I was wondering what was everyone's favorite EINSTUERZENDE NEUBAUTEN release and why, I feel this band is a pioneer in industrial music and has a major influence in all music today. I have not listened to all their albums and few of their live performances. I would like to hear some views on what you think the best album is, and their most industrial effort etc.
Did anybody here see them at All Tomorrow's Parties several years ago? I had never heard of them before seeing them and I was told it was going to be a noise show so was looking forward to it. The stage was full of lots of weird industrial looking instruments (big cogs etc). However when they played it was just laughable. "Life on other planets is difficult" That's the one chorus I remember. I couldn't take it seriously, it was so bad.
What I want to know is if that performance is a good indicator of their music? I'm not writing them off as I haven't heard any of their recorded music but that gig was just awful.
Quote from: Si Clark on June 11, 2012, 01:08:21 AM
Did anybody here see them at All Tomorrow's Parties several years ago? I had never heard of them before seeing them and I was told it was going to be a noise show so was looking forward to it. The stage was full of lots of weird industrial looking instruments (big cogs etc). However when they played it was just laughable. "Life on other planets is difficult" That's the one chorus I remember. I couldn't take it seriously, it was so bad.
What I want to know is if that performance is a good indicator of their music? I'm not writing them off as I haven't heard any of their recorded music but that gig was just awful.
I guess I can see how disappointed you were expecting a noise show, but you got to give it up to them when it comes to industrial. This bands performance is all incredible imo and most of their instruments are hand made. Their are very few whom can say they can create music from scratch like EN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZsCvABTX90&feature=related
That's is the first thing I ever saw for EN & industrial music on an old latenight tv show called "Night Flight". I thought it was just weird as shit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQnOFNh9HtE&feature=related
Blixa's screeching is a huge influence on some of my vocals...
I'm a little confused as to how anyone on this forum had never heard of EN before 2007. I guess I'm just old. Anyway, been a fan since the 80's. Still follow them, through thick and thin.
Halber Mensch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQnOFNh9Ht
Wasn't there a NYC performance where the venue caught on fire & another performance with a concrete mixer fell on top of an audience member? I want to see footage from the Mojave desert performance!
"In 1984 Einstürzende Neubauten began appearing at special-event "site-specific" performances. One of the more notorious of these took place in California's Mojave desert on March 4, 1984. Fans who attended the show were brought to the site on a chartered bus caravan. While refrigerators and other appliances loaded with explosives were detonated for their enjoyment, courtesy of Mark Pauline and Survival Research Laboratories, Einstürzende Neubauten filled the desert air with their music in an unforgettable symphony of apocalyptic sights and sounds.
The band's indoor shows had also become quite notorious. Fire had become a regular part of their program. But at one Los Angeles performance, an onstage fire got out of control and completely burned the props for the second half of the show. The same night, vibrations from the power drill used onstage caused plaster to fall off the ceiling and onto some record company executives who were eating dinner a floor below."
I only know their Kalte Sterne - Early Recordings CD which is material from 1980 to 1982. I'd like to know how representative it is of their music in general because I wouldn't call it industrial -- it's basically rock music with some noisy parts. I guess their reputation isn't based on recordings like this.
I have always been a fan of Strategien Gegen Architekturen, I am also a big fan of listening to Stahlmusik even though I don't actually own that release. A friend of mine burned that on CD for me and just can't get over the landscapes. I can just picture EN performing this at that bridge in Germany; it would have given me the creeps for sure. For the beauty of things, I would go for Tabula Rasa, such a well instrumented album. There is still so much of theirs I have never listened to....I might just have to start buying more of their earlier releases on CD and put them in the car.
Quote from: bitewerksMTB on June 11, 2012, 04:47:12 AM
Wasn't there a NYC performance where the venue caught on fire & another performance with a concrete mixer fell on top of an audience member? I want to see footage from the Mojave desert performance!
"In 1984 Einstürzende Neubauten began appearing at special-event "site-specific" performances. One of the more notorious of these took place in California's Mojave desert on March 4, 1984. Fans who attended the show were brought to the site on a chartered bus caravan. While refrigerators and other appliances loaded with explosives were detonated for their enjoyment, courtesy of Mark Pauline and Survival Research Laboratories, Einstürzende Neubauten filled the desert air with their music in an unforgettable symphony of apocalyptic sights and sounds.
The band's indoor shows had also become quite notorious. Fire had become a regular part of their program. But at one Los Angeles performance, an onstage fire got out of control and completely burned the props for the second half of the show. The same night, vibrations from the power drill used onstage caused plaster to fall off the ceiling and onto some record company executives who were eating dinner a floor below."
I had always heard stories about how the early days of EN were pretty dangerous to watch in a live environment. That Mojave desert show would have been amazing to have witnessed. You would think there would be videos of all that cool shit that happened over the years.
Yeah, I find it hard to believe that someone who is "into noise" had never come across Einsturzende before ... still. I bought the "Kalte Sterne" double 7 when it came out from Virgin in Manchester purely on name and sleeve and fell in love with their sound / style. Saw them live in '85 at The Leadmill in Sheffield and was rooted to the spot stunned. The noise and energy wiped the arse off the others who were "metal bashing" at the time - Test DP's, SPK etc. After the 7" I never bought another EN record ... don't know why? I think I'm going to have to re-discover their early works ... and thanks for word on the EN book - looks a must for pay day!
