Most of the vocal samples on this recording are drawn from a large and ancient (and not-so-ancient) databank of uncatalogued tapes of television and radio broadcasts, and some were downloaded from various internet sources. While I have indicated those sources (below) when I have been able to identify them, the origin of many more remain obscure. This applies to all sound sources inclusive here in general; about half of this music is produced with my own synthesizers, rare guitar and bass, vocoder, vocals and other acoustic events, and the remaining percentage is constructed of processed and manipulated "found" sources whose origins are often multigenerational and hopelessly ambiguous.
01 RADIO PROMETHEUS
(none particularly intelligible)
02 CHERUBIM
Therefor The Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, He drove out the man and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, Cherubim, and a Flaming Sword which turned every way to keep the way of The Tree of Life
One tree
A flaming sword
Tree of life
One tree
A flaming sword
Tree of life
I dreamt that I was in a massive tree
That stretched from coast to coast
I dreamt that I was in a massive tree
That stretched from coast to coast
One tree
From coast to coast
One tree
From coast to coast of Borneo
He controlled the vigor of steam
He harnessed the lightning for hire
He drove the celestial team
And man is the lord of the fire
All around me were creatures I should have been afraid of
And others that should have been afraid of me
Once
It just seemed like it had control of my life
Total control
Once
It happened the first time
Once it happened the first time
It just seemed like it had control of my life from there on in
Cherubim
03 REFLECTIONS OF A TRANSPARENT MAN
(none intelligible)
04 DR. CHANG
Do you have a spirit guide to help you?
Yes I do
A Chinaman
He's called Chang
An old, wise Chinese man
He wears a flat, black cap
Also a bright blue tunic
He's a very elderly gentleman
Called Dr. Chang
Called Dr. Chang
A typical Chinaman with a long white beard
A flat black cap
An old, wise Chinese man
Dr. Chang
Dr. Chang
Call Dr. Chang
What's his name?
But you know his name
Oh yes I know
But you know his name
And he has been with me all my life
Doctor!
Oh doctor baby!
Dr. Chang
Let the patient do it gradually
So they begin to notice that there is change
And always see that they keep to their doctor
So that the whole of the time
You are not interfering with the doctor's work
The doctor's work
They will leave here, their lines of communication to the spirit world intact
We can do what the doctors can't do
What the doctors can't do
We can do what the doctors can't do
What the doctors can't do
You won't be surprised to discover that you're not the first person
Who says that they have a... a Dr. Chang as a spirit guide...
Oh no, that's right, not at all, no...
I mean he's a b...a busy fellow...
(laugh)
Well either he is or there are a number of them...
What do you mean?
Well, there could be a number of Chinese called Dr. Chang...
05 DECADE
We now move forward in time for a moment
Think of me as your unseen host
Think of me
And believe
I shall be with you in spirit
I shall be with you in spirit
He had been there for so long
He could not change
For so long
Follow me for a moment
Watch this:
He had been there for so long
He could not change
Lord have Mercy
For so long
Lord have Mercy
So long
You've been with that person
Or you've been at that job
Or you been in this
So long
But he been with you
Or it been with you
Or you've been with that person
Or you've been at that job
Or you been in this
For so long
Where have you been?
And I'm spending my time crying
And I'm spending my time crying
And trying
To bring it
Back alive
If I could go back in time
To sunshine and rainbows
We need to stick together now
If I could go back in time
To sunshine and rainbows
Would you give me that chance?
06 WOLVES
Spending our lives for generations
Building armaments for a war that will never happen
Living in a paranoid isolation
In fear of enemies that don't exist
And all in the name of security
All the doors of the world were suddenly swung open to me
It all began so beautifully
I think of dusty summer roads
And me, walking along barefooted
And then, the day when the tides of history shifted
There is a type of energy called chi
You're such a part of our lives now
The promise of infinite pleasure and love
I understand
Chi
To animate them
Is in all of us and every thing
To, uh, make them do what they did
I really do understand
We were howling like wolves
Just wolves in the woods
This is the Big Picture
I made myself a captive
Put me in a dungeon and cannot find the key to get out
My god, you've seen right through me
And if the door were opened
I think I might be afraid to come out
I gotta get this
Out of my mind
Get back to the earth
I felt as though I had slipped back in time
The Big Picture
I will make them see it
The farmer whose face is browned by many summers
I will make them hear it
The rough-handed factory worker
I will make them see it
The patient-faced old lady
I will make them hear it
The sobering young man in uniform
He has the power to be able to destroy
I say he can destroy but he will defend
Yes he will, is there a witness in the house?
