That is a bit like a cross between this
and this
or perhaps I mean this ?
Great guitar - how many different parts / textures are layered and interwoven there?
I taped "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" off Peel (or was it off Paul, from the actual 7-inch? doesn't seem like something Mr Oldfield would buy but I sense-remember its presence on a tape of his singles I made... ) but anyway I had it, on tape, and really liked it.
It's a shame Bauhaus then became such a reliable supplier of arrant nonsense
But even then, some thrilling, flashy singles...
And of course
And a good version of this by (Third) Uncle Brian
Here's the missus, aka Joy Press (an accredited Goth) summing up the discography of Bauhaus and its afterbirth in the Spin Guide to Alternative Music (1995)
10 comments:
A quick perusal of their lyrics will reveal that Bauhaus were basically spoilt by Peter Murphy's legacy Irish catholic guilt about wanking.
A bit of a shame, as their sound was terrific.
yes! there's a song about stigmatas right? Stigmata Martyr?
he was also into the expressionist German films which upped the drama
nice piece on Gang of Four BTW. Although I still much prefer Entertainment. 'Paralysed' and "Why Theory" are the ones I do really like on Solid Gold. The one with the big block of metal Jon King hits and the really spasmodic riff from Gill I find rhythmically frustrating. Plus Dave Allen should never do a lead vocal.
Thanks very much! There's only one song I don't like on Solid Gold, and that's "What We All Want", but I can't listen to the LP all the way through, probably because it's so relentlessly dry from beginning to end. It's a great record for picking off individual tracks, tho'.
As for Bauhaus, I'm mulling doing a post on how they were a more authentically Irish band than The Pogues. I think Goth is kind of a substitute Catholicism in many ways (The Sisters of Mercy! The Mission!). The decline of Christianity is usually seen as an escape from social repression, but I think a lot of people really miss the mystery and drama of Christian ritual, such as the Mass with its incense and transmutation etc. Goth I think is very much Christian mystery and ritual without the actual Christianity.
Transubstantiation, I meant.
Beh.
Sisters of Mercy comes from a Leonard Cohen song I think but yeah generally I think that is right - even the occult stuff is just Catholicism inverted really.
I seem to recall that Huysmans, after the decadence of Against Nature / A Rebours and then the satanism flirtations of La-Bas, returned wholesale to the arms of Roman Catholic Church in his later years. And even in Against Nature, the vice-enfeebled aristocrat has an obsession with old Catholic texts, the sternest and most world-hating of theologians. There is a whole chapter about how he loves the ponderous cadences of the writing and the ornate language.I think he even gets some of these obscure Catholic texts printed in exquisite new editions of one so that the binding and paper are up to his high standards!
Probably with Goth there's a bit of "any old religion" will do, so long as there's rites and mystery.
Virgin Prunes are another one actually - Gavin Friday said they were into blasphemy but also that the Catholic church was the best show in town.
what's that saying, "he who fucks nuns will one day join the church"
Cathection, innit. The attitude of love or hate is secondary to the libidinal connection. You see this all the time on Twitter.
Ah, you guys. I realize I am in the smallest possible minority among fans today but I still love Bauhaus without embarrassment. Yes, the lyrics are a hindrance but the music was relentlessly inventive and groundbreaking for that period (esp w/ their commitment to dub and funk post-In The Flat Field). I still rate Daniel Ash as one of the best guitarists of the era, combining brittle tones, minimalism, and controlled feedback into three minute chunks. And the drummer (I forget his name) was often as good as Budgie. I don't see too much of their post-1980 stuff as being steeped in Catholic (or Catholic-adjacent) theater. Their lyrics circa '82-'83 were genuinely loony and ridiculous and a along away from Christian Death or whatever. Their downfall was that they took themselves very seriously when they were obviously rather absurd as a concept. But that's the exact reason I still love them. And they were earsplittingly loud as fuck
Ah, forgot to sign off on above comment -- from Asif. And apologies for the many typos - was writing on my phone.
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