Current 93 / Death in June / Sol Invictus

WSCDL 001, 1992, Running time: 70:15

Current 93 / Death in June / Sol Invictus
  1. The Guilty Have No Pride (Death in June) - 06:41
  2. Leper Lord (Death in June) - 01:27
  3. Solitude (Death in June) - 03:02
  4. Heaven Street (Death in June) - 03:37
  5. Summer of Love - 02:35
  6. Death of the Corn - 04:45
  7. A Song for Douglas - 05:42
  8. Earth Covers Earth - 04:23
  9. Be - 00:45
  10. North - 00:57
  11. Hooves/Horsey - 09:58
  12. Happy Birthday - 03:05
  13. They Return to Their Earth - 05:41
  14. Black Flowers - 03:28
  15. Hullo Angel - 01:29
  16. A Sadness Song - 04:02
  17. Raven Chorus (Sol Invictus) - 04:11
  18. Black Easter (Sol Invictus) - 02:45
  19. Death of the West (Sol Invictus) - 02:46

Since this album was originally a bootleg recording (originally released as “Day of the Dawn”) of a performance in Frankfurt in 1991, don’t be expecting great sound or much originality. You’ve heard much better versions of all these songs elsewhere. Though of possible historic interest, the album is, unfortunately, pretty much unlistenable. No lyrics.

Tracks one through four are Death in June songs.

The fifth track, SUMMER OF LOVE, first appeared on Swastikas for Goddy.  This track, alas, is rather lackluster.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, DEATH OF THE CORN is a song that I really admire. This is actually a fairly interesting version, combining some new violin melodies with distorted guitar from Douglas P. Though the renditions on other albums (like the one on Horsey) are naturally much better, there’s something strangely appealing about this version as well.

At the beginning of A SONG FOR DOUGLAS, the band is plagued by some technical problems (it sounds like a cord got unplugged). Though always a sweet song, I wonder how Douglas P. felt about playing this track live, since he happens to be the subject of it. Hmm.

The title track from the Earth Covers Earth album is reproduced here with what sounds like sincere and heartfelt emotion, but the mix is murky and jumpy and unfortunately, most of the intensity is lost because of it.

Somehow, my least favorite song from Imperium, the quickie track BE, always manages to appear on these live albums.  At least it’s short.

Again from Swastikas for Goddy, the brief song NORTH is reproduced here as track ten.  Blink and you’ll miss it.

There are a number of different versions of the song HORSEY (my favorite being the intense and heartwrenching rendition that was featured on Emblems: The Menstrual Years), but the only other place I’ve heard the song HOOVES is on another live album, 1990’s As the World Disappears. Track eleven is a combination of the two songs, titled (appropriately enough) HOOVES/HORSEY. It’s a great song that somehow even the background noise (which actually becomes foreground noise at times) almost fails to spoil.

Track twelve, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, is another of my less-favorite Current 93 songs, and this would have to be my least favorite version. Try Looney Runes for a much more listenable rendition.

I’ve always liked THEY RETURN TO THEIR EARTH, but this track is marred by repetitive heavy percussion and poor sound. Again, you’re better off looking for this great song on a better album; in this case, I’d recommend the wonderfully sweet version from Emblems: The Menstrual Years.

It’s a bad thing when you can hear the crowd almost as clearly as the performers.  BLACK FLOWERS originally appeared on Swastikas for Goddy, and unless you actually enjoy crowd noise you’re better off with the version there.

As on Swastikas for Goddy, Douglas P. sings HULLO ANGEL. Surprisingly, there’s something about this version that I really like. Maybe it’s the fact that he sounds so sincere…

Track sixteen, A SADNESS SONG, is a ho-hum rendition of the brilliant song from the venerable Thunder Perfect Mind album.  Listen to it there if you can, and here if you must.

Tracks seventeen through nineteen are Sol Invictus songs.

Overall, this is one of the most skippable albums in Current 93’s discography. The mediocre selection of tracks combined with the atrocious sound dooms this one to the bottom of the pile. If you want live albums, go buy As the World Disappears or Hitler as Kalki instead.

No epilogue.