''Dark Was the Night'' is the twentieth compilation release benefiting the
Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for
HIV
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
and
AIDS. Featuring exclusive recordings by a number of
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
artists and production by
Aaron and Bryce Dessner
The National is an American rock band of Cincinnati, Ohio natives, formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, ...
of
The National, the compilation was released on 16 February 2009 (UK) and 17 February (US) as a double CD, three vinyl LPs, and as a
digital download.
John Carlin, the founder of the Red Hot Organization, was the
executive producer for the album. The title is derived from the
Blind Willie Johnson song "
Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
"Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground"Because documentation is scarce in early recordings, the title of the song appears differently in many sources. It is often called "Dark Was the Night" or punctuated as "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Gr ...
", which is covered on this collection by the
Kronos Quartet
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...
.
John Carlin and Aaron Dessner approached Martin Mills and Richard Russell of
Beggars Group
Beggars Group is a British record company that owns or distributes several other labels, including 4AD, Rough Trade Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Young.
History
The companies’ roots stem from the Beggars Banquet record shops, whi ...
with the idea for the album. Their selection of artists to include was an attempt to "capture this musical renaissance, which may not have the cultural impact of grunge or punk, but is equally significant from a cultural and creative standpoint...these artists are not fringe or marginal."
The American folk roots of the compilation are acknowledged in the title and exemplified by tracks such as the cover of Bob Dylan's "I Was Young When I Left Home". Production of the album was focused on supporting the Red Hot Organization, as Dessner says "a lot of the artists wouldn't take the money...Beggars agreed to be really transparent about how it's done, so as much money flows to the charity side as possible."
As of May 2012, ''Dark Was the Night'' has raised over $1.6 million, a sum that represents all the profits from worldwide sales. John Carlin acknowledged the reason for the album's success, saying "''Dark Was the Night'' encapsulated the spirit and creativity of a new generation of musicians whose work struck a chord and got people to actually purchase the album and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight AIDS."
On May 3, 2009 4AD and
Red Hot produced Dark Was the Night — Live, a concert commemorating the newest Red Hot album. The show took place at
Radio City Music Hall and featured several of the artists that contributed to the compilation including
Dave Sitek
David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Beady E ...
,
Dirty Projectors
Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The ...
,
Feist,
My Brightest Diamond
My Brightest Diamond is the project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Shara Nova. The band has released five studio albums and a remix album, five studio EPs and four remix EPs, and made several tours across the United States.
Histo ...
,
The National,
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the firs ...
plus more.
Track listing
CD and digital track listing
* "Play the Game" (
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
) by
Beach House
Beach House is an American musical duo formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. The band consists of Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Alex Scally (guitar, keyboard, backing vocals).
Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006 t ...
was additionally released as an
iTunes only bonus track as the fifteenth track on "That Disc".
* A misprint in the track listing on the CD case lists Cat Power's "Amazing Grace" as track 10, and Stuart Murdoch's "Another Saturday" as track 12. The booklet has the correct order.
Vinyl track listing
Side one
# "Knotty Pine" – Dirty Projectors and David Byrne
# "Cello Song" – The Books and José González
# "Train Song" – Feist and Ben Gibbard
# "Brackett, WI" – Bon Iver
# "Deep Blue Sea" – Grizzly Bear
Side two
# "So Far Around the Bend" – The National
# "Tightrope" – Yeasayer
# "Feeling Good" – My Brightest Diamond
# "Dark Was the Night" – Kronos Quartet
# "I Was Young When I Left Home" – Antony + Bryce Dessner
# "Big Red Machine" – Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner
Side three
# "Well-Alright" – Spoon
# "Lenin" – Arcade Fire
# "Mimizan" – Beirut
# "El Caporal" – My Morning Jacket
# "Inspiration Information" – Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
# "With a Girl Like You" – Dave Sitek
Side four
# "You Are the Blood" – Sufjan Stevens
# "Blood Pt. 2" – Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
# "Hey, Snow White" – The New Pornographers
# "Gentle Hour" – Yo La Tengo
# "Die" – Iron and Wine
Side five
# "Service Bell" – Grizzly Bear and Feist
# "Sleepless" – The Decemberists
# "Happiness" – Riceboy Sleeps
# "Amazing Grace" – Cat Power and Dirt Delta Blues
Side six
# "Another Saturday" – Stuart Murdoch
# "The Giant of Illinois" – Andrew Bird
# "Lua" – Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch
# "When the Road Runs Out" – Blonde Redhead and Devastations
# "Love vs. Porn" – Kevin Drew
Singles
Additionally, a
double A-side 7" single was released to promote the compilation:
* ''Dark Was the Night: Songs from the Upcoming Red Hot Compilation''
** 2 February 2009; 4AD AD 2834
*# "Knotty Pine" – Dirty Projectors and David Byrne – 2:23
*# "So Far Around the Bend" – The National – 3:43
References
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Was The Night
Red Hot Organization albums
2009 compilation albums
4AD compilation albums
Charity albums
Albums produced by Aaron Dessner