Tim in Tibet

Out of print for 17 years, this double CD features collaborations with Coil, Diana Rogerson, Jim O'Rourke, William Bennett, Legendary Pink Dots, Foetus, Current 93, David Tibet, Tony Wakeford, Inflatable Sideshow, Aranos, Chris Wallis/Peat Bog and Tiny Tim. NWW’s Steven Stapleton corrals 15 of his collaborations with Coil, Stereolab, Diana Rogerson, Jim O’Rourke, William Bennett, Legendary Pink Dots, Foetus, Current 93, David Tibet, Tony Wakeford, Inflatable Sideshow, Aranos, Chris Wallis/Peat Bog and Tiny Tim on the first, long out-of-print volume of The Swinging Reflective, offering a perfect opportunity to catch up for anyone who copped the recently released 2nd volume.

Over a period of many years, filmmaker Mickey Lemle set about capturing a portrait of His Holines the Dalai Lama, now in his mid-80s, as he travelled the world talking about his life, compassion, his disciplines, and his work. The film commissioned original music from Philip Glass and Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal. The score is performed by Glass and Michael Riesman on pianos, Tenzin Choegyal on vocals and various Tibetan instruments, Tim Fain on Violin, Robert Black on double bass, and the Scorchio String. Quintessential traditional offering, "Om Ma Mi Phad may Hum" can be heard in "Heart Strings," sung by 150 Tibetan children. The album ends with Philip Glass's own live performance of Mad Rush, composed for the Dalai Lama's first public address in New York in 1978.

Recorded in 1976 at Macalester College, Steve Tibbetts's first album ( first released independently in 1977 on his own label ) is interesting mostly as a harbinger of greatness to come. It consists mostly of multi-tracked acoustic guitars, overdubbed with pitch-shifted bells and water sounds, and the occasional mid-70's synthesizer. Notable mostly for two things: the guitar solo at the end of "Interlude" proves that Tibbetts was experimenting with two-handed guitar tapping years before anyone had ever heard.