Halber Mensch

Last updated
Halber Mensch
HalberMenschAlbumCover.jpg
Studio album by
Released2 September 1985
Recorded1983–1985
Genre Industrial, experimental
Length35:32
Label Some Bizarre
Producer Gareth Jones, Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten chronology
Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.
(1983)
Halber Mensch
(1985)
Fünf Auf der Nach Oben Offenen Richterskala
(1987)

Halber Mensch (or 1/2 Mensch; English: Half Person) is the third studio album by German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, released on 2 September 1985 by Some Bizzare Records in the U.K. and by What's So Funny About GmbH in Germany. In the U.S., the album was distributed by Rough Trade Records. [1]

Contents

Background

Halber Mensch shows a wider artistic range for the group, incorporating elements of electronic dance music in "Yü-Gung (Fütter mein Ego)" and performing the title track nearly a cappella. The group also expands their dynamic range; Blixa Bargeld's voice in "Seele Brennt" suddenly switches from a barely audible whisper to a high-pitched scream, while quiet bass guitar overtones float over relatively restrained percussion in "Letztes Biest (am Himmel)".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Alternative Rock 8/10 [3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Great Alternative & Indie Discography 5/10 [5]
Laut.de Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
OndaRock 8.5/10 [8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 7/10 [9]

Trouser Press described Halber Mensch as Einstürzende Neubauten's "strongest record" and "truly remarkable." [10] AllMusic called it "an excellent feat of industrial music." [2] In a 2019 feature, Pitchfork named it the second-best industrial album of all time. [11]

Reissue

In 2002, after a continuous conflict with Some Bizzare Records,[ citation needed ] the band released a remastered reissue of the album through their own label Potomak, with a slight variation of the cover image. [12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Einstürzende Neubauten, except as noted.

Side A
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Halber Mensch" ("Half Person") Blixa Bargeld Alexander Hacke, Bargeld, F.M. Einheit, Mark Chung, N.U. Unruh, Nikkolai Weidemann4:13
2."Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)" ("Yü-Gung (Feed My Ego)")  7:14
3."Trinklied" ("Drinking Song")  1:15
4."Z.N.S." ("C.N.S.")  5:40
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Seele Brennt" ("Soul Is Burning")4:05
2."Sehnsucht (Zitternd)" ("Desire (Trembling)")2:55
3."Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy" ("Death Is a Dandy")6:41
4."Letztes Biest (Am Himmel)" ("Last Beast (In the Sky)")3:28
CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Sand" (Lee Hazlewood cover)Lee Hazlewood3:30
10."Yü-Gung (Adrian Sherwood Remix)" (remix by Adrian Sherwood) 7:28
11."Das Schaben" ("The Rasping") 9:22

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initially a blend of avant-garde electronics experiments and punk provocation". The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by members of Throbbing Gristle and Monte Cazazza. While the genre name originated with Throbbing Gristle's emergence in the United Kingdom, artists and labels vital to the genre also emerged in the United States and other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industrial rock</span> Music genre

Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten and Chrome. Industrial rock became more prominent in the 1980s with the success of artists such as Killing Joke, Swans, and partially Skinny Puppy, and later spawned the offshoot genre known as industrial metal. The genre was made more accessible to mainstream audiences in the 1990s with the aid of acts such as Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, both of which have released platinum-selling records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blixa Bargeld</span> German musician

Blixa Bargeld is a German musician who has been the lead singer of the band Einstürzende Neubauten since its formation in 1980. Bargeld was also a founding member of the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, serving as a member from 1983 until his departure in 2003.

<i>From Her to Eternity</i> 1984 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

From Her to Eternity is the debut studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in May 1984 on Mute. Produced by Flood and the band itself, the album's title is a pun on the James Jones novel, From Here to Eternity, and its subsequent 1953 film adaptation.

Adrian Maxwell Sherwood is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing techniques to other forms of electronic dance music and popular music outside of the genre. He has worked extensively with a variety of reggae artists as well as the musicians Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbish and Skip McDonald. Sherwood has remixed tracks by Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy. In his role as a record producer he has worked with a variety of record labels; however, his best-known label is On-U Sound Records which he founded in 1979. Sherwood has been a member of the band Tackhead. He considers himself tone deaf, and focuses on making sounds and noises rather than melody.

<i>Kollaps</i> 1981 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Kollaps is the first official LP by Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1981 on German label ZickZack as #ZZ 65. The songs are a mixture of rough punk tunes as well as industrial noises obtained from self-made music machines, electronics, and found objects such as metal plates. The album was reissued in 2002 with Stahldubversions, originally released in 1982. Blixa Bargeld, N.U. Unruh and F.M. Einheit appear on the album. "Jet'M" is a cover of the Serge Gainsbourg song "Je t'aime... moi non plus". Track 15 of many CD versions of the album is a live recording of "Negativ Nein" from 26 June 1987 at the Tempodrom in Berlin.

