A hidden gem in his pantheon, Peter Gabriel`s soundtrack for the Alan Parker film Birdy is at the same time one of his least known projects and one of his most satisfying. The movie wasn`t a huge hit, and since Peter`s own snail`s pace work ethic meant that it wasn`t released until well after the picture had left theaters, the album has gone mostly unnoticed.
The statement could be made that since it consists of what its artist acknowledges as "recycled music with no lyrics", it`s nothing more than a remix album. But that does it a disservice. True, most of the music originates from various songs from his final two studio albums, but for the about part, various textures are extracted to have a totally new atmosphere, resulting in a different effect. The course titles state the most obvious origins, but it`s even fun to clean out some of the more obscure sources.
"Birdy`s Flight" is exploited to great event in the film, using a remix of the latter half of "Not One Of Us" for a wonderfully energetic accompaniment. Likewise, "Under Lock And Key" uses themes from "Wallflower", itself a call about imprisonment, to exemplify the pledge of the key character, both in the face and in flashbacks.
Even without seeing the movie itself (which brings still another view to this music) it`s potential to be transformed to another site by only the music and titles. "At Night", "Quiet And Alone" and "Slack Water" are ambient yet melodic tracks that indicate how easily Daniel Lanois was capable to go from running with Brian Eno to assisting with this album. "Dressing The Wound" appears to be a non-recycled composition, its gentle piano setting up some trademark wordless vocals. Even "Slow Marimbas" would go on to be a sport in live performances down the road.
Due to its non-rock nature, Birdy is not for the casual listener, but fans of his work will love it, partially as a stepping stone to his future project, and likewise as a predecessor to his next form on a soundtrack. It`s a wonderful album for contemplation, particularly at night.
Peter Gabriel Birdy: Music From The Film (1985)4
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