1001 More Albums to Listen to Before you Die (2)

Les Baxter - Ritual of the Savage

Ritual of the Savage was released in 1951 and is noften cited as one of the most important exotica albums. The album features lush orchestral arrangements along with tribal rhythms and offered such classics as "Quiet Village", "Jungle River Boat", "Love Dance", and "Stone God."

Baxter described the album as a "tone poem of the sound and the struggle of the jungle." The album's liner notes requested the listener to imagine themselves transported to a tropical land. "Do the mysteries of native rituals intrigue you…does the haunting beat of savage drums fascinate you? Are you captivated by the forbidden ceremonies of primitive peoples in far-off Africa or deep in the interior of the Belgian Congo?"

When we look back on it from the lens of today use of words such as savage and primitive really don’t sit very well, but it was of its time and the music can ignore such distasteful use of language. When I listen to this It evokes a 1950’s B reel with a very serious voice over describing exotic and beautiful lands that the viewer could only ever experience at the cinema on a Saturday morning, and I love it.