On this day, only one years ago, Mark E. Smith, singer of legendary post-punk band The Fall died, aged 60.
Mark E. Smith was born in the UK 1957 and founded The Fall in 1976 together with Tony Friel and Martin Bramah. Smith remained the only original member of the band to this day. During the 38 years of their existence, the group seemed to be more of a pigeon-loft than a coherent rock band as Smith hired and sacked musicians as if it was a sweet delight, so more than sixty musicians passed through The Fall.
It was already clear for a while now the singer had serious health problems since a number of planned shows were cancelled late 2017. Still, he didn’t seem willing to give up and even performed one of their latest shows in a wheelchair.
One of the hallmarks of The Fall was the unmistakable voice and manner of singing by Mark E. Smith. He rather mumbled his lyrics through the microphone than he was singing and therefore it was not always clear what he was singing.
The Fall was a very productive band, releasing nearly 80 albums in less than 39 years. Probably one of their most influential albums is the Hex Enduction Hour, released in 1982. To date, the band has been cited as a source of inspiration by musicians around the world.
A message on The Fall website was posted on January 24, 2018 …
RIP Chief - "The Only Band in the world"
Mark E. Smith, zanger van de legendarische post-punk The Fall overleden op 60-jarige leeftijd
Mark E. Smith werd geboren in de UK in 1957 en richtte The Fall op in 1976 samen met Tony Friel en Martin Bramah. Smith bleef het enige oorspronkelijke lid van de band tot op vandaag. Gedurende de 38 jaar van hun bestaan leek de groep ook eerder op een duiventil dan op een coherente rockgroep want Smith huurde en ontsloeg muzikanten dat het een lieve lust was, meer dan zestig muzikanten passeerden zo de revue bij The Fall.
Het ging al een tijdje niet goed met de gezondheid van de zanger en mede daardoor werden een aantal geplande shows in het na jaar van 2017 afgelast. Toch wist hij van geen ophouden en werkte zelfs een show af gezeten in een rolstoel.
Eén van de kenmerken van The Fall was het onmiskenbare stemgeluid en de manier van zingen van Mark E. Smith. Hij mompelde zijn teksten eerder door de microfoon en daardoor was niet altijd duidelijk wat hij precies zong.
The Fall was een zeer productieve groep en bracht bijna 80 albums uit op nog geen 39 jaar tijd. Waarschijnlijk één van hun meest invloedrijke albums is het in 1982 verschenen Hex Enduction Hour. Tot op heden wordt de band aangehaald als inspiratiebron door muzikanten over heel de wereld.
Op de The Fall-website werd op 24 Januari gepost - RIP Chief - “The Only Band in the world”
On this day, exactly 9 years ago, Nitzer Ebb released their sixth studio album Industrial Complex on Major Records!
Industrial Complex is the sixth and latest up to date studio album from British Industrial-electro-EBM band Nitzer Ebb. It was initially intended and released as a limited tour edition (2009) only but was soon after picked up by the German Major Records who released the album in Europe on 22 January 2010, fifteen years after the band's last studio album Big Hit. This is the band's first release after leaving Mute Records following its 2006 retrospective, Body of Work. The Major Records version also came with a bonus CD containing remixes by Terence Fixmer and Depeche Mode's Alan Wilder amongst others.
Martin Gore of Depeche Mode—himself a fellow Essex boy—has contributed backing vocals on both 'Once You Say' and 'Payroll'. While the track 'Never Known' was featured on the soundtrack of Saw IV. The album was produced by the renown English producer Flood.
Although this comeback album could not please all their old school fans it generally received positive critics by the music press. NME gave the album a 4/5 star rating stating Nitzer Ebb "proves to be far from obsolete". Other magazines wrote critics like "Industrial Complex is a real stormer" or "Industrial Complex sounded like nothing I've ever expected, it's sure one great album."
Industrial Complex
Basic/tour edition (Red background cover, single disc, Artists' Addiction Records)
1 "Promises" 3:48
2 "Once You Say" 3:41
3 "Never Known" 3:58
4 "Going Away" 4:10
5 "Hit You Back" 4:19
6 "Payroll" 2:57
7 "Down On Your Knees" 3:52
8 "I Don´t Know You" 3:12
9 "My Door Is Open" 3:15
10 "I Am Undone" 3:51
11 "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" 2:57
12 "Traveling" 3:13 (bonus track)
Belgian edition bonus tracks (White cover background with $ sign, Alfa Matrix)
13. "Once You Say" (Komor Kommando Mix)
14. "Once You Say" (Leæther Strip Mix)
15. "Once You Say" (Essence Of Mind Mix)
16. "Once You Say" (Implant Mix)
17. "Once You Say" (Pouppée Fabrikk Mix)
Limited edition (Double CD - Tracks CD2, Major Records)
1 "I Am Undone" (Alan Wilder Remix) 5:29
2 "I Am Undone" (Christopher Kah Remix) 5:17
3 "My Door Is Open" (Terence Fixmer Remix) 5:48
4 "Once You Say" (Tom Furse Remix) 6:07
5 "Once You Say" (Celluloide Mix) 4:46
6 "Once You Say" (Orphee-Eeproh Remix) 4:29
7 "Once You Say" (People Theatre Remix) 4:24
8 "Once You Say" (Collapsed System Mix) 4:44
9 "Once You Say" (Suessenborn Sinessence Remix) 4:10
USA edition tracks (White cover background with $ sign, single disc, Artists' Addiction Records, AAR 001)
Same as Basic/tour edition, then additional tracks:
13 "On The Road"
14 "I Am Undone" (Alan Wilder Remix) 5:29
15 "I Am Undone" (Christopher Kah Remix) 5:17
16 "My Door Is Open" (Terence Fixmer Remix) 5:48
17 "Once You Say" (Tom Furse Remix) 6:07
DISCOGS
This month 47 years ago KRAFTWERK released their second studio album KRAFTWERK 2
Kraftwerk 2 is the second studio album that was released under the moniker Kraftwerk. The album was written and performed by founding Kraftwerk members Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in late 1971, with the sessions produced by the influential Konrad "Conny" Plank. It was released by Philips in January 1972.
