Product Details

* Audio CD (February 15, 1994)
* Original Release Date: 1990
* Number of Discs: 1
* Format: Original recording reissued
* Label: 4ad / Wea
* Catalog Number: 45575
* ASIN: B000002MQ7
* Average Customer Review: based on 34 reviews. (Write a review.)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,470 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music)
Yesterday: #4,129 in Music

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1. The Arrival And The Reunion Listen Listen
2. Saltarello Listen Listen
3. Mephisto Listen Listen
4. The Song Of The Sibyl Listen Listen
5. Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book Listen Listen
6. As The Bell Rings The Maypole Spins Listen Listen
7. The End Of Words Listen
8. Black Sun Listen
9. Wilderness Listen
10. The Promised Womb Listen
11. The Garden Of Zephirus Listen
12. Radharc Listen
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Long before No Doubt brought back ska and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy resurrected swing, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry were making music that recalled an earlier time. How early? Try the Renaissance. Everything old--really old--is new again on Aion, the band's fifth and arguably finest album. Like DCD's other discs, Aion revolves around the interplay between Gerrard's soaring glossolalia and Perry's baritone crooning. A range of styles are explored, from the polyphonic choral heights of "The Arrival and the Reunion" to the smooth balladry of "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book" to the Middle Eastern sensuality of "Radharc." Other standout tracks include the playful "Saltarello," a traditional 14th-century instrumental dance piece, and "As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins," a strikingly melodic song carried by bagpipes and Gerrard's angelic voice. --Steve Landau
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
It's true! The dead CAN dance!, December 25, 2002
Reviewer: MoonGoddess (Ontario, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
'Aion' was my introduction to Dead Can Dance (DCD) and it has truly made a fan of me! The choral explosion on "Arrival and the Reunion" [pulled] me in fast as it reminded me a lot of neo-goth group, Mors Syphilitica. Then comes a 14th-century instrumental piece called "Saltarello", which has a great Renaissance dance beat that's really quite irresistible when it comes to swaying in your stilled position! The music slows down a bit once "Song of the Sibyl" comes on though as it features very little background noise. Instead it focuses solely on the chilling vocals of Lisa Gerrard's shaky yet affective vibrato. One of the best Dead Can Dance songs with Lisa singing on vocals however would have to be "As The Bell Rings the Maypole Spins", which features some incredible bagpipe playing!

I love both of the duo's voices so I really appreciate the fact that they trade-off after "Song Of The Sibyl" from Lisa to Brendan Perry, whom sings on the subtle Medieval tune, "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book". It's on the haunting "Black Sun", which brings to mind the dark brilliance of 'Within The Realm of a Dying Sun', that his somber baritone truly succeeds in tantilizing the listener with his seductive vocals though! And while the eastern influenced "Radharc" may arguably be the best song on 'Aion', the entire album is a delightful treat for the senses and I couldn't recommend it any higher!