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Although this is Nitzer Ebb's second album, it was actually the first one I bought. I picked it up at the Tower Records Superstore in Vegas while it was still around. Man, I loved that store. During the 90's, lots of electronic bands were following in the footsteps of Depeche Mode by exploring heavier industrial sounds. And Nitzer Ebb seems to be the band who led the charge. Where DM were inspired by German industrial bands like Einstürzende Neubauten and Kraftwerk, subsequent artists like Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein were influenced by DM.
Independent of Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb nonetheless embraced a similar respect for the avant-garde movement and represented it in their own music through a combination of pounding beats and half-spoken, half-sung Tantric lyrics that drone in your ear with the precision of a military marching band.
One of the biggest differences between this and the previous record can be found in the sound. It was produced by Flood who had been working with Depeche Mode. He brought the unique sound catalog they'd engineered over the years. This allowed Nitzer Ebb to sound similar enough to DM for them to attract the later's fanbase while at the same time sounding completely different.
Their songs rely heavily on simple arrangements and aggressive beats and covered subjects as varied as Hezbollah airplane hijacking and faith crisis'. In some ways, the more simple song writing and intense music fit the industrial label much better than other bands at the time who fit into the genre.
Industrial music would transition into a form of metal in the 90's thanks to the efforts of bands like NE. But while that change occurred, NE stayed the same and became an electronic band. This record can fit in either category and although it's a strong record from start to finish, I do have my favorite tracks. 'Shame' is easily my favorite on the album followed closely by 'Without Belief'. I also think this is the strongest of the NE albums I've heard. It's one weak moment is 'T.W.A.' which tends to meander a bit.
Overall, I recommend this record to people considering giving NE a try. You won't regret this decision even if you never buy another record from the band. This is the one that defines them even if "Ebbhead" is more well known and famous. My final words: THE ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL MUSIC IN THE 80'S. AND POUNDING BEATS TO BOOT.
NITZER EBB - BELIEF
01. Hearts And Minds
02. For Fun
03. Control I'm Here
04. Captivate
05. T.W.A.
06. Blood Money
07. Shame
08. Drive
09. Without Belief
Another Depeche Mode album I have two versions of. I have the original US CD and the Deluxe Edition. There are some slight differences but I'll discuss those when I actually get ready to type the track list.
This was Depeche Mode's third album and actually the second of theirs I actually bought. If you break down Depeche Mode's evolving musical sound over the years, "Construction Time Again" is the quintessential record for the early years. Unlike "Speak & Spell", (which is more of a Vince Clarke creation than a DM record), and "A Broken Frame", (on which Martin cut his writing chops for the first time), CTA shows a more mature and settled songwriting style and set the standard for the rest of the 80's. The band would choose unusual subject material and the songs would often be sensitive and insightful at the same time. This is also a record where they begin to embrace the industrial barrage of engineered sounds they would become so famous for. Part of this is because of Martin's exposure to the German industrial sounds of bands like Einstürzende Neubauten.
You can definitely hear a theme on this record and that is disappointment. Having taken over as lead song writer for the band and suddenly finding himself successful, Martin L. Gore looks at the world around him and realizes it's not what he expected or even wanted it to be. From the initial track, 'Love, In Itself' he discusses these small epiphanies. For Martin, The Beatles "All You Need Is Love" turned out to be a lie spoon fed to the masses to keep people hoping things would turn out better than they were. For him, Love... In itself, wasn't enough. He continues the theme in 'More Than A Party' by comparing the world to a party where greedy people send one message while doing the opposite.
"Keep telling us we're to have fun
Then take all the ice cream so we've got none"
Gore was also heavily inspired by a trip to Asia where he saw firsthand the devastation of extreme poverty. Morally, he wasn't able to reconcile his world with the suffering he witnessed and songs like 'Pipeline' and 'Everything Counts' continue the theme of financial inequality and his growing disillusionment. 'Shame' describes his embarrassment of his own success while 'Told You So' attempts to address the serious and often fruitless political efforts of business' and governments to pass the buck without taking responsibility for their actions. Especially those that harm others.
The final track, 'And Then....' is Gore's call to arms. Realizing the world wasn't nearly as big as it had once seemed, he sends out a plea asking people to start to care and make a change.
New band member, Alan Wilder also contributed songs to the album. Although not exactly in line with Gore's overall theme, his songs compliment Martin's quite nicely. 'Two Minute Warning' creates a sense of urgency and necessity while 'The Landscape Is Changing' shows an awareness of environmentalism even before it became a huge topic of discussion. Gore's material dealt primary with the human condition while Wilder reflects on the world as a whole. Between the two of them, they created an album of socially conscious and relevant material.
This is probably one of my favorite DM albums. I love it! I remember working late at night when I would have the closing shift and driving home listening to these songs. I found them so inspiring I can't even begin to put it into words. It definitely helped me form a world view and define my sense of right and wrong.
