Diamanda Galas Plague Mass CD

Personnel: Diamanda Galas (piano, vocals); Blaise Dupuy (keyboards); David Linton (drums, percussion); Ramon Diaz (percussion); Michael McGrath (tapes, electronics).
Recorded live on October 12-13, 1990 at The Cathedral Of St. John The Divine, New York. Includes liner notes by Michael Flanagan and Tim Holmes.
Personnel: Diamanda Galás (piano); Blaise Dupuy (keyboards); David Linton (drums, percussion); Ramon Diaz (percussion); Michael McGrath (tapes).
Audio Mixer: Dan Dryden.
Liner Note Authors: Immanuel Velikovsky; Tim Holmes.
Recording information: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, NY (10/12/1990/10/13/1990).
Photographer: Tom Caravaglia.
Unknown Contributor Role: Paul Prestopino.
Arranger: Diamanda Galás.
Diamanda Galas, who has been known for both her own work and as a singer of extremely demanding modern scores, created this heart-wrenching cry about the physical suffering caused by the AIDS plague being compounded by the shameful arrogance of self-appointed moralists. Maintaining an incredible intensity and depth for over an hour's solo vocal (recorded live at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC, with suitably minimal band and electronics backup), Galas proceeds through Mahalia Jackson-influenced spiritual singing, saxophone-like wails, to dramatic dialogues in many dialects and languages ("there are no more tickets to the funeral") to engrossing Portuguese fado singing to taking on the attributes of Satan (in "Sono L'Antichristo," "I Am the Anti-Christ") in order to challenge the concept of a vengeful, instead of compassionate deity (and society), much as Nina Simone did in her controversial song "God Is a Killer" in the '60s. The Mass ends with the heartfelt lyrics "I go to sleep each evening now dreaming of the grave and see the friends I used to know calling out my name. O Lord Jesus, do you think I've served my time ?." At times, the singing is "self-indulgent," but, oh well. ~ "Blue" Gene TyrannyQ (6/91) - 3 Stars - Good "..anyone willing to take her on her own terms will be impressed...there is so much raw pain in Galas' work, particularly in her delivery, that this latest piece of gothic opera is sometimes almost too horrific to listen to...a compelling artist.."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.50) - Ranked #26 in Mojo's "The 50 Most Out There Albums Of All Time" - "[I]t's an uncompromising and genuinely harrowing experience that will hake you to the very marrow."