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.

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!

“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

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

Groovy haunted and so well paced

FISHCAKES

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

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

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

Funhaus

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.

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

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).

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.

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.

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

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

That’s what the point of the mask is

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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

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

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

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

Chaotic but pleasant. Kinda like clown core but British

After sitting through 2 weeks of mediocrity I'm probably rating this higher than I would normally, but it is also some really interesting post punk

In the muggy serenity of a red sky morning, I revisit this dichromatic glam rock gem, which I first heard on a chilly, acid soaked night/morning thirty three years prior. Still high. Not as high. Still high, though. Different times, ya see. "Goth", as I came to understand, signifies nothing but black and white silver screen teenage glam. As a genre of popular music, its useful to understand that these sorts of labels are the inventions of critics who, regardless of other ideological considerations about the phenomenology of music, all want to be great taxonomists: the Coiner of a Genre Name. A band like Bauhaus, like the punks before them, were studied in the same artists and records. The Velvets, The Stooges, Bowie, Roxy Music and all the great Dub Reggae that were floating around the UK. In the US, the latter really wasn't a thing; Aside from the phenomenal Christian Death out of LA, The Doors got substituted for the Dub, and well, if you like Jimbo Lizardpants, have at it. The difference is depth and proportion; The original punks, by and large, loved the immediacy of what can be done with four rock n roll chords when played fast. The best, in my opinion, went from there. The rest got mohawks and established the official sartorial choices. Bauhaus went hard into the weird psychodramas of early Bowie, communed with the deep cut VU, favorited masochistic love songs, Bryan Ferry's silver screen louche and ennui stricken debonair, the absolute basslines of Dub. And, clearly, explored the rabbit holes only fans will follow. Bowie hero Scott Walker. The art rock of John Cale, Nico, and Eno. All of it theatrical. All Glam. Theatrical kids are drawn to the theatrical, the dramatic to the dramatic. Throw in silent and mid-century art films. Bauhaus. That first impression was of the self-contained universe the album created. It had its own physics. The bass is rainbow gravity, and everything else bounces around, with songs forming like cloudshapes, instruments and sounds objects in the sky, death ray guitars, Peter Murphy, sounding like Iggy Bowie at their most decrepit and spent, offering commentary. Vapor trails. Disquietude. Exiliration and the ecstasy of the psychic connection one can have with a record: the mind meld. Bauhaus. These years later, and still high, though different shit, different times (fuck you teenage me; I got a license to Ill), and, aside from time permitting me to really explore the same rabbit holes as Bauhaus; proceeding from the same sources. That exploration led me to same places, a, and I am able to spot the same influences. Edge Lords, naturally, would declare this as derivative and therefore, shit, and return to glaring women out of the record store. Edge Lords are Rogans—obvious and obtuse. Tree-spotters, if you like. What Bauhaus do, song to song, is take those things, and remake them inside of their universe. What if John Cale had Dub as inspiration. What would the low end on "Sister Ray" sound like? And what would the imagined black and white movie look like? Theatrical. Glam. One of my absolute all -time favorites "The Passion of Lovers" is the second track, all melodrama and with a huge hook, and all of it sounds new. "Of Lillies and Remains" teleports the VU's "Lady Godiva's Operation" into a twisted Victorian parlour drama starring Conrad Veidt. "Hollow Hills" is pure pagan horror. Everything on this album is completely compelling. My first impression was the correct impression, and my appreciation has only deepened for this epic dichromatic glam classic. Within its universe, I find myself appreciating the fine details, the nuances, the shifting context of then and now. I guess I haven't mellowed—at least not in the important ways. Me and my licensed Mowie Wowie found the experience amazing.

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.

Great album to get in October, definitely get spooky vibes. Great album overall.

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

Still need to listen.

Fantastic!

Good goth fun.

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.

I love this type of sound, absolute genius

Very cool

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?

Kamalt El Hadra 8.M Rbo3 Etheleth M 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky.

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.

Goth boiz

very cool

Godfathers of Gothic. exceptional album

the perfect mix of sad dance music, going on my repeat listen 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.

I had a really good time listening to this. Bauhaus have always just escaped my listening so I'm glad to have finally sat down and had a crack and this weas really just a great album. What a fantastic voice for all of the spoken word sections as well, gave me chills at times

"In Fear of Fear" was my favorite. This is a little Joy Division and a little Siouxsie Sioux. It was raw, simple, and a great, dark listen. Good stuff.

9/10 wonderful album from beginning to end I liked this a little bit more than their first album too

Can hear a lot of ways that they influenced later artists. Interesting stuff!

liked it way more than i expected.

Bauhaus really kicked off one of my most favorite genres of music—goth rock—so a lot of points for that. I haven’t listened to an entire bauhaus album all the way through before this one. I am well acquainted with Bella Legosi’s Dead, and this album stylistically adheres close to that formula—no real changes, sparse, creepy effects, evocative, strangled vocals, a general atmosphere of dread. Good shit! It always fascinates me how much of the post punk stuff was directly influenced by dub reggae, as reggae has kind of spun off into its own kind of dead-end, backwards-looking genre, while post punk keeps roaring along. The sound effects and bass lines were cribbed from dub. The relative few changes (often none) probably taken from dub. I’m just going to assume that massive amounts of ganja was smoked in studio. Which might not be the vision one has of goth rock, but I find it to be one of the sneakiest most psychedelic genres. Love and light was associated with hippie psychedelia, but there were darker, and sometimes, more true alleyways to be explored, as many people who had bad/deeply strange trips can attest to. It’s sort of the way the word “dream” has been associated with lovely things, when dreams, more often than not are alien, weird and terrifying.

