Dead Can Dance (1981–1998) (2001) is four-disc box set, containing three CDs of music spanning Dead Can Dance's career and a DVD of their 1994 video release Toward the Within.
While most of the tracks are taken from previously released albums, this set contains a large number of rarities as well. "Frontier (Demo)" and "The Protagonist" were originally released on the 1987 4AD compilation Lonely Is an Eyesore. "Labour of Love," "Ocean," "Orion," and "Threshold" were recorded for the John Peel Show in 1983. In 1984, a follow-up Peel Session produced the version of "Carnival of Light" contained in this set. "Sloth (Radio)" was recorded for radio and a studio version was later released on Brendan Perry's solo album Eye of the Hunter. "Bylar" is taken from a live performance recorded for the Echoes public radio show at the Keswick Theater, Glenside, PA, USA. It was originally a Lisa Gerrard and Robert Perry (Brendan's brother) composition that appeared on The Echoes Living Room Concerts Volume 2, released 1996, recorded at the TLA Theater in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Personnel:
Richard Avison – Trombone
Tony Ayres – Tympani [Timpani]
John Bonnar – Percussion, Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals, Viol
Charlie Bouis – Assistant Engineer
Pieter Bourke – Percussion, Keyboards
Sarah Buckley – Viola
Guy Charbonneau – Engineer, Mixing
Andrew Claxton – Tuba, Keyboards, Trombone (Bass)
Martin Colley – Engineer
Carolyn Costin – Violin
Dead Can Dance – Arranger, Producer
John Dent – Mastering
Paul Erikson -Bass
Dimitri Ehrlich – Interviewer
Gus Ferguson – Cello
Tony Gamage – Cello, Violoncello
Piero Gasparini – Viola
Lisa Gerrard – Percussion, Vocals, Instrumentation, Yang Chin
Joe Gillingham – Engineer
Dale Buffin Griffin – Producer
Alison Harling – Violin
Lance Hogan – Guitar, Percussion, Guitar (Bass)
Simon Hogg – Trombone
Andrew Hutton – Soprano (Vocal)
Rebecca Jackson – Violin
Paskaal Japhet – Percussion
Kenny Jones – Engineer
Martin McGarrick – Cello
Jason Mitchell – Mastering
Rónán Ó Snodaigh – Percussion, Vocals
Brendan Perry – Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, Hurdygurdy, Instrumentation
Robert C. Perry – Bouzouki, Percussion, Woodwind, Uillean Pipes
James Pinker – Percussion, Tympani [Timpani]
Renaud Pion – Turkish Clarinet
John A. Rivers – Producer, Mastering
Andrew Robinson – Violin
Anne Robinson – Violin
Emlyn Singleton – Violin
John Singleton – Trombone
Peter Ulrich – Percussion, Drums, Tympani [Timpani], Drums (Snare)
Ruth Watson – Oboe
Scott Rodger - Bass
John Willet – Translation
Graham Wood – Design, Photography