Managing the sometimes hard-to-negotiate trick of expanding their sound while retaining all the qualities which got them attention to begin with, on Mask the members of Bauhaus consciously stretched themselves into newer areas of music and performance, resulting in an album that was arguably even better than the band's almost flawless debut. More familiar sides of the band were apparent from the get-go; opening number "Hair of the Dog," one of the band's best songs, starts with a double-tracked squalling guitar solo before turning into a stomping, surging flow, carefully paced by sudden silences and equally sudden returns to the music, while Murphy details cases of mental addictions in pithy phrases. The energy wasn't all just explosive angst and despair, though; the one-two punches of "Kick in the Eye" and "In Fear of Fear" have as much hip-shaking groove and upbeat swing to them as portentous gloom (Ash's sax skronk on the latter, as well as on the similarly sharp "Dancing," is a particularly nice touch).This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
Yes, the book is a great read. Yes, the remastered album sounds great and yes, the alt. versions and B-sides are excellent for the curious but the live show from 1981 is worth the price alone. I have numerous live bootlegs and live albums spanning their entire career but this is the best of the lot. Full of frenetic energy and great performances this is the definitive live audio release from this pioneering band. This is a must own!!!!
"Mask" is probably the quintessential Bauhaus studio (non-compilation) album, though "Burning From the Inside" is pure genius as well. "Mask" features many of their best known songs, including "The Passion of Lovers," "Kick In The Eye," "In Fear of Fear," and "Hollow Hills." Equally enjoyable are some of the lesser known tracks, such as the spoken word "Of Lillies and Remains" and the Cure-like &..
