Passion (re-released as Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ) is an album released in 1989 by the English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel. It was the first Peter Gabriel album to be released on Real World Records, Gabriel's second soundtrack, and his eighth album overall.
Passion was originally composed as the soundtrack album for Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), but Gabriel spent several months after the film's release further developing the music, finally releasing it as a full-fledged album instead of a movie soundtrack. The album was released in June 1989 (almost a year after the theatrical release of The Last Temptation of Christ in August 1988) as a vinyldouble album and a 1-disc CD.
Peter Gabriel's first film soundtrack, Birdy (1985), contained instrumental rearrangements of songs from Gabriel's earlier albums. Passion, on the other hand, contained music entirely original to Gabriel's catalogue.
To record the soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ, Gabriel used the resources of WOMAD, an organization he founded, to bring together musicians from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and South Asia. He worked with them to create music meant to enhance the mood of the film, but he also added a modern ambient musical touch to the original pieces, producing a musical work that has influenced many musicians. Passion introduced many listeners to such artists as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Youssou N'Dour, L. Shankar, and Baaba Maal. N'Dour and Shankar had provided contributions to Gabriel's previous album, So (1986); Passion also features other musicians who had worked with Gabriel before, including David Rhodes, Manny Elias, David Bottrill, and Manu Katché.
Later in the year a companion album was released, Passion – Sources, featuring additional songs on which Gabriel does not perform. Gabriel described this album as "a selection of some of the traditional music, sources of inspiration, and location recordings."
The cover art for the album, Drawing study for Self Image II (1987), is a mixed media composition by the artist Julian Grater.[12] When re-released, the album was titled Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ due to "legal barriers" according to Gabriel in its liner notes.[13]
Receptionedit
Upon its release, Passion received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviewing Passion for Rolling Stone, Jimmy Guterman wrote that "Gabriel’s journey is just as deeply felt as Scorsese's... [Passion] stands as a testament to the breadth of Gabriel's interests, as well as his talents." Noting songs which "successfully accommodate third-world melodies and cross-rhythms in a Western pop context," Guterman claimed, "Passion is stirring, stunning stuff: You won’t hear it on the radio like you heard ‘’Sledgehammer’’ or ‘’Big Time’’, but if you do search it out, you'll find a piece of work by an artist who remains idiosyncratic without being obtuse."[14]
Track listingedit
All tracks are written by Peter Gabriel except where noted
This piece incorporates a traditional melody from Kurdistan telling of the unhappy love of a young girl for Bave Seyro, a legendary warrior. (Kurdish duduks are from UNESCO Collection – A Musical Anthology of the Orient, general editor Alain Danielou for Musicaphon Records.)
"Of These, Hope – Reprise"
Massamba Diop – talking drum
Peter Gabriel – bass, percussion, flute whistle, Prophet 5
^Ramos, Dante E.A. (1 October 1992). "Peter Gabriel Abandons Role as King of PC Pop". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
^Ankeny, Jason. "Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ – Peter Gabriel". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
^Heim, Chris (29 June 1989). "Peter Gabriel: Passion (Geffen)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
^Brunner, Rob (12 July 2002). "Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 1 / Peter Gabriel 2 / Peter Gabriel 3 / Security / Plays Live / Birdy / So / Passion / Us". Entertainment Weekly. No. 662. pp. 84–85.
^Willman, Chris (4 June 1989). "Peter Gabriel 'Passion.' Geffen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
^Romney, Jonathan (17 June 1989). "Gabriel World Domination Enterprise". NME. p. 34.
^"Peter Gabriel: Passion". Q. No. 191. June 2002. p. 137.
^Easlea, Daryl (August 2017). "Birdy, Passion: Music From The Last Temptation Of Christ, The Long Road Home: Music From Rabbit Proof Fence | Peter Gabriel". Record Collector. No. 469. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
^Guterman, Jimmy (29 June 1989). "Passion". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2012.