There's a hidden reprise of 'Everything Counts' at the end of the album just after 'And Then....'. The US Version also includes the 12" long version of 'Everything Counts' as a bonus track. The Deluxe Edition features the disc in its original form without the added mix, but it includes the second disc with all sorts of bonus material. I'll specify everything in the tracks lists below. For the record, since the cover is identical, I'll only post the one pic here.
My final words: AN INFLUENTIAL BRILLIANT PIECE OF MUSIC.
DEPECHE MODE - CONSTRUCTION TIME AGAIN
01. Love, In Itself
02. More Than A Party
03. Pipeline
04. Everything Counts
05. Two Minute Warning
06. Shame
07. The Landscape Is Changing
08. Told You So
09. And Then....
10. Everything Counts (Reprise)
11. Everything Counts (Long Version) (US Only)
DVD CONTENT
01. A Short Film: Depeche Mode - 1983
02. Love, In Itself
03. More Than A Party
04. Pipeline
05. Everything Counts
06. Two Minute Warning
07. Shame
08. The Landscape Is Changing
09. Told You So
10. And Then....
11. Everything Counts (Reprise)
12. Get The Balance Right!
13. The Great Outdoors!
14. Work Hard
15. Fools
16. Get The Balance Right! (Combination Mix)
17. Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)
18. Love, In Itself (4)
Visage is a band I'm guessing won't ring a lot of bells with American audiences although some of you might be familiar with band members who went on to have success in other groups. Visage was a synth band formed at the start of the New Romantic movement. The original members were Steve Strange, Rusty Egan and Midge Ure. Of the three, the most famous is probably Midge Ure who went on to have huge success with Ultravox. The band struggled to put music together after their initial release. Largely due to the fact the band members were all tied up with other groups. Visage became a side project for them. Still, its impact on the New Wave scene can't be denied or undervalued. They had a huge impact on shaping the sound that would dominate British music exports for the next 20 years.
But enough about the band, let's discuss the music. The first track on the disc is probably the band's biggest hit and the one you'd know if you know anything about them. 'Fade To Grey' starts off the album and it's a remarkable tune. I like it a lot, but I have noticed, the tempo leaves a lot to be desired. The song appears again as the final track on the disc in a remixed form and I must say, the tempo seems to pick up a little. The remix version is much more satisfying and worth owning. The second song on the disc is 'Mind Of A Toy' and it's about what a toy might feel when a child outgrows it. It's a metaphor of course for someone in a relationship where one party has outgrown the other. On subject matter alone, I give the song the highest possible ranking. The next track is 'Visage'... Obviously the song the band gets its name from. Steve Strange is the lead singer on most of the songs, with Ure singing background vocals. Their voices blend well together, but Ure possesses the stronger voice and more vocal control. This song is a great example of this. Strange delivers the verses with Ure singing the chorus.
'We Move' is next and it's listed as a remix. It's pretty good and has some percussion playing alongside the drum track. 'Tar' is almost like an Andy Warhol painting. It's like a work of art commenting on a social behavior rather than a traditional pop song. 'In The Year 2525' is a cover but I'm not sure who recorded the original version. It's a rather boring track. I think it was left off the albums and only surfaced on this release. The next track, 'The Anvil' is probably my favorite of the entire bunch. Titled after a gay club in New York City, the song features a punching drum track that sounds slightly industrial. I think this song, coupled with the German industrial bands like Einsturzende Neubautin inspired bands like Depeche Mode who gained notoriety through sound engineering. It certainly is a precursor to later industrial bands who combined these heavier sounds with lighter synth melodies.
The tracks from the second album are different from the material on the first record. The music is obviously more fleshed out, engineered professionally and polished. There are other elements appearing on these tracks like additional background vocalists and traditional instruments like horns and bass guitars putting in an appearance. I'm not as impressed with this material, but it's alright. Of the last four, two are from the second album and two are from the first. 'Night Train' is from the second and it's more heavily produced. It's OK, but not a song I'll listen to on a regular basis. 'Pleasure Boys' is from the first but I can almost say the exact same thing as 'Night Train'. There's not a lot happening here I find exciting. 'Damned Don't Cry' is far more interesting. It starts off with a keyboard motif setting the tempo and rhythm. When the beat finally kicks in, even though it's on a simple four count, it can't stop the momentum established by the keyboards. This is an excellent tune from the 2nd album. The last song before the 'Fade To Grey' remix is 'Love Glove'. The first time I heard this tune I thought I was listening to something by the Psychedelic Furs or Thompson Twins. It's not a bad tune, but not a memorable one either.
Visage never had a chance to be more than a collection of songs that would establish a direction subsequent bands would emulate for the remainder of the 80's. It seems like everyone picked a song they liked and developed a sound based on that one tune. You can hear the whole of British New Wave on this disc and it's fascinating to hear a sound develop. I was too young when the album came out to know about it and I didn't even know they existed until much later. It was during a period of time when I was researching Midge Ure that I discovered this relatively obscure band and I'm glad I did. Although I don't get freaked out by all of their music, the songs I do like, I abso-freaking-lutely LOVE.
