Customer Reviews

Should the World Fail to Fall

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

 

 

Supposedly, after Dali's Car fell apart, Peter Murphy was reluctant to become a solo artist. One really can't tell from this, his first solo album. This album was written with Howard Hughes who played in Murphy's live band for a short while. I really like the drumming on this album which turns out to be mostly drum machine programmed by Peter himself. This album has a couple of covers including Pere Ubu's 'Final Solution'. Of course Murphy sings his tail off throughout. A great way to start a solo career.

"Should the World Fail to Fall Apart" is a collection of singles written and recorded in 1986 with L. Howard Hughes with hopes of finding Peter a Post-Bauhaus identity other than the "Godfather of Goth". As you listen to the album, you'll come across some very nice lyrics and song in "Canvas Beauty", "Never Man", and "Final Solution", but they don't gel together in a cohesive manner. Nonetheless, this album displays a side of Peter Murphy rarely heard as the songs are very Romantic and out of the mainstream. The sounds are soft and orchestrated, the lyrics are poetic and deep, atmosphere is spacious, and the general tone is somber and reflective. Guitars are not used very much on this album as in the others, they play more of a backup role even though they're clearly audible. "Should the World Fail to Fall Apart" is a an album that's most appreciated by die-hard Peter Murphy fans. For those unfamiliar with Peter's work, may I suggest you start with his other albums such as "Deep" or the most recent "Cascade" which is more the classic form of Peter Murphy.

In his first solo effort (if you don't count Dalis Car), Peter walked away with a slightly disconnected, but powerful freshman effort. What I mean by disconnected is that the overall flow of the songs does not work together as well as later albums. Maybe part of it was his newly found freedom, the other thing could be the nature of his writing/performing relationship with Howard Hughes. Peter went on to find much more success on this front when working with Paul Statham.

Don't get me wrong -- there are some masterful songs on this album, including 'Canvas Beauty', a cover of Pere Ubu's 'Final Solution', and my personal fave, the majestic 'God Sends'. Also of note is the wonderful b-side, 'Tale of the Tongue' which is well worth tracking down. But the album is just a warm up to his two best albums, 'Love Hysteria' (my favorite) and the crowd-pleaser 'Deep', where the connections between singer, songwriter, and musical-deity tend to blur.

I must admit when I first picked up this ALBUM in 1986 I was a bit stunned. I had been used to the grind of Bauhaus and the kitsch/goth of Tones on Tail along with the increasing popularity of Love & Rockets. Having said that, out of all of the Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Dali's Car, Love and Rockets and the rest of the Peter Murphy collection, I NEVER get tired of this one..Canvas Beauty, Confessions, The Light Pours Out of Me, it's endless. Catch him on tour you won't be sorry, he has an even more astounding stage presence.

This album was a perfect debut for Peter Murphy's solo career.
Although the other members were the sound of Bauhaus, Peter was definitely the voice of Bauhaus,
The songs are very melodic and I cannot imagine that you will be disappointed with this album.

Starts out with the incredibly evocative Canvas Beauty, one of his best songs ever. (If this is the "romance version" where is the other version?), and into his interesting cover of Magazine's The Light Pours Out Of Me. My other faves include the title track with its quite complex arrangement, Blue Heart and Final Solution. I was very pleased about this melodic post-Bauhaus direction and the great material. People who like John Cale, Nick Cave and the more melodic side of Swans should definitely get this album.

I Love this album. I was always a fan of bauhaus, but if that is what you are looking for this is not the album for you. It is nothing like any bauhaus album. This album followed on the heels of Dalis Car. A project he did with Nick Kern of Japan. He really found his mark with Should the World Fail to Fall apart. This is my favorite Peter Murphy solo album. He was alot more diverse in style and lyrics. If you like Peter Murphy, you will like this album!

Peter Murphy's first proper solo CD showcased his infatuation with late 70s/80s-eraBowie and the UKs early 80s New Romantic pop movement. One minute he stretches himself with "interesting" 80s white boy funk (a la Japan) and the next he somewhat redeems himself by giving his Bauhaus followers something to bite on (namely the fine cover of Pere Ubu's "Final Solution"). Hardcore fans should check it out.

This album feels like a post-Bauhaus album with the singer searching to establish his own identity. Much like Love & Rockets, Peter too had to search to find out who he really was after the breakup. On this album, he doesn't know yet. He is still trying to create more of a piece of art, music-on-a-canvas, rather than an album. There are some great moments, and "Final Solution" is one of the better singles from that year.

Still I feel that Peter's better solo work came later (especially on his next 2 releases), and his better artistic vision came earlier with stronger bandmates.

Though Peter's later releases all have something to offer, this one has a unique character that is somehow more emotional and honest. It's a bit more raw, and that's part of the appeal. It feels less produced and more spontaneous, and combines a wider variety of sounds and emotions than later releases do. If you like Peter, then this is a must-have album.