Cabaret Voltaire : Classic Or Dud/Search and Destroy

Anyone have any thoughts on the various live albums released? I'm specifically interested in something good-sounding from their Virgin era (83-87).

I have only the live album that comes with 'Deform .. ' boxset which was very much the late EMI era.
the sound quality is debateable to say the least for a major label boxset.
it sounds like a beefed up crowd based cassette recording as opposed to a mixing disc recording.
hence I care not for it.
a true stereo mixing desk recording of such a gig would be totally insane, but this recording is not that.
thankfully the rest of the boxset easily makes up for the disappointment.

damn just bumped western mantra it's so SICKKKKKKK

don't have that track in the archives.
I have tried a few tracks pre Virgin over the years out of duty, and I even have VOA on vinyl, but its way too raw for me.

xp Three Mantras is fantastic. Here's another great one that just might be my favorite CV track. I wish it was twice as long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGnBWqK78G0

*hears three mantras once*

this is the best band that ever existed

really wish i had gotten into this band years ago though idk if i'd have been ready for them before now

2x45 rocks my world

I kinda want to know what you'd think of Mallinder's Pow Wow album (partly bcz it's the only CV I know, but I love it! and am planning a Cabs deep dive p soon) though I'm not sure if it's streaming anywhere

Pow Wow = minor league Cabs.

Is there any likelihood that the early 3 piece lps are ever going to be remastered? I think Red Mecca was when it came out on vinyl with free cd but want the others in best sound. & I think any reissue has just been of the original cd.
Do love that early stuff. Don't really like the 2 piece stuff too much. Though the bits of solo stuff from the 90s I have heard seemed ok.

I love "Western Mantra" but not so much "Eastern Mantra". The dynamism of the former really appeals to me whereas the drone of the latter is too dominant.

"2x45", with the brilliant "Yashar" is their transition from their early style towards something more accessible.

I only discovered "Pow Wow" a few years ago but it fits nicely in the period we're discussing. Minor league, for sure, but still has it's charms.

Stevo, do you think remastering of the early material will make a difference? Not exactly hifi recording gear in the first place.

The duo records I return to the most are Drinking Gasoline and Microphonies, have s soft spot for other tracks but it's spotty from The Crackdown onwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FstV3e7fqyo

been really transfixed by the live album hai! over the last few days

that version of "diskono" feels both of and ahead of and beyond its time, which i suppose is the cabaret voltaire effect

Brad u gotta check out Voice Of America! prob my favorite

yeah i'll be doubling back to the early albums shortly, especially after hearing three mantras. i listened to mix-up a few times in college and iirc it just scared me lol

i feel obligated to point out that Ekoplekz released an album called In Search of the Third Mantra this year.

RIYL cheap drum machines and retro plinky synths

a question. on the CV methodology: attic tapes (74/75) there are tracks called things like "Synthi AKS (Piece One)". did they have a AKS? weren't they crazily expensive at the time? (~£450 at launch which is well over £5k today)

(this is £6 on google play music store btw, £20 on amazon)

I was listening to Ekoplekz thing just hours ago but the significance of the title didn't even occur to me!

I haven't heard Hai! before now. This appears to have been a non-trivial oversight. I'm clearly unworthy of my username.

Funny, it actually hit me after a recent Cab Volt jag. Always wondered where that third mantra got to.

did they have a AKS? weren't they crazily expensive at the time?

According to Wikipedia about £450 originally but worth thousands by the end of the 70s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhds6KtWZHE

New (RHK-only) album coming this fall. Sounds pretty good, but also not that different from all of his other project names.

this new album sounds very Virgin era CV, and rather different to the solo RHK material that i have heard (URP Vol 1-3, Truckers, Sandoz, Dasein, Electronic Eye), mainly due to the drums and complete lack of techno basslines.

that said, i am only halfway through the album, so, things could change of course.
but so far its hitting the spot for me.

It brings to mind the Drinking Gasoline EP. It's solid but I miss Mal, so there's Wrangler for that.

I have only heard one track so far and that vaguely made me think of "Red Mecca". I miss Mal too and I do find it hard to really accept it as being CV without him.

GMB : exactly.
it is very much of that era.
there is little use of modern bass heavy production that i thought would be present.
and while i get and understand the whole missing Mal thing, i subscribe to the CV (trio) -> CV (duo) -> CV (solo) path
i have no issue with RHK using the name.
as i said, this album sounds very different to a lot of the RHK solo material i have heard.
(that said Dasein sounded like a CV album with its use of clipped guitars/samples)

Yes, it is fair enough really and I have engaged with several post Mal CV releases.

new 3 track ep, shadow of funk, is great.
sonically it's more of the same as recent album (though with a lot more intensity in the beats/layers), so, if you weren't impressed, then no need.
the 10+ minute 'skinwalker' could totally be from the 'drinking gasoline' era.

absolutely insane price for the digital edition.

(also, the 2 RHK albums on Warp are massively reduced as well .. )

https://bleep.com/release/265713-cabaret-voltaire-8385-collected-works-1983-1985

yesterday i got email re bleep/warp sale, after which i decided to get the 2 RHK albums as i have never seen cd editions out in the wild.
earlier today i decided to check re Drinking Gasoline in remastered form as i have the tracks, but spread across various options.
saw that DG was £3.50 and was about to purchase,
when i thought i'd check the price re the Virgin era boxset, thinking it would be in the £20-30 range ..
very very glad i checked ..
best late xmas present to myself ever.

Low price because its actually 1989 (Taylor’s Version)