Musical styles come and go one after another. The truly great styles that return every few years in waves are the most innovative. From the first wave of ska to the latest of the third wave (for example), things are constantly changing and being improved, re-adapted to modern day standards, while trying their best to stay true to the genre's defining musical moments.

The same ebb and flow has occurred within the Gothic Rock scene since its inception as post-punk in the late seventies. Goth Rock has been around (depending on where you put your compass) for coming on 25 years; it has had its heyday, its low-points, and its rebirth -- and these changes still happen today.

When I first got into bands that many today call Gothic staples -- The Cure, The Sisters, Joy Division -- I had never heard the term "Gothic" before in my life to describe music. In my youth, late '89 - '90, my friends and I discovered many of these bands in used bins in dusty record stores, we were being told in many music reviews of the Cure's "Disintegration" that the term was Progressive, the musical equivalent of liberalism. Not in the sense of Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd or modern day Tool, but in a sense where there were no strict boundaries as to what was okay to listen to, new bands were instantly soaked up and nothing was rehashed. We would jump between the moodiness of these bands: hop on over to some danceteria Sigue Sigue Sputnik, the early violence of Public Enemy, and then back round to the Smiths.

So, the early 90's was a virtual wasteland to suburban Americans interested in Goth music. In England, Sisters were moving metal, the Fields of the Nephilim were on their last cloven hooves and Peter Murphy and Siousxie were moving into their Adult Contemporary directions. Press (in the U.S.) was almost a total blackout when it came to these bands as well, pausing only to mention the Cure after they conquered MTV.

Then, with the advent of Cleopatra records, it was high tide again. Many would like to downplay the importance of Cleopatra Records in the resurgence of the American Goth scene, but they singlehandedly brought many classic goth acts into music superstores across the country. It was with their tireless compiling of Goth Rock greatest hit collections that many of first us heard what were the pioneers of a new scene. Alternative Music became huge in the mid-nineties, allowing people to branch out and listen to new things, and Cleopatra was there to hand it to them.

In the last five years Gothic Music has slowly faded back into the distance. One reason, because, accept it or not, Marilyn Manson brought his version to the masses, and Goth Rock was never about the masses. Many long-time scenesters have abandoned the scene in favor of the more electronic direction of industrial dance, EBM and the new generation of Synth-Pop clones. Goth clubs are slowly rephrasing their musical playlists to remove the word Goth and replace it with Industrial/Synth-Pop nights and really, it seems, once again, that Goth is dead. There are a few bands playing around and releasing albums, but it seems to me that they spend more time on their make-up and hair to pay close attention to making good songs. It's times like these that you are forced to go back to the beginning and start over from scratch.

I was speaking with Mick Mercer about this one day and it occured to me that many new initiates into the Goth Scene have no idea about the pioneers of the genre. Sure, they may own a Christian Death CD or a Cleopatra compilation, but there is so much out there that they are missing. Pick up an Industrial-Gothic magazine, or read the online 'zines, and you will only get reviews of what's new, dropping names of bands from the past to up their word count. I thought it would be an interesting idea to re-evaluate some classic CD's, review them fresh from todays musical climate and see if they stand the test of time.

Mick Mercer is definitely old-school, he was there at the get-go and actually wrote the book on Goth (The Gothic Rock Black Book, Gothic Rock, Hex Files: The Goth Bible, and others.) I am no-school. I believe all "new-school Goth" began with the birth of the Internet and net.goths. I am just a long-time fan with an ear for excellence and patience to sit through a lot of bad music.

So, we sat down, separately,  and reviewed some classic Goth albums. If you like what's out now, check these out. To many people, these are still their favorite albums, not because they are great Goth records, but because they are just damned good albums.
 

FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM
The Nephilim

Mick says-

When The Nephilim really took off they decimated any remaining opposition in the UK Goth scene for a few years on the basis that theirs was a vision. Sound and image conjoined with a rumbling vocal style nobody had heard before made for an inviting concoction unrivaled for its individuality in other genres at the time, giving this Goth band a sense of respect. This album was part of the reason why they creaked in a disinterested fashion upon the pedestal of press acclaim.

Typically a Nephilim song is a timely, languid sprawl, which ends in a rusty heap, but that is to do them a grand disservice.

Looking back it can still charm, but only the most sycophantic would not see certain deficiencies. Opener "Endemoniada" - son of "Preacher Man" - takes a very linear course, rather than opting for excitement, a hallmark that predominates. "Watchmen" – very precise musically, another characteristic - is stately but with ludicrous vocals.  And "Phobia," with its skittish Blues-rock and cyclical guitar motif, could have been influenced by Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades." I see this now, but at the time was heavily swayed by the spaghetti Western dream.

