling Begins"
    The doudouk is playing an Armenian melody, "The Wind Subsides". (Armenian doudouks recorded for Ocora Records under the direction of Robert Ataian.)
  2. "Gethsemane"
    • Peter Gabriel – flute samples, flute, voices
  3. "Of These, Hope"
    • Massamba Diop – talking drum
    • Peter Gabriel – bass, percussion, flute whistle, Prophet 5
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • David Rhodes – guitar
    • Mustafa Abdel Aziz – arghul drone
  4. "Lazarus Raised"
    • (Players unknown) – Kurdish duduk & tanbur
    • David Rhodes – guitars
    • Peter Gabriel – piano, Akai S900
    This piece incorporates a traditional melody from Kurdistan telling of the unhappy love of a young girl for Bave Seyro, a legendary warrior. (Kurdish duduks are from UNESCO Collection – A Musical Anthology of the Orient, general editor Alain Danielou for Musicaphon Records.)
  5. "Of These, Hope – Reprise"
    • Massamba Diop – talking drum
    • Peter Gabriel – bass, percussion, flute whistle, Prophet 5
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • David Rhodes – guitar
    • Mustafa Abdel Aziz – arghul drone
    • Baaba Maal – vocals
    • Fatala – additional percussion
  6. "In Doubt"
  7. "A Different Drum"
    • Doudou N'Diaye Rose – percussion loop (four bars)
    • Fatala – percussion loop (three bars)
    • Peter Gabriel – surdo, percussion, Audioframe, Prophet 5, voice
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • Youssou N'Dour – voice
    • David Sancious – backing vocals
  8. "Zaar"
    • Hossam Ramzy – tambourines, dufs, tabla, finger cymbals, triangle
    • Peter Gabriel – surdo, additional percussion, Audioframe, Akai S900, voice
    • Nathan East – bass
    • David Rhodes – guitar
    • Mahmoud Tabrizi Zadeh – kementché
    • L. Shankar – double violin
  9. "Troubled"
    • Bill Cobham – drums, percussion
    • Hossam Ramzy – finger cymbals
    • Peter Gabriel – percussion, Fairlight, Emulator, backing vocals
    • David Sancious – backing vocals
  10. "Open"
    • Peter Gabriel – Prophet 5, Akai S900, vocals
    • L. Shankar – double violin, vocals
  11. "Before Night Falls"
    • Hossam Ramzy – finger cymbals, tabla, dufs
    • Kudsi Ergunerney flute (playing a traditional Armenian melody)
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    The Ney flute is playing a traditional Armenian melody.
  12. "With This Love"
    • Robin Canter – oboe, cor Anglais
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • David Sancious – Akai S900, synthesizer arrangement
    • Peter Gabriel – Audioframe, Fairlight, piano, Prophet 5, synthesizer arrangement
  13. "Sandstorm"
    • Location Recording – Moroccan percussion & vocals
    • Hossam Ramzy – surdo, tabla, tambourine dufs, mazhar
    • Manu Katché – additional percussion
    • Mahmoud Tabrizi Zadeh – kementché
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • Peter Gabriel – Fairlight
  14. "Stigmata"
    • Mahmoud Tabrizi Zadeh – kementché
    • Peter Gabriel – Prophet 5, voice
    Based on an improvisation by Mahmoud and Peter Gabriel
  15. "Passion"
    • Djalma Correa – Brazilian percussion
    • Jon Hassell – trumpet
    • Peter Gabriel – Prophet 5, Akai S900, Fairlight, voice
    • Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Qawwali voice
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • Youssou N'Dour – voice
    • Julian Wilkins – choirboy
  16. "With This Love (Choir)"
    • Robin Canter – cor anglais
    • Richard Evans – choir recording
  17. "Wall of Breath"
    • Kudsi Erguner – Turkish ney flute
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • Musicians Du Nil – arghul
    • David Rhodes – Ebow guitar
    • Peter Gabriel – synthesizers
  18. "The Promise of Shadows"
    • Bill Cobham – drum kit
    • David Bottrill – lead tambourine
    • Peter Gabriel – Emulator, Prophet 5, Audioframe, additional percussion
    • David Rhodes – guitar
  19. "Disturbed"
    • Hossam Ramzy – surdo, tabla
    • Mustafa Abdel Aziz – percussion loop
    • Said Mohammad Aly – percussion loop
    • Fatala – African percussion
    • L. Shankar – double violin
    • Peter Gabriel – Fairlight, Prophet 5
  20. "It Is Accomplished"
    • Bill Cobham – drums, tambourine
    • David Bottrill – tambourine 2, distorted slide
    • Nathan East – bass
    • Mustafa Abdel Aziz – arghul drone
    • David Sancious – Hammond organ
    • David Rhodes – Steinberger guitar
    • Peter Gabriel – doholla, additional percussion, Roland D-50, piano, Prophet 5, voice
  21. "Bread and Wine"
    • Peter Gabriel – contrabass, Prophet 5, voice
    • David Rhodes – EBow guitar
    • Richard Evans – tin whistle
    • L. Shankar – double violin

