Bauhaus – In The Flat Field (1980) [CLASSIC REVIEWS]

 

One of the strongest debut albums ever released? Me votes! I want to start by telling how I first heard this band and bla bla bla but what does it matter how or when I came across these masterminds. What IS important though is that after reading to this 2 or 3 pages of junk (junk is attractive believe it or not) I might be successful in bending you to listen to this record.

Although Bauhaus is popularly believed to be a proto-goth band, I personally think they have a lot common with experimental music and art rock. Having said that, this album is their most gothic release to date and one which I adore the most.

“Dark Entries” as the opening track could not have been an accident. In many ways, it does set the tone for the rest of the album: Murphy’s weird, flat chants and yelps set against the unsettling backdrop of guitar feedback and squeals, heavy bass, and marching band drumbeats. Say what you want about Bauhaus and their frequent pretentiousness: they were fucking COOL.

After the pummeling beats of “Dark Entries,” the next song, “Double Dare” almost seems leaden, like some ridiculous version of an old Black Sabbath tune. It all sounds atonal and unhinged; something that would certainly drive parents crazy. Murphy ramps up the crazy vocal acrobatics and there’s scarcely a chorus in sight. (This style would later reach its apex in the almost-unlistenable “Swing the Heartache” from 1982′s The Sky’s Gone Out.)

Both David J’s bass and Kevin Haskins’ drumming are just fantastic on “In the Flat Field,” like some kind of controlled, bubbling cauldron. (Although I didn’t consciously realize it at first, Haskins’ style is awfully similar to the “Burundi Beat” drumming of Adam and the Ants, who I genuinely adore). Here we are also introduced to Murphy’s terrifically ludicrous, nonsensical lyrics: Yin and Yang lumber punch/Go taste a tart, then eat my lunch. What the eff, dude. Still, it sounds really good.

It puzzles me that “God In An Alcove” didn’t make it onto 1979 – 1983 as it’s definitely one of Bauhaus’s best songs, both lyrically and in terms of Daniel Ash’s guitar playing. (Okay, maybe the “Now I am silly” bit is a bit . . . silly.)

Damn it if “Dive” doesn’t full on rock, as much as a band like Bauhaus could rock, with cacophonous saxophone courtesy of Daniel Ash (and lyrics not unlike Duran Duran’s “Late Bar” from their own debut album). I’m also particularly enamored of “Spy in the Cab” with its squelchy, squirt-y keyboard flourishes and flair for espionage. Here Murphy actually sings instead of screaming. The ending vocalizations must have influenced a very young Brian Warner a.k.a. Marilyn Manson.

“Small Talk Stinks” is next, and the title says it all. You can also hear David J. on vocals. To me, this is an archetypal Bauhaus song, the kind that separates the casual fan from the hardcore one.

I must have listened to the radio broadcast of “St. Vitus Dance” dozens of times a year before I heard the record, desperately trying to discern what the hell Peter Murphy was singing. The Jew’s-harp-style keyboards fascinated me to no end, as did Murphy’s ability to shriek like a crazed banshee at the end. (The TeamRock radio RJ who played this called it “St. Vitrus Dance,” which still makes me laugh.)

Still, in terms of sheer self-indulgent lunacy, nothing can top “Stigmata Martyr.” David J’s low, insistent bass, which would later come to comprise most of the post-Bauhaus project Tones on Tail, is omnipresent. As a recovering Catholic and someone who simultaneously adored and was terrified of The Exorcist (I had to search this trivia though), it was impossible not to be totally enthralled by Daniel Ash’s outlandish guitar feedback and Murphy’s Latin chanting.

The album ends with the seven-minute-plus “Nerves,” featuring more of that rolling Haskins drumbeat offset by plinky, out of place piano. There is also something completely satisfying about Peter Murphy’s voice here.

Although I had more than one argument with people back in the day over whether or not Bauhaus sucked or was truly awesome, I like them, even though in retrospect, I admit that the arguments of pretentiousness are not without some merit.

 

– Shams Uz Zuha

King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) [CLASSIC REVIEWS]

God listened to “In the Court of the Crimson King” and saw that it was good. God divided Progressive Rock from the rest of the music.

