Whitehouse

Started by Peterson, December 04, 2011, 11:26:54 PM

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Peterson

OK, we all know that there's plenty to make fun of about this band at times. But still, they'll always have some unarguably classic material that pleases all types of indus./PE/noise/whatever listeners. What are your favorite WH albums, and why? What ones stand out for you as complete turds? Why?

Lately I've been on a buying spree of all the earlier albums (except Total Sex and Birthdeath Experience...haven't found those particularly engaging, yet). I'd say I like New Britain best of the "early style" due to the electronics despite it's lacking in the vocal department. I like anything through Twice Is Not Enough pretty much equally depending on my mood, however. Haven't heard any full albums after that one so I can't say I've fully digested '90's and '00's WH. But, I'm quite looking forward to those since Sotos' contributions play a bigger role, especially "Private."

Anyway...any shit anyone would like to sling? I'm really curious especially about people's criticisms. I'd like to think that any band so influential is seen as equally silly.


HongKongGoolagong

The first two albums were pretty tentative and still looking for a sound - Total Sex is a stinker in my view.

A favourite early one is Dedicated To Peter Kurten, I love the punchy way it was three-minute 'songs' as if it was a punk album. Yet highbrow little details like the Robert Ashley sample on Ripper Territory. Still sounds brutal thirty years in.

The early 90s was a pretty bad time for Whitehouse, it was a part-time concern doing very occasional shows with no fixed lineup and Twice Is Not Enough and Never Forget Death both sound half-assed and way too gentle on the ears compared with earlier and later work.

Quality Time from the mid-90s is a phenomenal record with some plain bizarre sounds and vocalising and some depth in the lyrics being added with the Sotos input.

Of the later records I really really like Asceticists 2006. Philip Best's lyrics on that, Racket and his last CE album are very clever, personal, obsessional and well-delivered. The review by Steve Underwood in ALAP of Crowd Pleaser really hit the nail for me talking about how so many in power electronics claim to have 'personal obsessions' which are exactly the same as all the other people in the scene: serial killers. S&M etc etc - so corny! The late era Whitehouse subject matter did try to escape the conservatism of a scene they inadvertently helped spawn, and when you figure some of it out it's as 'dark' as you could wish for also. 

So much about the band that is utterly ridiculous of course. I get the feeling that a lot of the humour in the band hasn't translated too well outside the UK over the years. Even the supposedly heavy live shows as a three-piece before Sotos left were just really camp and silly beerfights with grown men behaving like kids in a sandpit and you'd see more real violence in any 'normal' nightclub on a Saturday night.

I think it's an amazing body of work, I know many people here didn't enjoy Cut Hands (I thought it was OK, pretty low-key) but as far as I'm concerned William Bennett could go on to do Sting covers if he wanted and still have my respect.

Andrew McIntosh

I'm assuming Whitehouse's reputation has rested on their live shows and their particular place in Industrial history, because whenever I've listened to their recordings I've heard lacklustre, repetitive and often thin and uninvolved sounds and arrangements, usually lacking any intensity either up front or sinister. "Mummy And Daddy" was an improvement overall but interesting they couldn't sustain it for an entire album, having to give half of it over to Sotos's audio porn collection. They've repeated themselves again since then (how does any band justify using the same tracks on more than one album? Is there any logic to that other than a need for filler?). The element of silliness, often justified as "humour", always defeats me and I'm inclined to agree with a friend who suggested they started off simply as a joke and took themselves more seriously over the years. Nor am I convinced by any efforts to pass their music off as some kind of "difficult listening" - there's a difference between that and straight up boring. Suffice to say I am no Whitehouse fan.
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RyanWreck

Quote from: Andrew McIntosh on December 05, 2011, 02:33:35 AM
(how does any band justify using the same tracks on more than one album? Is there any logic to that other than a need for filler?). The element of silliness, often justified as "humour", always defeats me and

I agree with that, same reason I dislike everything SJ has done after Deathmask...I laugh too much. If I wanna laugh at a fucked up situation I'll put my ear to the ground and listen to my neighbor beat his wife.

