Customer Reviews

Deep

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While 'Love Hysteria' contains many scintillating Murphy moments, 'Deep' is more consistent; every song is up to snuff with 5 or 6 being absolutely magnificent. The disc opens with "Deep Ocean Vast Sea", a cleaned up Goth pop song featuring a rich bass, steady beat and Murphy switching between his smooth, deep voice and a punk shriek - a great opener for certain. "Shy" and "Crystal Wrists" are both very good following a similar format to the opener. Up next is the lovely, acoustic ballad "Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem" with wonderful, touching lyrics - maybe Peter's best ballad and a majestic tribute to the legendary cabaret singer. "Seven Veils" is solid but not a standout on such a strong album. "The Line Between The Devil's Teeth (And That Which Cannot Be Repeat)" not only has the longest title ever, it also happens to be a reinterpretation of "In the Flat Field", a song he recorded with Bauhaus. The music is almost intact but the lyrics have been changed up; this was Deep's 1st single. Next came Murphy's most popular stateside single, the near perfect pop song "Cuts You Up". I compare this song with The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" as perfect pop songs by epic artists. "A Strange Kind of Love" was the 3rd single from the album and is every bit as strong as the others. The song is both bittersweet and haunting; it will stick with you. The album ends in somewhat weak fashion tacking on 2 versions of "Roll Call"; the song is OK and has the biggest beat on Deep but feels oddly out of place to me.

Deep may be Murphy's best, neck and neck with its predecessor, but this is certainly his most complete. A must-have even for non-Goths.

I bought Deep after hearing Cut's You Up on the radio. I'm not a big Bauhaus fan, nor into Goth, I just instantly loved it.

When I bought it I had no idea how important this album would be. For me this album is very personal. It became a journey into myself, it presented a different way to look at my mistakes, to face my addictions, to see life and love in a diffent way. Every time I listen to it, which has to be in the thousands by now, I am given a healthy shot of encouragement and feeling of genuine triumph.

Listen to the lyrics closely and you to will have a jouney into self-realization, into the importance of love and most importantly (to me) a bridge to self forgiveness. There is a fine line between winning and losing the battle with temptation, between self hatred and redemption.

It's as if Peter Murphy is looking into his soul. He exposes his weaknesses and strengths so as to give you a new perspective into your own.

There are a loy of albums I love, this is more than a collection of songs..... It's very hard to express my feelings about the depth and meaning I found here. I just recomend you buy it and find the your own message, they are brilliantly presented.

"Deep" is one of those rare CDs that is sequenced perfectly -- the music has such depth and complexity, both musically and lyrically, that it moves from the melancholy and subtle to the celebratory and joyous in such a skilled manner that they are revealed to be all part of the same seamless vision.

While the single "Cuts You Up" is what the album is known for popularly, the three-song-sequence of "Crystal Wrists", "Marlene Dietrich" and "Seven Veils" is the best collections of songs I have ever heard. Period.

This album will be a favorite for many years to come.

I got this album last week just on a lark. I vaguely remembered "Cuts You Up," and that I really liked it. Often when I buy an album based on the merits of but one song, I soon discover that I would've done better to just buy the single; this entire album, however, just blew me away. I find myself able to listen to it, beginning to end, over and over... I think I had some sort of epiphany while driving along the highway listening to "Crystal Wrists." Something about it just sort of struck me in the solar plexus and I had to make a conscious effort to breathe. Just so...beautiful. And a fan was born.

After the end of the amazing "Bauhaus", two of the guys went on to form "Love And Rockets", and "Peter Murphy" went on to give us many solo albums. Of those albums, I believe "Deep" is his best. Not only does it include his biggest hit "Cuts You Up", but also "Deep Ocean Vast Sea", and "A Strange Kind Of Love", both of which are excellent. "Seven Veils" is great too. Almost every track here is enjoyable. Of course his voice is what makes half these songs. It's usually quite deep and very "goth" sounding, much like "Andrew Eldritch" from "Sisters Of Mercy". I would keep this before his "best of" album.