I can’t find other words to describe the first hundred percent Progressive Rock album. There are times in life where certain events change one forever, be it a great love, the birth of a child, etc. While my turning point was not as epic as the birth of one’s child, I hold it just as important in this moment in time. That turning point, that great event was listening to “In the Court of the Crimson King” for the first time. Sadly King Crimson (in my humble opinion of course) never released any album that could even be near in quality or imagination to “In The Court of the Crimson King”, but in their defense it was not an easy task.

“21st Century Schizoid Man (Including Mirrors)” is an absolutely frantic song, seems chaotic but it’s perfect, the band expresses a sensation of frustration and anger that is transmitted to the listener, has abrupt changes, complex instrumentation and innovative sound, just what Progressive Rock means, brilliant.

“Talk to the Wind” is precisely the other side of the coin, starts with a soft flute by Ian McDonald and soon melts with Greg Lake’s beautiful voice, seems simple, only a soft ballad, but it’s more than that, mostly because of the way they combine the instruments, in a way that only some jazz virtuoso musicians did before.

“Epitaph” is a darker song with very obscure pessimistic lyrics, Lake’s voice adapts perfectly to Fripp’s guitar and the melancholic mellotron, a very atmospheric style that would be developed later by Gabriel’s Genesis. Some people believe it’s a sad ballad, but really is a very complex track that combines different rhythms and timing, also take note of the percussions which is brilliant.

“Moonchild” is the more jazz oriented track despite it keeps the Symphonic structure, starts calm and mellow with a very defined rhythm and an a unique guitar work, in the first listen you can get the impression that we are before another tune in the vein of “I Talk to the Wind”, but around the 3 minutes the fusion begins, nothing so complex and lack of logical structure had been done before, almost as if the band was in a jam session McDonald and Fripp are outstanding in this song.

“In the Court of the Crimson King, including The Return of the Fire Witch and the Dance of the Puppets” is an absolute masterpiece, lyrics are incredibly descriptive and combine perfectly with the music creating the medieval atmosphere, this song has everything, beauty, rhythm, complexity and lots of imagination, words are not capable of describing it, the perfect closer for a perfect album.

The great achievement of King Crimson is that in their debut release they managed to create an album that has 5 absolutely different songs that show 5 different aspects of prog rock: aggression, calm, darkness, fusion and the “closer” that blends all this aspects and more in a 9:22 minutes track.

Many bands released progressive or semi-progressive albums before, some of them are outstanding, but no other work can define the genre and set the status so high as” In the Court of the Crimson King”, the path is ready for other bands to follow, but what a job to reach the level of this masterpiece.

Whenever there is a discussion about Progressive Rock, people start mentioning bands like Pink Floyd, or even The Doors sometimes. I’ve seldom heard people talking about the great Crimson. A shame really.This whole album is an emotional roller coaster. It goes from frustrated, crazy, and angry to content and happy, from happy, to tormented and sad, and from that, to dreams and awe. This album has everything you need to make this a good album. You have all of the base human emotions, good music composition, talented musicians, and creative lyrics and structure. Forget Progressive Rock, if you like music in general… just, just listen to this.

Camel – Mirage (1972) [CLASSIC REVIEWS]

Shams, who wrote a great review of Joy Division’s debut album, returns once again with a classic review of Camel’s groundbreaking progressive rock album – Mirage.

People my age in my country are usually broke. And I am no exception. So what do I do when I like music? As much as I hate it, I download it. So one day I’m watching this DVD which I too downloaded by not so obscure band which might be called Opeth. And before performing, he calls one of my favorite tracks by them a Camel rip-off. So now obviously I NEED to listen to this band. Mirage was luckily the first Camel album that I heard.

This is the CAMELshair smoking jacket I slip into most often, well worn over the ages and sculpted to my musical temperament like a certain pair of jeans in need of a patch. The band had obviously settled on what sort of music they wanted to make with “Mirage“, and it’s palpably progressive at every turn, shrouded in a magical mist that falls and rises with the needle. The sleepy vocals, carried on the winds of a magnificent mellotron and buttressed by the bass and drums, conjure a waking dream-state that few albums can match. This (Mirage) first takes the form of “Freefall,” whose seductive sirens call simply smokes, followed by the instrumental “Supertwister”, featuring Andy Latimer’s heretofore unheard (and otherworldly) flute playing. It’s all leading up to the two-part “Nimrodel”, a transcendent retelling of GANDALF’s reappearance as the white wizard that remains my favorite journey in all of CAMELogue.

