Superb primer on the more playful goth-pop/wave vectors of Bauhaus side project-turned-proper band Tones On Tail, spanning their LP and numerous EPs 1982-1984
As legend has it, Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash conceived TOT as a light-hearted adjunct to his main vehicle’s goth templates, largely replacing Bauhaus’ theatric punk rock ’n roll gloom with a more melodic approach and synthy textures across a run of EPs that ultimately led up to bandmate Glenn Campling joining the project after Bauhaus disbanded in ’83. However he didn’t entirely throw the baby out with bathwater, retaining traces of Bauhaus’ revving basslines, dubbed-out atmospheres and noirish appeal, just with a more new wave alt.pop slant that was shades away from records by fellow UK midlanders Eyeless In Gaza or Death In June.
First compiled on CD in 1998, ‘Everything!’ kicks off with their 1984 album ‘Pop’ in its entirety, including unmissable bullets such as the driving melodic coldwave of ‘Performance’ and clear similarities to Bauhaus on the dubbed out creep of ‘The Never Never (Is Forever)’, plus the eerie lounge bops ‘Lions’ and ‘Happiness’, or the wyrdo ’Slender Fungus’. The rest is reaped from a clutch of fêted EPs, running a freaky voodoo down from the lithe stepper ‘Twist’ to a cruddy tape-salvaged ‘Heartbreak Hotel (Live)’ including a radio interview on the demise of Bauhaus. There’s killer garage punk swag in ‘O.K. This is The Pops’, and Bruce Gilbert-esque experimentation in ‘When You’re Smiling’ and ‘A Bigger Splash’, alt/goth club tackle in ‘Copper’, and stripped down parallels to Eyeless In Gaza’s nerve janglers on ‘Instrumental’.
View more
Superb primer on the more playful goth-pop/wave vectors of Bauhaus side project-turned-proper band Tones On Tail, spanning their LP and numerous EPs 1982-1984
As legend has it, Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash conceived TOT as a light-hearted adjunct to his main vehicle’s goth templates, largely replacing Bauhaus’ theatric punk rock ’n roll gloom with a more melodic approach and synthy textures across a run of EPs that ultimately led up to bandmate Glenn Campling joining the project after Bauhaus disbanded in ’83. However he didn’t entirely throw the baby out with bathwater, retaining traces of Bauhaus’ revving basslines, dubbed-out atmospheres and noirish appeal, just with a more new wave alt.pop slant that was shades away from records by fellow UK midlanders Eyeless In Gaza or Death In June.
First compiled on CD in 1998, ‘Everything!’ kicks off with their 1984 album ‘Pop’ in its entirety, including unmissable bullets such as the driving melodic coldwave of ‘Performance’ and clear similarities to Bauhaus on the dubbed out creep of ‘The Never Never (Is Forever)’, plus the eerie lounge bops ‘Lions’ and ‘Happiness’, or the wyrdo ’Slender Fungus’. The rest is reaped from a clutch of fêted EPs, running a freaky voodoo down from the lithe stepper ‘Twist’ to a cruddy tape-salvaged ‘Heartbreak Hotel (Live)’ including a radio interview on the demise of Bauhaus. There’s killer garage punk swag in ‘O.K. This is The Pops’, and Bruce Gilbert-esque experimentation in ‘When You’re Smiling’ and ‘A Bigger Splash’, alt/goth club tackle in ‘Copper’, and stripped down parallels to Eyeless In Gaza’s nerve janglers on ‘Instrumental’.
Superb primer on the more playful goth-pop/wave vectors of Bauhaus side project-turned-proper band Tones On Tail, spanning their LP and numerous EPs 1982-1984
As legend has it, Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash conceived TOT as a light-hearted adjunct to his main vehicle’s goth templates, largely replacing Bauhaus’ theatric punk rock ’n roll gloom with a more melodic approach and synthy textures across a run of EPs that ultimately led up to bandmate Glenn Campling joining the project after Bauhaus disbanded in ’83. However he didn’t entirely throw the baby out with bathwater, retaining traces of Bauhaus’ revving basslines, dubbed-out atmospheres and noirish appeal, just with a more new wave alt.pop slant that was shades away from records by fellow UK midlanders Eyeless In Gaza or Death In June.
First compiled on CD in 1998, ‘Everything!’ kicks off with their 1984 album ‘Pop’ in its entirety, including unmissable bullets such as the driving melodic coldwave of ‘Performance’ and clear similarities to Bauhaus on the dubbed out creep of ‘The Never Never (Is Forever)’, plus the eerie lounge bops ‘Lions’ and ‘Happiness’, or the wyrdo ’Slender Fungus’. The rest is reaped from a clutch of fêted EPs, running a freaky voodoo down from the lithe stepper ‘Twist’ to a cruddy tape-salvaged ‘Heartbreak Hotel (Live)’ including a radio interview on the demise of Bauhaus. There’s killer garage punk swag in ‘O.K. This is The Pops’, and Bruce Gilbert-esque experimentation in ‘When You’re Smiling’ and ‘A Bigger Splash’, alt/goth club tackle in ‘Copper’, and stripped down parallels to Eyeless In Gaza’s nerve janglers on ‘Instrumental’.
Superb primer on the more playful goth-pop/wave vectors of Bauhaus side project-turned-proper band Tones On Tail, spanning their LP and numerous EPs 1982-1984
As legend has it, Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash conceived TOT as a light-hearted adjunct to his main vehicle’s goth templates, largely replacing Bauhaus’ theatric punk rock ’n roll gloom with a more melodic approach and synthy textures across a run of EPs that ultimately led up to bandmate Glenn Campling joining the project after Bauhaus disbanded in ’83. However he didn’t entirely throw the baby out with bathwater, retaining traces of Bauhaus’ revving basslines, dubbed-out atmospheres and noirish appeal, just with a more new wave alt.pop slant that was shades away from records by fellow UK midlanders Eyeless In Gaza or Death In June.
First compiled on CD in 1998, ‘Everything!’ kicks off with their 1984 album ‘Pop’ in its entirety, including unmissable bullets such as the driving melodic coldwave of ‘Performance’ and clear similarities to Bauhaus on the dubbed out creep of ‘The Never Never (Is Forever)’, plus the eerie lounge bops ‘Lions’ and ‘Happiness’, or the wyrdo ’Slender Fungus’. The rest is reaped from a clutch of fêted EPs, running a freaky voodoo down from the lithe stepper ‘Twist’ to a cruddy tape-salvaged ‘Heartbreak Hotel (Live)’ including a radio interview on the demise of Bauhaus. There’s killer garage punk swag in ‘O.K. This is The Pops’, and Bruce Gilbert-esque experimentation in ‘When You’re Smiling’ and ‘A Bigger Splash’, alt/goth club tackle in ‘Copper’, and stripped down parallels to Eyeless In Gaza’s nerve janglers on ‘Instrumental’.