album // The Last Of England [OST]
This 1987 Mute release was a first on several accounts - it marked the first release on the then-unnamed Fine Line or Ionic sub-label, and hence the first soundtrack released by Mute; it was the first in a series of soundtracks for films by Derek Jarman; finally, it was also the first time that Simon (Fisher) Turner had appeared on Mute. In retrospect, this album represents something of a Mute showcase, since it not only features tracks from Fisher Turner, but appearances from Barry Adamson and Diamanda Galas; behind the scenes, Mute stalwarts Paul Kendall and Gareth Jones help shape the overall sound, whether as producers or remixers. Mayo Thompson (of The Red Krayola), supplies a track ('Disco Death'), while long-standing Exchange record cutter John Dent contributes surely shares his only ever writing credit on the final track 'National Grid' (with Fisher Turner). Another contribution comes from Gang Of Four founder and early Chili Peppers producer Andy Gill ('In The Free World').
The CD release is split into two sections - 'Bombers' and 'Diplomat'. A third section of sound design courtesy of Simon Fisher Turner - 'Dead To The World' - rounds off the disc. Somewhat annoyingly, the track listing on the exterior of the CD box is different to the inlay card, and the CD sleeve - just like Depeche Mode's 'Some Great Reward' - is fuzzy and blurred and needs recreating from the original artwork.
'Bombers', the opening suite, was produced by Simon Turner, and then remixed by Turner and Paul Kendall. The section consists of short clusters of strings and harp, interlaced with what I can only guess as being extracts from the film. In typical Turner fashion, the serene harp swirls and spanish guitar of 'Persistence Of Memory' are cut with tapes of muffled conversation and a diverse palette of one-off sounds, creating a fascinating juxtaposition with the beauty of its earliest sections. Title track 'The Last Of England' is a moving piece for strings which become gritty and hostile as grainy synths modulate with the orchestra, creating a mix of fragility and fear within the same track. 'The Bridge', on the other hand, is a swarm of distorted guitars not far removed from a Pat Metheny tune-up jam. Alongside piano, voice, tapes, guitar and 'the grip', Turner also credits himself as a vocalist, under his Claudine Coule alias.
'Diplomat' is less focused on Turner's own work, and focuses on the other contributing artists. This section kicks off with Mayo Thompson's 'Disco Death', which is a sprawling mix of industrial vari-speed drum machine beats and a quirky melody; think DAF and I Start Counting jamming. Barry Adamson contributes 'Refugee Theme (13 Rounds)', which is a collaboration with Martin Micarrick remixed by PK; a slowly-building background of noises and foreground of cello gives way to a sawing processed violin which could induce queasiness over time. Andy Gill's collaboration with Dean Garcia 'In The Free World' wouldn't have been out of place on Cabaret Voltaire's albums for Some Bizarre, all distorted guitars, samples and disjointed vocals of Bowie-esque proportions. The amazing vocalist Diamanda Galas contributes the final two tracks on the 'Diplomat' section, both of which were produced by Gareth Jones. The first, 'La Treizieme Revient' is an orchestral work for organ, while the second, 'Deliver Me' is a composition that shows off Diamanda's genius and originality as a vocalist - harrowing, haunting and above all captivating.
The third section is typical of Simon Fisher Turner's approach to recording soundtracks, here blending together processed snippets from earlier sections of the soundtrack, with elements recorded directly on the set, including Derek Jarman's voice from the filming. The result is a combination of remix and reprise, and the totally new, such as 'The Dead Sea', which finds Jarman talking on set over a collage of tapes from the filming in London and unused sounds . Finally there is 'The National Grid' - 'Discovered by John Dent and Simon Turner during the cutting of the record - and which looked pretty on the oscilloscope'.
This is a quintessentially 80s soundtrack (just to highlight this, there is a piece on 'Bombers' entitled 'Hymn For Thatcher'), a melange of ideas and instruments. Turner is more than capable of keeping the whole thing together, proving for the first time at Mute his superior abilities as a soundtrack composer and sound designer.