Faust (album)

Last updated
Faust
Faust AlbumCover Faust.jpg
Cover for the original 1971 German pressing
Studio album by
Released1971
Recorded1971
StudioWümme (Bremen, Germany)
Genre
Length34:07
Label Polydor
Producer Uwe Nettelbeck
Faust chronology
Faust
(1971)
Faust So Far
(1972)

Faust (German for "fist") 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.

Contents

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. It also included a transparent plastic sheet with the lyrics and credits printed in red.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [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]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Why Don't You Eat Carrots?" Faust 9:31
2."Meadow Meal"Faust, Rudolf Sosna 8:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
3."Miss Fortune" Faust 16:35

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxy Music</span> English art rock band

Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1971 by lead vocalist and principal songwriter Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson. By the time the band recorded their first album in 1972, Ferry and Simpson were joined by saxophonist and oboist Andy Mackay, guitarist Phil Manzanera, drummer Paul Thompson and synthesizer player Brian Eno. Other members over the years include keyboardist and violinist Eddie Jobson and bassist John Gustafson. The band split in 1976, reformed in 1978 and split again in 1983. In 2001, Ferry, Mackay, Manzanera and Thompson reunited for a concert tour and have toured together intermittently ever since, most recently in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first album. Ferry has also frequently enlisted band members as backing musicians during his solo career.

<i>Whos Next</i> 1971 studio album by the Who

Who's Next is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 14 August 1971. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled owing to its complexity and to conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band's manager, but the group salvaged some of the songs, without the connecting story elements, to release as their next album. Eight of the nine songs on Who's Next were from Lifehouse, with the lone exception being the John Entwistle-penned "My Wife". Ultimately, the remaining Lifehouse tracks would all be released on other albums throughout the next decade.

<i>My Generation</i> (album) 1965 album by The Who

My Generation is the debut studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 3 December 1965 by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom, and Festival Records in Australia. In the United States, it was released on 25 April 1966 by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation, with a different cover and a slightly altered track listing. Besides the members of the Who, being Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums), the album features contributions by session musician Nicky Hopkins (piano).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disturbed (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Disturbed is an American heavy metal band from Chicago, formed in 1994. The band includes guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren, lead vocalist David Draiman and bassist John Moyer. Donegan and Wengren have been involved in the band since its inception, with Draiman replacing original lead vocalist Erich Awalt in 1996 and Moyer replacing original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faust (band)</span> German krautrock band

Faust are a German rock band from Hamburg. Formed in 1971 by producer and former music journalist Uwe Nettelbeck, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier (b.1949), Hans Joachim Irmler (b.1950), Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron (b.1949), Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with engineer Kurt Graupner. Their work was oriented around dissonance, improvisation, and experimental electronic approaches, and would influence subsequent ambient and industrial music. They are considered a central act of West Germany's 1970s krautrock movement.

<i>Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs</i> 1970 studio album by Derek and the Dominos

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is the only studio album by the English–American rock band Derek and the Dominos, released on 9 November 1970 as a double album by Polydor Records and Atco Records. It is best known for its title track, "Layla", which is often regarded as Eric Clapton's greatest musical achievement. The other band members were Bobby Whitlock, Jim Gordon, and Carl Radle (bass). Duane Allman played lead and slide guitar on 11 of the 14 songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIM (Finnish band)</span> Finnish gothic rock band

HIM was a Finnish gothic rock band from Helsinki. First formed in 1991 by vocalist Ville Valo and bassist Mikko "Mige" Paananen under the name His Infernal Majesty, the band broke up after only a few years, only to be reformed in 1995 by Valo and guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindström. After being rejoined by Mige, as well as keyboardist Antto Melasniemi and drummer Juhana "Pätkä" Rantala, the band, now called HIM, released its debut album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 in 1997. In 2000, now with drummer Mika "Gas Lipstick" Karppinen and keyboardist Juska Salminen, the band released Razorblade Romance, which reached the number one spot in Finland, Austria and Germany. The first single "Join Me in Death" also charted at number one in Finland and Germany, eventually going platinum and gold, respectively. Following the addition of Janne "Burton" Puurtinen on keyboards, HIM released Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights (2001) and Love Metal (2003). Both cracked the top ten in several countries and allowed the band to tour in the United Kingdom and the United States for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink Fairies</span> British rock band

Pink Fairies are an English rock band initially active in the London underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug use, and anarchy, and often performed impromptu gigs and other stunts, such as playing for nothing outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight pop festivals in 1970, as well as appearing at Phun City, the first Glastonbury and many other free festivals including Windsor and Trentishoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmonia (band)</span> German band

