Revolution, Underworld—joined by deaf percus- sionist Dame Evelyn Glennie—pulsed and pounded (and even whistled) through the 17+m martial mayhem of “And I Will Kiss.” Cue the blessed sight of Mike Oldfield on stage, still looking good and playing bass guitar on his minimalist (and, for film music, profoundly influential) masterpiece “Tubular Bells,” which twisted into a surprisingly solid swing version before resolving into Oldfield’s take on Bach’s “In Dulci Jubilo.” Simon Rattle then led the London Symphony Orchestra (which backed “And I Will Kiss” and other performances) on an accomplished “Chariots of Fire,” with, for bet- ter or worse, Rowan Atkinson hamming and (dare I say?) beaning on Vangelis’ one-note synth pulse. The LSO abandoned the comedic for the entry of the Union Jack with “Sundowner,” a collaboration with electronic dronemaster Ben- jamin John Power aka Blanck Mass. Power and his Fuck Buttons collaborator Andrew Hung also contributed their singles “Surf Solar” and “Olym- pians” (in a High Contrast remix, with drums sampled from Joy Division’s “Atmosphere”). After spinned-up world music courtesy of an- other Boyle soundtrack collaborator, A.R. Rahman (SLUMLORD MILLIONAIRE, 128 HOURS), Emeli Sandé delivered a stunning juxtaposition: her dance hit “Heaven” followed by a somber reading of the hymn “Abide with Me.” Arctic Monkeys then took the stage for their hit “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor” and a too-reverent cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together.” (By this point, ev- eryone watching in the US had probably told the NBC Television presenters to shut the fuck up.) The Chemical Brothers’ “Galvanize” kicked off the entry of the athletes, an epic slow-march to historic UK chart-toppers interwoven with the beats of Underworld and their heir apparent High Contrast (Lincoln Barrett). The music flowed with occasional (and possibly intentional) wit, as Fiji entered to the Bee Gees and Syria arrived to U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” (in a High Contrast remix that, like most of the Games’ remixes, layered on drums and more drums). Only a handful of the hit parade songs feature in ISLES OF WONDER—notably U2, Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls,” and David Bowie’s “Heroes” (for the British Olympic Team). “Caliban’s Dream,” composed by Smith and Hyde for the entry of the torch, proved the hit of the evening, entering the UK charts at number 5. Performed by Underworld, the LSO, and choirs with vocals by Alex Trimble (frontman for Two Door Cinema Club) and soprano Esmee
Smith, its lyrics reprise the “Be not afeard” speech from Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST (re- cited earlier by Kenneth Branagh)—and its mu- sic represents a brilliant and unforgettable soundtrack moment.
Postscript: After drafting this column, I tuned to NBC-TV’s abridged “live” coverage of the Closing Ceremony, which excised performances and, in a gaffe of near “Heidi Bowl” proportions, cut away from a finale that featured Muse per- forming the games’ official song, Kate Bush in a rare live appearance, and The Who. Directed by Kim Gavin, the event emphasized the popu- lar—and the performers—and proved more fa- miliar and less interesting to the eyes and ears. Some of its music is available for digital down- load as A SYMPHONY OF BRITISH MUSIC: MUSIC FOR THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES ($19.95, two virtual discs, 39 tracks, 123m 2s). Decca later released ISLES OF WONDER and A SYMPHONY OF BRITISH MUSIC in identical form on compact disc.
For additional information about the compos- ers and the discs, visit
underworldlive.com and
deccarecords.com.
You can contact the Audio Watchdog online at
OnEyeDog@aol.com or by visiting
douglasewinter.com. Review materials should be sent c/o Vale House, 2495 Oakton Hills Drive, Oakton VA 22124.
75
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
