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Back in the early '90s, music released by the English record label 4AD was reasonably difficult to come by (not to mention expensive) in the U.S. The compilation A PASSAGE IN TIME became Dead Can Dance's first U.S. release. Though tracks from most of the band's albums are represented (only those from its 1984 self-titled debut are omitted), the bulk of the tracks appearing here were originally on THE SERPENT'S EGG (1988) and AION (1990). It also features two tracks that were recorded specially for this collection, "Bird" and "Spirit," both of which subsequently turned up on the vinyl version of the band's next studio album, 1993s INTO THE LABYRINTH. Among this collection's standouts are "Saltarello," which was adapted from a 14th-century piece of Italian dance music and played on bagpipes, drums, and tambourine; "The Host of Seraphim," with hyper-sustained organ notes under a spectacularly echoed vocal by Lisa Gerrard; and "Enigma of the Absolute," featuring one of the best examples of Brendan Perry's genuinely affecting vocals along with a tempered, pulsing percussive line. A PASSAGE IN TIME is an excellent place to examine Dead Can Dance, though it really only scratches the surface of this band's fascinating cannon.
