Mask

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.

Time to put on my darkest eyeliner, it's goth time

“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

Funhaus

2.84??? This is so awesome! Easy 5/5. Sad but wired stuff.

It’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!

Haven't heard this record before. Love it. Maybe I should become a goth.

Groovy haunted and so well paced

love my sad boi music this album feels so cohesive, there's not a song that feels out of place

FISHCAKES

Goth post-punk classic. Killer bass lines, shrieky guitar, driving rhythms and all the weird that Peter Murphy can summon.

I like it and I’m really sorry that girl sold all your shit, Andy. Five stars.

Creepily good. The album cover is a masterpiece. Bass and guitar on ‘Dance’ is dope.

In the late 80s/early 90s, I was more into industrial music than goth, but there is a fair crossover between those scenes, considering their shared love of all black wardrobes, extreme hairstyles and harsh yet surprisingly club-friendly beats. I had plenty of goth friends and couple of goth girlfriends, so Bauhaus was on the lounge room playing roster. I would occasionally go to Sanctuary, Sydney's long-standing goth nightclub. And Bauhaus is awesome to dance to at 2am, played really loud under the flashing lights on a playlist between Front 242 and Wolfgang Press or whatever, especially when one is chemically enhanced... I was a young man at the time. But now I am old and tired, and listening in the cold sober light of day. I always felt that Bauhaus were more of a posture than a band. It is, in fairness, a pretty cool pose -- they look like rock star vampires. I dig the Bowie stylings, the spacious noise and cold funk of it all. Particular shout-out to Daniel Ash and his generous use of the pick slide, one of my favourite guitar techniques -- simple and exciting. But I couldn't hum any of their songs except for Bela Lugosi's Dead, and that ain't on this record. And what is with that terrible cover art?

Fucking terrible to listen to. This did absolutely nothing for me.

LCD Soundsystem for old people. Blatant biting makes 'Losing My Edge' even more enjoyable. Bauhaus 'Hair of the Dog' intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqXycgODO5Y LCDS 'Losing' intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xG4oFny2Pk Bauhaus 'The Man with X-Ray Eyes': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPGkSP2wnyo LCDS 'X-Ray Eyes': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PK1OcXp1t8 LCDS 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' live (2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iix7JmtArJw Extra star for revisionist history (TY LCDS).

At best, a poor man's Cure. Yes, dark, but the sound is thin and tinny, as if it's being heard on a distressed cassette tape in an underpowered Japanese-made compact car with a weak stereo system in the early 1980s, which in one's case, indeed it was. "Of Lillies" is of some interest. One likes some of the shearing guitars (e.g., on "Dancing") but the overall feel of even the strongest moments ("Kick in the Eye") is of being quite dated.

That’s what the point of the mask is

As a fellow Northamptonian, part of me wants to say I completely understand why Bauhaus were miserable all the time. But that doesn't tell the whole story. What makes the post-punk scene so interesting is that it was a bunch of weirdos from the punk scene not caring one lick about the supposed 'true' punk ethos. So, in this album we have the sound of Goths stumbling into the Notting Hill Carnival, playing fretless bass and singing a song about fishcakes over a drum machine. It shouldn't work, but the sparse production, chimey guitars, bouncy rhythm section and endlessly imitated vocal stylings of Peter Murphy keep the album cohesive and (believe it or not) fun.

