Though William Blake was no fan of organised religion, I think this album of settings of Blake poetry is a good selection for Christmas Day. All the best to you and yours!
I can't remember where I first heard of Mike Westbrook, but I was aware of this album for many years — over a decade — before I got hold of this double CD immediately after its release in 1999. Thinking about it, I probably first came across it via Van Morrison's recording of Westbrook's arrangement of Let the Slave on his Sense of Wonder album.
This isn't the original 1980 Bright as Fire album that I'd been looking for. It's a 1997 re-recording of some of the same material, supplemented with additional Blake/Westbrook songs. Both albums feature Phil Minton and Kate Westbrook as the primary singers.
Parts of this album sound like Van der Graaf Generator; parts sound like a Brecht/Weill opera, and Little John Brown and Little Mary Bell could be Nick Cave.
Through the window to my left I can see the burial ground where William Blake is buried.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album |
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