Harold Budd (born May 24, 1936 - December 7, 2020) was an American ambient/avant-garde composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles, he was raised in the Mojave Desert.
His discography consists of fifteen studio albums, one EP, three live albums, three soundtrack albums and several collaborations with other artists. His first recording The Oak of the Golden Dreams / Coeur D'Orr was released in 1971, but subsequently Budd didn't release anything until Brian Eno released The Pavilion of Dreams on his Obscure Records label in 1978. Since then he has been a prolific recording artist.
Eno produced his second album The Pavilion of Dreams and they worked together in collaboration on Ambient 2:The Plateaux of Mirror in 1980 and followed it in 1984 with The Pearl. In 1986 he worked with Cocteau Twins on The Moon and the Melodies, and subsequently he has worked frequently with Robin Guthrie on several albums including soundtracks to the films Mysterious Skin and White Bird in a Blizzard. Other frequent collaborators include Hector Zazou, John Foxx and Clive Wright amongst others.
This article contains information related to his recordings.
Studio albums YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes1971The Oak of the Golden Dreams / Coeur D'OrrAdvance RecordingsFGR 161978The Pavilion of DreamsE.G.EGS 301Produced by Brian Eno1981The Serpent (In Quicksilver)Cantil181Reissued with Abandoned Cities by Opal Records (1989)1984Abandoned CitiesCantil384Reissued with The Serpent (In Quicksilver) by Opal Records (1989)1986Lovely ThunderE.G.EGED 46Produced by Michael Hoenig, released December 1, 19861988The White ArcadesOpal9 25766-2Produced by Brian EnoSeptember 1, 1988The Real Dream of SailsProduced by Brian Eno1991By the Dawn's Early LightOpal9 26649-2With Bill Nelson Reissued in 1996 by All Saints Records1996LuxaAll Saints RecordsASCD30Released September 1, 19962000The RoomAtlantic7567-83382-2Released: August 15, 20002003La Bella VistaShout FactoryDK 30373Released: October 7. 20032004Avalon Sutra / As Long as I Can Hold My Breath Samadhi SoundSound CD SS004Produced by Harold BuddReleased: January 18, 20052011In The MistDarlaDRL248Released: September 27, 20112012Bandits of StatureDarlaDRL262Released: November 27, 20122013Jane 1-11DarlaDRL281Released: June 4, 20132014Jane 12-21DarlaDRL289Released: September 9, 2014
Live albums YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes1994She is a PhantomNew AlbionNA066CDWith Zeitgeist Recorded live at Westminster Church, Minneapolis, November 20, 19931995AguaSineSIN003Live at the Lanzarote Music Festival, December 19892007PerhapsSamadhi SoundSOUND-DL 001Recorded live at California Institute of Arts December 8, 2006 Released: February 9, 2007
Compilation albums YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes1987Myths 3: La Nouvelle SérenitéSub RosaSUB 33003-5With Gavin Bryars & Jon Hassell Track No. 2 "Cartago Sand Dancing" and No. 3 "Strange Thunder"1988Music for Films IIIOpal9 25769-2Brian Eno's Music for Films series (Track No. 5 "Balthus Bemused by Color") Reissued in 1992 by All Saints Records1989The Serpent (In Quicksilver) / Abandoned CitiesOpal9 26025-2Released: September 19, 1989Reissued by All Saints Records (2005)1997Unlimited AmbientGruppo Futura(None)With Nicola Alesini & Pier Luigi Andreoni - track No. 5 "The Valley of Pamir" With Daniel Lentz and Jessica Karraker - track No. 8 "Beyond This Veil", No. 10 "Interlude 6" and No. 15 "Begin Then Not Know (Reprise)"1998Fenceless Night: Selections for Cinema 1980-1998PolygramPMP 018Promotional sampler containing a selection of Budd's work, including solo works and collaborations with Brian Eno, Hector Zazou, Cocteau Twins, Andy Partridge and Daniel Lanois2006Compounds + ElementsAll Saints RecordsHNCD 1510Released: February 21, 2006All Saints Records sampler containing several tracks by Budd2013Budd Box SamplerAll Saints RecordsWASTBOX1PROMOPromotional sampler containing a 15 track selection of Budd's work for the 7 CD box2013Budd BoxAll Saints RecordsWASTBOX1Released: December 9, 2013 7 CD box set in a white box containing The Serpent (In Quicksilver), Abandoned Cities, The White Arcades, By The Dawn's Early Light, Music For 3 Pianos, Through The Hill, Luxa2018Budd BoxAll Saints RecordsWASTBOX1XReleased: April 18, 2018 6 CD box set (black box, 2nd edition) containing The Serpent (In Quicksilver), Abandoned Cities, The White Arcades, By The Dawn's Early Light, Music For 3 Pianos, Luxa
