Jack Nitzsche is usually associated with pop music instead of symphony orchestras. Beginning in 1960, his work as a writer/arranger/producer/musician garnered him experience and credentials with as eclectic an array of artists as is possible within the context of pop music. From
Doris Day to
Neil Young,
Nitzsche played an oft times subtle, yet always significant role in the success of their sounds. While not his first solo album,
St. Giles Cripplegate is
Nitzsche's initial foray into extended orchestral arrangements. The disc features the
London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) performing six of
Nitzsche's original scores. According to manager and friend
Elliot Mazer, the album was the direct result of the jaw-dropping orchestral arrangements
Nitzsche had done for
Neil Young's Harvest album -- specifically on the tracks "There's a World" and "A Man Needs a Maid." Although his musical scope was indeed broad by any standards, these sides are more akin to
Frank Zappa's symphonic experimentations and compositions -- most specifically on the 200 Motels motion picture soundtrack -- than anything previously linked to
Nitzsche's name. Each of the works is unique, exploring sonic juxtapositions and contrasts. For example, "No. 6" -- the album's opener -- is a vertigo-inducing swirl of demented strings and bombastic percussion capped off with a dramatic brass flourish. The disparity is palpable on the comparably sedate and languid "No. 4 (For Mori)" -- which foreshadows his work on the soundtrack for Milos Forman's
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. As to the seemingly random and ambiguous titles given to the half-dozen pieces on the disc, each opus was titled according to the order in which composed, according to
Mazer, who also recollects that an incipient version of "No. 1" had actually been recorded during the sessions for Harvest. As for the album's title, it was derived from the London-area St. Giles Cripplegate church, whose origins date as far back as 1090 A.D. Other notable historic scenes at this locale include the site of John Milton's grave, as well as the location of Oliver Cromwell's wedding. Musically, it was the site chosen by
John Cale to realize his epic
Academy in Peril. As there were no subsequent re-pressings of the album, the most convenient way for 21st century listeners to hear this masterwork is on
Three Piece Suite: The Reprise Recordings 1971-1974, a limited-edition compact disc available through Rhino Handmade -- which also includes all other known recordings by
Nitzsche during his four-year stint with the label. Additional information on this title and all Handmade titles can be found at www.rhinohandmade.com. ~ Lindsay Planer