Shockingly underwhelming. I think it’s completely fine for early goth, and there’s a decent amount of good stuff on Mask, but it’s never mind-blowing. There’s also a lot of elements that proved to be influential, but sound really awkward and poorly executed in Bauhaus’ hands. The spoken word gloomy poetry of “Of Lilies and Remains,” the Jim Morrison-esque crazed jitter of “Muscle in Plastic,” the effects-riddled closer/title track that makes you want to jump through the speakers and tell them to turn OFF the pedal board. The songs that do work, though, are still not the strongest goth songs in history. The grating vocals nearly ruin “Dancing” and “The Man with X-Ray Eyes,” and the annoying delay effects on “The Passion of Lovers” teaches us that there’s a such thing as too much aesthetics. Bauhaus is a good band, but rarely a great band. It seems like their biggest strength was just being early to the party and bringing a sound and an aesthetic that was damn near inevitable, given the post-punk scene at the time. The guitars can be cool when they aren’t washed out, the vocals can be good when it’s not riddled with spoken word tropes, and the rhythm section does evoke the right vibe when it’s not fighting to course-correct the previous two issues. It sounds like I hate Mask, when I don’t. It’s just a 60/40 album with a bad batch of tracks, and good tracks with bad habits sprinkled throughout. If it sounds like I hate Mask, it’s explicitly because everyone knows Bauhaus *can* write songs a million times better than this. In fact, they did!! The album’s biggest weakness is that it doesn’t have the seminal goth track “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” The issue is that “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” never ended up on a proper album, which means it couldn’t be included in this book, so in order to include Bauhaus, the book had to make a choice, and while Mask isn’t a bad album, I think it is a bad choice to include on this list. If you take the time to listen to “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” and immediately listen to Mask back-to-back, it’s clear that Mask isn’t even a fair replacement for that single. Honestly, I think the song “Hollow Hills” summarizes Mask best: it’s a good goth song if you have little to compare it to, but less than impressive if you’ve heard other seminal goth songs. And not to play the comparison game, but Juju came out 4 months before Mask! It’s sad that Bauhaus can’t reach the heights of their first single, but being first doesn’t absolve you enough to validate a mid-tier album.

Another stupid new wave, post-punk snooze fest.

Oh shit. This is actually playing weird and dark shit the right way. I think I really liked it actually.

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.

Don't have much to say 'sides this being pretty decent. Solid 4 Stars.

🎧This thing is kind of a mess. Nothing against goths.

Not a fan of this kind of music at all. Also, why did one of the final bonus tracks go from gothic to reggae?

I’ve heard this before and I used to own it on tape. For some reason I never replaced my Bauhaus tape collection, which is strange because this is exactly the type of goth I like with the skronky noisy guitars and psychedelic ambient keys, and the bass lines almost having a no wave feel. Think I’ll put on an all black wardrobe, light some candles, and smoke a clove cigarette if they still make those nasty things.

File this under music I wouldn't have listened to growing up but enjoy now. I'm surprised there is only 1 Bauhaus album on this list. And no Love and Rockets either. But anyway, I think this album is really good and I'll take it as a reminder to listen to more Gothic rock.

Bowie spiller Joy Division. What’s not to like.

The Paaion of Lovers, what a kick in the eye. The real interesting track for me through the years has become Of Lillies and Remains. Although the other standout when I first bought this on cd was the bonus track of David Jay/Peter Murphy/Kevin Haskins/Daniel Ash. Lets just say my kids learned how to make Fish Cakes at an early age.

# 107/1001. Let's paint our face black and white and go pogoing to the graveyard! Goth music is underrated. Glad to see Bauhaus on this list. This album wasn't so familiar to me, probably just by chance we bought different albums back in the day and got stuck with them. Then insert 30 years of neglect and boom, this music still rules.

#91/1001 🇬🇧🦇⬛️ I've dabbled with Bauhaus before and found them a bit hit & miss. Really enjoyed this record though, so much so that i'd listened to it 3 times over by the time i got to work. This follows on nicely from the Souixsie and the Banshees record i got the other day. Hoping that tomorrow brings Joy Division to complete the early 80s trio that would inspire the Goth movement. Best tracks: Passion of Lovers, Hollow Hills, Mask

Mask I was looking forward to this as I’ve enjoyed most of the late 70s and early 80s gothicy post-punky albums we’ve had - it's very often a little sweet spot of interesting ideas and nice bass. However, aside from a couple of songs, I did find this a little underwhelming, it has all the elements I should like - drums, bass, scratchy guitars and portentous singing, but apart from Hair of the Dog, Dancing, In Fear of Fear and the truly excellent and stand out Kick in the Eye it never quite seems to gel for me, and it feels like he leans too much into Bowie-isms and it lacks the grooves or rhythmic interest of a Killing Joke or Suicide, or the melodic quality of The Cure or Bowie himself. Still I did like it enough to think I will come back to it in future, so I’ll go 3. 👺👺👺 Playlist submission: Kick in the Eye

Truly never heard of this band. Very interested to hear what they sound like. These guys are interesting, very cool stuff.