Quote from: Steve on June 11, 2012, 09:55:11 AM
Yeah, I find it hard to believe that someone who is "into noise" had never come across Einsturzende before ... still.
I could say more. I know some people (mainly pseudo noise artists from Poland) who doesn't know (or know only from reading) also TG, SPK, NON etc. Whats more, they ignore such groups like WHITEHOUSE or SUTCLIFFE JUGEND - saying these groups didn't influence on noise and they are only very funny, nothing more... Conclusion? INFORMATION OVERLOAD UNIT - sign of our time.
never been a fan of EN music, I like some tracks here and there, especially for their early releases, but never got turned on although they did very interesting concepts and lyrics and, of course, the way they used machines is pure art, their performances magnificents, especially for the risk factor involved, and they definitely knew what they were doing
the haber mensch video is a complete masterpiece.
when we supported them in London as Origami Replika they have been very friendly and definitely down to earth. no-star attitude, etc. the show was already rock-pop, so not my cup of tea, but it was a great experience.
Got into them in 199 when my sister said that the Silence is Sexy album was plain weird and stupid, had to check it out and was blown away. Far away from their noisier 1980's (even though they were always something of a pop band) but I still love that album and it opened my mind for non-musical objects in creating music. The whol aesthetics, with broken and discarded objects, mic'ed up rocks and glass bottles; I'd credit EN completely for getting me into industrial and experimental music. I back-tracked from Silence, and haven't kept up with their later works. The liner-notes always fscinated e as well early on, with ther details of exactly what instruments and objects were played. NNNAAAMMM with the engines for example, and the brutal rhythm of Headcleaner. Which forgives the cheesy love songs ("only she's going to see the light first" whatever it's called, from Tabula Rasa, is abysmal for example).
One of EN's biggest acheivments I suppose is how they've elevated industrial music methods to a higher level of appreciation outside the scene, without becoming a novelty, "look at this crazy noise, can you believe people listen to it?" like Merzbow. EN is high culture, Blixa is a poet et c.
Quote from: tiny_tove on June 11, 2012, 11:49:31 AMwhen we supported them in London as Origami Replika
Ha! I was there (September 7, 1997, London Astoria). I had no idea that was you, Marco.
Quote from: ARKHE on June 11, 2012, 03:32:18 PM
and the brutal rhythm of Headcleaner.
A true swan song of this group. Unfortunately, after 1985 this group decided to go in wrong direction, though "Haus der Luege" has good moments yet.
Listening to Silence Is Sexy now. Hardly industrial at all, but still they're great song writers. The Maifestspiele part of Fiat Lux is one of my favourite industrial... pieces, perhaps better word than song.
Quote from: SKY BURIAL on June 11, 2012, 03:34:56 PM
Quote from: tiny_tove on June 11, 2012, 11:49:31 AMwhen we supported them in London as Origami Replika
Ha! I was there (September 7, 1997, London Astoria). I had no idea that was you, Marco.
ehehe great evening. the whole origami/marhaug/wertham was good fun, we planned only three dates in smaller venues, (Leeds was the best, New castle was crazy with Tore sucking somebody on stage and Culver's memorable set, etc.) but Klaus Maek invited origami, so we were quite happy indeed.
Patient Drawings of O.T. was basically the first noise album I bought, though I guess I consider it music now, and it's clearly my favorite though I have enjoyed it all the way to Strategies Against Architecture III (that was the second album I bought from them). I suppose Kollaps or the first SAA were the noisiest per se but there was something about Patient Drawings that was between structured music and just throwing metal around. My favorite is song would definitely be Armenia from that, loops of an orchestra playing traditional Armenian music and a groaning machine combined with Blixia's hollow screaming always give me goosebumps.
Kalte Sterne was around the time FM Einheit and Alexander Hacke joined, both being involved in punk bands previously and still had an effect, bands like Abwärts and Sprung Aus Den Wolken, that sounded similar to kalte sterne were more obviously post punk than industrial, and much faster.
Anyone know what the material with Beate Bartel and Gudrun Gut is like? something tells me i'll be underwhelmed from what little Mania D I have heard, but I'm curious.
Patient Drawings of O.T. so far seems like everyone's favorite EN release and I can see why. Everything about it is just so fucking amazing and new even today. This is definitive release that can be played over and over while still finding new sounds with every spin. I can also agree that after FM Einheit left in 2000, that there was a big decline in everyone's liking. For me, I feel the last good thing they did was Tabula Rasa.
Quote from: enmity on June 15, 2012, 11:19:39 AM
Patient Drawings of O.T. so far seems like everyone's favorite EN release
The best is "Kollaps" for me.
I like most of their albums up to recent years. Each one of the earlier work has a unique sound and character which sets them apart - the junkpunk of Kollaps, industrial ambience of Zeichnungen, the bass on Fünf auf der... and so on. I still find Ende Neu a really good experimental pop album, and both Perpetuum Mobile and Silence is sexy has some stunning songs, though I would put them in the category of musical traditions prior to "industrial" of great, classic songwriting. I never really cared for tabvula rasa which despite its good elements are to riddled with 90's cheese, not especially hard or especially soothing. Their weakest of the old records in my opinion.
As of late both the Jewels and alles wieder offen albums were such huge disappointments that I haven't been interested inanything but the old albums since.