Bauhaus
In The Flat Field
[4AD]
Rating: 9.2
If you've been under some huge asteroid crater on a distant planet
feeding yourself with strange alien worms and being subject to "I Love
Lucy" reruns 23 hours a day, perhaps you haven't heard that Bauhaus has
reunited for a world tour 15 years after their last show in London.
The shows have been bringing out the likes of seemingly unlikely Bauhaus
fans from Billy Zane to Billy Corgan, who joined the undead fab- four
onstage with Jane's Addiction's Steve Perkins for the second of two
shows in Chicago. All shows thus far have been to sold- out audiences,
though it hasn't been too difficult to buy last- minute tickets from
scalpers at reasonable prices. Rumors
are also running wild that the band is going to release new material,
after a brief stop in a Chicago studio to lay down some ideas and record
their cover of Dead Can Dance's "Severance."
Until then, and pending new albums from both Love and Rockets and Peter
Murphy, 4AD has finally released the band's first album In The Flat
Field to audiences domestically. Although the label touts the
merits of the album containing "extra tracks," this is the exact same
track listing that's been available as a UK import for years, which
is the only way you'd have the disc anyway. Thus, there are bonus
tracks if you happen to own the cassette copy or are fortunate enough
to own the vinyl. Also, this means that you can find the disc for
under $15, instead of the usual $22+ from your favorite import shop.
However, this isn't the same disc. Hundreds of engineers spent millions
of hours in the studio with the original tapes re-mastering them into a
redefined sound for this release. Okay, that is perhaps a bit of an
exaggeration, but the disc does sound notably cleaner, and some of the
more brilliant moments of the recording sessions are finally translated
at a perceivable level for the listener.
Much less muddy than the original release, the new release shows the
vibrant young band in all its glory. Starting strong with three of the
band's more memorable tracks, "Dark Entries," "Double Dare," and the
title track, "In The Flat Field," the disc quickly shows off the
innovation that was the basis of Bauhaus. Keeping in mind that the
term "goth" hadn't even been invented at the time of this record's
release, Bauhaus managed to dance around their influences and have fun
while doing it. Much less serious than the "red blood and black roses"
goth bands of modern times, Bauhaus demonstrates how they can take themselves
less seriously with the ridiculous lyrics of "St. Vitus Dance," a song
about club-goer with special lighting effects attached to his utility
belt. Let's not also forget that "Spy In The Cab" is about the
fare- meter in a taxi. Also playing around, the band records a brilliant
cover of T.Rex's "Telegram Sam."
If you do happen to be stuck with the domestic tape release of this
album and haven't decided whether or not to pick up this reissue, the
ending track "Crowds" should highly influence your decision. Sort of an
acoustic "fuck you" number, this is the kind of track that really makes
the band stick out in musical history, exposing the darker side of the
emotions not always present in their other tracks.
-Skaht Hansen