Faust (album)

Faust
Cover for the original 1971 German pressing
Studio album by Faust
Released	September 21, 1971
Recorded	1971
Studio	Wümme (Bremen, Germany)
Genre	Krautrock experimental rock sound collage avant-garde
Length	34:07
Label	Polydor
Producer	Uwe Nettelbeck
Faust chronology
Faust (1971) Faust So Far (1972)

Faust is the debut studio album by German rock band Faust. It was released in 1971 through Polydor Records. Although it was never a commercial success, Faust has garnered much retrospective acclaim from rock critics.

Background

In 1971, Polydor entered a deal with Uwe Nettelbeck to assemble a musical ensemble that could compete with the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and Small Faces. Before the release of their debut, Faust would send tapes to Polydor containing anything from studio experiments to recordings of someone washing dishes. ^[1]

Music

AllMusic described the album as "an amalgamation of electronics, rock, tape edits, acoustic guitars, musique concrete, and industrial angst." ^[2]

Cover artwork

The original LP record was on clear vinyl in a clear cover with an X-ray of a human fist silkscreened on the outer sleeve (Faust is German for "fist"). It also included a transparent plastic sheet with the lyrics and credits printed in red.

Legacy and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Pitchfork Media	(9.0/10) [3]

AllMusic critic Archie Patterson lauded the band's accomplishment, writing: "The impact of Faust cannot be overstated; their debut album was truly a revolutionary step forward in the progress of 'rock music.'" He awarded Faust four and a half out of five stars, concluding that "the level of imagination is staggering, the concept is totally unique and it's fun to listen to as well." ^[2]

Radiohead noted the album as an influence when recording OK Computer . ^{[4] [5]}

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Why Don't You Eat Carrots"	Faust	9:31
2.	"Meadow Meal"	Faust, Rudolf Sosna	8:02

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
3.	"Miss Fortune"	Faust	16:35

Personnel

Faust Werner "Zappi" Diermaier  – drums Hans Joachim Irmler  – organ Arnulf Meifert  – drums Jean-Hervé Péron  – bass guitar Rudolf Sosna  – guitar, keyboards Gunther Wüsthoff  – synthesiser, saxophone

Additional musicians and production Kurt Graupner – engineering Andy Hertel – illustration Uwe Nettelbeck  – production, design

References

1. Wilson, Andy. Faust - Stretch Out of Time. faust-pages.com. 2006. 32. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
2. Patterson, Archie. "Faust". AllMusic . Retrieved August 9, 2012.
3. Leone, Dominique (2001). "Faust: Faust". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
4. Hogan, Marc (2017-03-20). "Exit Music: How Radiohead's OK Computer Destroyed the Art-Pop Album in Order to Save It". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
5. Petridis, Alexis (2021-10-18). "Krautrock legends Faust: 'We were naked and stoned a lot – and we ate dog food'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-08-21.

External links

• Faust at Discogs (list of releases)
• faust-pages.com. Clear.