Bauhaus "Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape" 1982****

Friday the 13th once again, folks. I've decided to make a tradition out of it and present a relevant album every time. On previous occasions I did The Cramps and Fuzztones, whose camp Halloween-ish antics fit the description. But if you want to see something really scary, take a look at Peter Murphy's skeletal frame in the clip below: He's no harmless Halloween trick-or-treater, he looks like a deranged malnourished psychopath. Which reminds me of my first contact with Bauhaus: On my first year in the University, another student lent me some of his LP's as an introduction to post punk/new wave. Those included, if I remember correctly, The Sound's "From the Lion's Mouth", Nick Cave's "Kicking Against the Pricks", "Enter The Sisters" by The Sisters Of Mercy and Bauhaus' "Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape". Great choices, all. He told me that Bauhaus were his first rock concert and that he felt both exhilarated and scared shitless, a 15-year old alone among intimidating older punks and goths, watching this frightfully intense band. I laughed at his description, but listening to this live album again (for the first time after 20 years) I get it: These may not all be as good as the studio versions, but you can't beat them for passion and intensity. The band's sound is punkier and more aggressive than in the studio while Murphy goes for the maximum theatrical effect, leering and screaming rather than trying to sing correctly. I can only imagine what it'd be like to witness these performances in person. The tracklist is strong, compiling their best songs at the time (they had only released 2 album until then, so there wasn't much to choose from) with a few rarities like "Rose Garden Funeral Of Sores". It goes "Virgin mary was tired/So tired/Tired of listening to gossip/Gossip and complaints/They came from next door...From all sorts of/Untidy whores". It's a John Cale cover, but nobody utters "untidy whores" better than Peter Murphy. It's the album's second song, after the punky opener "In the Flat Field" with its rolling drums and screaming guitar. "Dancing" sports an amazing bassline and howling saxophone that conjures images of a disco taken over by werewolves - at least to those of us who are familiar with werewolf movies. "The Man With X-Ray Eyes" is slow and very theatrical. I'm sure it was great live, but on record it doesn't translate as well. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the song that best defines Bauhaus (and Goth): The spooky effects, menacing bass, otherworldly vocals and those lyrics... It goes on for 10 minutes without ever losing its ferocity.  "The Spy In The Cab" and the slower "Hollow Hills" also stress the horror element but stand up less well. Then it's back to the werewolf disco with the bass-driven "Kick In The Eye" and "In Fear Of Fear". "Stigmata Martyr" is another passionate performance of a quintessential Bauhaus song with dramatic vocals and buzzsaw guitars. The original album ended with a relentlessly paced "Dark Entries" followed by a few words to the sound engineer: "press the eject and give me the tape". The CD version continues with 5 extra live tracks from the same period. The recording is a bit sub-par, but versions of the underrated "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" and "Of Lillies And Remains" are welcome. "Double Dare", "In The Flat Field" and "Hair Of The Dog" are rather messy and so is a version of the Velvets' "Waiting For The Man" with Nico on guest vocals. Messy or not, a duet like that deserves to be heard. Well, time to sign off and get ready to watch a classic horror movies marathon with my girl. I leave you with a few verses from Bela Lugosi: 

The bats have left the bell tower

The victims have been bled

Red velvet lines the black box

Bela Lugosi's dead (Undead undead undead)

The virginal brides file past his tomb

Strewn with time's dead flowers

Bereft in deathly bloom

Alone in a darkened room

The count

Bela Lugosi's dead

Undead undead undead

***** for Bela Lugosi Is Dead, Kick In The Eye 

**** for In The Flat Field, Rose Garden Funeral Of Sores, Dancing,  In Fear Of Fear, Stigmata Martyr, Dark Entries, Terror Couple Kill Colonel   

*** for The Spy In The Cab, Hollow Hills, In The Flat Field (2nd version), Of Lillies And Remains, Waiting For The Man

** for The Man With X-Ray Eyes,  Double Dare, Hair Of The Dog