They dared to be different, which the plain copyists never understood. They still come off as lush and adventurous. The main drawbacks are the occasional Cultish guitar sound, circa "Dreamtime," and the fact some arrangements are weakened to accommodate McCoy's vocals dead centre.

"Shiva" is a hugely attractive piece, until a dribbling ending, but they are at their best when sonorous and majestic. "Love Under Will" is utterly loveable, with a quixotic, cinematic verve, almost classical winding guitar and beautiful twists. The mood is constant and works well, as it always does when the rhythms get a fair chance. Nod's work remains as compelling as ever.

However, certain moments seem endless, and when McCoy's vocals, often oddly sweet, are left too exposed you have to accept there are pantomime elements here.  His vocals are totally distinctive and at some times surprisingly cute, at others strangely laughable, as they can sound horribly affected. "Celebrate," creepy without theatrics, actually finds McCoy trying to sing normally, only to come up with stilted Morrisonesque groaning.

The overall magic of what they once had isn't fully lost, because the music is still something nobody has copied well, and certainly not improved upon, but the vocals are of their time and we have all moved on.

Robert says-

Fields of the Nephilim have never seemed to get the credit they deserved for bringing big, complex songcraft into the genre. Listening to any of their albums or watching any of the live videos, you cannot help but be blown away by the sheer skill of all of the players. In a genre full of chord scratchers like Daniel Ash and drum machines, bands with actual musical talent seem to get lost in the wayside.

But it's that talent for grandiose songs, excellent production, the occasional atmospheric sample and the voice – oh my, the voice - that makes this such an incredible album even by today's standards. This album, to me, has stood up better than their others, being more thematically cohesive than Dawnrazor and more exciting in general than Elysium.

The Nephs are most recognizable by the rich baritone of Carl McCoy.  Do not damn them for this vocal assault: McCoy was the originator of the gravel-throated growl that many Goth bands strive for today. Where Andrew Eldritch sang deep because he had a deep voice, McCoy goes deep for the cerebral effect.

Most likely, if this album were to come out today, it would probably be lumped with more progressive metal acts like Tool than the blasé, melodramatic bilge that is considered Goth music these days. This album has unalduterated power, highs and lows, excellent production and lofty goals.

Standout tracks include the entire second side (or final three songs for those blessed with the CD); the sum whole of the three songs create a cohesive epic rock opera covering all of the skills of the band. The first side soars but sometimes comes off as a little cluttered and hectic in some parts. "Shiva" stills sticks out like a sore thumb to me for not being on the cassette version of the album, (which I lived with for so many years); it will simply never feel to me to be part of this great album.

KOMMUNITY FK
Close One Sad Eye

Mick says-

In "Trollops" Patrick Mata sings, "I love your hair, it's black as tyres," which suggests his chat-up lines were always destined to fail. Clearly a strange man, he is gifted with a heavenly voice, but only looks like he has a chance now to make people aware of his true qualities.

This band had a good reputation going in the early 80's, seeming to come out of the left field indie scene in America, and briefly enjoying cult status in the UK, alongside Savage Republic; being seen as the US equivalent of 4AD bands, harshly romantic, rather than jaded cynics. Then it all slipped away, overtaken but a glut of great bands as the scene totally exploded.

This doesn't stand up at all well, not because of the songs, but the production, and some of the choices Patrick Mata made. "Something Inside Me Has Died" is flat and bleak but the vocal soaring gives it resounding power. That should have been the key. "Debauchery" rawks out happily along a jagged path of stabbing guitar and fancy bass, but makes no real impact, and "The Other World," while richly imaginative, is muddled and brief, with a weird rhythm.

Equally messy is "Haunt" where the guitarist could, and should, have been shot, where it ends messily, just as the limits of the guitar are exposed in a haughty "They," sounding like Killing Joke. "Noob" is clear and cool with classy vocals, everyone fitting in for once, and "You And Eye" is tough pop with several declamatory passages… but it's too short an album for the bad moments to be overtaken by the good.
 
"The Vision & The Voice" is brutish, with succulent vocal twirls, but abominable keyboards. It would take Depeche Mode several years to happen across just such a direction. When the songs are pregnant with Patrick's presence, it works beautifully. When he isn't around it feels like a wasted opportunity, and there's too much of that. The album is good, but horribly uneven, but this band was ahead of its time, make no mistake about that, and they deserve true respect.

