The opening track "Double Dare" is okay but not a great opener. "In the Flat Field" is one of the best songs, "Dark Entries" is excellent. The singles "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" are great too. The best song on the album, in my opinion, is "St. Vitus Dance."

Singles: 1979-1983, Volume 1 is a great album. I think it's an album that everybody should at the very least listen to.


Perfect introduction to this group   April 19, 2004
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is also a perfect introduction to the Goth Rock genre. True Goth Rock that is, rather than "nu-metal" and synth pop that is often mislabled as such. This album contains the majority of their most important songs. Never comfortable using only a single style of songwriting, Bauhaus' music combines quite a variety of moods, textures, and shades. Up-beat and dancy at times, slow and dirgelike at others. Then there is the spastic and tribal side as well. The songs move from dismal, depressing and nightmarishly morbid, to artsy, bohemian and sometimes downright silly and playful. The music perfectly fits the image of the band as art school weirdos dressed in black, with pale skin and heavy eyeliner. The prototype "Goth" look. The concept of Bauhaus in art is put to music here. Less is more. Sometimes anti-art can be more art than art... if that makes sense. Back to the music... The David Bowie influence is everywhere. As is Black Sabbath, Adam & the Ants and T-Rex. (check out the totally convoluted version of Telegram Sam) This compilation contains some of the most powerful Gothic Rock anthems ever written, including the cacophanous Double Dare, In The Flat Field, Passion of Lovers, and the Goth equivalent to Stairway to Heaven, Bela Lugosi's Dead; a haunting tribute to the greatest Horror actor of them all. Perfect for Halloween with effects laden guitars making what sounds like "bat noises" and creaking coffin lids. In fact, the music itself is very much inspired by the immagery of early German Expressionism. Films like Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari come to mind often while listening. Most of the music on this disc is indescribable. It simply must be heard to be understood. This is not your typical rock affair. This is very experimental art-Punk and may be a bit too strange for those who are not familiar with anything other than "normal" rock and pop. Also the music tends to be on the dark and dreary side. We aren't talking about a toe tapping, uplifting, feelgood time here (although there is pleanty of strange off-beat humor involved) Let that serve as a warning. To those interested in artsy alternative, post punk, or if you've just become interested in Goth, I can't recommend this cd more vehemently. It's invaluable!


Daniel Ash's creepy guitar textures are spine-tingling .....   December 17, 2004
 5 out of 9 found this review helpful

and worth the price of admission alone. I'd say Ash's playing is the key ingredient to Bauhaus' continuous appeal today. Of course, there will always be those attracted to the dark side of things and Bauhaus' status as one of the earliest godfathers of Goth is firmly established.

Many goth rockers will scorn my opinion here, but more often I prefer to hear the more pop-oriented offspring of Bauhaus: Love & Rockets, which is the same band without singer Peter Murphy. Murphy is good, but I'm not the biggest fan of his. I think he has limitations which have become even more obvious in his solo career (actually, his voice sometimes sounds better, but his music got much weaker).

Don't get me wrong, I love Goth. I just don't think Bauhaus wrote the best songs of the genre or made the best albums. Still, this is a worthy collection of highlights, perfect for when you're in the mood for a certain ominous yet detached, atmospheric yet menacing taste of doom and gloom.


Great Music, Redundant Release   January 19, 2006
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

The review has nothing to do with the actual music, which is great. Rather, it's the "best of" collection status. It's really a redundant waste. Just buy In the Flat Fields and The Mask, and you have all that's on this "Volume 1" and more. Maybe at the time, they weren't available on CD, but they are now. GET THE COOL ORIGINALS!


4 stars? C'mon   July 11, 1999
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

These are true classics. One of the few of the era that I haven't burned out on yet.