Customer Reviews

Goth: Music of the Shadows 1

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

 

 

...This is (to my knowledge) the best Goth compilation there is, minus those Cleopatra box sets which are of equal standards. It amazes me how far Gothic music has come since Bauhaus first recorded "Bela Lugosi's Dead" back in '79. Sadly, many of the greats have either fallen from their respected grace, broken up, or key members passed on. All the more reason to have Black Tape For A Blue Girl and London After Midnight on this album to show that Gothic music is still very much alive and well. In fact, "Kiss" (almost) holds it's own with the more legendary bands here. Speaking of legendary, Bauhaus's "Dark Entries" is one of their best songs. Daniel Ash's guitar playing has had a profound effect on mine and I worship this band. I'm also glad there's other legendary Goth bands such as Sisters Of Mercy, Alien Sex Fiend, Sex Gang Children, and, most of all, Christian Death to show those important Gothic roots. I'm having a VERY hard time tracking down a copy of Christian Death's "Only Theatre Of Pain" on CD, so anything from them that will tie me over until I get it (assuming I do; if anyone can get me a copy of it, please e-mail me) will just have to do. But as good as this disk sounds, it does have it's drawbacks. First of all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you release a CD of great Goth music, it'll spark our interest. Unfortunately, most of us have at least a few of these songs already. Secondly, there was a few bands that I felt were missing. Joy Division, The Cure, Dead Can Dance, and Siouxsie & The Banshees (I'm not a fan of this band, but they did make a big contribution to the scene). How the hell can you leave them off? Perhaps K-Tel couldn't get the proper licensing for these bands or something. I mean, I highly doubt whoever put this compilation together just forget about them. That's just not likely. Still though, this album is a great place to start for those interested in what we listen to, as well as a good album for those that want a little bit of everything on one disk. Five stars for newbies, four stars for those who already call ourselves Gothic. Also, you might want to go and check out Bauhaus's "Crackle". They are the genre's Gothfathers, after all.

Sure, you all remember KTel Records from the 70s? Crappy recordings, lame songs. Guess what? They got better. This is a surprisingly good album from the label that I will always associate with evil bad recordings of crappy disco songs. But these songs are GREAT! I HIGHLY recomend this album.

I just wanted to correct A Music Fan when he said that K-Tel used tracks without permission. I was a bit surprised when I first heard the rumour about the London After Midnight track being used with no consultation. When I e-mailed the band to point out that I had suggested the majority of the tracks, and assumed K-Tel had done everything properly, Sean e-mailed back to say that there hadn't been any problems. The company who deals with licensing their tracks had simply forgotten to inform the band! Things like that do happen, and can't be helped.

As to bands being missing - well it was only a single CD, and I wanted to reflect some sense of the old but concentrate on a broad range of new names which were established, because I felt the compilation would obviously be aimed at newcomers.

Compilations can be awkward beasts to pull off. The Gothic Rock ones, done by Jungle/Cleopatra, were the first big ones to really get noticed, and I came up with the idea when doing my second book. That was quite easy, but you still don't get certain bands because some simply don't want to be involved, so if you ever see a comp and think something's missing it doesn't mean the person organising it didn't ask. Then I did the Hex Files ones with Nova Tekk, and that was nearly all new bands, because that's what my Hex Files book was about, concentrating on what was happening at the time. Now I've done my new book I'm looking for a label to do a new compilation. And so it goes on....

When folks over 30 think of K-tel records, immediately what springs to mind are the compilation records of the 70's. Most of these songs were from the top AM radio, when AM radio actually played music, or underground soul music. The company's vision helped to catapult many careers into the stratosphere in an unpredicatble age of music.

What needs to be remembered or enlightened upon, is the fact that this company began making compilation albums long before it was the thing in vogue. Now, everyone seems to be doing it.

It is applauded that K-tel reared their head yet again to continue in a tradition they seemed to have started many years ago, only this time utilizing gothic songs that remain a great introduction to the scene.

Many in the goth underground have heard at least some, if not all of these selections, however, one must remember not "everyone" is fully enmeshed in the glorious underground.

It can only be anticipated that K-tel continues in this vein to bring an often overlooked sound into the forefront of the music market. Despite the volumes of goth talent available, most remain anonymous to the world at large and continue to go unappreciated.

I loved this compilation and my only regret was that it was not done sooner. For a great intro into the gothic music scene, this is definately a great one to start with.

Mike V CD reviewer for Gothic Topic...

Referring to your comment on Switchblade Symphony, the song Mother is found on "The Black Bible", a 4-disc compilation of goth and industrial music. Most of the songs on there are unreleased, rare mixes, b-sides, or anything else that makes a track hard to find. I suggest anyone with an ear for Goth and related styles, check this set out!

This is a great start for the "Beginer Goth" and those looking for a few popular and hard to find songs on one cd by well known and lesser known artists. The song 'Drool(Mother)' by "Switchblade Sympany" is an example: hard to find song (at least by me) from a very popular artist. I've only found it on one other disk, and for the death of me, I cannot remember what it was! Grr >:( The 3-disk set "This is Goth" is similar in feel and content -a great companion to Goth:M.O.T.S vol.1 that isn't in the M.O.T.S. series.

i bought this album a little while back and i have been listening to it non-stop... it is totally fantastic and a very good introduction for those interested in the darker side of the goth scene... it has a great selection of songs, including classic goth superstars Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, and All About Eve, along with a few i had never heard before, like Gitane Demone, Switchblade Symphony, and X-mal Deutschland... in fact, i wholeheartedly believe this is a great addition to a record collection of new and seasoned goths alike... as with all compilations, there were one or two tracks that didnt take my fancy, but that is subjective... if u can get it second hand on the cheap, grab it!

This CD has some of the more notable artists in the Gothic Scene, but I personally would not have chosen to put these renditions of their songs together. To get a much better sampling of this style of music, I recommend the Goth Box. It has a much wider sellection of artists and their work. The most useful thing about this CD is the list of artists on it, but that is if you don't know who they already are.

Considering that K-Tel used some artists songs on this CD without the band's permission (namely London After Midnight) I am suprised they are still in business and haven't been sued within an inch of their life. The 5 stars are for the LAM song. :)