Mask
Bauhaus
1981
Album Summary
Mask is the second studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released on 16 October 1981 by record label Beggars Banquet.
WikipediaIt’s somewhat reminiscent of Joy Division in that it has that Martin Hannett style wall of sound production that sounds like it was recorded underwater or in someone’s bathroom. Unlike Joy Division though, this was good, not as depressing and didn’t want to make me slit my wrists. It’s just balls to the floor straight ahead industrial post/punk no wave that often funks. It’s good stuff and you can dance to a lot of it. Even better, for once the bonus tracks are not just a bunch of shit demos slapped on the end as an afterthought, they actually add to the overall package, rather than detract from it. Winning!
This whips ass. They've got a dude who's probably a worse vocalist than me, the thinnest, shittiest production imaginable and they've swathed the whole thing in reverb. It's simply majestic as to the degree that this sucks, therefore it gets a maximum score from yours truly.
“Mask” by Bauhaus (1981) Never heard this album or group. I’m familiar with Bauhaus, the original early 20th century German art movement, and this group attempts to do a similar thing in the 1980s. Formal order to the point of monotony, accentuating the surrounding chaos. It’s cool. Fascinating, even. Proto-goth rock, anyone who enjoys both Jane’s Addiction and David Bowie will enjoy this album, if he or she has the patience for nearly unending minor keys and mechanical proto-disco rhythms. Thoughtful lyrics, even if frequently obscure. For example, in “Fear of Fear”, we get a hopeful message, encouraging the listener to overcome his or her insecurities or anxieties, bringing to mind that strange advice from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, which is the silliest advice ever to receive public acclamation. I think Bauhaus would agree. Nice ‘tribute’ to Debbie Harry on “Harry”, although I’m not sure how she would feel about the line “They'll line you up and strip you down and then you'll see / That you're still the horny two-eyed bitch you used to be”. The song "1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash" is very cool. Actual backmasking as an art form on “4. Daniel Ash”. Wonderful fishcake recipe on “2. Peter Murphy”. Highly recommended. Musically, the album is inventive (this 1981, remember), and it is performed with exactitude, both in the solid grounding of the rhythm section and the sometimes ethereal melodies and harmonic flourishes. Lots of 1980s electronic experimentation. A good album, if somewhat dated. 3/5
I like it and I’m really sorry that girl sold all your shit, Andy. Five stars.
love my sad boi music this album feels so cohesive, there's not a song that feels out of place
A bit weird, it didn't wake up anything inside me, but also didn't bothered me to listen
This was very....strange. I was expecting something like Joy Division or The cure (things that I like), but it was more...darker and strange. I liked it, but not too much.
Des bruits bizarres puis d'autres bruits et encore des bruits bizarres, c'est vraiment pas le style de musique que je préfère. Reprends toi rapidement Robert.
Haven't heard this record before. Love it. Maybe I should become a goth.
I am digging the groove right off the bat. shit that started me on the third track! I am still digging the groove. THE PASSION OF LOVERS IS FOR DEATH!!! In Fear of Fear is another cool tune. Great album really toroughly enjoyed that.
Never would have checked these guys out, like it a lot! Other bands borrowed from them for sure
Creepily good. The album cover is a masterpiece. Bass and guitar on ‘Dance’ is dope.
Puro sonido post-punk / siniestro / gothic rock . Canciones como Hair of the dog, Kick in the eye, Muscle in plastic o The man with X-Ray eyes. Pueden gustar más o menos pero creo que definen un sonido que luego se ha replicado con más éxito por otras bandas. El bajo, la batería o las guitarras afiladas. Estos discos en vinilo los estuve buscando eternamente sin éxito. Son 3 estrellas sobradas, pero les voy a dar 4 por que últimamente he estado muy rácano.
I kind of love how bad the production is on this. It can't destroy how much I like these songs. Not an album I was familiar with before, but will listen again.
Pretty good album. Never heard of it, but it's a solid mix of goth rock and pop.
Absolutely loved it. I only give it 4 stars because The last songs of the album felt quite weak for me
Can hear a lot of ways that they influenced later artists. Interesting stuff!
