| Seven Souls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Studio | Platinum Island Studio and BC Studio, New York | |||
| Genre | No wave | |||
| Label | Virgin, CDV 2596 | |||
| Producer | Bill Laswell, Material | |||
| Material chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| Allmusic | |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[2] | 
Seven Souls is a 1989 album by the American music group Material. A collaboration with author William S. Burroughs, the album features his narration of passages from his novel The Western Lands (1987) set to musical accompaniment.
The album was re-released in 1997 with bonus tracks, three re-mixes that were added to the beginning of the album. In 1998, a new title, The Road to the Western Lands, was issued, composed of new mixes of the tracks.
"Equation" / "Ineffect" was released as a single in 1989 (Virgin America, PR 3380).
Track listing
- "Ineffect" (Bill Laswell, Nicky Skopelitis, William S. Burroughs, Simon Shaheen) – 7:34
 - "Seven Souls" (Laswell, Burroughs) – 5:42
 - "Soul Killer" (Laswell, Burroughs) – 4:32
 - "The Western Lands" (Laswell, Skopelitis, Burroughs) – 6:54
 - "Deliver" (Laswell, Skopelitis, Foday Musa Suso) – 5:48
 - "Equation" (Laswell, Skopelitis, Rammellzee) – 5:06
 - "The End of Words" (Laswell, Burroughs) – 5:06
 
Seven Souls (Remix)
- "The Western Lands" [a Dangerous Road Mix] (Laswell, Burroughs) – 8:31
 - "Seven Souls" [Tim Simenon Mix] (Tim Simenon, Burroughs) – 7:06
 - "Soul Killer" [Remote Control Mix by Terre Thaemlitz] (Terre Thaemlitz, Burroughs) – 8:15
 
The rest of the album as per the original release
The Road to the Western Lands
- Bill Laswell – "The Seven Souls" (Burroughs, Laswell) – 5:47
 - Talvin Singh – "The Western Lands" (Burroughs, Talvin Singh) 6:36
 - DJ Soul Slinger – "The Western Lands" (Burroughs, DJ Soul Slinger) 5:09
 - Spring Heel Jack – "The Road to the Western Lands" (Burroughs, John Coxon, Ashley Wales) 6:17
 - The Audio Janitor (DJ Olive) – "Joan's Haunted Hints at the Gate to the Western Lands" (Burroughs, DJ Olive) 6:37
 - Bill Laswell – "Seven Souls" [The Secret Name] (Burroughs, Laswell) 10:37
 - Material – "The Western Lands" [A Dangerous Road Mix] (Burroughs, Laswell) – 8:31
 
Personnel
Material
- Bill Laswell – 4, 6 and 8-string basses, acoustic guitar, tapes, percussion
 
Additional personnel
- William S. Burroughs – voice
 - Rammellzee – voice ("Equation")
 - Foday Musa Suso – voice ("Deliver")
 - Fahiem Dandan – voice ("Ineffect")
 - Nicky Skopelitis – 6 and 12 string guitars, baglama, coral sitar, saz, Fairlight CMI
 - Simon Shaheen – violin
 - L. Shankar – violin
 - Jeff Bova – electronic keyboards
 - Sly Dunbar – drums, Fairlight
 - Aïyb Dieng – percussion
 
"The Western Lands" [a Dangerous Road Mix]
- Jah Wobble – bass
 - Bill Laswell – bass samples
 - Nicky Skopelitis – guitar
 - Tetsu Inoue – electronics
 - DJ Spooky – noise
 
"The Seven Souls" [The Secret Name]
- Alicia Renee aka Blue Eyes: vocals
 - Nicky Skopelitis: guitar
 - Bill Laswell: bass, keyboards, turntable
 
Production
- Recorded at Platinum Island Studio and BC Studio, New York.
 - Produced by Bill Laswell / Material.
 
Release history
- Seven Souls – 1989 – Virgin, CDV 2596 (CD)
 - Seven Souls (Remix) – 1997 – Triloka Records, 314 534 905-2 (CD)
 - The Road to the Western Lands – 1998 – Triloka / Mercury, 314 558 021-2 (2x 12" / CD)
 
In popular culture
The track "Seven Souls" is featured in the opening scene and in the closing credits of The Sopranos Season 6 episode, "Members Only".
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
 - ↑ Hunter, James (1995). "Material". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 242–243. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
 
External links
- Seven Souls at Discogs (list of releases)
 - Seven Souls at Bandcamp
 