Good album, but not their best.

much respect to Bauhaus for experimantal post-punk, paved the way for many bands to-come

Bauhaus’s second album features gothic rock over a lively rhythm section. The rhythms are danceable, and the vocals and guitar are thin and driving. The result is a post-punk masterpiece reminiscent of Joy Division that is still accessible to casual listeners. All in all I found this to be a very enjoyable and tight album.

"Mask" is the second studio album by English goth rock band Bauhaus. Post punk, gothic rock, experimental. Yep, that all fits. This album expanded on their debut by adding keyboards, acoustic guitar, a funky song and a saxophone. Bauhaus is Peter Murphy (vocals, guitar), Daniel Ash (guitars, sax), David J (bass) and Kevin Haskins (drums, keyboards). This album was also self produced. An annoying laser synth sound leads to the drums kicking in which opens "Hair of the Dog." Ominous synths. The pace picks up. Murhpy's vocals end up in screams at the conclusion. Subjecting yourself once more to the one thing that causes you pain. It doesn't get much more goth than that. Bass and an idiosyncratic drum beat highlight the start of the first single "The Passion of Lovers." Edgy guitar and like the previous song, this song builds and Murphy explodes. A girl seeks passion and ends up dying. "Dancing" actually starts fast. A heavy, heavy bass groove. This is more rock. Ash's guitar has that classic post punk, high pitched sound. This song could have been on Killing Joke's first album. The band adds the funk with the drumbeat and bass on their second single "Kick in the Eye." Guitar sounds going everywhere. Very hypnotic. This reminds me a lot of David Bowie's "Fashion." I think he's looking for drugs. Some more ominous laser synth sounds open the closer "Mask." The beat plodding along. Murphy is moaning. A welding sound. Hey, maybe that plays into the song's meaning. Welding Mask? Idk. Midway through, they add a creepy Mike Oldfield "Tubular Bells"-"Exorcist"-esque guitar. This was already a creepy enough song and then you have to go there, eh? This music is dark, hypnotic and has a high creep factor. This album would be in chapter one, page one in your Goth Rock 101 book. The guitar is edgy, the drums and bass have a deep sound and Murphy's voice is perfect for this music. You could pretty much draw a straight line from mid-70's David Bowie to industrial music and Nine Inch Nails with Bauhaus sitting dead center in the middle. Oh, of couse, I liked this album.

Easy album to listen to, The Passion of Lovers stood out for me

Gothlyf

Un álbum fundamental para entender las tendencias de la “música gótica”. Sonidos escalofriantes pero adictivos, con bases bailables influenciadas fuertemente por los primeros sonidos post-punk. A lo largo del disco también se nota una fuerte influencia de Lou Reed, tanto en la inflexión vocal, como en las astutas letras.

The pop bones and metal bones superimposed are interesting enough. For goth rock, almost every tune is piercingly accessible, but chord progressions and some percussion have a directional relationship with extreme music I think comes later. Sealing the deal is the call to leave the presentation entirely unpolished. Plenty of discord makes the shtick self-aware in a correct way, neither artifice nor irony.

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.

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.

4.0

It rocked... occasionally

I had no idea what to expect, but thoroughly enjoyed the album.

I enjoyed listening to this one. Sort of like a Joy Division but not quite as bleak. Or as good.

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!

Back when I'd heard about goth music, but not actually listened to it, I always pictured it as being really mopey and morose. While it is definitely morose, goth music is so much more danceable than I would ever have imagined. This is an excellent example of that. It's a really fun listen, with catchy melodies combined with more experimental/spacey sounds. 4/5 Really cool early goth album. It shows a lot of the potential that the genre has. I understand a lot better why goth kids liked this music so much. I just don't understand why they were so sad

Des bons moments, surtout les passages qui font très post-punk/gothic à la Joy Division. J'étais un peu moins fan des passages plus expérimentaux, je les trouvais un tantinet maladroit. Règle générale par contre c'est un très bon album qui a bien vieilli et je suis surpris de ne pas en avoir entendu parlé plus tôt. 8/10

just some good ol’ early 80’s goth rock by one of the pioneers of the genre. solid work.

I like this FISH CAKES!

All I’ve previously heard from Bauhaus was their breakout single Bela Lugosi’s Dead and their acclaimed debut album which I found a bit one-note and dreary after a while. Imagine my surprise then when the follow-up release just keeps evolving in so many unexpected ways. I keep making a note of songs that are highlights and have practically listed the whole tracklist for a whole host of different reasons. Very inventive, quirky, goth vibes Update: I wrote the above while listening to Hollow Hills, and found the second half pretty underwhelming in comparison. Muscle in Plastic and the title track were both good, but the other songs didn’t live up to the potential that was clearly on show elsewhere

One of my favorite things about this 1001 albums project is learning how to accurately predict the global score from other people. The fact that this album is almost a full point lower than The Eagles perfectly sums up the clientele of this project. 3.5/5

Loved it. A new one for me.

If you can get past the Goth preconceptions, this a really strong Post-punk album.

Contrary to belief, goths are some of the funkiest people out there

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

Very early goth. I'm an 80s everything human so I enjoyed it.

Nice drum sounds.

смешанные впечатления от альбома, потому что треки мне либо очень зашли, либо вообще не зашли

Never would have checked these guys out, like it a lot! Other bands borrowed from them for sure

Good but not my fav of theirs

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.

I wasn't really in the mood for it today, but I'm glad I gave it a listen anyways. really like this album!

I'm a sucker for this kind of monochromatic music.

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.”

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.

Utterly charming. Just the right amount of strange.

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!

I guess I was expecting 60 minutes of Bela lugosi. More varied then that. Overall a good listen.

Cool Album. The tone reminds me of David Bowie I like a lot if the songs. Favourite could be 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.

This kind of classic gothy post-punk tends to be to my taste. It might have to do with the rhythms. Must investigate further