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Church of Anthrax

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Church of Anthrax · This is a collaboration between John Cale and Terry Riley. They recorded the album in the spring of 1969, but it was not released until February 1971, on CBS. Riley had just had success with A Rainbow in Curved Air, and Cale was coming from his influential work with The Velvet Underground. Most of it was improvised on the spot, with two drummers, Bobby Gregg and Bobby Colomby. The sound blends Riley's drones and patterns with free jazz and experimental rock. The Soul of Patrick Lee is the only track with vocals. The two disagreed about the end result: Cale laid extra guitar tracks over the recordings, and Riley therefore stayed away from the final mixing session.

The reception was mixed. Rolling Stone called it one of the best records of the year, but it was largely ignored. After the 2014 reissue the verdict was milder.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Church of Anthrax and notice how Cale's viola and bass and Riley's organ and saxophone together form a dense, swirling sound. Try to pick out the individual instruments.

Track list

  1. 1Church of Anthrax9:05Apple Music ↗
  2. 2The Hall of Mirrors In the Palace of Versailles8:01Apple Music ↗
  3. 3The Soul of Patrick Lee2:49Apple Music ↗
  4. 4Ides of March11:03Apple Music ↗
  5. 5The Protege2:55Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs