In the Flat Field - Dark Publications

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Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

*rolls eyes* goth? blah... October 20, 2004
39 out of 55 found this review helpful

I really hate the gothic tag. Bauhaus are rock n rollers in the same vein as Elvis, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, Bowie, T.Rex, Roxy Music and Brian Eno. They've got a sinister switchblade-flick-hip-swing sound, but they're also very playful and quirky(because you really can't deny Peter saying "Now I am silly...) In The Flat Field is a great piece of expressionist art rock. The gothic genre has done nothing but hurt Bauhaus, dividing fans into petty arguing about who's goth and not goth, who's better at it and who's not. c'mon! how can you bo so influenced by something a silly rock critic came up with anyway. I don't find this album to be depressing at all, but paranoid and full of dark kinetic life. Bauhaus albums always sport very danceable, finger-snapping grooves and razor sharp guitar licks, as well as very interesting atmospheric works. The mopey & morose gothic tag everyone has pushed on them made it easy for people to write them off and never give Bauhaus a chance. There is so much happening on just their *first* album. but no one will ever realize this because of all the petty goth in-squabbling over whether Peter Murphy, Ian Curtis or Robert Smith were better than the other. Do you think they were even trying to be "gothic"? did they even care? they we're just trying to make their own music in their own way. plus, Bauhaus were more traditional rock n roll(in the Chuck Berry/Elvis/VU sense), The Cure were more pop rock and Joy Division were a totally clean break from both, so you really can't compare them...unless you've establish some rigid criteria of what they are *supposed* to sound like, eventhough you weren't even in the band.

ah, well...so go ahead, rate them by who made the gloomiest sound, who wore more make-up or who posed in the most black. bottom line, if you like rock n roll, experimental music, noise or german silent films, get In The Flat Fields. it captures the creative energies of both the Weimar Republic and Andy Warhol's Factory. plus, they do "Rosegarden Funeral Of Sores" better than John Cale(and he wrote the song!)

4 out of 5 stars

Gothic roots November 2, 2003
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Peter Murphy being one of my favourite musicians, it's interesting to investigate his roots in this seminal goth album from the early 1980s. Compared to his later solo work, this music is raw but passionate and multifaceted, utilising innovative drum patterns, guitar bursts and alienated vocals to create sparse sounds of gloom and foreboding. The eeriest tracks here - and my personal favourites - are Small Talk Stinks with it insistent repetition of the title, the frightening St. Vitus Dance and the hair raising Stigmata Martyr with its Latin chant that sounds like the black mass. A God In An Alcove and Spy In The Cab are further above-average tracks. This re-issue has been enhanced by the addition of early singles like Telegram Sam, their stunning version of the T. Rex single. Bauhaus were brave in their experimentation and deserve their cult status as they didn't choose the easy path of catchy rock riffs but wove a web of mood and feeling influenced to a certain extent by the pioneering work of Bowie, Siouxsie & The Banshees and others. They spawned a host of imitators but this is the real goth thing from the fertile early 1980s.

5 out of 5 stars

The goth-masters' debut. August 24, 2003
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

In the Flat Field is the first album by Bauhaus, one of the greatest goth bands to ever exist. Their music is very hard to describe in words, but I'll do my best.

This album is very intense, much more so than other Bauhaus efforts. The stark instrumentation and Peter Murphy's beautiful, wavering bass voice are really what defines Bauhaus' sound. Think along the lines of a much happier and more humorous Joy Division. Most of the time the lyrics are very dark and poetic, but Bauhaus isn't afraid to use humor in their work. "Small Talk Stinks", "Scopes", and "Telegram Sam" are laugh-out-loud hilarious. All of the songs on this record are keepers, there's no filler.

If you're into goth music, you already know about Bauhaus, but if you're new to the scene, In the Flat Field is a great place to start. It takes quite a few listens to get used to it, but once you do, you'll love it. Standout tracks include: "Dark Entries", "God in an alcove", "Terror Couple Kill Colonel", and "Double Dare."

5 out of 5 stars Strong Bauhaus' Studio Effort February 14, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This was the band's 1st and arguably best studio album depending which kind of Bauhaus songs you prefer. However it was so hard to find back in the 80's that most people collected Bauhaus songs via compilations. ITFF has so many songs it looks like a comp too. Collectors and fans today are lucky that this once rare album is now so easy to find, and cheap also.

Several of their signature dark, mysterious gems are present: "Double Dare", "Dark Entries" and the intrigue-laden "Spy in the Cab". But this album is heavier with their faster, more punk songs like "St. Vitus Dance", "God in an Alcove", "Telegram Sam" and the title track "In the Flat Field" (Peter Murphy would remake "ITFF" under the title "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth" later in his solo career). My favorite on this album is the brilliant "Crowds", the ultimate ode to the relationship that ends bitterly.

It's a great album and a must for fans. ITFF is a solid place for newcomers to start though a true comp like "Volume I" or "Volume II" may be better.

5 out of 5 stars The Essential Document of the Gothic Movement July 22, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Although being the band that basically created a musical genre and subcultural lifestyle, Bauhaus first and foremost are collective creative genius. You can argue all you want that bands like "Sisters of Mercy" and "Alien Sex Fiend" and "Specimen" (...and on into infinity) were superior to Bauhaus when it came to goth rock, but the truth is that none of the aforementioned bands touched on any of the styles that Bauhaus were able to dabble in with effortless perfection.

In The Flat Field being the first studio album from Bauhaus, the album showcases an array of goth rock cornerstones while also offering a handful of tracks showing that Bauhaus were definitely willing and able to take risks. Dirge-y anthems such as "Double Dare", and "Stigmata Martyr", basically set the template for what gothic music was supposed to sound like. However, with tracks such as "God In An Alcove", and "Dark Entries" the band seem to be saying to the intended audience "Who says we can't dance AND be mopey bastards?". Taking time away from crunchy death-rock and post-punk goth musings, the real artistry that would later be found on Bauhaus waxwork's "Swing the Heartache BBC Recordings" and "Sky's Gone Out" is shown briefly in such experimental pieces as "Nerves", "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores", and "Crowds". The only downfall? The just barely forgiveable cover of "Telegram Sam" that seems to have been put on every recording they ever did just to spite me.

So let's take in everything we've learned. Bauhaus created a genre, birthed a subculture of death-obsessed rock n' roll that could be spooky, dancey, and experimental all at once without losing site of a unique vision. This is the album where it started and if you're interested in learning about the Gothic subculture, or just curious to find a band that may very well expand your musical horizens, this is the album to start with.

Key Tracks: "Stigmata Martyr", "God In An Alcove", "Nerves"

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