For this heroic feat alone, CAMEL could count itself minstrel-kissed through the ages. “Earthrise” shakes off some of that sleepy, far-off land with a sweaty workout that finds Pete Bardens’ brilliant organ working overtime while Andy Ward attacks his kit with unrelenting energy. The three-part “Lady Fantasy” would seem to continue in this vein, but soon slides effortlessly into a mesmerizing melody spiced with keyboard commentary from Bardens that beats down The Doors hallowed path. If I were assembling the Gods in order, a task best left to presumptive chess players, “Mirage” would appear near the head of the receiving line for progressive initiates.

The entire album bespeaks what’s best about the genre: a self-sustaining musical world where fantasy is the reality and the strings of man remain unseen. CAMEL provides a different ride than the great carriages of the immortals (Yes, Genesis), using softer strokes in lieu of striking genius, but “Mirage” is no mere illusion of prog heaven, it’s the genuine article. So climb aboard and strap yourself in for a ride you won’t soon forget.

– Shams us Zuha

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (1979) [CLASSIC REVIEWS]

We have guest writers doing classic reviews from time to time. This time around, Shams Us Zuha from Lahore decides to review Joy Division’s classic debut album.

I’ve been a big follower of Steven Wilson, well known as the frontman of the prog rock outfit Porcupine Tree. And one of the most oft-repeated bands in his monthly playlists is Joy Division. That’s how I was first introduced to this album and hence Post-Punk. And so I’ve tried not to miss any aspect of this record.

The change from Joy Division to New Order following Ian’s suicide should be enough to convince anybody that he was the soul of the group. Sure, he had help! Hook, Hannett, those drum patterns that so disturbingly mirrored Ian’s own epileptic fits. He’d dance that way, like he was having a fit. Then he’d have an actual fit, but it’d be a good few minutes before anybody realized. Ian had an interest in all things German. Were Joy Division Nazis? Or was Ian just plugged into something? By all accounts, off-stage, out of the studio – he was quiet, thoughtful. But, you know. It was the times. Punk had happened but was on the verge of imploding. Britain suffered from poverty and everything seemed bleak – let’s look to Germany. Musical influences? Kraftwerk sounded like aliens. Iggy Pop was debauched yet utterly cool. Fans of the Velvet Underground were still some sort of secret society – the group had yet to pass into being ‘classic rock’, or anything like that. Joy Division combined a number of influences that added to the playing style of the rhythm section and the production skills of Martin Hannett created something unique. Of course, you also had the lyrics, the artwork. Everything combined together. You had the physicality of Ian Curtis on stage.

Have you ever made a suicide pact with someone? Young love, perhaps? This girl wore an ‘Unknown Pleasures’ t-shirt. Two people totally together, two people who both wanted to die because they couldn’t always be physically together. Poverty, bleakness. All this is cliché, but sometimes it actually happens, and Joy Division aren’t the cause of that! Their music becomes this wonderful discovery. You end up watching poor quality videos of Joy Division with all the curtains shut even though the sun is shining brightly outside. BECAUSE the sun is shining brightly outside. You cry for three days solid when the girl leaves. You can’t be together all of the time. You walk the streets at night with ‘Disorder’ running through your brain. “Feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeeeeling.” Raised, a shout, a call, a cry for help. Please let me feel something other than this. And then of course, ‘Day Of The Lords’ which sounds like the whole world is ending. The thing about Joy Division, ‘Disorder’ for example is just great, a genuinely great Rock n Roll song. You don’t have to have ever made a suicide pact with anybody in order to think it’s a wonderfully great song.

