| "Bela Lugosi's Dead" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bauhaus | ||||
| B-side | "Boys" | |||
| Released | August 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 26 January 1979 | |||
| Studio | Beck Studios, Wellingborough | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 9:36 | |||
| Label | Small Wonder | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Bauhaus singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the debut single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released in August 1979 on the Small Wonder label. It is often considered the first gothic rock record. [4]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded "live in the studio" in a single take during a six-hour session at Beck Studios in Wellingborough on 26 January 1979. It was the first work they recorded together, six weeks after the band had formed. [5] All four band members are credited as writers of the song: vocalist Peter Murphy, guitarist Daniel Ash, drummer Kevin Haskins and bassist David J (as David Haskins). David J has claimed that he wrote the lyrics. [4] Alternate versions of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" also included a portion of the early demo recording of their next single, "Dark Entries".
Four additional songs were also recorded during the same session: "Boys"; "Bite My Hip"; "Some Faces" and the ska-reggae tune "Harry", which was about Deborah Harry, the lead singer of Blondie. [6] [7] Regarding this session, Kevin Haskins said, "There's power pop in there, and ska too. We were trying to find our voice." [8]
Of the songs recorded during that session (aside from "Bela Lugosi's Dead") only "Harry" found an official release; in 1982 as a B-side to the single "Kick in the Eye." A version of "Boys" recorded at Beck Studios later in 1979 was used as a B-side to the original release of the "Bela Lugosi's Dead" single. [9] The remaining tracks, including the original recording of "Boys", remained unreleased until 2018 when The Bela Session was released on vinyl and CD, and made available for digital download by the band. [10] Of the additional tracks, Classic Rock magazine wrote that, "The rest of the material finds a band fumbling for direction, even touching on ska." [11]
"We were very influenced by reggae, especially dub. I mean, basically Bela was our interpretation of dub."
David J [12]
The song is over nine minutes long; the vocals start (in the studio version) almost three minutes into the track. The dub-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the top E and B strings open. [13] [14] [15]
The song takes its name from the horror film star Bela Lugosi, who is known for his role as the title character in the 1931 film Dracula . After a career decline in his later years, Lugosi died in 1956 at the age of 73.
The sleeve cover art was taken from the 1926 film The Sorrows of Satan , directed by D. W. Griffith. [16]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released in August 1979, but did not enter the UK charts. The original 12" release was on white vinyl and limited to 5,000 copies. Various other releases are included in the following:
It had a few releases on CD single:
The song was included on the 1998 Bauhaus compilation album Crackle . In 2018, the track was released again on vinyl, CD and digital download as part of The Bela Session, along with four other recordings made during the same session in early 1979, three of which were unreleased up to that point. [17]
In the 1983 erotic horror film The Hunger , Bauhaus performed the song during the opening credits and introduction. A 7″ promotional record featuring an edited version of the song was released to theaters playing the film. [18] [19] A live version of the track, released in 1982 and recorded on 24 February 1982 at The Old Vic, London, is found on Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape , and the same version is also found on the band's compilation album Bauhaus 1979–1983 . For the 1998 greatest-hits collection Crackle, Beggars Banquet stitched together the "Tomb Raider Version" from outtakes and live recordings. The band never approved it and refers to it instead as the "Frankenstein version". [20]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is roundly established by goth historians as the first true record in the genre. For comparison's sake, goth icons the Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees were certainly releasing records at the same time that Bauhaus delivered its premiere single, but the aforementioned bands didn't go full-on goth until 1980–81. The song also precedes all the early recognized alt-rock masterworks.
–"Bela Lugosi's Dead": 30 Years of Goth, Gloom, and Post-Post-Punk, PopMatters , October 2009. [21]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is considered the harbinger of gothic rock music and has been immensely influential on contemporary goth culture. [22] In an article by The Guardian titled "Bauhaus invent goth", the newspaper ranked the song number 19 on their list of the 50 key events in indie music history, stating:
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" would have been just another piece of post-punk experimentation had it not been for the lyrics, which depicted the funeral of the Dracula star, with bats swooping and virgin brides marching past his coffin. The effect was so irresistibly theatrical that dozens of bands formed in its wake. So many, in fact, that goth quickly became a very codified musical genre. [23]
The song was ranked #60 in Rolling Stone 's "The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time". [24]
12" single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bela Lugosi's Dead" | 9:36 |
| Total length: | 9:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Boys" | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Dark Entries (Demo)" | 1:23 |
| Total length: | 4:29 | |
The Hunger Mix [19]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bela Lugosi Is Dead (The Hunger Mix)" | 6:53 |
The Bela Session EP [17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bela Lugosi's Dead (Official Version)" | 9:36 |
| 2. | "Some Faces" | 2:22 |
| 3. | "Bite My Hip" | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Harry" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Boys (Original Version)" | 3:03 |
Bauhaus were an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. Known for their dark image and gloomy sound, Bauhaus are one of the pioneers of gothic rock, although they mixed many genres, including dub, glam rock, psychedelia, and funk. The group consisted of Daniel Ash, Peter Murphy, Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass).
Gothic rock is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, Bauhaus, and the Cure.
Deathrock is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk genres. Notable deathrock acts include Christian Death, Kommunity FK, 45 Grave, and Super Heroines.
Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style. Generally, dub consists of remixes of existing recordings created by significantly manipulating the original, usually through the removal of vocal parts, emphasis of the rhythm section, the application of studio effects such as echo and reverb, and the occasional dubbing of vocal or instrumental snippets from the original version or other works.
Daniel Gaston Ash is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He became prominent in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the goth rock band Bauhaus, which spawned two related bands led by Ash: Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets. Recently, he reunited with bandmate Kevin Haskins to form Poptone, a retrospective of their respective careers, featuring Kevin's daughter Diva Dompe on bass. He has also recorded several solo albums. Several guitarists have listed Ash as an influence, including Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, Hide of X Japan and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Kevin Michael Dompe, born and best-known as Kevin Michael Haskins, is an English drummer, best known from the British rock group Bauhaus. He was also a member of Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets.
David John Haskins, better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus and for Love and Rockets.
Until December was a San Francisco-based rock band active in the early to late 1980s. The band released four 12" singles in 1985 on 415 Records / CBS. A self-titled album Until December was released in 1986 by 415 Records / CBS, which contained their biggest hit "Heaven".
In the Flat Field is the debut studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was recorded between December 1979 and July 1980, and released on 3 November 1980 by record label 4AD, the first full-length release on that label. The cover artwork is a reproduction of Duane Michals' 1949 photograph, Homage to Puvis de Chavannes.
Mask is the second studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released on 16 October 1981 by record label Beggars Banquet.
The Sky's Gone Out is the third studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus, released in 1982 by record label Beggars Banquet.
Peter John Joseph Murphy is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the vocalist for the post-punk/goth rock band Bauhaus. After Bauhaus disbanded, Murphy formed Dalis Car with Japan's bassist Mick Karn and released one album, The Waking Hour (1984). He went on to release a number of solo albums, including Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986) and Love Hysteria (1988). In 1990, he achieved commercial success with his single "Cuts You Up", which went in the top 60 of the US Billboard Hot 100 which is for the singles sales. His album Deep also reached No. 44 on the Billboard 200. In 1992, Murphy released Holy Smoke, which reached No. 108 on the Billboard 200 chart along: it featured lead single "The Sweetest Drop". In 2002, Murphy released Dust with Turkish-Canadian composer and producer Mercan Dede, which utilizes traditional Turkish instrumentation and songwriting, abandoning Murphy's previous pop and rock incarnations, and juxtaposing elements from progressive rock, trance, classical music, and Middle Eastern music, coupled with Dede's trademark atmospheric electronics. In 2014, he released Lion, produced by Killing Joke's Youth, which reached No. 173 on the Billboard 200.
Crackle is a greatest hits album by English goth-rock band Bauhaus. The album was released in 1998 by record label Beggars Banquet, during the band's Resurrection Tour. It includes remastered versions of some of their single hits and most popular songs.
"Kick in the Eye" is a song by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released in 1981 as one of two singles released along their second studio album, Mask (1981) and was released the following year as an EP titled Kick in the Eye .
Go Away White is the fifth and final studio album by English gothic rock band, Bauhaus and was internationally released on 3 March 2008 by record labels Cooking Vinyl in the UK and Bauhaus Music. It was the band's first album of new material since Burning from the Inside in 1983.
The discography of Bauhaus, a British gothic rock band, consists of five studio albums, four live albums, three compilation albums, four extended plays (EPs), eleven singles and three video albums. The band was formed in Northampton in 1978 by Daniel Ash (guitar), David J (bass), Kevin Haskins (drums) and Peter Murphy (vocals).
Bauhaus 1979–1983 is a compilation album by English post-punk band Bauhaus, released in 1985 by record label Beggars Banquet.
The Singles 1981–1983 is a greatest hits mini-album by English post-punk band Bauhaus. It was released in 1983 by record label Beggars Banquet.
"Funtime" is a song written by Iggy Pop and David Bowie, first released by Iggy Pop on his 1977 album entitled The Idiot. It reflects Iggy and Bowie's growing fascination with the German music scene, and bears marked similarities to "Lila Engel" by krautrock band Neu!. It has since been covered by multiple artists including Blondie, Boy George, Bebe Buell, Peter Murphy, R.E.M. and The Cars.
The Bela Session is an extended play (EP) by the English post-punk band Bauhaus. Released on November 23, 2018, by Leaving Records in advance of the 40th anniversary of the band's formation, the EP features five songs recorded by the group during their first recording session, which took place on 26 January 1979. The tracklist consists of the original version of group's debut single, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", as well as "Harry", and three previously unreleased tracks: "Some Faces", "Bite My Hip" and "Boys ".
David J: "We were very influenced by reggae, especially dub. I mean, basically Bela was our interpretation of dub."
From those basics, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' crackles in on percussion alone, a tapping, rattling rhythm into which a three-note bass line only gradually intrudes itself before Ash's treated guitar slides in, echoed and echoing the most atmospheric dub.
They played a wide range of covers that tied in to varying degrees with the agitprop documentary taking place onscreen. Some, like The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey" and Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's Dead", seemed chosen more for mood.
Last night the The[sic] Damned played the "Gathering of the Vampires," where they tried to host the largest vampire event ever. During the show, the band covered Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi's dead." Also, singer Dave Vanian was in a dead ringer Nosferatu costume.
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