Various Artists
Hashisheen: The End of Law
Label:  Sub Rosa 
Date:  3/26/1999
Length:  0:00
Format:  CD
Genre:  Rock; Post Punk
  Category:  rock
    Track Listing:
      1.  
      		 First Reading    
      2.  
      		 The Old Man Of The Mountain    
      3.  
      		 The Western Lands    
      4.  
      		 The Spilled Cup    
      5.  
      		 Marco Polo's Tale    
      6.  
      		 Pilgrimage To Cairo    
      7.  
      		 Freya Stark At Alamut    
      8.  
      		 Castles    
      9.  
      		 Hashish Poem    
      10.  
      		 Sinan's Boast    
      11.  
      		 Assassinations    
      12.  
      		 The Mongols Destroy Alamut    
      13.  
      		 The Divine Self    
      14.  
      		 Morning High    
      15.  
      		 A Quick Trip To Alamut    
      16.  
      		 Slogans    
      17.  
      		 Book Of The Highest Initiation    
      18.  
      		 The Lord Of The Resurrection    
      19.  
      		 Tale Of The Caliph Hakem    
      20.  
      		 The Assassins    
      21.  
      		 Last Reading    
    Additional info: | top

      The Hashisheens were a small sect with assasination missions put together by Hasan-i-Sabbah in 1090 a.d. Using the delights of a literal Garden of Pleasures that he built where "free women" and cannabis were abound, he was literally brainwashing his troops while they were on trance and assigning them missions.
      The Hashisheen were feared because of their dedication and loyalty to Hasan and because they opposed both Islamic as well as Christianic figures of the time.

      In this incredible album, the original texts left behind by Hasan are read by artists such Iggy Pop, Anne Clarke or William Burroughs and Patti Smith to name but a few, while the musical layers accompanying them are a gracious mix of psychedelic dub and trip-hop (allthough it's actually an injustice to try and categorise the music here). Basically, the music serves as an eerie and often spacey ambience for the texts themselves.

      The end result is impressive to say the least. Ok, this isn't an album that you would use as a background sound, but then again, the people who would buy it wouldn't have any such intention to begin with.
      It's an album to listen carefully to and travel back with it. Or, it's an album to give to a good friend.
      A must for serious music lovers and a must for those who can appreciate stories from the deep past that seem unreal and yet have indeed happened.

      The booklet that comes with the CD is another asset: you get the texts that are read in the album plus a historical background of Hasan and his sect who had a motto as intriguing as :"nothing is true and everything is permitted".

      (1) Reading : Susan Deyhim; (2) Introduction : Genesis P Orridge; Reading : Percy Howard; (3) Introduction : William S. Burroughs; Reading : Iggy Pop; (4) Reading : Susan Deyhim; (5) Reading : Hakim Bey; (6) Reading : Hakim Bey; (7) Reading : Nicole Blackman; (8) Reading : Percy Howard; (9) Reading : Nicole Blackman; Persian singer : unknown; (10) Reading : Ira Cohen; (11) Reading : Nicole Blackman; (12) Reading : Percy Howard; (13) Reading, bass, keyboards : Jah Wobble; Congas, bendir : Neville Murray; Drums : Jaki Liebezeit; (14) Reading : Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Patti Smith; Additional guitar : Oliver Ray; (15) Reading : Iggy Pop; (16,17) Reading : Genesis P Orridge; Music : Bill Laswell and Helios Creed; (18) Reading : Hassan; (19) Reading : Nicole Blackman; (20) Reading : Genesis P Orridge and Anne Clark; (21) Reading : Hakim Bey; (22) Reading : Susan Deyhim.