 

Joy Division were almost perfect right from the start. Almost perfect. They had recorded a number of songs, far more straightforward punk, and also recorded an album for RCA records that was horribly produced and sapped the power from the group. That was before ‘Unknown Pleasures’ though. Martin Hannett was the catalyst. He enabled the group to produce the sounds they desired. Echo, haunting soundscapes. ‘Candidate’ has everything, the quintessential sound of ‘Unknown Pleasures’. “there’s blood on your fingers…. I worked hard for this….. you treat me like this.” A few of the songs here start in almost complete silence. ‘Insight’ is one of those. But then you have something like ‘New Dawn Fades’. Ian was a wonderful writer. A wonderful writer. Many rock lyrics, written out on a piece of paper, look like shit. They may sound great when sung, but they aren’t exactly poetry. Ian could really write. These lyrics work as well as literature as they do song lyrics. Now, think about this. You try doing it! You have to be either a poet, or a song lyricist. You can’t ever be both – if you try, you’ll suck at least one of those disciplines, and yeah, I include both Patti Smith and Bob Dylan in that. I don’t include Ian Curtis. There’s a thought he’d have gone on to write novels, and given up music. I can believe it. Where was I? It’s getting late I guess. Ah, yeah. ‘New Dawn Fades’…… I struggle to describe this song. It’s so dark and heavy; it really makes the supposedly dark and ‘satanic’ Black Sabbath seem like a kids cartoon. You want music to reflect and create the feeling of a horror movie? Joy Division did that, and more. They reflected real life, far more horrific. They also included a bass player who sounded like nobody else and a guitarist who was at least as good, if not better, than any other ‘punk’ group around.

‘She’s Lost Control’ is groovy rhythms, strange rhythms, very melodic whilst still retaining the darkness you can either immerse yourself in, take solace from, or simply ignore and enjoy the fantastic music. ‘Shadowplay’ is pretty much perfect. Just wait for the instrumental section. The guitar is genuinely fantastic guitar, quite unlike a punk guitar, but more punk than anything else. The guitar in Joy Division rarely provided the melody. With ‘Unknown Pleasures’, with ‘Shadowplay’ – the bass and drums provide the melody. Specifically the bass. The guitar is allowed free to provide both ‘percussion’ – and in this case, wonderful solos. Full of melody, actually, come to think of it! Rock n Roll! ‘Wilderness’ is all echoed drums, all bass rhythms and melodies. ‘Interzone’ is easily the most straightforward song on the entire record. Just a two minute punk styled blast. It has a place, though. The final song sounds like someone falling apart. This is scary, frightening. ‘Unknown Pleasures’, like ‘Closer’ which followed, is an album that begs to be listened to attentively, from beginning to end. It’s one of the greatest debut albums ever made, and even made a small profit for Factory Records – the groups label. It wasn’t by any means a best-seller, but it influenced a lot of groups that followed. This is a classic album, as simple as that. The small fact that ‘Interzone’ within itself isn’t a masterpiece isn’t going to sway me, because it fits.

 

– Shams Us Zuha

Corrupted – El Dios queja (1995) [Classic Reviews]

Japan has come to be associated with the perverse. Be it Unit 731 or censored rape themed pornography, Japan will always have something worth mentioning when it comes to the macabre. One of these sick treasures is Corrupted. An infamous name in doom metal circles, they are famous for extremely long, minimalistic compositions and singing in Spanish despite being Japanese. However the Corrupted you will read about in this interview is a band in its infancy. Barely a year into their existence, they released a few EPs in 1995. This is probably their second release. A tribal sort of beat slowly fades in before we hear that characteristic drone shriek which signals the commencement of riffs, and Corrputed begin on a maddening attack of hate which can apparently not be expressed in Japanese. “Riffs” would actually be an inaccurate description by thrash standards, but not by mine. ‘Hay que joderse’ loosely translates to ‘fuck it all’, so bonus points for that. Uninhibitedly primitive, you don’t need to understand Spanish to know they’re angry. The second track, ‘Renir a Existencia’ (‘scold existence’) features one of the best drumming performances in doom, providing an excellent backbone to the guitars. The vocal performance is exceptional as well. Sisto (‘I stand’) is the longest track on the EP, and does not disappoint. Tracks like this make Corrupted, Corrupted. Progressive yet primitive, horrifically minimalistic and entrancing, Corrupted create a gloom that cannot be ignored. With each repetition a sort of clarity is achieved, a very easy track to immerse yourself in. Towards the end however, the riffs change to a quasi-black metal style, leaving me with the depressive feel of the earlier riffs, both of the same track and the previous ones and a new feeling of emptiness. The track itself reminds me of their debut full length, ‘Paso Inferior’. Even at this early stage Corrupted were dedicating themselves to sounding how they wanted to and not how people wanted them to. A dedication to an extreme is apparent, and this release provides a worthwhile experience for those that prefer their metal grimy.

– Rahul Menon