Does the thought of hearing Peter Murphy on the radio seem unlikely? Well in 1990 this was beginning to become a reality. Since leaving Bauhaus Murphy usually only made a splash on the World music charts. The single from Deep entitled 'Cuts you Up' brought the album up to #41 on the pop charts. Not impressed? You must realize that if the album had made it to #40, the single would have qualified for airplay on basically all nationwide radio. Although Deep didn't make Peter Murphy a household name it is still his biggest commercial success to date. Despite this, Deep is still probably my least favorite of Murphy's solo albums. That's not to say however that the album isn't a classic. The production is very full and lush. Murphy's band 'The Hundred Men' were most like a band on this album. 'Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem' remains one of my favorite songs of all time. Ultimately this album is a must-have, but not until you have Peter Murphy's latest and best album 'Dust'.

Peter Murphy achieved greatness with this album. Sure, he'll always be remembered by most for his time with Bauhaus, and rightfully so. But this CD is his pinnacle as a musician and songwriter. He captures the essence of gothic music, the feeling of hope in the middle of hopelessness, passion inspired by sadness, the sense that life is so beautiful and should be cherished. It's one of my favorite CDs and has been for many years.

It's been over a decade since Peter Murphy recorded "Deep" and still today the album holds on strong. From the opening track, all through it, the album carefully walks a line between alternative rock and pop that only he, the Godfather of Goth, could have been capable of.

"Cuts You Up", the single from the album that broke chart records, is far from being the best or only good song in the album. Tracks 4, 5 and 6 are among the best you'll hear, and "Roll Call" (the first Murphy song I ever heard) is still as catchy today as it was back then.

"Deep" without a doubt is part of that proverbial list of albums to take with you to a desert island...

Yes, Peter Murphy is a god of goth music. But this CD should appeal to alternative and pop fans, as well as afficionados of good music in general. "Cuts You Up" is still breath-takingly beautiful; "A Strange Kind of Love" remains haunting. Other tracks are different, but still listenable as a whole, upon countless repetitions. I know--I'm at a computer all day and just put one CD in, set to repeat. This CD is one that I can always stand to listen to for 9 hours at a time.

I noticed that there were already quite a few reviews for this CD, but I felt compelled to add my own because "Deep" is one of my Top 10 albums of all time. I first purchased "Deep" when it was released in late 1989, and it is one CD that consistently gives my stereo a workout year after year. The overall package of strong songwriting, Peter's emotive vocals, the musical skills of the Hundred Men (Peter's band at the time) and high-level production have enabled this album to withstand the test of time through repeated listenings. It doesn't sound "dated" as many recordings from the 80's or early 90's do, but remains as vital and engaging as when it was initially released.

The excellence kicks off from the beginning of the 1st track, "Deep Ocean Vast Sea". You can almost see and feel the ebb and flow of the waves as the guitars, drums and Peter's voice wash over you. "Crystal Wrists", "Marlene Dietrich's...", and "Seven Veils" are all fantastic and unique-sounding songs. "The Line Between The Devil's Teeth..." is the most aggressive track on the album, and closely follows the rhythm and vocal tempo of Bauhaus's "In The Flat Field". "Cuts You Up" was a radio and MTV hit, and rightly so; it introduced the beauty of Peter's music to a much wider audience, without compromising the artist's integrity. "A Strange Kind Of Love" is a hauntingly beautiful ballad, both in the sparse acoustic "Version One" format on this CD, or in the somewhat rare "Version Two", which features additional band accompaniment. The least necessary album track in my opinion is "Roll Call (Reprise)", as it does not offer any appreciable difference or improvement over the original "Roll Call".

I STRONGLY recommmend this CD. If you are not yet a fan of Peter Murphy, this is the album that will convert you. Peace.