Charts

Chart (1989)Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [15] 59
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [16] 30
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [17] 34
UK Albums (OCC) [18] 29
US Billboard 200 [19] 60

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [20] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. Ramos, Dante E.A. (1 October 1992). "Peter Gabriel Abandons Role as King of PC Pop". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. Ankeny, Jason. "Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ – Peter Gabriel". AllMusic . Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. Heim, Chris (29 June 1989). "Peter Gabriel: Passion (Geffen)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  4. Brunner, Rob (12 July 2002). "Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 1 / Peter Gabriel 2 / Peter Gabriel 3 / Security / Plays Live / Birdy / So / Passion / Us". Entertainment Weekly . No. 662. pp. 84–85.
  5. Willman, Chris (4 June 1989). "Peter Gabriel 'Passion.' Geffen". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  6. Romney, Jonathan (17 June 1989). "Gabriel World Domination Enterprise". NME . p. 34.
  7. Moon, Tom (11 June 1989). "Peter Gabriel: Passion (Geffen)". The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  8. "Peter Gabriel: Passion". Q . No. 191. June 2002. p. 137.
  9. Easlea, Daryl (August 2017). "Birdy, Passion: Music From The Last Temptation Of Christ, The Long Road Home: Music From Rabbit Proof Fence | Peter Gabriel". Record Collector . No. 469. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  10. Guterman, Jimmy (29 June 1989). "Passion". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  11. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Peter Gabriel". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  319–320. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  12. "Artist's home page". JulianGrater.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  13. Peter, Gabriel (2002). Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ (remastered, reissued) (booklet). Europe: Real World, Virgin. p. 2. RWCDR1.
  14. Guterman, Jimmy (29 June 1989). "Passion". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Gabriel – Passion" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Gabriel – Passion" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  17. "Swedishcharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Passion". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  18. "Peter Gabriel | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  19. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  20. "American album certifications – Peter Gabriel – Passion: Music for the Last Temptation Of Christ". Recording Industry Association of America.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampler (musical instrument)</span> Device that records and plays back samples

A sampler is an electronic musical instrument that records and plays back samples. Samples may comprise elements such as rhythm, melody, speech, sound effects or longer portions of music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L. Shankar</span> Indian violinist, singer and composer

Shankar Lakshminarayana, better known as L. Shankar, is an Indian violinist, singer and composer who also goes by the stage name Shenkar. Known for his innovative contributions to world music, he is often regarded as one of the pioneers of East- West fusion, blending the rich traditions of Indian classical with Western genres such as jazz, rock, and electronic music. His world music albums with the band Shakti during the mid-70s became the ‘standard to gauge the playing and composing abilities of any world musician following in Shakti's expansive wake”. He is credited with inventing the stereophonic double violin (known as the LSD - L.Shankar Double Violin), which covers the orchestral string family's range. In 1990, Shankar's talam-bending Pancha Nadai Pallavi' album was on the Billboard top ten world music chart for three months becoming the first traditional Indian record to reach those heights. His 1995 Raga Abheri album was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the Best World Music Album category. With Peter Gabriel, he worked on the Grammy winning album Passion(1989), the soundtrack album for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (1989), and wrote and performed vocals on Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' (2004) which won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 36th GMA Dove Awards. He also worked on the soundtrack for the 2002 film Queen of the Damned with Jonathan Davis and Richard Gibbs and recorded eight songs of which five were picked for the movie. Additionally, he collaborated on the original score for NBC's hit TV series Heroes with Wendy & Lisa. As an acclaimed musician, Shankar is ranked as one of the top famous male violinists by Ranker and one amongst the greatest violinists of popular music by Digital Dream Door. His extensive body of work spans a wide spectrum of genres, encompassing vocal and instrumental compositions.

<i>So</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Peter Gabriel

So is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, released on 19 May 1986 by Charisma Records and Virgin Records. After working on the soundtrack to the film Birdy (1984), producer Daniel Lanois was invited to remain at Gabriel's Somerset home during 1985 to work on his next solo project. Initial sessions for So consisted of Gabriel, Lanois and guitarist David Rhodes, although these grew to include a number of percussionists.

<i>Us</i> (Peter Gabriel album) 1992 studio album by Peter Gabriel

Us is the sixth studio album by the English singer-songwriter and musician Peter Gabriel, released on 28 September 1992 by Real World Records. Following the release of his soundtrack album Passion in 1989, Gabriel started work on new material for a new album, his first since So, which became his biggest selling release. Gabriel focused on personal themes on Us, including his divorce in the late 1980s, his subsequent relationship with actress Rosanna Arquette, and the growing distance between him and his first daughter.

<i>Passion – Sources</i> 1989 film music album by Peter Gabriel

Passion – Sources is the second of two albums of music from Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ. The first album, Passion by Peter Gabriel, was released in 1989 in conjunction with the movie. Passion – Sources is a compilation of songs by various artists from Armenia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Senegal, and Turkey. Gabriel does not perform on the album, but produced or co-produced several tracks.

<i>Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Peter Gabriel

Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats is a compilation album by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in 1990 as Gabriel's first career retrospective, including songs from his first solo album Peter Gabriel (1977), through Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ (1989). It was remastered with most of Gabriel's catalogue in 2002. The vinyl version of the album is called Shaking the Tree: Twelve Golden Greats.

<i>Up</i> (Peter Gabriel album) 2002 studio album by Peter Gabriel

Up is the seventh studio and thirteenth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 23 September 2002 through Geffen and Real World Records. The album rose to number 9 in the US, number 11 in the UK, and captured the number 1 position in Italy. Most critics reviewed it positively, though Rolling Stone said Gabriel was "out of touch". This would be Gabriel's last studio album of new original material for 21 years until the release of I/O (2023), although he did release several studio projects in the interim.

<i>Secret World Live</i> (film) 1994 video by Peter Gabriel

Secret World Live is a film filmed in two Peter Gabriel concerts in 1993, as part of his Secret World Tour to support his sixth solo album, Us. The show is performed across two stages: a square and a circular stage, bridged by a conveyor belt. It was released on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD. An album of the same title with a similar track listing was also released.

<i>Secret World Live</i> 1994 live album by Peter Gabriel

Secret World Live is the second live album and tenth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 30 August 1994 in the UK. The album documents the concert experience of the Secret World Tour. A concert film of the same name was released simultaneously. Its track listing omits "Red Rain" and adds "San Jacinto" after "Blood of Eden".

<i>OVO</i> (album) 2000 soundtrack album by Peter Gabriel

OVO is a soundtrack album by English singer-songwriter and musician Peter Gabriel and his eleventh album overall. It was released on 12 June 2000 by Real World Records as the commissioned work to the Millennium Dome Show, a multimedia performance show that ran 999 times at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London between 1 January and 31 December 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manu Katché</span> French drummer and songwriter (born 1958)

Manu Katché is a French drummer and songwriter of Ivorian descent. He has worked extensively as a session musician, notably with Sting and Peter Gabriel, and his solo albums as a bandleader are largely in the jazz fusion style.

<i>Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence</i> 2002 soundtrack album by Peter Gabriel

Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence, released in June 2002, is the fourth soundtrack album and twelfth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Devised as the soundtrack to the Australian film Rabbit-Proof Fence, it was the first release of new music by Peter Gabriel since OVO, a commissioned work for the Millennium Dome Show in 2000. The soundtrack contains elements from and references to songs which Peter would release on his album Up. The track "A Sense of Home" samples the drum loops used on "No Way Out". "Running to the Rain", "Crossing the Salt Pan", and "The Return" are reworked arrangements of "Signal to Noise", track nine of Up. "Ngankarrparni" and "Cloudless" are reworked arrangements of track three, "Sky Blue".

<i>The Passion of the Christ</i> (soundtrack) 2004 film score by John Debney

The Passion of the Christ is the soundtrack, on the Sony label, of the 2004 Academy Award-nominated film The Passion of the Christ starring James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern and Monica Bellucci. The original score was composed by John Debney and conducted by Nick Ingman, with additional music by Jack Lenz. The album was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digging in the Dirt</span> 1992 single by Peter Gabriel

"Digging in the Dirt" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel. It was released as the first single taken from his sixth studio album, Us, on 7 September 1992. The song was a minor hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 52, but it topped both the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts. The song was moderately successful on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 24, and it reached the top 10 in Canada, Portugal, and Sweden.

<i>World Diary</i> 1995 studio album by Tony Levin

World Diary is the debut solo album by American bass guitarist Tony Levin. Recorded largely with portable digital devices in casual settings like hotel rooms or apartments as Levin toured the world in Peter Gabriel's band, the album is mostly a series of duets or trios.

<i>Big Blue Ball</i> 2008 compilation album by multiple artists

Big Blue Ball is an album by multiple artists which "grew from 3 recording weeks" at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in the summers of 1991, 1992, and 1995. It is Peter Gabriel's fourteenth album project overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood of Eden</span> 1993 single by Peter Gabriel

"Blood of Eden" is the third single from English rock musician Peter Gabriel's 1992 album Us, featuring backing vocals by Sinéad O'Connor. It narrowly failed to enter the UK top 40, peaking at number 43.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Have the Touch</span> 1982 song performed by Peter Gabriel

"I Have the Touch" is a song by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his fourth eponymous studio album released in 1982. The song's working title during the recording sessions was "Hands". This song was featured in the film The Chocolate War (1988). The 1996 remix was used in the film Phenomenon of the same year. In 1996, Heather Nova recorded a cover version of the song for the teen-witch horror film The Craft.

<i>Enchanted</i> (Marc Almond album) 1990 studio album by Marc Almond

Enchanted is the sixth studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released on 7 August 1990 and reached number 52 on the UK Albums Chart and number 81 on the Dutch albums chart. Enchanted includes the singles "A Lover Spurned", "The Desperate Hours" and "Waifs and Strays".

Hossam Ramzy was an Egyptian percussionist and composer. He worked with English artists including Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Siouxsie Sioux, as well as with Arabic music artists like Rachid Taha and Khaled.