As I approach my mid-30’s, the biggest driver of what I listen to is that I’m a Deadhead - so the great majority of the time that I’m listening to music, it’s jam bands, or the myriad of genres they draw their influence from. Even in such a kaleidoscope of musical styles, goth rock isn’t one of them. However, when I was in high school I listened to a ton of 80’s alternative & indie, so Bauhaus is a band I’ve known of for years upon years, all the songs most people know like “Bella Lugosi’s Dead”, “Stigmata Martyr” or this album’s own “The Passion of Lovers”, to name a few. I’d always figured these guys were more of a singles band than anything else, and for the first five songs of this record the music was mostly background noise in my AirPods while I went about some chores at home. Imagine my surprise when I reached “Kick in the Eye” and a bass line started that sounded like something Phil Lesh would’ve laid down on a version of “Dancing in the Street” from the late 70’s - I sat up straight and the album had my full attention! From that point on it’s more like a melange of goth, funk, and experimentalism, and a far more interesting album than what the initial five tracks suggest.
I might be a Bauhaus fan now! Kind of had them looped in with The Cure but I enjoyed it more than them. I can definitely see where AFI got some of their modern sound.
El disco se me hizo pesado. Sólo conocía The Passion of Lovers. Aunque brinca entre el post-punk y lo gótico, se nota un estilo bien definido que terminará siendo una gran influencia durante todos los ochentas, sólo no entiendo Harry, que parece más una canción de Soda Stereo en el 88. 3.5 Estrellas que voy a subir a 4 porque sí es un gran disco aunque no sea de mi total agrado. Songs: The Passion of Lovers, The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
3.5 | Supuse que Bauhaus estaría en algún lugar de la lista. No se si vaya a venir el debut pero creo que esta es la elección obvia para poner en caso de solo poner un disco. Aunque personalmente me agrada mucho más algo como Bela Lugosi is Dead aquí es música mucho más accesible, a pesar de iniciar con dos canciones poco convencionales el resto del disco es bastante melódico, en tanto que el disco anterior podía sentirse aun más oscuro que el que ha tocado de The Cure aquí se siente más hacia ese sonido de Siouxsie. Son los verdaderos padres del Gótico (al menos en mi opinión) y creo que es muy simple, a quien le gusta el estilo le pueden encantar, a quien no le gusta le sonarán a escuincles pretenciosos hablando de lo oscuuuuro que es mi vida. Debo decir que caigo en el primer campo.
Surprisingly accessible and clear to hear how Bauhaus have influenced other bands. The Bravery, Interpol. lots of Bauhaus in their sound. I always had Bauhaus pegged as a band that were impressive but difficult to love, that's changed after spending time with this album. I'll definitely be dipping further into their work
This is a very weird moody album but I mostly really dug it even if it’s a bit hard to get into. 4/5
Definitely got more into it the more of a chance I gave it. It has that 80s vocal-trappings which sometimes bring it down a bit for me, but damn there are some nice grooves in here as well as some interesting instrumentation. Had to listen to it twice, was originally a 3.5 rounded down to 3 but I think I have to go up to 4 since it is intriguing enough to me. Especially as the album evolves/devolves into experimental.
Absolutely loved this album, totally off the wall, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the lyrics captivating. Interesting.
Never got into Bauhaus which is weird as they would seem on the surface to be right in my wheelhouse. Well the first two songs are great and there are a couple surprisingly good dance tracks. 1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3.... is a strange trip of a song. There's some real variety here and its less dark than anticipated. Enjoyed it more than I thought 3.75
I had never heard of this. They really brought out the fun in goth. I loved the theatricality of the album. So many unexpected twists and turns in each song.
Aw such an immersion of memories for me! Remember booking this out from my local library. Creds to the librarian who added it to the stock!
Highlight: Kick in the Eye, The Passion of Lovers. I'm not sure how to interact with this album. It feels like it's having a conversation I don't know enough to keep up with.
Not as gothy as I thought it would be. Still a unique voice and sound though.
