Artist: Bauhaus
Title: 1979 - 1983
Format: Double LP
Label: Beggars Banquet
Catalogue Number: BEGA 64
Year of Release: 1985
Ltd Edition Number 4843
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| Tracklisting A1 Double Dare (4:55) A2 In The Flat Field (4:49) A3 Dark Entries (3:51) A4 Stigmata Martyr (3:41) A5 Bela Lugosi’s Dead (9:37) B1 Telegram Sam (2:10) B2 St. Vitus Dance (3:30) B3 Spy In The Cab (4:31) B4 Terror Couple Kill Colonel (4:26) B5 Passion Of Lovers (3:51) B6 Mask (4:34) |
C1 Kick In The Eye (3:31) C2 Hollow Hills (4:47) C3 In Fear Of Fear (2:57) C4 Ziggy Stardust (3:13) C5 Silent Hedges (3:09) C6 Lagartija Nick (3:06) D1 Third Uncle (4:14) D2 Spirit (3:38) D3 All We Ever Wanted* (3:49) D4 She’s In Parties (3:45) D5 Sanity Assassin (4:05) D6 Crowds (3:09) |
That's a lot of Bauhaus. I was going to say 'an awful lot of Bauhaus', but don't want to prejudice your opinion of this. It's just that, like the Abba Box Set, there's a lot to get through, and I think compilations of singles tend to sap the energy of the listener, as singles are a different beast from albums.
With that in mind I listened to one side every few days, and as the compilation is roughly chronological, got a better feel for the developing sound of the band, and with closer listens than in my proto-goth youth, a better appreciation of the lyrics and comedy therein.
What I didn't get though, was any feeling that I might listen to this much in future, as the overwhelming bombast of Spy in the Cab or Passion of Lovers is just a bit much. I realise that complaining that gothic rock is needlessly melodramatic is a bit like complaining the musical you just saw was a bit song-based, or the Pope a bit Catholic, but that's how it felt.
Highlights from the first side are the sneery In the Flat Field - a song that rails against being brought up in a boring town - and Stigmata Martyr, which was just plain fun. The live version of Bela though, was disappointing, nowhere near as interesting as the single version (reviewed here).
Side Two's cover of Telegram Sam speeds up T-Rex's original, and gives a punk clarity to it which was enjoyable. Things go a bit Ultravox on Spy in the Cab with slow drums and simple synth lines, but the build up to noisy ending was good. Terror Couple Kill Colonel is essentially the same song, slightly faster. Passion of Lovers is proper goth, the song principally consisting of the lines "The passion of lovers is for death said she/The passion of lovers is for death". The Mask takes things a bit too far though, odd chanting over military drumming, and some harpsichord weirdness.
Kick in the Eye starts side three in a slap-bass-tastic fashion, and wearing its Bowie influence heavily. This is also the side that their cover version of Ziggy Stardust appears on. Once again they've managed to improve on the original. But then again, my opinion is that David Bowie is one of the most over-rated singer-songwriters of all time, so I'm not saying much. It sounds like Suede in fact.
The new keyboard was obviously delivered to the studio during the sessions for In Fear of Fear, and every button was duly pressed and incorporated. It was probably cutting edge at the time. Both Hollow Hills and Silent Hedges reminded me of the band Suicidal Flowers, and if that doesn't have you running for the hills I don't know what will.
They kind of do the cover version thing again with Brian Eno's Third Uncle. The original's guitars are a bit more bonkers, and Daniel Ash puts a solo on the Bauhaus version, but it's the change in vocals that improves it, adding a layer and backing vocals to emphasise the last word in each line towards the end. In fact, it is on the opener to the final side that I see the Bauhaus style truly coming together, and the flaw in some of the other songs. They have very repetitive basslines and drums, mostly repetitive guitar with flashes of great playing, and they rely too heavily on the vocals to provide the majority of interest, and in this they mostly fail.
All We Ever Wanted is a nice contrast, mostly acoustic (the acoustic bass is terribly played though). Sounds like Simple Minds and contains the line, "Get up, eat jelly" for which it shall be applauded.
Towards the end of their original time together, where they've had some hit singles and decent album sales, you can tell they're running out of song ideas. Spirit, She's in Parties and Crowds are all about the problems of fame. And like an author writing a novel about an author struggling to write a novel, songs about how "hard" it is to be famous are rarely interesting or entertaining. Are they supposed to elicit sympathy? Don't like being in a popular band? Do something else then, stop moaning.
Here's a quote from Crowds:
For you I came to forsake
Lay wide despise and hate
I sing of you in my demented songs
For you and your stimulations
Take what you can of me
Rip what you can off me
And this I'll say to you
And hope that it gets through
And it finishes:
And I'll walk away
Walk away (repeat)
And I thought, fair enough, after that they did indeed walk away. But they came back when the money was right.
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The first 50,000 were numbered, and came with this four page booklet:
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*Note: The tracklisting as printed on the rear of the sleeve lists She's in Parties as track three of side D. This is incorrect.
