Current 93

[post-morten]

Seeing as C93 are visiting both Helsinki/Finland and Malmö/Sweden in the near future, how about talking about them for a while? Are people around here appreciative of David Tibet's works or not? Personally I have a bit of mixed feelings. I discovered them around Thunder Perfect Mind, an album I still like a lot and consider the pinnacle of the more folksy phase. From there I backtracked and explored their early experimental years which I had missed out on so far, and found gems like Nature Unveiled and Live at Bar Maldoror. I've also picked up new albums on a semi-regular basis; sometimes I regret it, sometimes not... e.g. Sleep Has His House from 2000 is a huge favorite that moved me immensely, and Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain from the other year I found a refreshing "rock" album.

At the same time I despise Tibet for his strategies to milk the ultra-loyal C93 fanbase with countless compilations, live albums, alternative outtakes, remixes, and fuck knows all the collector gimmicks he's employed over the last decade. While I did travel to London for a C93 gig in the 90s, now I'd not even venture within Sweden to see them. Maybe I'd go if they played my hometown (Stockholm), but even that is stretching it.

[SKY BURIAL]

Thunder Perfect Mind is where I stopped. Really liked their output until/including TPM. I do enjoy a couple since including Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain.

[ImpulsyStetoskopu]

I liked C93 very much. Especially his "Dog Blood Rising" (in my opinion his the best album). In case of compilations, I recommend double cd "Emblems: The Menstrual Years". After "Bright Yellow Moon" from 2001, this project is shit.

[Steve]

It could be said that Current 93 peaked too early with their first 12" "LAShTAL". An excellent dark and eerie sound. I found "Nature Unveiled" unlistenable so kind of left them alone. Other folk I knew bought Current 93 so I could pick and choose what I listened to and ask them to put it on tape for me. Tibet has a voice that sometimes grates but sometimes is great. I don't think it necessary to buy every C93 release, just dip your toes (and ears) in to his catalogue every few years...see how Current 93 is getting along.
"In Menstrual Night", "Earth Covers Earth", "In A Foriegn Land", "Baalstorm Sing Omega" are all great pieces and get regular plays and fill my needs. C93 also released a great single; "The Time Of The Last Persecution" - well worth hunting out.

I have seen Current 93 a couple of times, once I (Dieter Muh) was on the same "bill" at The October Gallery in London. That was a very personal appearance - the show in London Forum in 2010 was like a corporate rock gig from the mid 1970's...and probably what David Tibet wanted! It was bloody awful though and not worth the ticket price.

I think David knows that there are collectors out there and fills their desire, whether or not it is milking the fanbase? ... I don't know. I would love to have that Vinyl On Demand Box Set, but is far too much monies!
I would travel and see C93 live again (somehow I don't think Tibet would play in Torquay), just depends on venue really, and I'll keep listening.   

[Strömkarlen]

It could be said that Current 93 peaked too early with their first 12" "LAShTAL". An excellent dark and eerie sound.   

Very well put. I use to listen a lot to the early C93 records and then one day I had enough of his voice. I just couldn't stand it. Today I can listen to it for short while like when there is one song on the first Nature & Organisation record.
I tried to listen to the new stuff for a while since we had C93 charming violinist Maja Elliot as neighbour but I just couldn't get into it.

[tiny_tove]

dog blood rising is my fave.
and probably one of the records that really got me into industrial oriented sounds.
I also like nature unveiled a lot and thunder perfect mind...
the rest not my cup of tea

[bogskaggmannen]

I have a soft spot for the first side of the "Imperium" LP and "Earth covers earth" in full. I have no problem with Tibet's out-of-tune singing actually, if the atmosphere is right. "Of ruine and some blazing starre" is my favourite of the eh... "later" ones.

[post-morten]

I have a soft spot for the first side of the "Imperium" LP and "Earth covers earth" in full.

Incidentally the two C93 albums that I have owned only to later get rid of.

[HongKongGoolagong]

A project with great highs, terrible lows and a great deal of competent mediocrity in between it seems to me.