My final words: A FORGOTTEN BIT OF HISTORY MORE OF US SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH.
VISAGE - FADE TO GREY THE BEST OF VISAGE
01. Fade To Grey
02. Mind Of A Toy
03. Visage
04. We Move (Remix)
05. Tar
06. In The Year 2525
07. The Anvil
08. Night Train
09. Pleasure Boys
10. Damned Don't Cry
11. Love Glove
12. Fade To Grey (Bassheads 7" Edit)
Industrial rockers, Nitzer Ebb dropped this EP in 1991. They'd supported Depeche Mode on some tour dates and I assume it's because of this exposure, they worked with the people they did on this release.
'Family Man' would appear on the subsequent release, "Ebbhead" and it's a great number. The version appearing here was mixed by Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke. Since the same/similar version appears on "Ebbhead" I won't go into much detail here. 'Lovesick' features production and mixing by Flood. He was popular during the 90's and worked with everyone from U2 to Depeche Mode. I think this guy was everywhere. And this track sounds like a stripped down DM number.
Douglas McCarthy's vocals are always slightly grinding. He kinda assaults your senses with his sound. They sound evil! And that's part of the reason he's so effective as a front man. He oozes creepy. But in a cool way. The industrial sound they've created is a hybrid mash-up of traditional industrial sounds from bands like Einsturzende Neubautin and the bands they later inspired like DM and NIN.
'Come Alive' is produced by ex DM member, Alan Wilder. He went on to work with McCarthy on his solo Recoil project. And 'Come Alive' sounds like it belongs on one of these records. It features McCarthy's flat expressionless vocal delivery with the sinister sounds Wilder loved to use with Recoil. It's easily my favorite track on the disc. 'Higher' is produced and mixed by Barry Adamson and PK. Adamson is probably best known for his part with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. Of the four tracks on this EP, I think 'Higher' is my least favorite. It doesn't really escape from a drone and the musical progressions only increase the sound or intensity of the droning. Sadly, I just don't think this track gets over. Still, it's not a bad song.
Nitzer Ebb are a band I think have a lot of potential and I find them fascinating. They have strange subject material and they cross over effectively from one sound style to another. Even though most of the time, they stick firmly in the industrial category. A smart producer would harness this energy and channel it toward a more pop friendly record. But in a way, it's a good thing they don't. My final words: A NICE EP! IT'S GOOD FOR TAPPING YOUR SHOES AND ROCKING OUT.
NITZER EBB - AS IT
01. Family Man
02. Lovesick
03. Come Alive
04. Higher
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German industrial band most famously known for the use of instruments made from power tools and metal. The majority of these instruments are percussive. My first exposure to them came when I read an article about Martin L. Gore from Depeche Mode. I can't remember if it was an interview or just a writer's imagination, but I do remember reading that Martin was a fan of the band. It went on to discuss how Depeche Mode's use of sampling to engineer sounds is a result of Gore's and other band members' attraction to this form of industrial music. As my interest in Depeche Mode grew, I wanted to hear the music by the groups they listened to.
I didn't found a copy of one of their albums until the mid 90's when I found "Tabula Rasa". I bought it and found the music interesting. I was also intrigued to hear Depeche Mode copy some sounds on newer material from that record. It was fascinating. When I saw this album out on Trent Reznor's Nothing label, I had to pick it up. I thought it would have some input by Reznor who is another artist influenced by their industrial chaos; however, Reznor has nothing to do with the record.
So... it's left to its own devices and I had to listen to it without any preconceptions or hopes. It was just a new record from a band I found interesting. How did it hold up?
Well, as much as I admire and enjoy the concept of groups being inspired by Einstürzende Neubauten, I find myself not quite catching the flow. Don't get me wrong... I like their music and I think lyrically, the band is quite ahead of its time. But it's not music I would put in to jam out to. There are some awesome exceptions... For example, the opening track 'Was Ist Ist' kicks in like a freight train barreling down the tracks and practically mows you under. It features a tongue twisting chorus that's as mentally provocative as it is verbally frustrating. Try saying, "Was ist ist, was nicht ist ist möglich" ten times fast. Translated, it says, "What is is, what is not is possible". I also like 'Die Explosion Im Festspielhaus'. It's a creepy slow number with bizarre lyrics and a dramatic storyline.
Other than that, the album is probably standard fare for them. 'Nnnaaammm' is way too long, and despite reading all kinds of hype about the track 'Stella Maris', I didn't enjoy it. At least not in particular. If you're a fan of Einstürzende Neubauten, this record probably won't disappoint you. It's certainly a book end to any collection. It's also not likely to be recognized as a ground-breaking or defining piece of work. My final words: FOR DIE-HARD FANS. DOWNLOAD INDIVIDUAL TRACKS.
EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - ENDE NEU
01. Was Ist Ist
02. Stella Maris
03. Die Explosion Im Festspielhaus
04. Installation N°1
05. Nnnaaammm
06. Ende Neu
07. The Garden
08. Der Schacht Von Babel
09. Bili Rubin (Bonus Track)
