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Peter Hammill: The Fall of the House of Usher

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Fie! Records
Released: 1991
Time:
 74:14
Category: Rock Opera
Producer(s): Peter Hammill
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.sofasound.com
Appears with: Van der Graaf Generator, David Jackson
Purchase date: 2009.11.08
Price in €: 3,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


The Road To The House Of Usher
[1] An Unenviable Role (P.Hammill) - 2:27
[2] That Must Be The House (P.Hammill) - 4:52

The House Of Usher
[3] Architecture (P.Hammill) - 3:35
[4] The Sleeper (P.Hammill) - 3:22
[5] One Thing At A Time (P.Hammill) - 2:50
[6] I Shun The Light (P.Hammill) - 3:38
[7] Leave This House (P.Hammill) - 5:15

Immediately Following
[8] Dreaming (P.Hammill) - 3:45
[9] A Chronic Catalepsy (P.Hammill) - 3:15
[10] The Herbalist (P.Hammill) - 3:43
[11] The Evil That Is Done (P.Hammill) - 3:07

The Following Morning
[12] Five Years Ago (P.Hammill) - 3:27
[13] It's Over Now (P.Hammill) - 3:44
[14] An Influence (P.Hammill) - 3:20
[15] No Rot (P.Hammill) - 2:04

The Next Day
[16] She Is Dead (P.Hammill) - 6:04

Three Days LaterLibretto
[17] Beating Of The Heart (P.Hammill) - 5:13
[18] The Haunted Palace (P.Hammill) - 4:20
[19] I Dared Not Speak (P.Hammill) - 1:45
[20] She Comes Towards The Door (P.Hammill) - 2:29
[21] The Fall - 3:07

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Peter Hammill - Arrangement, Music, All Instrumrents, Engineer, Vocals [Roderick Usher And The Voices Of The House]

Lene Lovich - Vocals [Madeline Usher]
Andy Bell - Vocals [Montresor]
Sarah Jane Morris - Vocals [The Chorus]
Herbert Gronemeyer - Vocals [The Herbalis]

Chris Judge Smith - Libretto
Edgar Allen Poe - Lyrics on [4] and [18]
Recorded By [H.o.m.e.] - Les Chappell
Recorded By [Outside] - Christoph Matlok
Ridout - Artwork

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1999 CD Fie! 9121
1996 CD Some Bizarre 30080142

An opera by Peter Hammill. Libretto by Chris Judge Smith from the tale by Edgar Allen Poe.

Recorded at Sofa Sound and Terra Incognita.
Parts of Ms. Lovich's performance recorded at H.O.M.E. Studios.
Mr. Gronemeyer's performance recorded at Outside Studios.
Special thanks to: all the singers, David Luckhurst, Fish, David Lord, Neil Perry, Michael Morris, David Jones, Fizle Sagar.

This work is intended as an opera so its divided in Six acts each one with its respective aria name.
Act One-The Road To The House Of Usher: songs 1-2
Act Two-Within The House Of Usher: songs 3-7
Act Three-Immediately Following: songs 8-11
Act Four-The Following Morning: songs 11-15
Act Five-Dawn The Next Day: song 16
Act Six-Three Days Later: song 17-21

Andy Bell appears by permission of Mute Records.
Herbert Gronemeyer appears by permission of EMI-Electrola.



This CD is a re-recording and remix of a work first released in 1991. The instrumentation has been completely revised, dozens of electric guitars are used in massed groups which fill a choral or orchestral role. Peter Hammil's own vocals as Roderick Usher



Hammill began work on The Fall of the House of Usher back in the early '70s, yet it didn't see the light of day until the early '90s as a hard-to-find European import. He didn't feel it was completely finished until 1991; hence its elongated delay. This rock opera is comprised of six acts, and is based on an Edgar Allan Poe tale with small changes to the story here and there. Unlike Hammill's other material, which is based on progressive rock, Usher has its roots in classical music. Still, it's a safe bet that longtime Hammill and prog-rock fans won't be disappointed with this classical experiment. There are lots of sweeping, churchlike a cappella vocals, which convey nearly all the album's melodies, whereas most rock fans would expect guitars and keyboards to carry out at least some of that task. Synthesizers and drums don't show up until several numbers in, so don't expect to be automatically drawn in. It takes a few listens to grasp the music and the storyline (Chris Judge Smith worked with Hammill on the libretto), with a few highlights being the early Genesis-sounding "The Herbalist" and the soothing "That Must Be the House," to name just a few.

Greg Prato - All Music Guide



Exzentriker Peter Hammill (Ex-Van Der Graaf Generator) charakterisiert seine Adaption von Edgar Allen Poes The Fall Of The House Of Usher als Oper - ernsthaft; und mit Recht. Alles andere würde irreführen. Denn in die Schublade Rock-Oper ließen sich allenfalls das Duett It's Over Now von Andy Bell und Lene Lovich sowie Herbert Grönemeyers (!) Part als The Herbalist stecken. Ansonsten ist das strenge dramatische Werk ein gotisch- düsteres Mysterium voll dräuender Keyboard- und Synthie-Sounds: herb, sperrig, konsequent antikommerziell.

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