Shri Camel

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Riley is one of the founders of Minimalism. His music tends to be for soloist (usually himself) playing a barrage of electronic instruments. The works on this disc hail from the mid-seventies, when Riley began to dabble with Eastern modalities, mostly Indian ragas that strive for swara, a transcendental state reached through perfect pitch. Along the way, notes will clash and (to our ears) sound like performance mistakes. These are the product of Riley's overlapping Eastern modalities with Western modalities, often in the same measure. Riley travels farther afield in his music than other Minimalists do, but it's worth the journey. --Paul Cook

Tracks:

Shri Camel: Anthem Of The Trinity
Shri Camel: Celestial Valley
Shri Camel: Across The Lake Of The Ancient Word
Shri Camel: Desert Of Ice

Amazon.com

Riley is one of the founders of Minimalism. His music tends to be for soloist (usually himself) playing a barrage of electronic instruments. The works on this disc hail from the mid-seventies, when Riley began to dabble with Eastern modalities, mostly Indian ragas that strive for swara, a transcendental state reached through perfect pitch. Along the way, notes will clash and (to our ears) sound like performance mistakes. These are the product of Riley's overlapping Eastern modalities with Western modalities, often in the same measure. Riley travels farther afield in his music than other Minimalists do, but it's worth the journey. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Balance.......2007-03-14

As suggested this work has a very spiritual feel to it.

If I am correct Mr. Riley plays two Yamaha organs (specially modified by Yamaha for him) using digital delays.

The music is sort of an extension of Rainbow on Curved Air except far more complex and developed. It's very easy to listen to and enjoy despite it's complexity and sophistication. The polyphony and timbre are well integrated with the tunings. The organs are well suited to Mr. Riley's ideas. Some of the instruments on his later works seem less well suited to my ears.

I believe it's one of Riley's best works if not the best. I'd also recommend the Ten voices of the Two Prophets (two Prophet 5 synths have 10 voices - get it?) which is similar.

I've listened to a fair amount of this kind of music that involves alternative tunings, Le Monte Young, Wendy Carlos, Ivor Darreg and I'd say this is one of the most listenable pieces yet it's retained it's deepness over the years. It's certainly one of my desert island disks. Essential.

This is good.......2004-02-07

This music is very good. Listen to this album many many times. Hopefully you can find something new everytime you hear this album. Also, listen to Persian Surgery Dervishes. Listen to all of Mr. Riley's organ works - there is a wealth of content in this music. Deep listening, as Pauline Oliveros suggests - that is, listening to the music very closely and in every way possible, is the best way to hear this material.

Go get'em!

Arkhetupos !.......2001-11-10

The amazing godfather of minimalism at his very best.

More of Riley's wonderful keyboard improvisations.......2001-04-25

If you liked _A Rainbow in Curved Air_, you'll enjoy this album; this time around, it's just the keyboard, and you'll get to stretch your ears around the just intonation and the influences of Indian music if you've not heard them before--but it's well worth the time. (Speaking of alternatives to equal temperament, who else would like to see Riley collaborate with Wendy Carlos? Raise your hand... :-)

Bypass the embarrassingly gushy, hyperbolic liner notes and just listen...and if, as I expect, you enjoy it, check out Riley's _The Harp of New Albion_ as well!

A spiritually transcendant work.......2000-07-24

Simply put, this is one for my top ten "desert island" collection. I've had this for about 20 years, first on vinyl and then CD, and have never tired of hearing it. Quite frankly, when I listen to this album I feel the presence of God, no matter how despairing I might otherwise feel. This is due in part to the use of just intonation--the beating of certain intervals on the organ recall the sound of water ripples, or something, and when the dissonances resolve into "true" harmonies it's somewhere between soothing and ecstatic, or both. However the liner notes indicate that Riley performed each of these pieces in real time using an organ and a system of digital delays, which is simply unbelievable given the stunning complexity of the result. I believe it is one of the most spiritually inspired performances ever put to record, clearly reflective of his studies in raga. This CD puts the alleged meditational intent of conventional "New Age" music to shame--this is the real deal, a true "Masterwork" as the previous reviewer stated, and the best work by Riley I've heard. In short, buy this CD.

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