Maybe Goth was scary and dark and menacing when it first hit the scene, but now it just feels kind of “spooky”, like the cheesy haunted house that used to petrify you as a kid.

A solid post punk album, one that made me want to hear live.

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.

A bit weird, it didn't wake up anything inside me, but also didn't bothered me to listen

I just had Devo 10 albums ago. That was the first comparison that popped into my head listening to this, but this is gloomier. It's worse in most every way, but I know they need to squeeze every English band ever into this list. I was going to be generous and give it a mediocre 3/5, but the last track Mask was dreadful. (I didn't listen to any of the bonus tracks, just the original release.)

Goth. Sounds super sloppy and incoherent and the vocals were wholly unenjoyable. Some passable beats occasionally. 2.0 stars.

So I saw Bauhaus at a music a festival a awhile ago, and thought their set was pretty decent… Now of course I was getting the “Best Of” set-list, so was curious how this album would sit with me… Turns out not-so-much… It is fairly original, but there’s not a whole lot you can really do with that “sound” as it gets pretty repetitive after a bit… The only tracks that were mildly interesting – and I emphasize the word MILDLY, were “The Passion Of Lovers”, & “Kick In The Eye”… I see people going on and on about the “David, Peter, Kevin, etc.” song – so I was kinda curious about that one, but what an utter waste of time… Gonna give this a 2 since seeing them live – albeit playing the best of their material over the course of their career, was at least interesting, and doubt they would have gotten to that place without albums like this that moved them along the process of developing their sound…

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.

The British bias on this list has to be an MI6 psyop.

Might as well listen to Sprockets. Fine I guess, but not GOOD.

I hate this album. Remember those pretentious goth kids who hung out behind the mall smoking cloves? This is the album they really wanted to like, but wasn't even listenable for them. The air of "art school dropouts" lingers on this album like a thick fog. Borderline awful.

I started listening to this album when it was raining heavily, and by the time I got to the last track the sun came out again. Probably the best way to listen to Mask.

Imagine taking the theatricality and chaos of Tom Waits and putting a conventional band behind him, and then getting some semi-conventional songwriters in there. That's Bauhaus. It's industrial-adjacent, it's art chaos adjacent, it's weird. I love it. I wish I'd heard this when I was in college, I would have been WAY TOO into it. My Rating: 6/5

Brilliant

Тёмный рокерол.

I'll listen again

Really varied, in the best kind of way. Sometimes dancey, or punk, or slow and atmospheric. Love the elements of world music (tribal drums, dub reggae) that hint at Murphy’s later interests. More adventurous than Joy Division, more accessible than PiL. Anyways I love it thanks.

Es un álbum interesante, obscuro y el inicio y entrada al post punk( goth) para esa época

A plunderphonic masterpiece

Spooky, freaky fun.

This is unexpectedly great, sounds like a less oppressive PIL. One thing about this challenge is it has made me realise a lot of Goth is good actually

Cine

Excellent

Menacingly weird. Beats and baritone vocals. Passion of Lovers could last 20 minutes on repeat I would relish it. I went to art school and listening to Bauhaus was part of the admission criteria. Yeah, some of it is B-movie level bad. No apologies, bite me, or more appropriately, bite my hip.

люблю баухаус эрик привет

Makes me wanna be goth

Loved this

Gothic theater, fractured nerves, and art school darkness. Rating: 4.4/5 Short Review: This album feels like living inside a shadow. Dramatic, tense, and deliberately strange, it leans more into mood and experimentation than easy hooks. Favorite Track: The Passion of Lovers. Brooding, romantic, and beautifully dramatic.

