Malediction & Prayer
Encyclopedia
Malediction and Prayer is an album by Diamanda Galás
, featuring live recordings from her concert tour "Malediction and Prayer: Concert for the Damned." It was released in 1998 by Asphodel Ltd.
Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás is an American avant-garde composer, vocalist, pianist, organist, performance artist and painter.Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror", with her three and a half octave vocal range. She often screams, hisses and growls...
, featuring live recordings from her concert tour "Malediction and Prayer: Concert for the Damned." It was released in 1998 by Asphodel Ltd.
Track listing
- "Iron Lady" (Phil OchsPhil OchsPhilip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
) 4:44 - "The Thrill is GoneThe Thrill Is Gone"The Thrill Is Gone" is a blues song written by Rick Darnell and Roy Hawkins in 1951 and popularized by B.B. King in 1970.-History:The song was first recorded by Roy Hawkins, its co-author, and became a minor hit for the musician. B.B. King recorded his version of the song in June 1969 for his...
" (HawkinsRoy HawkinsRoy Hawkins was an American pianist, songwriter and blues musician. After working in clubs and recording unsuccessful singles, he broke through with his song "Why Do Everything Happen to Me?," inspired by an auto accident which paralyzed his right arm.-Career:Little is known of Hawkins' early days...
/Darnell) (made famous by BB King) 5:30 - "My World Is Empty Without YouMy World Is Empty Without You"My World Is Empty Without You" is a 1965 song recorded and released as a single by The Supremes for the Motown label.-Overview:Written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song's slow tempo accompanies a somber lyric which delves into the feelings of...
" (Holland-Dozier-HollandHolland-Dozier-HollandHolland–Dozier–Holland is a songwriting and production team made up of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. They are considered to be one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music...
) (made famous by The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
) 4:26 - "Abel et Caïn" (Baudelaire/Galás) 5:34
- "Death LetterDeath Letter"Death Letter", also known as "Death Letter Blues", is the signature song of the Delta blues musician Son House. It is structured upon House's earlier recording "My Black Mama, Part 2" from 1930...
" (Son HouseSon HouseEddie James "Son" House, Jr. was an American blues singer and guitarist. House pioneered an innovative style featuring strong, repetitive rhythms, often played with the aid of slide guitar, and his singing often incorporated elements of southern gospel and spiritual music...
) 4:40 - "Supplica A Mia Madre" (Pasolini/Galás) 3:13
- "Insane Asylum" (Willie DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
) 8:07 - "Si La Muerte" (Mixco/Galás) 5:22
- "25 Minutes to Go25 Minutes to Go"25 Minutes to Go" is a song performed by the Brothers Four in 1963 on the album Cross Country Concert. The song was written by Shel Silverstein.-Lyrics:The song is literally "gallows humor", as it is sung by a man awaiting his own execution by hanging...
" (Shel SilversteinShel SilversteinSheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein , was an American poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in his children's books...
) (made famous by Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
) 4:33 - "Keigome Keigome" (Xarhakos/GatsosNikos Gatsos-Biography:Nikos Gatsos was born in 1911 in Asea in Arcadia, a district of the Peloponnese, where he finished primary school . He attended high school in Tripoli, where he became acquainted with literature and foreign languages. Afterwards, he moved to Athens, where he studied literature,...
) 4:30 - "I'm Gonna Live the Life" (T.A. Dorsey) 4:28
- "Gloomy SundayGloomy Sunday"Gloomy Sunday" is a song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and published in 1933, as "Vége a világnak" . Lyrics were written by László Jávor, and in his version the song was retitled "Szomorú vasárnap"...
" (JávorLászló JávorLászló Jávor was a Hungarian poet who wrote the poem that was the basis for the jazz standard Gloomy Sunday, composed by Rezső Seress, later also notably recorded by Billie Holliday....
, Carter, Rezső SeressRezso SeressRezső Seress was a Hungarian pianist and composer. Some sources give his birth name as Rudolf Spitzer.Rezső Seress lived most of his life in poverty in Budapest, when, being Jewish, was taken to a labour camp by the Nazis during the Second World War...
) (made famous by Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
) 3:49