Bauhaus

Bauhaus were on the best post-punk bands around. It is just too bad they are mostly remembered as thee GAWTH godfathers instead one of the better of the post-punk canon instead. Nothing wrong with the former, but the latter is often grossly overlooked.

As much as I love this typo, I really meant to say: Bauhaus were one of the best post-punk bands around.

I'll be interested to read Simon R.'s take in the post-punk book. Keep in mind that many writers flat out HATED Bauhaus -- not all, mind you, there were defenders like Alan Moore (yes, that Alan Moore -- a member of the Sinister Ducks, a collaborator with David J elsewhere -- to the point where J. released a V for Vendetta single in 1984 or so -- Moore freaks will recall there's a part in the story where the titular figure is playing a song called "This Viscious Cabaret" at a piano, that's an actual song David and Alan cowrote and David released) and Helen Fitzgerald. I've got a great unofficial collection of many press articles that complements Beneath the Mask, and it's interesting reading both the praise and condemnation from the time itself, without the burden of 'goth' as such, though intriguingly it was brought up very early by some writers, so the tag was already starting to coalesce.

Problem is I don’t know if I will still be in So Cal or San Francisco by the time this show happens.

np: Tones On Tail – Night Music

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"My CARD...pretty lady!"

--

"But I am, I AM a singer!"

"Nooooo FOOLING?"

Wait I did see Peter Murphy at the Wiltern Theatre in 1990, forgot about that.

Which night? He played three nights -- Exene opened one, Thin White Rope another, and the one I attended was with Human Drama. Much as I love HD and Johnny Indovina in retrospect I would have preferred to see TWR.

Yeah that was it, I saw HD a bunch around that time.

The third radio session of the five on the disc is probably the best because it's them just going nuts with whatever -- "The Three Shadows Part 2" is much better than the record version, while "Party..." and "Departure" weren't rerecorded when they were used as B-sides, they stuck with this take. Daniel's going nuts with some of the guitar on "Departure," there's that contrast between David's drollery and Peter's archness, all the whispering and hissing and of course...

"INTO THE HILLLLS THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNN!"

Uh, because you always act like this big thing how you're teaching me some sort of lesson and for all the nervous denials seem weirdly obsessed when in contrast I don't think about you at all, except in moments like this?

Cool Coachella pics. Peter's pants almost deserve a place on Friday's 'best pants in rock' thread. Those are some big pants.

how is the new album, Ned? I gather it's leagues away from Dusk and more a return to Deep territory.

Extremely and totally. But go anyway.

how is the new album, Ned? I gather it's leagues away from Dusk and more a return to Deep territory.

It's very much not Dusk part two, no -- if anything it strikes me more as an extension of the poppier/gentler side of Cascade, not surprising since Paul Statham, his longest serving cowriter, is back on a number of songs. "Idle Flow," the opener, is one of his best songs ever when it hits the chorus, and more than once throughout the album that same thing happens -- enjoyable, low key verse but then a *great* dramatic chorus that lifts the whole performance. Unshattered in general is a nice mix of ideas and slightly familiar tropes but with a good bright edge to it -- "Kiss Myself" is almost power-pop, with harmonica even! Interesting mix of performers -- Steven Perkins plays drums, his Porno For Pyros sidekick Peter di Stefano adds guitar. It's possibly his easiest, calmest album so far, where the darker moments are suggested rather than put front and center.

It'll be interesting to see what the set is like, blending that with all the solo choices he can draw on, but especially the Dusk material.

this all sounds like code for "it sucks"! But I'm going to give it a listen anyway.

The solo Murphy stuff sounds interesting. I'll try to check some out.

SAY SOMETHING ABOUT BAUHAUS

honestly Burning is my fave album overall

(of theirs)

my intro was The Sky's Gone Out upon release, I did not really know what to make of it. then I heard that green 4AD EP of the early singles and I got it.

Great stuff. Still getting over the white and black albums bit. Ha!

Haha. It struck me out of nowhere and as I'm now thoroughly sick of the Beatles Industrial Complex I decided to include it.

Really interesting to hear that over there a lot of people found Bauhaus through their Love & Rockets fandom.

Oh absolutely the case. Bauhaus had zero chart presence at the time, even though over here for the third and fourth albums they ended up on of all labels A&M. (Perhaps not too surprising given the Police and a sense that they could have a new wave thing going -- they had the Cure at the same time too! A&M was almost an arch-goth label!) But Love & Rockets really clicked over here in LA -- I like to think both the Bauhaus tours and the one Tones on Tail one here created enough of a fanbase that when L&R started really connecting on both college radio and stations like KROQ by the time 1986 rolled around, them going Top 40 with "No New Tale To Tell," along with the MTV boost thanks to the video, made absolute sense. That's how I learned about them and by the time of early 1989 with "So Alive" in the near offing -- I think the "Motorcyle" single had already caught my attention as well -- I heard enough stories about 'this band called Bauhaus,' as well as learning a bit about Peter Murphy (Love Hysteria had been a notable college/KROQ era hit thanks to "All Night Long" in particular), that I started to backtrack a bit. The white/black comps were easily available on import CD as well as a number of the albums -- Sky's and Burning got A&M CDs but I waited until I could get the UK versions with the extra tracks -- and the Peel Sessions comp Swing the Heartache came out shortly afterward as well.

Neds 100% right in regards to L&R and that history is my history, can't wait to watch this.

My order:

In the Flat Field (1980)
Mask (1981)
The Sky's Gone Out (1982)
Burning from the Inside (1983)

You slave to chronology or something.

Hardly but for Bauhaus albums, absolutely. Burning from the Inside doesn't have enough Peter Murphy and therefore the worst.

thanks Ned. Very interesting.

i think I'd go for the same order as Bee OK.