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R e m a k e . R e m o d e l . R e i n v e n t

2009 saw the release of ‘Omnibus’ editions of the first 2 Bauhaus albums: In The Flat Field (1980) and Mask (1981). Making me doubt whether I should buy them, despite me being a huge and old-time fan.

Unable to resist. Strangely attracted. Hope. For hidden treasures. To read backwards into history. To find what’s been hidden all of these years.
…To get neatly boxed tunes and facts. As complete as can be. Shivers.

The unreleased mixes and out-takes highlight the spontaneous side of the band. Exposing it beyond the original albums (and the extended CD releases). The little experimentations. The ever-continuous search for soundscapes and tunes. An ever-never stand-still. More variation than generally known (or accepted).

The familiar work still brightly shines in its known literate fury and musical art. Form and function recorded through a stream of consciousness. Theatrical. Drama. The daring incorporation of glam and disco in a post-punk landscape of industrial wilderness. The absolute will to be and be unlike.

The booklets are a chronological guide to the creative genesis of the albums. A fascinating bundle of anecdotes, lyrics, pictures, facts, testimonials and recording sessions. Made with great care and much research. The sound is terrific. The CD’s are packed in a sleeve that’s an adorable replica of the original album cover. Of function and form.

In The Flat Field still sounds razor sharp. Without compromise going for functional industrial art. Bauhaus 1919. With minimalist aesthetics. Form = Function. Nerves. A roar that marks the escape from the flat field, their urban home-scene. Dark Entries sent to the “Singles and Out-Takes”.

Mask took most of 1981 to become. Over various recording sessions. Rejections. New edits. To end as the unique sum that exceeds the members. With a 12 string, more sax, new synths, dub sounds, funk. Completed with a complete live gig. Already including Silent Hedges, that will appear on The Sky’s Gone Out.

I personally love those little facts like the role of Alan Moore (the sleeve note and according live introduction). I already knew about his friendship with David J, who composed the music on the lyrics of V for Vendetta.

U n d e a d . U n d e a d . U n d e a d .

Can’t wait for The Sky’s Gone Out and Burning From The Inside.

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From B to J

During a check on my favorite artists I ran into a music video of David J, reminding me of the fascinating artist and songwriter the man is.

The song brings up memories of Bound for Hell, which he wrote for the self-titled Love & Rockets album. Although this album divided not only the band’s 2 main songwriters, but also their fan base, I still love it. Exactly because of its playfulness, its fooling around with pop music. Subsequently they defined… pop music. And does ‘Roll On’ on the Daniel Ash album ‘Foolish Thing Desire’ bring up memories of ‘Motorcycle’ on L&R? (anyone saying “The Jesus & Mary Chain”?)

I have mostly known David J as the coolest bass player around. I found out only last year that he had composed the music for the V for Vendetta song This Vicious Cabaret, using Alan Moore’s lyrics. Following is not an official video, but pastes imagery of the (great!) movie on top of the (great!) song:

David J - V for VendettaFairly intrigued I bought me the full (mini) CD. Now, that’s what I call (avant-garde) CABARET! My edition also holds the demo version of the main song, which is truly great (knowing that it’s the result of a 1 night effort).

It all started with Bauhaus. And it’s quite fair to say that also Peter Murphy (I’m a huge fan!) and Daniel Ash are fascinating artists and songwriters, that have helped defining the face of music. Dark Entries - Bauhaus and BeyondIf you want to know more on the forming of, the history of Bauhaus and the subsequent paths of its members, there’s this illuminating book Dark Entries (Bauhaus and beyond). It goes back to the days of various bands, of David J playing bass, his brother Kevin (Haskins) on drums (flower pots?) and Daniel on guitars. With Peter they came to be the legendary Bauhaus (1919).

Of course, over the past 25 years the guys have kept creating new, distinct and fantastic work, have reformed a couple of times, even put out a new Bauhaus album. Too much for one lousy blog note…