I love Swastikas For Noddy (and the remix Crooked Crosses version, but the original is the best) so much. You can almost smell the speed psychosis. So intense, so disturbed, musically so daring and unusual. The cover of the original Laylah LP is an all-time classic 80s image alongside Sonic Youth 'Bad Moon Rising' cover for me.

From the 90s: well I think Tibet himself knew at the time 'All The Pretty Little Horses' was the best record he would ever do. It's beautiful, sincere, very moving and amazingly recorded. 10 out of 10, really couldn't do better. Perfection of a kind.

In more recent years I thought Black Ships Ate The Sky was an OK listen. Pretty funny and adventurous.

Whole swathes of the back catalogue are either badly done or just plain boring. The only time I saw Current 93 live, 2004-ish at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, was one of the most disappointing live shows I have ever seen and the audience was full of horrible wankers as well. I hated Chris and Cosey as Carter-Tutti that night too.

While Mr Tibet's public persona can be rather irritating to say the least I have heard nothing but good things about him as a person from people whose judgement I trust and who are not C93 fans. So "God bless him" and all that.

[whateverforever]

I love Swastikas For Noddy (and the remix Crooked Crosses version, but the original is the best) so much. You can almost smell the speed psychosis. So intense, so disturbed, musically so daring and unusual. The cover of the original Laylah LP is an all-time classic 80s image alongside Sonic Youth 'Bad Moon Rising' cover for me.

From the 90s: well I think Tibet himself knew at the time 'All The Pretty Little Horses' was the best record he would ever do. It's beautiful, sincere, very moving and amazingly recorded. 10 out of 10, really couldn't do better. Perfection of a kind.

I really like Current 93, in all the weird aspects... from noisy dark stuff with NWW, to the twee folk revery. I can't stand the recent stuff (since mid-2000's). Seriously don't need Ben Chasney, etc. guesting on everything.

[Black_Angkar]

I like almost every record by C93. Especially the later ones to be honest. I got into the early records (like mentioned "Dog's blood...") and that helped me into harsher territories. i thought it sounded incredibly caustic at the time and now, well not so much... Anyway. I'm not into the "apocalyptic folk"-era, i.e. Swastikkas for Noddy, Imperium, earth covers earth etc which i think have some good songs but are conceptually weak and far from perfection. I think the melodic sound found its first honestly superb version in Thunder Perfect mind (though Hitler as Kalki is better in the official live version - truly epic piece of music there). Horsey (which isn't a proper album I recall) is also a great collection of songs from the folksy era. Then All the pretty little horses is also a masterpiece. But despite having listened to them years before I think the band reached its full potential when they became a major "alternative"band. From Black Ships Ate the Sky I think all the records have been fantastic again. The big band format is truly fitting.

[burdizzo]

I must say, I thought 'Black Ships' was superb, but unfortunately, their last 'masterpiece'. After that, the albums have had one or two good tracks, and that's about it. 'Earth Covers Earth' is probably one of my favourite albums ever, while I also rate highly 'All the Pretty Little Horses', and 'Sleep has his House' (especially the harmonium drone of the title track). However, I do concur w/ others who feel they've gone off the boil a bit lately.

[whateverforever]

Actually I really liked the live versions of Black Ships. Maybe I'd like that album more now.

[Black_Angkar]

I thought that "Aleph" was a nice rock album. I thought it was a nice idea to mix Tibets vocal/lyrical style to write prog rock. "Baalstorm" I found completely mindblowing. Excellent in every way. The one after that (what's its name?) - Honeysuckle aeons? I thought had nice parts but nopthing really blew me away.

[maaaaaaaw]

I know this is an old thread but, " In Menstrual Night" is a masterpiece and in my opinion the best material they've released in all those years. My second favorite would be "Swastikas for Goddy", also the works with Thomas Ligotti are totally amazing.

Dogs blood rising, once my favorite. I don't really enjoy listening to it now a days, didn't seem to age well with me.