I like this record more when it's energy levels are higher. The varied instrumentation, including saxophone and piano, are nice. The slower, darker moments are also nice, though my attention is held more during the livelier tracks. Favorite tracks: "Of Lillies and Remains", "Dancing", "The Man With X-Ray Eyes"
I like this style in general, and some of the tracks sound very different and interesting. The album is a bit long, though; there is definitely some filler that could be left out.
Love a bit of goth and post-punk, and wasn't familiar with this album, so it was a very nice discovery. Judging by some of the reviews I need to get hold of the CD reissue as some of the bonus tracks generated quite a few comments... Fave track - "The Man With X-Ray Eyes" sounded most gothy. Liked the dancepunkiness of "Dancing", too...
Driving guitar, intense music from the experimental legends of alternative rock.
It doesn't have Bela Lugosi's Dead on it, but I still enjoy it. Have never listened to the album in its entirety and it doesn't quite all gel for me but still liked most of it. I know it's gothish, but also strikes me like David Bowie made an album with The Doors after they finished Soft Parade.
This is Tuesday 11 pm WPRB music. It definitely has a crowd, I’m just not in it. In a purely neutral way, it has a timeless quality, it’s hard to assess when it came out without checking. This band feels very influential, “Hollow Hills” feels like the intro to a nirvana song, so clearly the band is pulling on the right strings. Kick In the Eye is a really tight song, and a much better use of that plunky 80s bass sound than yesterday’s album
This kind of classic gothy post-punk tends to be to my taste. It might have to do with the rhythms. Must investigate further
This one took me a few days to digest, I wasn't really sure if I liked it or not at first. I've heard of Bauhaus before but I don't think I've listened to them actively. I knew this was going to be gothic rock so I expected something like The Cure, but I was surprised by just how dark and rough this is. Some of the songs were familiar to me, but the two singles(?), "The Passion of Lovers" and "Kick in the Eye" didn't appeal to me as much as the fantastic "Hollow Hills", "The Man With X-Ray Eyes", and "Mask". I think I'll be revisiting it a lot, and I'm delighted to have found it. It's a 4 for me right now because I find it a bit uneven, but I could see the punkier songs growing on me, which could eventually raise it to a 5. Side note: I'm getting sick of the sneaky "Bonus tracks" and "Deluxe Editions" on Spotify. They should be either clearly labelled as bonus or you should be able to filter for the original version. With this album, the title track has a very definite end to it which is kind of spoiled by the 5 off cuts that follow it. Plus it makes the album like 50% longer...I have over 1000 albums to get through here!
The second release from one of the pioneers of goth rock is more varied than most of the other pioneers of the goth movement. You can hear much more of the post-punk influences, along with a little dub throughout. I was a fan of Peter Murphy's singing at this point (both for the band and for me personally) - I think later material can be a bit monotonous. The rest of the band is more varied as well. The acoustic elements and keyboard flourishes are welcome, as is the sax on occasion. I don't know if this one makes my list, but a pretty impressive effort all around.
I wasn't really in the mood for it today, but I'm glad I gave it a listen anyways. really like this album!
4.0 - Took me a bit to adjust to the muffled drum tracks but I ended up liking this album more than expected. I like the distant guitars that add an element of unrest in the background, as well as the riff on “Of Lilies and Remains.” The vocals, though thin, work well with tortured lyrics, enhancing an overall austere and gothic sound. I imagine I’ll like this even more after a few more listens. Standouts: “Dancing”, “In Fear of Fear”, “Mask.”
I've always like the vibe and image of Bauhaus but apart from their Bela Lugosi hit (which I bought on 12") could never get into them. Listening back now their sound is a lot more experimental (not mainstream at all) and authentic. 'Earwax' is a treat. It's pretty spare and basic (in a good way) so I'm happy to have reacquainted with them.