The only time I got a chance to see Bauhaus live, I was too young to really appreciate it. Still happy I got that chance! Great band, great album.

David J is such a great bassist, evidenced all over this fuckin' thing. For many of the songs here and Bauhaus generally, David J's good-ass driven basslines hold the songs together, locked in and often melodic. Since I'm already on David J's balls, let me also add that I've always fuckin' loved the artwork on this album, brought to you by David J. Fuckin' love this album. Too many songs to mention (like, all of them) but special shout out to "Mask" - good as fuuuuck.

Classic!

Very climatic. I didn't expect it'd be so climatic

Mask is Bauhaus fully coming into their own, sharpening everything that made them distinctive and pushing it further into darker, stranger territory. It is gothic without being cartoonish, experimental without losing tension, and far more varied than people often give it credit for. The album moves between menace, melancholy, and moments of unexpected restraint, all while maintaining a very clear identity. It sounds confident, deliberate, and slightly dangerous. Tracks like “The Passion of Lovers” and “Kick in the Eye” balance atmosphere with momentum, while pieces such as “Of Lilies and Remains” show how effective the band can be when they pull things back. Daniel Ash’s guitar work is sharp and inventive, and the rhythm section keeps everything taut without ever flattening the mood. Peter Murphy’s vocals are theatrical, but never empty, always serving the song rather than overwhelming it. What makes Mask a five out of five is its consistency and intent. There is no sense of filler or uncertainty here. Every track feels placed with purpose, contributing to the album’s shape and mood. It is an album that rewards full listens, where the sequencing matters and the atmosphere deepens the longer you stay with it. One of the strongest statements of early goth, and a record that still feels vital rather than preserved.

Perfection.

Kannte ich noch nicht, aber fands heftigst geil. Auch krass, dass das einfach 1980 erschienen ist und heutige Post-Punk-Platten teilweise 1:1 genauso klingen. Da weiß man, an welchen Vorbildern sich bedient wurde.

Great album!

I really enjoyed this one. Very interesting.

I liked emo and goth stuff in high school, but I love this. Bring back real raw goth stuff.

Musik som larmer, overrasker, og pirre min nysgerrighed. Hvad mere kan man ønske sig? Det er skramlet på en helt fed måde, og primal skriget på åbnings nummeret er perfekt!

I was surprised by this album. I looked at the cover and looked at the year and thought that I had a read of what it would sound like. Boy was I wrong. These guys were well ahead of their time.

Loved this one. such a gothic love album for the fall approaching. a few songs weren't my cuppa tea but it was a banger nonetheless.

Really underrated Band and impressive Album.

A fav since i was a 12 year old discovering music. Bauhaus is one of the defining goth band of the 80's. 100% bangers every LP they did. Love and Rockets ( one of my all time fav bands) and Tones on Tail and Peter Murphy's solo still hit right today. Music has history, Bauhaus is a vital part of it. Goth music isnt M. Manson, it starts here with this band and their contemporaries.

Oh hell yeah!! Bauhaus!! Okay I'll be honest I don't know any other song they sing asides from Bela Lugosi's dead. But I so love this goth vibe.

This band was one of my favorites in the early '80s, when I was big into the gloom scene. I always loved Bauhaus's atmospheric sound and Peter Murphy's vocals. I am also a fan of Peter's solo work. Great album!

i forgot how much i love bauhaus what the hell... first five star album so far

Great album. Love the Bauhaus.

I tend to listen to In the Flat Field most frequently out of Bauhaus's albums, but they've never put out one I dislike. Mask pushed their sound further, evolving it in fascinating ways. Really love the horns on "In Fear of Fear"; it, "Kick in the Eye" and "The Passion of Lovers" became staples of their live shows and sound equally good either way. The album is close to perfect. Maybe the 5 bonus tracks aren't needed, but they don't detract from the experience. Bonus points for "fishcakes". BTW, every Bauhaus studio album should be in this project. If it was my list you'd get all of theirs instead of every Smiths album.

