lockdown : vinyl find #23.

Today's find was purchased around the same time as yesterday's. I think I bought it in a store called Materia Prima, in Porto, which along with other arty stuff, sells records. And considering today's pick, they had (maybe they still have) acquired tastes. 

I mean, I don't think I found this record any place else, or maybe only once. 

I've known the name William Sheller my whole life. His songs were lullabies to my ears while growing up. Pure pop music it was. One of the softest voices, a sad one, I've ever heard. It was only when I started getting interested in record collecting, and especially psychedelic records, that I heard about Sheller's first life as a classical musician. I've always liked scratching the surface, to discover what kind of background or early career musicians have had ; sometimes it's totally surprising, sometimes it's mind-blowing, sometimes it's meaningless. In Sheller's case, it was diificult at first to connect the childhood songs I knew with this work ; there's no sign of Sheller's voice on this record, although his voice is what everyone would recall of him later on in his career. The challenge made it interesting. 

Knowing Sheller's career, "Lux aeterna" falls into the category of weird records. Side A is contemporary classical music. It's religious. Side B is a different kind of mood : more avantgarde, experimental, psychedelic, tormented even ; there's even a track called "Hare Krishna"... sign of the times... it was the 1970's after all.

The cover says it was composed for Sheller's own wedding, while other sources say it was a gift for the wedding of friends. In any case, it's some unconventional music, which made this record cult. 

William Sheller keeps releasing music nowadays, but nothing of the sort. So this record is a unique occasion to dive into his complex character.  

William Sheller - Lux aeterna.

Here's the full album : YouTube.

Original pressings from the 1970's are worth several hundreds euros. The one I bought is a reissue, apparently unofficial, which does the job perfectly.