EPs YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes1981The Serpent (in Quicksilver)Cantil181Also released in 1982 by Les Disques Du Crepuscule, BelgiumReissued with Abandoned Cities by Opal Records (1989)
Soundtracks YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes2005Mysterious Skin - Music from the FilmCommotionCR008Released: May 24, 2005With Robin Guthrie2014White Bird in a BlizzardLakeshoreLKS344142Released: September 23, 2014With Robin Guthrie2020I Know This Much Is True (Music From The HBO Series)All Saints RecordsWAST062DLReleased: Jun 13, 2020
Collaborative albums YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes1980Ambient 2: The Plateaux of MirrorE.G.EGAMB 002With Brian Eno1984The PearlE.G.EGED 37With Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois1986The Moon and the Melodies4ADCAD 611With Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser1991Music for 3 Pianos EPAll Saints RecordsASCD14Released: January 1, 1991With Daniel Lentz & Ruben Garcia1994Through the HillAll Saints RecordsASCD21Released: July 8, 1994With Andy Partridge1995GlyphMade To MeasureMTM 37Released: December 12, 1995With Hector Zazou1996Glyph Remixes EPSSRSSR 163Released: June 17, 1996With Hector Zazou1998Walk Into My Voice: American Beat PoetryMateriali SonoriMASO CD 90085With Daniel Lentz & Jessica Karraker2002Jah Wobble's Solaris - Live In Concert30 Hertz Records30HZCD18Released: July 27, 2002With Jah Wobble, Graham Haynes, Jaki Liebezeit & Bill LaswellThree White Roses and a Budd EPTwentythree RecordsT 016Released: August 27, 2002With Fila Brazillia and Bill Nelson2003Translucence/Drift MusicEdselMEDCD 727Released: August 26, 2003With John Foxx2005Music for 'Fragments from the Inside'Sub RosaSR239Recorded live at Palazzo Delle Papesse (Siena, Italy) June 26, 2003 Released: May 17, 2005With Eraldo Bernocchi2007After the Night FallsDarlaDRL182Released: July 16, 2007With Robin GuthrieBefore the Day BreaksDarlaDRL183Released: July 16, 2007With Robin Guthrie2008A Song for Lost BlossomsDarlaDRL198Released: October 7, 2008With Clive Wright2009CandylionDarlaDRL221Released: May 26, 2009With Clive Wright2010Little WindowsDarlaDRL 234Released: June 8, 2010With Clive Wright2011BordeauxDarlaDRL244Released: February 7, 2011With Robin GuthrieNighthawks, Translucence and Drift MusicEdselEDSX3011Released: June 27, 2011With John Foxx and Ruben Garcia (on Nighthawks)Winter GardenRareNoiseRecordsRNR021Released: November 29, 2011 With Eraldo Bernocchi and Robin Guthrie2013Jane 1-11DarlaDRL287CD+DVD with video accompaniment to each album track by visual artist Jane Maru2015NighthawksMetamaticMETA55CDReleased: July 4, 2015With John Foxx and Ruben GarciaThe Little GlassAkira Rabelais(None)Released: December 3, 2015With Akira Rabelais2020Another FlowerDarlaDRL360Recorded in Brittany in 2013 Released: December 4, 2020With Robin Guthrie
Guest appearances YearTitleLabelCatalogue numberNotes1975VistaImpulseASD 9304With Marion BrownCeleste and gong on track No. 5 (also composition of track)2009No Line On The HorizonMercury1796037Released: February 27, 2009With U2 Instrumentation on track No. 11 "Cedars of Lebanon"
Production YearArtistAlbumNotes1981Gene BowenBourgeois MagneticProduction and instrumentation
Ephemera The indie rock band Rothko has a song titled "Harold Budd" on their album In the Pulse of An Artery (which uses a sample from Budd's "Boy About 10" from his album By the Dawn's Early Light.) Harold Budd and Eugene Bowen contributed the track "Wonder's Edge" to the Cold Blue label compilation. The Harold Budd track "Balthus Bemused By Colour" from his album The White Arcades is included as part of the 70 Minutes of Madness DJ mix by Coldcut. On saxophonist Marion Brown's 1975 album Vista, Harold Budd plays celeste and gong on the track "Bismillahi 'Rrahmani 'Rrahim", a shorter version of the same composition on Budd's 1978 album The Pavilion of Dreams (which also includes Marion Brown as saxophone soloist). In 1961, while in the military, Harold Budd briefly played drums in an Army band with legendary avant-garde saxophonist Albert Ayler. The track "Subtext" from Budd's album Translucence with John Foxx features in the film Inside I'm Dancing (Momentum Pictures, June 2004)
See also Electronic music Experimental music List of ambient music artists
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