смешанные впечатления от альбома, потому что треки мне либо очень зашли, либо вообще не зашли
I know of Bauhaus but never heard them. This kinda industrial/EBM/goth stuff is something I'm both interested in and skeptical of. Some of it is cool, some is a real pain to sit through tho, especially the early stuff (and this is 81). Ok this is catchy, has that early industrial ebm kinda rawness but it's almost surf rocky in a way. I know it is at least close to predating the Misfits, but there's a horrorpunk vibe to it almost, at least the more rockabilly kinda end. I think it's just a shame the production is so dated - it sounds almost antique in 2021. Compare to an album like floodland, which was only 5-6 years later etc. Not too bad though, better than expected 3/5.
5/19 3.5/5. Dark, experimental, interesting goth-rock album. Standout Tracks: Of Lillies and Remains, Hollow Hills, The Man with X-Ray Eyes, 1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash, Satori
Sucks it wasn’t on apple, but it was surprisingly varied so pretty good
The Godfathers of Goff sounding not very goffy. Presumably there was already a goff backlash by 1981 that they were trying to avoid. The album is fine but is very post-punk by numbers in comparison to the originality of their early output. The change of direction is pretty understandable though, once you've released Bela Lugosi's Dead, toured in a hearse and risen out of coffins on stage every night you're probably just about running out of goff road to run.
Goddamnit Bauhaus. It's 80F on a Wednesday, the sun is high, the birds are chirping, and I wanna listen to LA BAMBA. I've been one album behind on 1001 for weeks, and I want to catch up so I can chop it up with the Mayo crew. No one wants to chat about Bauhaus the day after Bauhas was supposed to be reviewed. I try not to do this, but cheated and read Bauhaus' Spotify description, which says they're the founding fathers of goth rock. Well Bauhaus, get your architecture straight. Bauhaus is quirky and utilitarian and has nothing in common with Gothic style. Your music is Dada. C-
Pretty much passed me by. It was on while I was in the garden, I don't remember hating it, but I wasn't comfortable making the neighbours listen to it. I did have sudden urges to do some south park goth dancing though.
the fathers of goth rock, they're certainly influential, but it's not really my taste
It's interesting hearing the roots of joy division and the cure but didn't really think too much of the album, and the second to last song was super out of place
Det enda jag hade hört från Bauhaus tidigare var Bela Lugosi's Dead, och det är verkligen ett band som faller mig i smaken. Väldigt Joy Division-esque, men lite rockigare och i vissa låtar lite lekfullare. Även om det är överhängande mörkt och gothigt blir det inte alltid 100% depp. I slutet av sista låten på albumet, titelspåret (räknar inte med bonuslåtarna från nyutgåvan), kommer ett förtrollande skarpt gitarrplockande, så olikt allt annat på albumet att det är omöjligt att inte haja till, otroligt bra. Bästa låt: Hollow Hills. Lyssnade bara igenom en gång, och det var denna som stack ut. Här är det dock verkligen 100% depp, mycket stämningsfull och otäck.
Love the first song. Hard, but not too hard. This album's influence can be found all through out punk and hardcore I think. It gets really weird, not in a good way, at the end.
I had some Bauhaus on vinyl back in the day. I thought they were good but not great. My view hasn't changed.
Full of funky bass lines, this record is a window into the house I lived in, in 1981/82. This record was always on the turntable and caused my roommate to die his hair black, and start wearing eyeliner. It sounds a bit sad and dated now, but the memories are worth at least a three.
It's raw, dark, and distinctively gothic. Very true to the punk formula but really takes the "screw everything" to an entirely new level. Vocals are bad. Production is off. Instruments clash. This all sets a high level of dissonance and chaos that makes for a haunting listen. Perhaps a "so bad it's good" situation. However, I feel their previous album did this a lot better. This album is still cohesive but experiments too much without having the ideas flourish as desired. The first side is pretty great, and if the second side were the same, I would have given it 4 stars. The second side of the album is way poppier, feeling more like a "dark New Wave" people can dance to. "Kick in the eye" is great, "The Man with x-ray eyes" is decent, "Mask" is ok (too experimental but I like it), and "In Fear of Fear" and "Muscle in Plastic" are poor choices. Favorite tracks: The Passion of Lovers, Hallow Hills, Kick in the eye