| Torch of the Mystics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Recorded | July 1988 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:48 | |||
| Label | Majora Tupelo (re-issue) | |||
| Producer | Sun City Girls | |||
| Sun City Girls chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork | 9.0/10 [2] |
Torch of the Mystics is the fourth studio album by American experimental rock band Sun City Girls. [3] The 1990 LP cover released on Majora differs from the 1993 CD reissue by Tupelo.
Most of the album was recorded on an 8-track at a home in Tempe, Arizona in 1988. The band took much of their inspiration from Alan Bishop's field recordings. [4]
Torch of the Mystics was originally issued by Majora Records solely on vinyl format in 1990. However, due to its compressed and tinny sounding production, the album was remastered and re-released by Tupelo Records in 1993. [5]
Noting its "swirling, psychedelic ethnic forgeries that will make Can fans renounce post- Landed Kraut Rock wax", Byron Coley wrote in Spin that the album "is easily the richest, lumpiest puddle of guh they've yet emitted." [6]
Since its release, the album has received critical acclaim from websites such as Allmusic and Pitchfork.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blue Mamba" | 3:06 |
| 2. | "Tarmac 23" | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Esoterica of Abyssynia" | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Space Prophet Dogon" | 7:02 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Shining Path" | 2:56 |
| 2. | "The Flower" | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Cafe Batik" | 2:41 |
| 4. | "Radar 1941" | 2:44 |
| 5. | "Papa Legba" | 2:42 |
| 6. | "The Vinegar Stroke" | 1:53 |
| 7. | "Burial in the Sky" | 3:48 |
The song "The Shining Path" is cover of the Bolivian song "Llorando se fue," recorded by Los Kjarkas in 1981.
Adapted from the Torch of the Mystics liner notes. [7]
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1990 | Majora | LP | 5-23102 |
| 1993 | Tupelo Recording Company | CD | TUP44 | |
| 2015 | Abduction | CD | ABDT 055 |
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