Customer Reviews

With a Million Tear-Stained Memories: Highlights, 1986-2003

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Black tape founder and coiner of the term "darkwave" Sam Rosenthal selected these tracks with his wife Lisa Feuer. I doubt the selection could've been juggled any better; all but ONE of my favorites are here ("I Have No Nore Answers"). Given the leeeeeength of most Black Tape songs, two discs are a necessity. The division between vocal (Disc 1) and instrumental tracks (Disc 2) gives the album a very orderly, spacious feel.

The songs are compiled from 1986 debut "The Rope" to "The Scavenger Bride" (2002), including a 2003 update of "Memory, Uncaring Friend." These cuts are a nice review of the members who have come in and out of the band over seventeen years, mirroring the transitory nature of life so often illustrated in this music. (Yeah, I went overgoth right there - had to try it out.)

In brief, the music tends towards somber, orchestral ether-folk with little if any percussion. It can get overwrought, but just as often it revives the soul from the crushing banality of "Three girls, and just two roses...who will The Bachelor choose tonight?" This kind of conviction and solemnity is refreshing.

Recommended tracks:
Disc 1
"Memory, Uncaring Friend (2003 version)" - Bret Helm (Audra) turns this thing into the song Peter Murphy should've recorded for "Deep."
"The Broken Glass" - I just really like songs that alternate between B-minor and G-major.
"Could I Stay The Honest One? (1998 Acoustic Version)" - I'm a big fan of Julianna Towns' vocals. Check out her earlier work in Skinner Box. Lisa Feuer's flute work has a neo-classical charm.
"Russia" - Black Tape's best piano song, partially based on a melody from Prokofiev's "Lieutenant Kije Suite."
"Tear Love from My Mind" - Sounds like the love theme from an obscure, intense 70s Swedish drama.
"Bastille Day" - Elysabeth Grant has a great voice; part lullaby, part siren song.

Disc 2
"For You Will Burn Your Wings upon The Sun (Part 4)" - Even without drums, this sounds like the slow destruction of a planet. Vicki Richards' spiraling violin is like the wailing of a prophet who knows that God is displeased. One of Black tape's juggernauts.
"Like a Dog/Letter to Brod (Part 1)" - A great mood piece, full of Eastern melody and low, dark synth.
"The Green Box" - Sounds like the aftermath of "For You Will Burn Your Wings..."
"The Christ in The Desert" - Good dramatic tension between the elegiac piano and the harsh electronics.
"Das Liselottenbett" - Feuer's flouting shines in this mournful piece.
"Beneath The Icy Floe" - Close your eyes and medidate. When you open them, you'll have a beard down to your knees. (Ladies, skip this track.)
"We Watched Our Sad-Eyed Angel Fall" - Good cinematic pathos, and a reminder that the end of the tunnel is as black as the tape.

...

I haven't been into Black Tape For a Blue Girl for too long. I first heard of Black Tape For a Blue Girl on a Projekt compilation a couple of years ago and had been hooked since then. "This Lush Garden Within" was my first BTFaBG cd, and then I bought "The Scavenger Bride" last year. And much to my delight, I found a copy of "With a Million Tear Stained Memories" in the used cd bins over the holiday weekend. What draws me to Black Tape for a Blue Girl is the haunting, ethereal melodies and the stunning vocals of Lisa Feur (Sam Rosenthal's wife), Elysabeth Dulcimer, and of course Sam Rosenthal (founder of Projekt Records) himself. The results is simply magical. I bought "With a Million Tear Stained Memories" because I am still relatively a new fan of Black Tape For a Blue Girl and this 2-cd compilation would make for a good introduction for me. From what I have found out, the songs chosen for this compilation is Sam and Lisa's favorite BTFaBG songs as oppposed to a 'best of' setlist. I'm glad to see that some of my favorite songs by Black Tape... are also favorites of Sam and Lisa's, like "The Broken Glass" (from "This Lush Garden Within") and "Bastille Day" (from "The Scavenger Bride"). The two cds are consists of vocals and instrumentals. Disc 1 consists of the songs with vocals and disc 2 is the instrumentals. I found myself enjoying disc 1 a bit more because they aren't nearly as slow paced as the instrumentals therefore don't linger on like a bad rash. I'm not saying that the instrumentals are terrible by all means. I think they are simply breathtaking but as I said, I found the songs to be a bit too slow for my tastes. I think the listener has to be in the right frame of mind to listen to disc 2. Nevertheless I really enjoyed listening to "With a Million Tear Stained Memories". Black Tape For a Blue Girl is certainly one of my current favorite goth bands. I look forward to hearing more from Sam and co.

I first heard of Black Tape For a Blue Girl from a magazine that recommend them for dark wave fans a couple of years ago. Curious about their name I decided to find out more about them. Then I know that Projekt (their records label) posted some songs on MP3.com, so I decided to download some of them. Then the rest is history. The haunting, ethereal melodies and the stunning vocals of Lisa Feur (Sam Rosenthal's wife), Elysabeth Dulcimer, and of course Sam Rosenthal (founder of Projekt Records) has been my friend for almost every night before I sleep. So for all of you who have been a gothic music fans, this 2-cd compilation would be a good introduction to all of you. It contains the best elements from Black Tape of a Blue Girl. So.... buy this CD and you wont regret it.

If I were to pick an introductory CD for BTFBG I'd rather use Remnants of a Deeper Purity because of the CD's i've heard it offers the most defining sound and cohesiveness of the band. This is a good compilation, especially CD2 which is a real treat to get a portion of their instrumental work into one space. I again maintain that while there are certain "gothic" undertones to their music, it far transcends the tag its been given by fans and critics. BTFBG's music is of a powerful nature which transcends the stereotype of gothic. Their ambient pieces are sometimes primitive and sometimes beautifully complex. Some of the tracks contain elements of Classical. BTFBG combine synths, electric and acoustic string instruments, guitar, wood and percussion with piano and sometime straightforward or ethereal male/female vocals. Production quality is generally good to outstanding. Certain tracks, such as Angel may have a trance inducing yet epiphanetic effect on you. BTFBG's musical strength lay in their ability to stimulate the brain with resultant reactions that range from relaxation to contemplation to memory recollection. I use it to drive to, read to or emotion reinforcement. Those who dismiss them as cheesy 'goth' are doing themselves a disservice. Frankly I wish the goth tag would go away. I am not a 'goth' person yet enjoy music on that nature very much (that includes Industrial). Anyway, this double CD is a real treat for fans and increases my hunger to buy out the rest of BTFBG's catalog.