Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture Dead Man: A Film By Jim Jarmusch

Dead Man is the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch's film of the same name. It features 13 connected, untitled instrumental tracks performed solo by Neil Young, along with dialogue from the film and selections of William Blake's poetry read by Johnny Depp. Personnel includes: Neil Young (acoustic & electric guitars, piano, pump organ); Johnny Depp (spoken vocals). Recorded at Mason St. Studios, San Francisco, California. Includes liner notes by Jim Jarmusch and poetry by William Blake. During the writing and shooting of Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, a surreal spiritual journey through the old West starring Johnny Depp, he listened continually to the music of Neil Young, dreaming of tapping the artist to provide the film's soundtrack. Fate smiled on Jarmusch (and the rest of us) when Young agreed. Performing solo, Young recorded a series of moody, introspective instrumental pieces for the film, centered mostly around his distinctive electric guitar sound, but also utilizing pump organ and piano. The music evokes the hazy, unreal atmosphere of the film, as Dead Man’s examination of the essential strangeness of nature is a longtime Young theme. Bits of dialogue from the film are interspersed throughout, but are poetic enough to enchance, rather than interrupt, the flow.