I don't know all that much about Harry Partch. I know about as much as anyone should know, he was a genius, years ahead of his time, and the cruel, populist idiots who run our culture machine were too short-sighted to award him any respect until it was too damn late!! But as well all know, that pretty much sums up anyone who gets labeled a "modern composer" now doesn't it?

Harry Partch's biggest claim to psuedo-fame, much like Moondog, was that he actually created his own stable of instruments to be used at his performances. I can picture the little footage I've seen, that includes men thwacking what appeared to be iridescent uspide-down water coolers with giant feather covered mallets. I believe they were called Cloud-Chamber Bowls. On this newly un-earthed recording of "Delusion of the Fury" one will hear the Quadrangularis Reversum, the Chromelodeon, the American Sled Cymbal, and, when there is choral singing, what Partch refers to as Human Vibrations From Assembled Throats.

"Delusion of the Fury" was Partch's last great "big" work. It was a ballet, mime, theatre-experience ("A ritual of dream and delusion") that was performed in 1969 at UCLA. It is a great example of World Music according to the California-sixties, as it blends Japanese "Noh" with African Tribal rituals. There's some attempt to tell a story, but I have no idea what it is, and haven't even made an attempt to sift through the pages of harrowing liner notes in this Sony Special Music release. All I know is this, for a genre (modern composing) that I normally shrug off as bunk, "Delusion of the Fury" kicks serious ass.

I'll admit, there may be something about the California-1960s-earnest-experimental-intellectual aspect that's making me be gracious toward this recording. Hell, we all read "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." But there may truly be something more here. Basically, I find this music frightening. And it kinda grooves. Unlike, say, Edgard Varese, whose works usually put me to sleep (before waking me up with loud bleatings), "Delusion of the Fury" actually has a little rhythm and back-beat to it. That must be the African Tribal influence. The use of spooky instruments are so numerous and varied, that you want to stay tuned (for 78 minutes) just to see what will come up next. A Jews harp, then some hollow sticks, then a weird mellotron-sounding thingie like on Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy." This is more "Tubular Bells" than John Cage. And, yes, that's supposed to be a compliment.

Most freaky are the chorus of voices, speaking in foreign tongues, occasional English ("Go Away" is heard clearly) and nonsense syllables. They boom in an ominous The Omen fashion over the drones of the mellotron, or sprinkles of dancing xylophones. . . .and really creep me out!!

This is a thumbs up record. I know there are others out there like me whose been burned trying to buy some "modern classical" music. I still have that awful John Zorn "Book of Heads" composition by the normally exciting Marc Ribot. But we still want to try new things, and this newly released disc from the "modern masters" vault is a sure bet.