You got to surrender everything that you have to the Lord
And by the power of God's love
You will be able to develop the skills necessary
To function in a world
Where folk are going mad every day
There are rumors of war
Because folk are losin' their mind
They're out there wanting to do battle
On a battlefield that has not even been declared
Why are you so scared?
Scared of what?
Of everything!
The End Time
A battlefield
Weapons of mass destruction
Messianic speculations
Military support
Scared of what?
Of everything!
The End Time
A battlefield
Success
Love
I'm talking about love that the world can't control
One thing you gotta understand this mornin'
There are folk who will attack ya
But God will stand with ya
There are folk who will try to pull ya down
But God will build a fence around ya
Anybody in here knows what it means
To love the Lord
Even when folk think you're crazy
They think you've lost your mind
There are rumors of war
Think you're crazy
Folk are losin' their mind
Think you've lost your mind
Mad every day
We don't need war
Is there a witness in the house?
Because war is not about love
We don't need war
Is there a witness in the house?
Because war is not about love
Is not about love
Is not about love
07 CENOTAPH
The truth
Of the Human Spirit
One bright light
Of the Human Spirit
It can change the world
One spirit
And I believe it with all my heart
If you tell me the truth
The truth
I'll believe it, I promise
Why shouldn't you believe?
It can change the world
I really believe this
One spirit
Yes, I believe that
And I believe it with all my heart
Not blindly though
You need to perceive the truth
The truth
I believe because I know
Because by one spirit
It can change the world
Are we all baptized
In the one body
And I believe it with all my heart
Why shouldn't you believe?
You need to perceive the truth
The truth
Here and now
To know yourself is to know God, my friend
The truth
Here and now
What else is there?
To know yourself is to know God, my friend
In time, you'll know
Ashes to ashes
Dust to dust
Ashes to dust
Dust to ashes
One bright light
Millions of people
One spirit
We saw one bright light on the earth
That one that's rising up
One bright light
Millions of people
One spirit
We saw one bright light on the earth
That, uh, was different than all the rest
And you can be that one
If you wanna be
I'm here
Hallelujah
You can be that one
Someone with whom you can share your life
You can be that one
Side by side
Hallelujah
You can be that one
My first and last hope
The obsession
Let it go
They seemed in the view of the foolish
To be dead
And their passing away was thought an affliction
And their going forth from us
Utter destruction
But they are in peace
One day after
He's gone
It's virtually, they tell us
It's like walking into the next room
The people we've lost are in the next room
Just beyond our reach
Did it change your life?
The people we've lost
Did it change your life much?
There's people who just won't change
People
Millions of people
And nothing you can do will change those people
People
Spirit
No Soul
No Religion
No Culture
No History
No Human speech
I shall be with you in spirit
We have not had the same past
You and ourselves
But we shall have strictly the same future
08 SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF UMM QASR
South central Iraq
Small arms fire
Uh, mortars were called up or artillery of some dimension
Oh great nation
There was a huge explosion immediately afterwards
And then this big billowing black cloud of smoke
Peace be upon you
Again the calvary's, uh, taking its position in the fields outside this city
But the very small units here are, uh, standing tight now, standing firm
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
We showed so much patience
Iraqis very sporadically are putting up resistance
And, uh, there have been at least three Iraqi prisoners
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
Women and children
We showed so much patience
I see them on the ground over there
They were, uh, sitting, uh' dressed in black
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
A pink pick up truck that they were using as, uh, as their armored vehicle
Now you can imagine what that does if it comes up against a tank
But they have mounted a light machine gun on there
The reality on the ground is that soldiers die but civilians die
That happened again today
Our hearts started beating, as you would imagine, and then one by one
Uh, they jumped into the night sky
Ninety-seven young soldiers opened the door
And started movin' down, uh, movin' down the line, uh
Into the night sky
Ninety-seven young soldiers
There are a hundred Republican Guardsmen
In there somewhere
Or out there somewhere
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
And both of these pictures are being broadcast live
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
From thousands of miles away in the middle of a war
We are pushing the very edges of technology here
You travelled with them across the dusty desert
Uh, when they were racing across it
You were with them, uh, in the rain, in the mud
Complete darkness
Was over northern Iraq
This was the real thing
We have three Iraqi prisoners
They're dressed in black
Squatting on the ground
A pink pick up truck that they were using
They are sitting around and watching this on television
In much the same way that Americans are
And are they watching it in the way that we are watching?
