Released in November 1980, 45 years ago, “The Damage Done” stands as the very first single by The Sisters of Mercy, marking the humble yet already distinctive beginnings of a band that would go on to shape the landscape of gothic rock. Issued on the small independent label CNT, the single was pressed in highly limited quantities—reportedly around 1,000 copies—making original versions prized collectors’ items today. Yet beyond its rarity, the release is fascinating for the early blueprint it offers of the band’s future sound and aesthetic.

At this early stage, The Sisters of Mercy consisted only of Andrew Eldritch and Gary Marx, with Eldritch on drums and vocals and Marx on guitar. Contrary to the later, iconic Sisters setup, there was no Doktor Avalanche yet. The tracks were recorded with minimal equipment, reflecting the DIY ethos of the UK post-punk scene. The production is raw, sparse, and somewhat brittle, but that starkness adds to the single’s charm: it captures a band still experimenting, not yet weighed down by expectations or a defined identity.

The title track, “The Damage Done,” is a concise burst of angular guitars and haunting vocals. Eldritch’s voice is markedly higher than the baritone that would become his trademark, but the emotional delivery and lyrical ambiguity already hint at his evolving persona. Themes of loss, emotional turmoil, and detachment—core elements of later Sisters material—appear here in embryonic form.

The B-side, “Watch,” complements the A-side with its driving rhythm and edgy melodicism. Even at this early stage, the band’s ability to craft memorable hooks amid a minimalist framework is evident. Both tracks reveal a young band eager to carve out its own sonic territory, blending post-punk urgency with a sense of dark romanticism.

Although “The Damage Done” made little commercial impact at the time, it remains a crucial artifact in The Sisters of Mercy’s evolution. It captures the moment when two young musicians began forging what would become one of the most distinctive, influential sounds in alternative music.

Want to add this 7" to your collection? Well, you are in luck because there are a couple for sale for merely € 1600 on DISCOGS! :-)

The Damage Done (7" - Merciful Release – MR7

DISCOGS

On November 1974, 51 years agao, German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk released their landmark fourth studio album, Autobahn. Though the exact day isn't precisely documented, this month remains forever tied to a record that would redefine not just the band’s sound, but the future of popular music.

Autobahn marked a turning point in Kraftwerk’s evolution. Previously rooted in experimental krautrock, the band—then a quartet including Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Klaus Röder, and Wolfgang Flür—fully embraced a sleek, electronic-pop aesthetic. Produced jointly by the band and legendary engineer Conny Plank, the album was recorded at Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf and at Plank’s own studio in Cologne.

The title track, a hypnotic, 22-minute ode to the sensation of driving on Germany’s highways, became Kraftwerk’s first song with sung lyrics. Its repeated refrain, “Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn…” (“We drive, drive, drive on the autobahn…”), evokes the hypnotic flow of a motorway journey. Edited down to around three-and-a-half minutes, the single version became a surprise international hit in 1975, charting in the U.S. (#25 on the Billboard Hot 100), Germany, Canada, and beyond.

At its core, Autobahn was more than just a song or album—it was a vision. Kraftwerk sought to capture the mechanical beauty of modern life: the hum of engines, the whirring of tires, the rhythmic pulse of motion. It was electronic music as transportation, in both metaphor and reality.

Over time, Autobahn earned its place as a foundational work in electronic music. Its influence rippled across genres—from synth-pop and new wave to techno and hip-hop. The album’s blend of minimalist synthesisers, repetitive drive, and futuristic aesthetics laid the groundwork for countless artists to come.

Fifty years later, in 2025, Kraftwerk celebrated the album’s anniversary with three new editions—featuring a Dolby Atmos mix, a 12″ picture-disc vinyl, and a Blu-ray release—revisiting the original 16-track master tapes to bring Autobahn into the modern era.

In short: around this day, approximately 50 years ago, Autobahn first hit the world—and changed our sonic landscape forever.

Autobahn Lyrics

Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn
Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn

Vor uns liegt ein weites Tal
Die Sonne scheint mit Glitzerstrahl

Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn
Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn

Fahrbahn ist ein graues Band
Weiße Streifen, grüner Rand

Autobahn - Tracklist

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On this day, 45 years ago, British Post-punk band The Fall released their third studio album Grotesque (After The Gramme) - 17 November 1980. It was their first studio album released by the Rough Trade Records label.

