This month it is 49 years ago since Kraftwerk released Trans-Europe Express (March 1977), their sixth studio album. The album was recorded during the summer of 1976 in their Kling Klang Studios and released on their own label Kling Klang Records. Two singles were taken from this album, Trans-Europe Express and Showroom Dummies. It was the first Kraftwerk album that was recorded in two different versions. One in English, one in German. The song Showroom Dummies was also released in France and Belgium as Les Mannequins, with the lyrics sung in French. The original German title was Schaufensterpuppen.
Musically Kraftwerk again moved further away from their improvised instrumental Krautrock style, fine tuning their tracks into more melodic electronic compositions.
The introduction of the analogue and customized 32-step Synthanorma Sequenzer with 16 channels was an important game-changer on this record. Kraftwerk also went to railway bridges to listen and analyze the sound of trains passing by which they altered slight to make it more danceable.
The lyrics on Trans Europe Express refer to David Bowie’s album Station To Station and to the actual event of Rafl Hütter and Florian Schneider meeting Bowie in Germany. At that time Bowie was living and recording in Berlin with Iggy Pop (The Stooges). Ralf Hütter refered several times to Iggy Pop And The Stooges as his most favourite band.
Joy Division singer Ian Curtis introduced Kraftwerk to his bandmates and insisted Trans Europe Express was played every time before the band went on stage.
Siouxsie And The Banshees covered the song The Hall Of Mirrors on their cover album Through The Looking Glass (1987). A cover version that todays only remaining original Kraftwerk member today, Ralf Hütter, hailed in glowing terms as extraordinary version.
Many still see this album as one of the most important pop albums of the last decades.
Trans Europe Express (Lyrics)
Trans Europa Express
Trans Europa Express
Trans Europa Express
Trans Europa Express
Rendez-vous auf den Champs Elysees
Verlass Paris am Morgen mit dem TEE
In Wien sitzen wir I'm Nachtcafe
Direkt Verbindung TEE
Wir laufen 'rein in Düsseldorf City
Und treffen Iggy Pop und David Bowie
Trans Europa Express
Songwriters: Emil Schult / Ralf Huetter
Firestarter | Celebrating The Sound Of The Prodigy And The Impact Of Keith Flint who past away 7 years ago.
Twenty-Three years after the release of ‘Firestarter’, we find ourselves mourning the loss of the demonic figure of chaos which haunted that black and white video. Keith Flint was more than just a performer, he was capable of invading our minds both through the music of The Prodigy and the attitude of destruction that Flint could project. Not since the days of Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious had a figure risen on the British music scene that stirred the same fear and controversy as Keith Flint. Music in the nineties has become split into two categories, the boy/girl band offering or the Brit-Pop sound, The Prodigy were what music was crying out for, what an audience-danger, an edge, all projected in front of infectious beats and venom soaked lyrics with the fiendish grin of Flint to spearhead it.
The Prodigy however, an outfit formed in Essex at the dawn of the nineties struck gold with all that followed ‘Firestarter’. A second lashing of apocalyptic intensity followed in ‘Breathe’, paving the way for one of the most essential albums of the twentieth century.
The eagerly anticipated-The Fat of the Land, the long-awaited follow-up to Music for the Jilted Generation was hailed as a musical savior rising from the grime of the streets. While the two singles-'Firestarter' and 'Breathe' had hit the number one spot in the United Kingdom, this was electronica, cultivated with the long established techno sound that would break the genre out of Britain and finally plant it on the world stage.
The Fat of the Land falls short of masterpiece status, but what it lacks in with context it makes up for in appeal. It delivered exactly what was expected of it, intense hip-hop-derived rhythms, meaningless spewed fragmented lyrics by Flint and Maxim and the added ingredient of clever reconstructed samples. In part the majority of the album does sound quite similar to 'Firestarter,' though Liam Howlett is an inventive producer, and he can make empty songs like 'Smack My Bitch Up' and 'Serial Thrilla' work and become addictive and infectious and even wholly original. The funky hip-hop of 'Diesel Power” and 'Funky Shit,' as well as the mind-bending psychedelic splurge of 'Narayan' stand out. With guests including Crispian Mills (Kula Shakur) and Saffron of Republica who does an intense, toe-curling version of L7's 'Fuel My Fire,' all these passengers on Fat Of The Land give the album a wider scope and a variation between tracks.
The Fat of the Land does not qualify apparently as a flat-out masterpiece, it doesn’t really need to, the context and the image it set out transcends at times the music, what it did do was introduce us to one of the most enigmatic figures of the last thirty years, Rest In Peace Keith Charles Flint (17 September 1969 – 4 March 2019).
I'm the trouble starter, punkin' instigator
I'm the fear addicted, a danger illustrated
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're a firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm the bitch you hated, filth infatuated, yeah
I'm the pain you tasted, fell intoxicated
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm the self inflicted, mind detonator, yeah
I'm the one infected, twisted animator
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter starter
[Kevin Burke 4/03/2019]
44 ago, In March 1982, Ministry's Cold Life 12-inch single was released in the UK through Situation Two, marking a significant moment in the band's early career. This release showcased a different sound from the industrial metal style that Ministry would later be known for, highlighting their early explorations into synth-pop and funk-infused electronic music.
The single features "Cold Life" as the A-side, a track that blends elements of funk and synth-pop, reflecting influences from 1970s funk and soul acts. The song was inspired by Al Jourgensen's experiences living in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Chicago. The B-side includes "I'm Falling," a synth-pop song influenced by British post-punk acts such as The Sisters of Mercy and Killing Joke.