They're coming
They'll be here soon
We are watching
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
Uh, somewhere outside of Umm Qasr
Oh great nation
Peace be upon you
We showed so much patience
So much patience
09 YOU
It starts to glow
It starts to get red
And then the fire starts to build
You cannot believe 'dat you are not consumed
You are absolutely enveloped in this
Huge amount of fire
You
Where do you draw that line?
Somebody's diggin' a trap
For you
Where do you draw that line?
Now is the time
Are you even listening?
You
You Americans
Look up at a TV screen
What's the matter with you?
You Americans
Do you have any sense?
This was all a dream
You
You're right up front
Stumbling into a larger force
You see no one walking around with a gas mask
Stay tuned
You see no one running for cover
This was all a dream
You
Were exposed
Come on
Close your eyes
Where do you draw that line?
Close your eyes
In this Post September Eleventh World
You
The only thing that's gonna save us
Superior fire power
So what are ya gonna do?
It's gonna break it
And take it apart piece by piece
You
Rid this country of the regime that represses people
See exactly what the state of the situation is
A little haunted by our failure
You
You live with this, uh, with this anxious mind
Close your eyes
It makes everyone crazy
Close your eyes
Are you hearin' what I'm sayin' today?
YOU ARE TRAMPLING THE GARDEN OF AN ANGRY GOD
You can cut it out of your life
You listen to the countdown
You
Want instant answers
The American Dream
Have you ever wondered
What's inside this black box
You get out of my house you Judas bastard!
Uh, if you're gonna blow a checkpoint, uh, you're gonna get shot
You're, you're asking for death
You
Hide in places
Cold blooded
Lure us in
Slam the back door behind us
Uh, you're going to do some damage
Premeditated murder
You
Are concerned about civilian casualties
You're holding your breath
You will not change my core beliefs
Listen to the voices of peace around the world
You
Create the clear zones that we can blow through
And can also listen to the call for peace from its own people
You've been putting missiles next to mosques
Draw us in
The Dull, The Dirty and The Dangerous
You died without mercy
Where do you draw that line?
You
Disapprove of them
Killing people every day
Belt buckle to belt buckle
Murdering people every day
That's the America we live in
You need to change
You have to take over some cities
You Americans
You talk about people
You dig holes
You makes scams on people
Coerced, co-opted and corrupted
You
You have to be the one that humbles themself
You need to change
You have to be the one that backs up
That's the America we live in
You have to be the one that goes the extra mile
You have to be the one
To try to pull them close to you
Millions of people around the world
To try to pull them close to you
(1) The Lord of the Flies (Peter Brook's version, 1963), Sage Francis (unkown poetry slam recording), Aliester Crowley, Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet, David Lynch), Chuck D (manipulated accapella mp3 track of Shut 'Em Down made available by Public Enemy)
(2) Imogen Heap (manipulated accapella mp3 tracks from Breathe, made available by AcidPlanet), National Geographic (unknown anthropologist), Aliester Crowley, Jeffery Dahmer, The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky---The two recitations of Genesis were downloaded from Napster and the source is unknown, edited guitar riffs from recordings by Napsterite forum member Gutrguy
(3) Chorale De La Tres Saint Vierge Au Temple, Guitar mp3s prepared by Chris Kniesel, NY, Radio Prague horns from Dazzleships, OMD
(4) unknown spiritualists and interviewer, unidentified porn actress, violin solo from The Singing Pines from Chinese Folk Music, production and artist unknown, Learn to Speak Mandarin (unknown speaker)
(5) Vincent Price (unidentified film), The Reverend Paul Jones, Josie and the Pussycats (the film), the main sermon is from an unknown Televangelist
(6) recitations of Ladybird Johnson's writings (from CSPAN, speakers unknown), Peter Coyote (unidentified film), unknown Televangelist, unidentified Vietnam Veterans
(7) Midnight Express (the film), unknown Shuttle Astronaut, the eulogy for Andy Warhol (unknown speake from an unknown documentary), Chinua Achebe, lecture
(8) Aaron Brown, unknown person interpreting a speech by Saddam Hussein from Iraqi Television, unknown American paratrooper, The Holy Koran, Surah 3 (Sheikh Dahoud Atalah, Muqri of Al-Aksa Mosque), unknown ring-modulated French pool reporter
(9) Colin Powell, Bill Maher, Wesley Clark, Thomas Friedman, Dabney Coleman (unknown film), unknown televangelists, reporters, protestors and military analysts, unknown Albanian mountain singer
Saosd@aol.com
