The Sinking Of Titanic - 2022 US Superior Viaduct Label 2-track LP Reissue

Gavin Bryars was born in Yorkshire, England in 1943. His first musical forays were as a jazz bassist working in the early 1960s with improvisors Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley. Bryars later worked with composers John Cage and Cornelius Cardew, founded the Portsmouth Sinfonia and collaborated with Brian Eno on his famed Obscure imprint.

The Sinking of the Titanic, Bryars' first major composition, was inspired by the tragic event of the British passenger liner's cross-Atlantic maiden voyage. Bryars eloquently reconstructs the passengers' experience – at once forlorn and eerily calming – through assemblages of understated strings and indeterminate elements. A core principle of the piece is that the ship's band continued to play as the vessel went down. One of the most sublime works in the modern classical canon, Titanic remains Bryars' magnum opus.

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet, the album's second sidelong track, is based on a tape loop of a London street singer captured in the early 1970s. Featuring Derek Bailey, Michael Nyman and John White, Bryars' composition gradually builds around the cripplingly poignant voice until its emotional force is almost too much to bear. It's no surprise that Jesus' Blood is known as Tom Waits' all-time favorite piece of music.

Produced by Brian Eno in 1975 as the inaugural release on the Obscure label, The Sinking of the Titanic draws the listener in to a majestic world. While these exquisite, hymn-like recordings have not changed in nearly 50 years, their deeply personal nature and the audience's attention to their subtlety have only strengthened over time.

Presented in a picture cover faitfully restored from the original 1975 artwork.

Tracklisting:

Side 1.
1. The Sinking Of The Titanic   24:28

Side 2.
1. Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet   25:52

Recorded At: Basing Street Studios, 8-10 Basing Street, London, W11 1ET, England

Composed by Gavin Bryars

Credits:
Gavin Bryars - Conductor, Piano (The Sinking Of The Titanic)
Miss Eva Hart - Spoken Voice (The Sinking Of The Titanic)
Angela Bryars- Music Box (The Sinking Of The Titanic)
Howard Davidson, Howard Rees - Directors
Sandra Hill - Double Bass
Derek Bailey - Guitar (Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet)
Michael Nyman - Organ (Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet)
The Cockpit Ensemble - Strings
John White - Tuba (Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet)
John Nash - Violin

Technical Credits:
Brian Eno - Production

Artwork:
John Bonis - Artwork
Angela Bryars- Liner Illustrations