Robert says-

Close One Sad Eye is far from a perfect album. The production is off, there are audible mistakes in the performance, the lyrics are at best mediocre and at the worst, so awful it hurts to sing along. But there in a beautiful naivete to the album. There are ideas here, though, maybe not fully fleshed out in the early days of the American goth scene, but they are there, and I have to respect them for it. To me Patrick Mata has one of the greatest voices in the scene, not striving to sound like anybody else. This album blends basic pop sensibilities with early American post-punk and attitude for an excellent listen. Then again, maybe I am biased because this album contains one of the first great American Goth anthems: "Something Inside Me Has Died." A perfect, simple Gothic-Pop song, and probably still the best. Play it on vinyl and the production isn't as unnerving, or carry a borrowed, dubbed copy in your walkman as you take the bus across country and you will never be able to get this out of your head for years to come.

BAUHAUS
In A Flat Field

Mick says-

A true classic and leader of an era, this gave the fledgling UK Goth scene real focus because it proved there was a valid life form emerging from that shattered womb of Punk. Here was quality, here was mystery, all based on the simple fact that you had four individuals all do something equally good, and distinctive as each other.

Take two songs, openers both. As with most of their material, "Dark Entries" twitches nastily, but "Double Dare" repeats a common fault by outstaying its welcome. (It does however show what made their sound insistent, often based mainly on drums and guitar, equalling Murphy's arch vocal nuances.)

They have variety, which worked well. "Spy In The Cab" is a yearning crawl with magnificent vocals. "God In An Alcove" goes slow and throbby, with skittish, playful stop/starts. "In The Flat Field"  manages to be a lighter romp, with scalding Ash rivulets, and "Dive" is capering nonsense. They had humour, but trolls never saw that.

Unfortunately, it isn't all good. "Small Talk Stinks" appears to be something The Cramps shat out, "St Vitus Dance" is mad but horribly stretched, just as "Stigmata Martyr" lasts an eternity, and the prettily twinkling "Nerves" is rather pointless. "Telegram Sam" is best described as misguided.

They did lovelorn regret with a sense of malice, and there were many fragrant doodlings. They had the coolest sound, which hangs together well overall, despite my occasional quibbles, and this is a fine beast, as indeed was Mask.

The effect is diminished as a whole, but there are individual moments here which sound every bit as good as when first encountered. The same effect can only be replicated by sitting naked, cold and shivering, in a bath filled with cockroaches.

The boys done good.

Robert says-

Bauhaus: what more can you really say? In the Flat Field, their full length debut, is an amazing journey, showing hundreds of bands to come the blueprints of how to make music right. Jumping from style to style, attitude to mood, this album has all of Bauhaus' greatest components. Still harboring their art school pretensions, these four didn't set out to change musical history, but did in fact create an enitre genre.

In the Flat Field is still Bauhaus at their choppiest, pogo-ing-est, lyrical best. They had nothing to prove with this album, unlike the following ones on which each tried to up the artistic ante of the last; like the sometimes overwrought disco of Mask up to the might-as-well-have-been Love and Rockets of Burning From the Inside.

Bauhaus never made a bad album, but this is where it matters most. Though the CD release may be about 5 songs too long, including pre-requisite skippers like "Scopes" and "Small Talk Stinks" the disc is riddled with too many gems to actually list.

While the music may sound very dated to a modern ear, from the keyboard claps to echo effects, the historical aspect of the work itself cannot be ignored.

SEX GANG CHILDREN
Blind

Mick says-

Conceived in haste, or so it seemed at the time, this now stands proud as good, every bit as good as his Veil album, always charming and, at times, ravishing.

Glam terrorism would have been an easy route, to show he wasn't only restricted to angst-ridden delivery, but this is like an 80's version of a scarred and bruising Cockney Rebel, revealing 70's pop sensibilities, but also a headier mix of some ideas only hinted at in early SGC work.

The variety is clear.  "Boss & Beauty" blows hot and cold with Mediterranean/Eastern influences; ambitious but pulled off by a confident delivery and such clear bright vocals. "Welcome To My World" is bold, precocious and bouncy as Andi, master of all ceremonies, is showcasing his troubadour leanings outside of the known Brehct/Weill echoes.

It isn't all new, as "Dead Metal" is old style, with deeper, clomping rhythms, but not as stark. "Ecstasy & Vendetta" naturally has the wiggling ferment of yore, dramatic and disjointed, and "Quick Gas Gang" is like Kirk Brandon leading a square dance, but it works because of the exquisite way Andi can slide up and down a melody

In fact when you listen to that, or "Dying Fall" with the keyboards carefully placed, you can at times see his airier style as being a murderous Abba, and that's a real compliment.
 
"I've Done It All Before" is another class ballad, something Andi is good at. "Ida-Ho" is also joyous, scuzzed up pop, where Andi steps out, and glides, but "Last Chants For The Slow Dance" is the epic here for me, being a spectacular hunchbacked waltz.