<i>Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.</i> 1983 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T. is the second studio album by the Berlin-based musical group Einstürzende Neubauten. Some Bizzare Records released the album in 1983, and it was distributed in Germany by Rough Trade Deutschland. In the United States, PVC/Jem Records released the album in 1984 as Drawings of O. T.

Halber Mensch is a 1986 film by Japanese director Sogo Ishii with German band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was originally released on VHS, and re-released on DVD in 2005. The film's title comes from the album of the same name.

<i>Tabula Rasa</i> (Einstürzende Neubauten album) 1993 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Tabula Rasa is the sixth full-length studio album by the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1993 through Mute Records worldwide and through the band's own label Potomak in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

<i>Haus der Lüge</i> 1989 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Haus der Lüge is the fifth full-length studio release by the German band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1989 by Rough Trade Records. It was reissued in 2002 by Some Bizzare Records in the U.K., the band's own label Potomak in Europe and Thirsty Ear Recordings in the U.S.

<i>Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala</i> 1987 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Fünf auf der nach oben offenen Richterskala is the fourth full-length studio album by the German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1987 through Some Bizzare Records in the U.K. and What's So Funny About GmbH in Germany. It was reissued in 2002 through the band's own label, Potomak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Test Dept</span> British industrial music group

Test Dept, sometimes credited as Test Department is a British industrial music group from London, England, that was one of the most important and influential early industrial music acts. Their approach was marked by the use of "found" material, re-constructed to better serve their purpose, of making "more" with "less".

<i>Strategies Against Architecture II</i> 1991 compilation album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Strategies Against Architecture II is a retrospective double album by experimental artists Einstürzende Neubauten, released in 1991.

<i>Total Eclipse of the Sun</i> 1999 EP by Einstürzende Neubauten

Total Eclipse of the Sun is a 1999 EP released by the German experimental/industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was their first release recorded with their new line-up featuring Jochen Arbeit and Rudi Moser and without FM Einheit ; this has continued to be their line-up since.

<i>Tumult</i> (album) 1983 studio album by The Ex

Tumult is the third album by Dutch anarchist punk rock band The Ex, originally released in 1983. It was produced by Jon Langford of The Mekons and Dolf Planteijdt.

The following list details the discography of the British independent record label, Some Bizzare Records. The label is notable for hosting such artists as Soft Cell, The The and Marc Almond. The discography is broken down into different media type sections.

<i>Stahlmusik</i> 1980 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten

Stahlmusik is the debut album of the German Industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. One of the earliest and rarest Neubauten albums, Stahlmusik was recorded live-to-tape in a pillar of the Stadtautobahn Bridge in West Berlin on June 1, 1980, and was released on cassette in October via Blixa Bargeld's "Eisengrau" shop, where the earliest incarnations of the band would often rehearse. Musically, the sound of the album is more conventional than the band's next album, Kollaps, mainly because percussionist N.U. Unruh had not yet abandoned his drum-kit for the miscellaneous scrap metal of later releases; The songs are more akin to the material on the double 7" set Kalte Sterne, released prior to Kollaps but nearly a year after Stahlmusik; in particular, Schwarz.

Potomak is an artist record label for the German experimental rock band Einstürzende Neubauten. It was founded by the band's front man Blixa Bargeld in 1988 to support the re-release of the band's Kollaps album on CD format. It also enabled the band to assume ownership of their music and operate outside of a label contract. Potomak also serves as the label for band member's solo projects and has released albums from Alexander Hacke, Rudolph Moser and Blixa Bargeld. Potomak releases are distributed through Rykodisc and Indigo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Einstürzende Neubauten</span> German band

Einstürzende Neubauten is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld and N.U. Unruh, long-time contributor Alexander Hacke, plus Jochen Arbeit, and Rudolph Moser, who both joined the line-up in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Some Bizzare Records</span> British record label

Some Bizzare [sic] Records was a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, the The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.

References

  1. "Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 Bush, John. "Halber Mensch – Einstürzende Neubauten : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  3. Thompson, Dave (12 April 2000). "Alternative rock". Miller Freeman Books via Internet Archive.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Einstürzende Neubauten". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   978-0857125958.
  5. Strong, Martin Charles (1999). The great alternative & indie discography. ISBN   9780862419134.
  6. Kubanke, Ulf. "Ein Mantel wie Sandpapier für zeitlose Zeilen". Laut.de .
  7. Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. p. 380. ISBN   978-0-7876-1037-1.
  8. Mauro Roma. "Einstürzende Neubauten". OndaRock . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Einstürzende Neubauten". Spin Alternative Record Guide (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  10. Sheridan, David; Fasolino, Greg; Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Einstürzende Neubauten". trouserpress.com . Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  11. best industrial
  12. "Einstürzende Neubauten - 1/2 Mensch". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.