The album was preceded by two acclaimed singles, "How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'" and "Totally Wired", which did not appear on the original pressing but were subsequently included on CD reissues of the album.

The Fall's music at the time was described as "Mancabilly", and by singer Smith himself as "Country 'n' Northern".

The album was generally well received and highly acclaimed by the music press, rating it with four to five out of the five star ratings.

The album reached number one on the UK Independent Album Chart for 3 sequential weeks, spending 29 weeks on the chart in total.


Grotesque (After The Gramme) (ROUGH 18 - LP)

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The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste – Ministry (1989)

Released on November 14, 1989, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste stands as a defining statement in industrial metal, cementing Ministry as one of the genre’s most influential bands. It was the group’s fourth studio album, following 1988’s The Land of Rape and Honey, and marked a further step away from the synth-heavy new wave sound of their early work toward a harsher, more aggressive fusion of metal, punk, and electronic noise.

Led by Al Jourgensen, Ministry dove deep into themes of social decay, political corruption, drug addiction, and inner turmoil. The album’s title, a dark parody of the United Negro College Fund slogan “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” reflects its confrontational tone. Musically, it combined machine-like drum programming, grinding guitars, and distorted vocals, creating a sound both chaotic and precise — a soundtrack for a collapsing world.

The opening track, “Thieves,” bursts out with furious energy, its shouted refrain and metallic percussion setting the tone for the record. “Burning Inside” follows with relentless intensity, driven by Paul Barker’s bass and a riff that became one of Ministry’s most recognizable. Other highlights include “Breathe,” which mixes danceable rhythms with apocalyptic lyrics, and “So What,” a sprawling, menacing track that captures the band’s nihilistic ethos. The album closes with “Faith Collapsing” and “Dream Song,” which veer into haunting, atmospheric territory.

Recorded amid chaos, substance abuse, and creative tension, The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste nonetheless achieved remarkable coherence. Its raw energy and mechanical precision influenced countless acts across industrial, metal, and electronic music — from Nine Inch Nails and Fear Factory to Rammstein. The accompanying 1990 “Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste” tour (documented on the live album and video In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up) showcased Ministry at their most ferocious, with a full stage assault of lights, noise, and aggression.

Today, 36 years later, the album still remains a cornerstone of industrial metal, a brutal yet intelligent work that captures the anxiety and rage of the late 20th century — and still sounds disturbingly relevant decades later.

Ministry - Burning Inside (CD/LP - Sire)

DISCOGS

Movement is the debut album by New Order, released on 13 November 1981 by Factory Records. The album was produced by Martin Hannett who also produced the previous Joy Division albums and releases. At the time of its release, the album was not particularly well-received by critics or audiences, only peaking at number 30 on the UK Albums Chart. However, retrospective critical reception has been very positive.

After the suicide of Joy Division's singer Ian Curtis in May 1980, and the subsequent shock for those surrounding him, remaining members Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris elected to carry on, albeit under a new name – New Order. With the exception of two songs, "Ceremony" (first played live at Joy Division's very last gig, a bit more than two weeks before Curtis's death) and "In a Lonely Place" (unreleased, but demoed in the studio), all the material played would be new.

A couple of songs on Movement stem from the initial songwriting session the band undertook in the summer of 1980.

Bernard Sumner took the main vocalist role with Peter Hook as back-up though the latter sang lead on "Dreams Never End" and "Doubts Even Here”.

Musically the album situated in between Joy Division's post-punk sound and the synth-pop style that would happen to define New Order and influence pop music for decades".[10]

In 2008 and 2015 the album was remastered and released in different formats (Digital/CD/12”).

References to Ian Curtis appear on the songs "ICB" (rumored to be an acronym for 'Ian Curtis Buried', but confirmed by Peter Hook in a 2013 interview) and "The Him".

The album cover was designed by Peter Saville and is based on a poster by the Italian Futurist Fortunato Depero.

The shape created by the top three lines is an 'F' (lying on its back), which refers to Factory Records/Factory Communications Limited and the bottom two lines create an 'L' (lying on its front), the Roman numeral 50, the original catalogue was FACT 50.

Movement - Tracklist

DISCOGS