This is #day258 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… getting this album today was like a balm to my ears. The music speaks directly to my interests: early post-punk, goth, darkwave, and all that jazz. I did wonder at first why Mask and not In the Flat Field? But after relistening (or maybe really listening to Mask in its entirety for the first time (I honestly don't remember doing it before), I see it now. This is a more approachable album than the debut. The raw intensity and overall doom and gloom are still dominant, but there's a certain smoothness around the edges in the form of acoustic guitar, sax, and funky rhythms that can't be ignored. If you're interested in the gothfathers of the genre, this is one of those records to hear before you die. Some absolute bangers are "The Passion of Lovers," "Dancing," "Kick in the Eye," and "The Man with the X-Ray Eyes." But honestly, the whole record is amazing. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day259.

Repeat listen

One of the best goth-wave albums ever produced, it’s really quite difficult to find any objective flaws in this one. It’s perhaps a little more consumer friendly than Bauhaus’s first album, but it still hits all the right notes. In a world of Joy Division and the Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus put their own spin on the goth rock sound of the time, and really stood out. There’s no doubt that this album is still inspiring music being produced, and I don’t think that will ever change. Modern albums like Ceremony’s “The L Shaped Man” owe a lot to Bauhaus, and this record in particular. It’s an album that is equal parts a wonderful window into its own time, and timeless. Deep, dark, brooding, and just spooky enough. 5*

There really is nothing like Bauhaus. Moving from some sort of horror-synth pop to Clash-esque reggae punk to piano instrumental it's always weird and always interesting.

A very timeless gothic rock album. 5/5

Well damn if I didn't love this one. I had heard of Bauhaus obviously but had never listened to a full album, at least to my recollection. This is such a mood of an album. It's maybe a little more pop-friendly than the other stuff I've heard from them, almost like a gothic new wave. And that's definitely something I can get on board with. I don't know that I would want to play this all the time but when the mood strikes, this is perfect. 5/5

When I first listened to this record almost 20 years ago I didn’t like. So when it came up this morning I wasn’t really happy about it. But after listening to it I don’t remember why I didn’t like it. It’s simply awesome! Every song rocks.

hey kids, gothic rock is fun! so i only heard "Bela Lugosi's Dead" before, but now i somehow like this genre. 5/5

Still need to listen.

What a surprise. The masters of Goth on Halloween! Having been a Goth back in the 1980's, it's always a pleasure listening to something from the dark side. Mask has two fine singles in the shape of 'Passion of Lovers' and the album remix of ' A Kick in the Eye' (I do refer the single version). The album features the immense 'Mask' at the end which is so atmospheric. This lot were more on the camp/ glam side of Goth and plenty of ghostly death inspired lyrics, add together some great guitar work and funky bass playing, you end up with what is probably the best thing to come out of Northampton since Doctor Martens. 5 stars.

I knew that Bauhaus was seminal to if not the originators of goth music (and culture), but what I failed to recognise were the spin-offs of their breakup, including Love & Rockets and the one-hit wonderful Tones on Tail. I bopped to about 50% of this album (the part that sounded like vintage mid-70s Bowie) and got serious Joy Division vibes from the other 50%. I’ve 5-starred both of those, so what choice do I have?

Very cool

This album is so bizarre that I think I'm in love with it. Favorite track: Satori

Essential Bauhaus.

Good, really good. Twisted and dark and weird rhythms

Perfect. One of my favourite albums ever. In the Flatfield is also great of course, but this one contains Mask.

A great album that is really fascinating with its... groove. Yes, that's right. Bauhaus never wanted to be labeled as 'gothic rock'. While their music is dark and the title track shows this perfectly (as 'Hollow Hills', my favourite) other songs really put the drums and bass to the forefront and let it roll nicely. If you read up on the band it's not that surprising since they loved reggae. All in all, this album is an atmospheric journey that keeps you invested in each track. One of the highlights of this list.

Bauhaus makes goth music fun. This album was a blueprint for so many goth bands that followed but what makes it stand out is the total uniqueness of the music itself.