The single was initially released in late 1981 in the United States by Wax Trax! Records, featuring "I'm Falling" as the A-side and "Cold Life" as the B-side.
This track bears influences from British post-punk acts, with Jourgensen admitting that it was heavily inspired by bands like Joy Division and The Cure.
The Cold Life 12” single also includes a dub version of the title track, offering an extended, danceable rhythm with groovy basslines and syncopated beats. This release was an important milestone for Ministry, as it demonstrated Jourgensen's early musical explorations before the band fully embraced the industrial genre.
Over the years, Cold Life has been revisited as a curiosity in Ministry’s discography, offering a glimpse into the band’s transformation from a synth-heavy new wave act into one of the most influential industrial metal bands of all time.
Cold Life (12") Tracklist (Situation Two – SIT17T)
| Cold Life | 6:11 | ||
| I'm Falling | 4:04 | ||
| Cold Life Dub | 6:53 |
Cold Life - Lyrics:
Cold Cold Cold
You know the yolk it's spreading from You laugh as people scatter 'bout Surrounded by a veil of stars You realize that your life is dark Earth gets colder every day If scientists could have their way They'd study us from far away And watch as people's minds decay
Cold Cold Cold
Your body's in the hands of fools With swimming pools and low IQs There's nothing to see, nothing to do Buy your stocks and sell your jewels Bill collectors stole my mail My wife and kids are all for sale I hope to god I go to jail And no one can come up with bail
Cold life Cold life Cold life Cold
Cold Cold Cold
I can't control my buried thoughts The slightest thing makes me distraught I'm like the people I once fought My every action's being bought Robot trainers earn their pay As mutant kids go out to play It's such a pretty, pretty day With orange nights and days of grey
Cold Cold Cold
I've now become a nervous wreck I'm getting closer to my death I keep expecting my last breath As all my friends just laugh and jest The earth is such a filthy place And human, such an awful race And I'd rather live in outer space Where death goes at a slower pace
Cold life Cold life Cold life Cold
Cold life Cold life Cold life Cold
Cold Cold Cold Cold Cold
| [DISCOGS] |
Through The Looking Glass | The Siouxsie & The Banshees Masterpiece Released 39 Years Ago Today!
By 1987, Siouxsie And The Banshees became more than a band, they were an almost institution. Their previous seven-albums had created a momentum of spectacular success, within a short few years Siouxsie And The Banshees were already cited as legendary.
The album the band released in 1987 must have came as a shock at first, Through The Looking Glass is an album of cover versions.
From the creative well that had thrown forth a back catalogue as strong as they had, this release on the surface may have seemed strange. Though they had successfully covered The Beatles Dear Prudence and even Helter Skelter in the past so they were no strangers to cover versions. In the end the album has become regarded as one of their finest works, a testimonial to the strength within the band.
Through The Looking Glass acts as a homage to their influences, songs carefully chosen to reflect the band members own childhood and teenage years, these had to ring true for Siouxsie Sioux to sing them and to believe in them. The album however transcends the normal tribute album,
Ralf Hütter of Kraftwerk hailed the version of 'Hall of Mirrors' stating-“In general, we consider cover versions as an appreciation of our work. The version of 'Hall of Mirrors' by Siouxsie and the Banshees is extraordinary'. Iggy Pop also highly praised The Banshees cover of 'The Passenger'. The mix of tracks from The Band’s “This Wheels On Fire”(The first single released), the Billie Holiday Civil Rights statement-“Strange Fruit. The Doors -“You're Lost Little Girl” and even the early Sparks classic “This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us”.
Through The Looking Glass separates the two classics Tinderbox and Peepshow, it displays an extra dimension to the what the band can achieve. The tracks covered were honed, stylishly built and molded into The Banshees instantly identifiable style.
Through The Looking Glass (Original Track List)
This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us
Hall Of Mirrors
Trust In Me
This Wheel's On Fire
Strange Fruit
You're Lost Little Girl
The Passenger
Gun
Sea Breezes
Little Johnny Jewel
46 yeares ago, On March 1, 1980, Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft (DAF) released their very first 7” single Kebabträume / Gewalt, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of electronic and industrial music. This single, released via Mute Records (Catalogue number MUTE 005), encapsulated the band's early raw and aggressive style, blending minimalist electronics with politically charged themes.
Kebabträume (translated as Kebab Dreams) was originally written by Robert Görl and Gabi Delgado-López during their early days in the German underground scene. The song reflects on themes of immigration, surveillance, and the lingering impact of post-war Germany, particularly the fear of Stasi and totalitarian control. Its repetitive, pulsating rhythms and harsh electronic textures embodied the nascent EBM (Electronic Body Music) sound, later influencing bands such as Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb.
On the B-side, Gewalt (Violence) delivers an even more intense experience, with its pounding beats and stark, almost militaristic vocal delivery. The song captures the band's fascination with themes of authority, power, and rebellion, aligning with the provocative aesthetics of the post-punk and industrial movements of the time.
This release was one of DAF’s last recordings as a full five-member band before they transitioned into their iconic duo format. Shortly after, they would refine their sound into the more streamlined, danceable yet still confrontational style heard on their seminal Alles ist gut album (1981).
Though Kebabträume was later re-recorded in a more polished form, this 1980 single remains a raw and essential artifact of DAF’s early years, solidifying their reputation as pioneers of electronic avant-garde music.