Harmonia was a West German musical "supergroup" formed in 1973 as a collaboration between members of two prominent krautrock bands: Cluster's Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius joined by Neu! guitarist Michael Rother. Living and recording in the rural village of Forst, the trio released two albums—Musik von Harmonia (1974) and Deluxe (1975)—to limited sales before dissolving in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slapp Happy</span> German/English avant-pop group

Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group, formed in Germany in 1972. Their lineup consisted of Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar) and Dagmar Krause (vocals). The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow, but the merger ended soon afterwards and Slapp Happy split up. Slapp Happy's sound was characterised by Dagmar Krause's unique vocal style. From 1982 there have been brief reunions to create an opera called Camera, record the album Ça Va in 1998, and perform shows around the world.

<i>Squeeze</i> (The Velvet Underground album) 1973 studio album by the Velvet Underground

Squeeze is the fifth and final studio album by the Velvet Underground, recorded in the autumn of 1971 and released in February 1973 by Polydor Records. The album features Doug Yule from the Lou Reed-era lineup of the group, who wrote and recorded the album almost entirely by himself. Yule had joined the Velvet Underground in October 1968, prior to the band recording their self-titled third album, and Yule had also contributed significantly to the fourth album, Loaded. Following the departures of the remaining founding members, Yule was positioned as the de facto leader of the band. Longtime drummer Maureen Tucker was slated to appear on Squeeze by Yule, but she was dismissed by the band's manager, Steve Sesnick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnum (band)</span> English hard rock band

Magnum were an English progressive rock, melodic hard rock and AOR band. They were formed in Birmingham in 1972 by Tony Clarkin and Bob Catley (vocals) in order to appear as the resident band at the Rum Runner nightclub in the city. Magnum have undergone several changes in personnel over the years; however, the core of Catley and Clarkin remained until Clarkin's death in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Moore</span> British musician

Anthony Moore is a British experimental music composer, performer and producer. He was a founding member of the band Slapp Happy, worked with Henry Cow and has made a number of solo albums, including Flying Doesn't Help (1979) and World Service (1981).

<i>Slapp Happy</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Slapp Happy

Slapp Happy is a studio album by German/British avant-pop group Slapp Happy, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor Studio in 1974.

<i>Sort Of</i> 1972 studio album by Slapp Happy

Sort Of is the debut studio album by the avant-rock band Slapp Happy. It was recorded in Wümme, Bremen, Germany in May and June 1972 with Faust as their backing band, and released on LP by Polydor Records in 1972. In 1980 Recommended Records released a limited edition of Sort Of on LP, and the album was reissued on CD by Blueprint Records in 1999 with one bonus track.

<i>Deuce</i> (Rory Gallagher album) 1971 studio album by Rory Gallagher

Deuce is the second solo album by Rory Gallagher, released in 1971. In contrast with his previous album, Rory Gallagher, where Gallagher tried for a precise, organised sound, Deuce was his first of many attempts to capture the energy of a live performance in the studio.

<i>The Faust Tapes</i> 1973 studio album by Faust

The Faust Tapes is the third album by the German krautrock group Faust, released in 1973. The album sold well in the United Kingdom because of a marketing gimmick by Virgin Records that saw it go on sale for the price of a single. This exposure introduced British audiences to Faust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uwe Nettelbeck</span> German record producer, journalist and film critic (1940–2007)

Uwe Nettelbeck was a German record producer, journalist and film critic. He was best known as the creator and producer of the German krautrock band Faust and changed the face of German rock music in the early 1970s. He was also one of Germany's leading film critics in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Velvet Underground</span> American rock band

The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. It originally comprised singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. In 1965, MacLise was replaced by Moe Tucker, who played on most of the band's recordings. Though their integration of rock and the avant-garde resulted in little commercial success, they became one of the most influential bands in rock, underground, experimental, and alternative music. Their provocative subject matter, musical experiments, and nihilistic attitude was also instrumental in the development of punk rock, new wave and several other genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub</span> Alternative rock band

Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub is a German avant-garde pop and independent music band, led by the songwriter, singer and guitarist Phillip Boa.

References

  1. Wilson, Andy. Faust - Stretch Out of Time. faust-pages.com. 2006. 32. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Patterson, Archie. "Faust". AllMusic . Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  3. Leone, Dominique (2001). "Faust: Faust". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved August 9, 2012.