Peter Gabriel 
Passion and Passion Sources
Music for The Last Temptation of Christ

Passion is in actuality Peter Gabriel's soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ, retitled as a result of legal barriers; regardless of its name, however, there's no mistaking the record's stirring power. Like much of Gabriel's solo work, the album is a product of his continuing fascination with world music, which he employs here to create an exceptionally beautiful and atmospheric tapestry of sound perfectly evocative of the film's resonant spiritual drama; inspired by field recordings collected in areas as diverse as Turkey, Senegal, and Egypt, Passion achieves a cumulative effect clearly Middle Eastern in origin, yet its brilliant fusion of ancient and modern musics ultimately transcends both geography and time. Remarkably dramatic, even visual, it is not only Gabriel's best film work but deserving of serious consideration as his finest music of any kind; equally worthwhile is Passion -- Sources, which assembles the original native recordings which served as his creative launching pad.
Review by Jason Ankeny - Source: allmusic

      

Peter Gabriel's score for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, released as the album Passion, was a fair introduction to world music forms for the complete novice, as the music was filtered through Gabriel's more accessible western pop sensibility. The far superior Passion - Sources (the first release on Gabriel's incipient Real World label) presents the original performances that inspired Gabriel's music, and as such is both a handy second step for those intrigued by the soundtrack and an entertaining collection for the more experienced world music fan. Due to the physical location and spiritual themes of the film, Gabriel's source material focuses on the Middle East, northern Africa, and southern Asia and incorporates much religious and ceremonial music. Strict purists have balked about this collection, as it includes one fairly dire piece of Indian pop music by Shankar & the Epidemics, shortens some tracks (most unfortunately, a spine-tingling performance by the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, cut from over 11 minutes to not quite five), and overdubs some of Gabriel's musical associates onto others, like Manu Katche's somewhat distracting percussion overdubs on an otherwise enchanting Moroccan wedding song. For most listeners, however, these will be only minor annoyances, and there are plenty of "purer" representations of these musics available. Passion - Sources is in most ways an exemplary collection that did much to launch Real World as one of the most viable high-profile world music labels in the world.

Review by Stewart Mason  -  Source: allmusic