Hütter later commented in an interview: "Nobody wanted to play with us because we did all kinds of strange things...feedbacks and overtones and sounds and rhythms. No drummer wanted to work with us because we had these electronic gadgets."
Although one should expect the obvious, this album features no synthesizers, the instrumentation being largely electric guitar, bass guitar, flute and violin. The electronic tricks and experiments both gentlemen display here belong to the realm of 1960s tape-based music, with heavy use of tape echo, reverse playback and tape speed effects. Overall, the sound has a rather muted, twilit, dusky feel, similar in feel to "Megaherz" on Kraftwerk's debut album, as Hütter and Schneider explored the possibilities for electronic and auto-mechanical enhancement of their music.
The lengthy, almost side-long "Klingklang" which opens the album is notable for its use of a preset organ beatbox to provide the percussion track. A term which would later be used as their fifth virtual member in the shape of a recording studio.It starts with a clangourous Stockhausen-like metallic percussion montage and gives rise to the unmistakable Kraftwerk sound. Later, the song title also became the name of the band's own self-built studio, in Düsseldorf. "Atem" is a recording of breathing, while "Harmonika" features a tape-manipulated mouth organ.
The cover design, by Ralf and Florian, further hints at conceptual art, being a repeat of the first album's pop art design – except this time fluorescent green replaces the red and the number '2' is added.
No material from this album has been performed in the band's live set since the Autobahn tour of 1975, and to date, the album has not been officially reissued on CD. The band is seemingly reluctant to consider the release as a part of their legacy
In interviews, Schneider described the first three Kraftwerk albums as "archaeology".
KRAFTWERK 2
A1. Klingklang 17:36
A2. Atem 2:57
B1. Strom 3:52
B2. Spule 5:20
B3. Wellenlänge 9:40
B4. Harmonika 3:17
On January 21st, 1993 American Industrial/Metal band Ministry released its third single Just One Fix, taken from the album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992)
The song features samples from the movies Sid and Nancy, "Never trust a junkie" and The Man with the Golden Arm with Frank Sinatra reciting the words "Just One Fix” and “Gimme the thorazine. You don't need the thorazine” from the movie The Trip staring Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern.
The accompanying video was directed by Peter Christopherson (Coil) and features video footage and audio samples of author William S. Burroughs saying “Bring it all down”. Burroughs, who is known to be one of Al Jourgensen’s inspirations, also provided the single's cover art.
It was released as 3-track jewel case CD-Single, Digipack and 12” vinyl by Sire/Warner Bros. Records
Just One Fix (12" tracklist)
A1. Just One Fix (12 Inch edit) 8'13"
B1. Just One Fix (Video edit) 4'24"
B2. Quick Fix 4'11"
Just One Fix (Lyrics)
Never trust a junkie
Blood keeps drifting your way
Certain of its destination
Driving through New Orleans at night
Gotta find a destination
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Life keeps slipping away
Fighting in a war with damnation
Poised, keep cutting away
I'm looking in through to salvation
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Just one fix
Like if I boarded a train
Trying to take in another station
Join us and the choice will be made
Unless we kill the lie as a nation
Just one fix (just one fix)
Just one fix (just one fix)
Just one fix (just one fix)
Just one fix (just one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Just one fix (one fix, one fix)
Songwriters: Barker Paul / Jourgenson Allen / Michael Bruce Balch / Rieflin William
CANADIAN DUO FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM 'WAKE UP THE COMA'
Front Line Assembly will release their first new album in almost six years early 2019. Having rejoined the group in 2016 in a touring capacity, 'Wake Up The Coma' also marks the studio return to FLA of Rhys Fulber, thus reuniting him with founding member Bill Leeb in the duo line-up that has already made so many classic electronic records together.
Musically, 'Wake Up The Coma' sees FLA continue to push the envelope of the electro-industrial genre that they helped to define. It also includes guest vocal appearances from Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost on the strident title track, Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, Cocksure) on the David Bowie-ish 'Spitting Wind' and Mindless Self Indulgence frontman Jimmy Urine on a surprise cover version of Falco's 1986 no. 1 smash hit 'Rock Me Amadeus'. A reference to Leeb's Austrian heritage, perhaps?
An initial teaser single from the record entitled 'Eye On You' features Robert Görl of DAF (one of Leeb's earliest influences) and is available now.
Release date: 08.02.2019 - Metropolis Records
