A Head Full of Wishes is a site for Galaxie 500, Luna, Damon & Naomi, Dean & Britta and Dean Wareham. With news, articles and lists of releases and past and future shows.
My record collection
[246] Ptolemaic Terrascope benefit ep. 'Terrastock'
This lovely EP was released to raise funds for Ptolemaic Terrascope ahead of the first Terrastock festival in Providence in April 1997.
As well as Damon & Naomi’s 14 Auspicious Dreams it also has tracks by The Bevis Frond, Silver Apples and Flying Saucer Attack.
Damon & Naomi’s track was co-written with the late Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine and I assume that the title refers to the Fourteen Auspicious Dreams of Trishala, the mother of Mahavira, in the Indian religion of Jainism. Naomi’s lyrics are a little difficult to decipher, and my knowledge of Jainism, and Trishala’s dreams are garnered from Wikipedia and this page which describes each of the dreams, so I’m not sure how much of the religious symbolism made it into the song - it certainly seems to be very spiritual, if not directly religious… and it’s very, very beautiful.
Naomi does use her sruti box on the song, so it does have some appropriate instrumentation (although, on second thoughts that might be her harmonium). I do seem to particularly love the songs where she plays the sruti, or her harmonium - see also Spirit of Love.
Oddly this track never made it onto the Spirit of Love digital release of Damon & Naomi rarities so, as far as I’m aware, the only place you can get 14 Auspicious Dreams is on a 7” single that was limited to 500 copies.
Hugh Hopper wrote Memories, that Damon & Naomi covered on their first album More Sad Hits, Hugh died in June 2009.
- Catalogue Number: 11/027
- Artist: Various artists
- Title: Ptolemaic Terrascope benefit ep. ‘Terrastock’ April 25-27 1997
- Packaging: wrap around sleeve with transparent paper overlay
- Format: 7” single
Previously in my record collection: