JIMMY PAGE
Lucifer Rising
[no label 1CD]

Considered as avant garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger's most elaborate film, Lucifer Rising (1970-1980, 28 mins) takes place at various historically "magic" spots in Egypt, England and Germany. On screen, the odd rock-tinged soundtrack pulls viewers through a series of obsessively staged and hauntingly realized ceremonies, movements and rituals.

Originally Led Zeppelin guitarist and leader Jimmy Page was to compose the score. Page had been working on the score for three years (since 1973) and delivered 28 minutes of completed tape. However, Anger fired Page for time-wasting and a lack of dedication to the project, and claimed that Page's personal problems had made him impossible to work with. Eventually, musician Bobby Beausoleil, a member of the Manson family, was commissioned to complete the soundtrack.

Page and Anger first met at Sotheby's, at an auction of boots by the English Occultist/Magician Aleister Crowley. Both Page and Anger are students of Crowley's teachings. Anger is a practicing Magus (a priest/magician) and his films, of which Scorpio Rising is perhaps the best known - are replete with occult symbolism. Anger himself describes them as "Spells and Invocations."

Page has often expressed interest in the teachings of Crowley. He owns the second largest collection of Crowley's books in the world, and one of his three houses is Crowley's former residence at Boleskine on the shores of Loch Ness.

The Page material was released on a soundtrack album of uncertain legitimacy on the label Boleskine House Records on June 19, 1987. The blue vinyl disc contains 23 minutes of soundtrack music Page provided for the movie but was dropped from the final release. (Page played electric guitar, guitar synthesizer and the theremin.) The all instrumental soundtrack was originally recorded by Page between November 1973 and 1974. As far as we can ascertain, this material has not been officially released and continues to be shared among Zeppelin connoisseurs.

Here is the MP3 of the 22-minute version. This track is no longer available for download.

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