Song of Innocence
Encyclopedia
Song of Innocence is a 1968 album by David Axelrod
. The album was inspired by Songs of Innocence
, a collection of poems by English poet William Blake
. An Allmusic review describes the album as a "suite that blended pop, rock, jazz, theater music, and R&B" and has "withstood the test of time". Axelrod's integration of funk
breakbeats, orchestral arrangements, and psychedelic melodies foreshadowing 1990s dance music.
In 1969, a subsequent companion album, Songs of Experience, was released. Sometime after that in the 1970s, the Song of Innocence album was re-released as Songs of Innocence.
David Axelrod (musician)
David Axelrod is an American composer, arranger and producer, working in several musical genres.-Biography:...
. The album was inspired by Songs of Innocence
Songs of Innocence and of Experience
Songs of Innocence and of Experience is an illustrated collection of poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases. A few first copies were printed and illuminated by William Blake himself in 1789; five years later he bound these poems with a set of new poems in a volume titled Songs of...
, a collection of poems by English poet William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
. An Allmusic review describes the album as a "suite that blended pop, rock, jazz, theater music, and R&B" and has "withstood the test of time". Axelrod's integration of funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
breakbeats, orchestral arrangements, and psychedelic melodies foreshadowing 1990s dance music.
In 1969, a subsequent companion album, Songs of Experience, was released. Sometime after that in the 1970s, the Song of Innocence album was re-released as Songs of Innocence.
Track listing
All tracks were composed and arranged by David Axelrod.- "Urizen" – 4:01
- "Holy Thursday" – 5:32
- "The Smile" – 3:26
- "A Dream" – 2:31
- "Song of Innocence" – 4:33
- "Merlin's Prophecy" – 2:44
- "The Mental Traveller" – 4:02
Personnel
- Don RandiDon RandiDon Randi is an American keyboard player, bandleader and songwriter. He has performed on innumerable recordings, including many as a session musician and member of "The Wrecking Crew", as well as releasing his own jazz records...
- conductor - Al CaseyAl Casey (rock & roll guitarist)Alvin W. Casey was an American guitarist. He was mainly noted for his work as a session musician, but also released records and scored three Billboard Hot 100 hits in the United States...
, Allen Di Rienzo, Alvin Dinkin, Anne Goodman, Arnold Belnick, Arthur Maebe, Benjamin Barrett, Bobby Bruce, Carol KayeCarol KayeCarol Kaye is an American musician, best known as one of the most prolific and widely heard bass guitarists in history, playing on an estimated 10,000 recording sessions in a 55 year career....
, Douglas Davis, Earl PalmerEarl PalmerEarl Cyril Palmer was an American rock & roll and rhythm and blues drummer, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
, Freddie Hill, Gareth Nuttycombe, Gary Coleman, Gene Estes, Harold Schneier, Harry Bluestone, Harry Hyams, Henry Roth, Henry Sigismonti, Howard Roberts, Jack Shulman, Leonard Malarsky, Lew McCrearyLew McCrearyLew McCreary is an American author, editor, and speaker.McCreary was born on September 21, 1947. He is a Senior Editor for the Harvard Business Review and previously worked as editorial director of CXO Media Inc., founding the security publication CSO Magazine and frequently serving a source for...
, Marshall Sosson, Myron Sandler, Nathan Ross, Ollie Mitchel, Pete Wyant, Raphael Kramer, Richard Leith, Sid Sharp, Tibor Zelig, Tony TerranTony TerranAnthony Terran or Tony Terran is an American trumpet player and session musician.Regarded as one of the most versatile trumpet players in the music business, Terran had an impact on the Los Angeles music scene for more than four decades as a specialist of many musical styles...
, Vincent de Ross, Bill Hinshaw - performers
Adaptations
- "Holy Thursday" has been sampled in several works:
- SkyzooSkyzooSkyzoo is a New York hip hop emcee.-Biography:Born Gregory Skyler Taylor in 1982 in Crown Heights, he grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He was nicknamed Skyzoo by his parents after the Skyy disco song...
"The Definitive Prayer" - UNKLE'sUNKLEUnkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
"Rabbit in Your Headlights" - Lil Wayne'sLil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
"Dr. Carter" (produced by Swizz BeatzSwizz BeatzKasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
) - Royce Da 5'9" "Shake This" (produced by DJ PremierDJ PremierChristopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
) - Fat JoeFat JoeJoseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
"Bronx Keeps Creating It" (produced by Joe Fatal) - Deda "Nasty Scene" (produced by Pete RockPete RockPeter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
) - INI'sINI (hip hop group)INI was a hip hop group composed of Rob-O, Grap Luva, I Love H.I.M., Marco Polo , and DJ Boodakhan....
"Think Twice" (produced by Pete Rock)
- Skyzoo
- "Holy Thursday" appears in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
, on the station Fusion FM. - Both Axelrod and "Holy Thursday" are mentioned in "Return of the Loop Digga" from Quasimoto'sQuasimotoQuasimoto is the alter ego or the side project of hip hop producer Madlib, from Oxnard, California. Quas is known for the raised pitch of his voice as if he was inhaling helium. Another notable characteristic is Quas inter-changing with Madlib's voice. One day in the studio, Madlib decided to...
album The UnseenThe Unseen (album)The Unseen is the debut album by Quasimoto, an alter ego of producer Madlib.-Release history:The album was conceived and recorded by Madlib during a week long psilocybin mushroom binge....
. - Jurassic 5'sJurassic 5Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
track "A Day at the Races" contains samples of "Urizen", in particular, the funky bassline breakBreak (music)In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....
.
External links
- Song of Innocence at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...