was the album that pushed to the forefront of 's , and the first album ever released by 's seminal label. It was really the first available document of 's music that matched him with a group of truly sympathetic musicians, and the results are a magnificently pure distillation of his aesthetic. Bassist 's full-toned, free-flowing ideas and drummer 's shifting, stream-of-consciousness rhythms (which rely heavily on shimmering cymbal work) are crucial in throwing the constraints off of 's playing. Yet as liberated and ferociously primitive as sounds, the group isn't an unhinged mess -- all the members listen to the subtler nuances in one another's playing, pushing and responding where appropriate. Their collective is remarkably unified -- and as for the other half of the album's title, conjures otherworldly visions of the spiritual realm with a -derived fervor. Titles like and (his signature tune, introduced here in two versions) make it clear that 's arsenal of vocal-like effects -- screams, squeals, wails, honks, and the widest vibrato ever heard on a record -- were sonic expressions of a wildly intense longing for transcendence. With singable melodies based on songs and standard scales, took the simplest musical forms and imbued them with a shockingly visceral power -- in a way, not unlike the best , which probably accounted for the controversy his approach generated. To paraphrase one of 's most famous quotes, this music was about feelings, not notes, and on that philosophy finds its most concise, concentrated expression. A landmark recording that's essential to any basic understanding of . ~ Steve Huey