Whitehouse is a mixed bag too. I am obsessive over the Come Org material but not so much with Lawly.

GEWALTMONOPOL

The early albums from Erector up to and including Great White Death are best IMO. My favourites are New Britain and Psychopathia Sexualis. While they became more complex and interesting lyrically on the later albums the music lacks the sharpness and punch of the earlier ones. I lost interest after Bird Seed and haven't heard the last two albums.

Whitehouse may have given birth to the genre and they had their time but they are not the be all and end all. Many others have made more interesting and valuable contributions since. The genre carries on and it keeps evolving.
Först när du blottar strupen ska du få nåd, ditt as...

THE RITA HN

my favorite work of theirs in easily BIRTHDEATH EXPERIENCE.

MT

They are classic, there is no doubt about that. Especially Great White Death, Erector and so forth are fantastic, from later era Birdseed and Cruice are great too. Harsh and unpromomising digital attacks with insane vocal work. Maybe they have a sweet spot for me, since they were one of the first pe groups I fell in love with. Yeah yeah sure Bennett is a cunt and Cut Hands is really terrible, just like the drumming tracks in the last Whitehouse albums. But thankfully mr. Best keeps ripping it up with CE

ImpulsyStetoskopu

I guess this group was better after 1990 year. My favourite album is "Quality Time". BENNETT wrote better lyrics, used better  his voice and music was more structured with very interesting sound, concept. Their earliest music was too primitive (poor) for me. From the first period I like especialy their "Birthdeath Experience" and "Great White Death".

P-K

i especially like(d) the way they (=Sotos+Bennett+Best) could work a crowd in such a way people would beat the crap out of each other.

tiny_tove

I enjoyed everything they have done, more or less. Yet my favourite one are still Thank your lucky stars and Great white death.
I have seen several times them as trio (bennet/sotos/best between) between the 90's and the latest European tours, and as duo.
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Ashley Choke

Quote from: THE RITA HN on December 05, 2011, 05:40:26 AM
my favorite work of theirs in easily BIRTHDEATH EXPERIENCE.

Seconed + Total Sex. IMO the true essence of Power Electronics.

Steve

For me, When I first heard Whitehouse they were nothing like anything else that was going about, in sound, attitude, concept etc. Like an intense flash of white light. Excellent. "Psycopathia Sexualis" and "Great White Death" are classics. "New Britain" was a favourite upon release but I haven't heard it in ages, certainly listening to old Whitehouse tracks now...they have lost their power a little (Total Sex). Their live shows in the 1980's were stronger than those in their final years. Naturally.
"Thank Your Lucky Stars" is a great LP too, but (I think) that is old stuff...I have a live version of "My Cock's On Fire" from circa '86.....
By the time of the mid 1990s and the Sotos years the sound / approach etc was predictable and a shame it had to happen. Whitehouse tribute bands and comedy albums - who was it that did "I'm Coming Round Your House"? The scene became JapNoise Crazy and The Wire got hold......Never mind.

If you've never heard Whitehouse then listen to anything up to and including "Great White Death" is my advice.
I have met William Bennett a couple of times and he never came across as a cunt, just very polite and chatty.


I am non too keen on CE or SJ and have never heard Bennett's Ital Disco or Cut hands projects.

Bleak Existence

#13
Quality Time was the first PE cd i buyed ever in 96 makes me laugh a lot at first listen lol
i loved it so much to get the cd artwork tattooed on back of my bicep couple of years later :)

martialgodmask

I fell in love with Whitehouse as soon as I heard them. Sure, easy enough to peg them as being a bit Monty Python but they're still an act I return to regularly as it always felt right. I like the last couple of albums, perhaps it got a little "polished" but for me they're still good quality compositions. As for the ridiculousness, you can take WH and something like Now Wash You Hands and I think there is a distinct difference between what has an undercurrent of humour/satire and what is just comedy/daft.