On its surface, actor Richard Harris' set of orchestrated readings from Kahlil Gibran's 1923 spiritual classic seems like another attempt by a record label to cash in on the spiritual searching that flowered during the '70s from its bloom in the preceding decade. And on some level, it is exactly that; but it is also much more. Atlantic Records may have been trying to make a bank run from the book's popularity in the early part of the decade, but no one told the musicians or Harris that this was the case. Certainly not Arif Mardin, who composed and arranged the music, produced the session, and hired the players. Some of them include drummer Steve Gadd, guitarist Hugh McCracken, bassist Tony Conrad, and Phil Bodner on woodwinds (some of these players would appear on Mardin's own little-known classic jazz album Journey the following year). The session players fronted a complete orchestra and a chorus. Mardin was playing for keeps on The Prophet (check the tracks "Teaching and Self-Knowledge" and especially the CTI-worthy jazz funk in "On Pleasure" and "Theme from the Prophet").
Harris was perfect in the role of narrator -- though at times he actually sings with the chorus on refrains. He was dramatic enough to showcase the aphoristic text in its populist, spiritual, and philosophical instructional intent. Harris had scored a Grammy a year earlier for Best Spoken Word Performance for narrating Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The Prophet worked its way to number 29 on the Billboard charts and remained there for four months. Harris' performance borders on the overdramatic, but never quite gets there thanks to Mardin's focus and restraint. While this is not of the same caliber as David Axelrod's classic arrangements of William Blake's poems on Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, it is nonetheless in the same league. Mardin's music is, in all its lush variety, wonderfully sophisticated, exquisite in taste, and refined in its arrangement. ~ Thom Jurek
Live Recording
Audio Remixer: Lewis Hahn.
Recording information: Atlantic Recording Studio, New York, NY.
Arranger: Arif Mardin.
Personnel: Richard Harris (vocals); Hugh McCracken, Lou Volpe (guitar); Tarik Bulut (oud, saz, cymbals, finger cymbals); Phil Bodner (woodwinds); Kenneth Bichel (keyboards, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer); Pat Rebillot, Bob James (keyboards); Steve Gadd , Allan Schwartzberg (drums); Armen Halburian (percussion); Yasmin Aga Khan, Arthur Burrows, David Smith, Clyde Spooner, Peggy Hewett, Barry Manilow, Lucy Shelton (background vocals).
Richard Harris - Prophet Kahil Gibran Album Track Listing
Trk
Song
1
Coming of the Ship
2
On Love
3
On Marriage
4
On Children
5
Trilogy from "The Prophet" (Love, Marriage, Children) See All 2
6
On Giving
7
On Eating and Drinking
8
On Clothes
9
On Work
10
On Crime and Punishment
11
On Laws
12
On Teaching and Self-Knowledge
13
On Friendship
14
On Pleasure
15
Theme from "The Prophet" (Pleasure Is a Freedom Song)
16
On Religion
17
On Death
18
Farewell
Prophet Kahil Gibran Music Review
Customer Prophet Kahil Gibran Reviews
Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)
Richard Harris Outstanding in Narration of The Prophet The narration by Richard Harris and the accompanying music are perfect partners to this moving tale. Comforting, thought-provoking and excellent! Submitted by a reviewer (Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 2 found this helpful.
I miss my turntable but now I have this great CD! I used to listen to this album on a regular basis! Now that I found it as a CD I can once again listen to the amazing Richard Harris narrating Gibran's classic, timeless literature! I am so happy! Submitted by JFMQUINCY (Quincy, MA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Truly an AWAKENING of the mind and soul. I had listened to this a multitude of times til I could recite it by heart.My old turntable died.I resorted to reading it .It wasnt the same. Now IT has come to life AGAIN in all its WONDERFUL GLORY . Submitted by Sassyblueyes (Virginia Beach,Va.USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
A Spellbound Teenager Excerpts from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet was read to me as a teenager in High School, back in Jamaica and it left a deep impression on me. When I came to the UK years later, after years of searching I found the record only to loose it.
Recently I purchased Kahlil Gibran of Lebanon; simply magic.I am now 50+ and simply must have THE PROPHET as a book and CD to join my other 'travelling companions'.
Submitted by mutelmmk (Essex, England) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
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