Along with Christian Death I think this is the one of the greats, but it is definitely the only one I feel has grown in stature over time. Oh…except for "Immigrant," which is truly dire. Anyone here think "fish in batter/mad as a hatter' works as lyrics. Anyone? Move on…

Robert says-

If one album in the entire genre is as good today as it was when it was first released, it has to be Blind. When it was rereleased by Dressed To Kill, it got a much needed remastering and a remix or two, and the sound is clearer than ever.

Sex Gang wasn't for everyone. They strayed a bit too close to metal for some folks sometimes, and Andi's adenoidal vocals took a lot of getting used to.  Blind was a giant leap from earlier Sex Gang releases which consisted of mostly dodgy lives tapes, demos and constant revisions of their earlier material. Once the quality of the recordings began to rise, so did the quality of the songs. Once they dropped the art-school aspirations of Dieche and focused more on song structure and craft, they blew all competition away with Blind.

Who knew a bunch of punk rockers could have such a sense of harmony? The chorus of "Quick Gas Gang" is one to be sang as loud as possible with a drink in your hand, "Welcome to my World" is a punchy and beat driven dance fest. Not one song falters from its surrounding company.

Andi's lyrics are sometimes indecipherable through his singing and a bit contoversial but can easily slide into absurdity and humor. And anyone who can keep still during "Ida-Ho" is too sad to be listening to such a good CD.

CHRISTIAN DEATH
Only Theatre Of Pain

Mick says -

Although it seems unlikely, if anyone interested in Rozz Williams hasn't heard this, you need to. Now. If you love Goth and have never heard this, you are simply incomplete without it. Put all other plans on hold until you have your own copy. Always vulnerable as an orchid in hell, this was Rozz's best work ever, with staggering visual imagery escaping from his tortured mind and grazed throat. Consistently thrilling throughout every song, this is The Greatest Goth Album Ever Made. It has no peers.

It is a litany of classics, really. "Burnt Offerings" and "Mystery Iniquitatis" will pen you into a corner and have you startled that current Goth bands simply don't know to produce music in such a nervous, exciting manner. And the bells, which frequently add a crazed, loftily luxurious element to proceedings every bit as much as the guitars. The versatility is everywhere and anyone who thinks it was Rozz's show needs a reality check. Without the guitar work of.....it wouldn't be half the album it is.

The immediate impact comes from two of the greatest Goth songs ever, in "First Communion" and "Figurative Theater," which offers so much space, and yet you suffocate here. A band who originally never extended songs beyond their natural limit, they pulverise the listener with vicious guitar and Rozz's extraordinary voice. These are wretchedly pretty, jacknifing, jerking, and ending up spent and glassy-eyed.

"Deathwish" is almost flip metal, and there are some cheekily light moments in "Dogs" to lift a curtain amid the constant gloom. They haven't entirely shaken off New Wave commercial sensibilities, but when they stagger about beneath punky anvils in "Spiritual Cramp" and overstretch in "Uncertain Journey" because this is all so far beyond what most bands would even attempt, you sit enthralled by Rozz's caustic, light delivery and the musical restraint.

And of course there is "Romeo's Distress," a song so compulsively repulsive Manson would kill to have written it - like he will ever have the grace, or artistry! It etches itself on your mind during the first listen, and never leaves. "Sixth Communion" also spirals down around you, then constricts. We are nothing but a target for these weapons.

Fascinating moments all, they also sound every bit as relevant now, like all bands who created something unique, and the words linger on. The songs are wild and raging free, with febrile surges and guillotined endings. It is a total experience that will make you see things afresh.

"Ungracious freeloaders leave their dead on a doorstep."

Robert says-

Ah, the first pretentious Goth band, and luckily enough they came from the U.S of A. -- too bad it was California. Christian Death didn't care if you liked their music, their subject matter, their lyrics or their look. They were making feminine punk-rock with one foot in the grave and the other pushing (um... with their toe) as many buttons as it took to get heard. They didn't sell themselves flat and make an accessible album, they made an album that they themselves would have wanted to listen to. Through the severity of their cat scratch songs it seems   impossible that could pull off such majesty as "Romeo's Distress" and at such a early start of their career. While sounding very little like anything else on the album, "Romeo's Distress" is the bar they set for themselves. While not nearly approaching it with any other song on the album, this album is filled with classics.

Maybe even more important than the album itself is the career of Rozz Williams that began right here and branched out so innovatively in the almost 15 years hence. You only begin to sense his genius here and we are lucky to have been the generation to experience him live. Let's just be happy he quit speaking in tongues after this album.
 

I was lucky enough to team-up with the ubiquitous Mick Mercer to write this article from an original idea of my own. I threw the idea at him and he liked it enough to participate. This article was featured in the September 2001 issue of Gothic.net.
Copyright 2001 R. Hedengren and Gothic.net