Halber Mensch | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 September 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1983–1985 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 35:32 | |||
Label | Some Bizarre | |||
Producer | Gareth Jones, Einstürzende Neubauten | |||
Einstürzende Neubauten chronology | ||||
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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]
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)".
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Alternative Rock | 8/10 [3] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
The Great Alternative & Indie Discography | 5/10 [5] |
Laut.de | [6] |
MusicHound Rock | [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]
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]
All tracks are written by Einstürzende Neubauten, except as noted
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "Halber Mensch" ("Half Person") | Blixa Bargeld | Alexander Hacke, Bargeld, F.M. Einheit, Mark Chung, N.U. Unruh, Nikkolai Weidemann | 4:13 |
2. | "Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)" ("Yugong (Feed My Ego)") | 7:14 | ||
3. | "Trinklied" ("Drinking Song") | 1:15 | ||
4. | "Z.N.S." ("C.N.S.") | 5:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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9. | "Sand" (Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra cover) | Hazlewood | 3:30 |
10. | "Yü-Gung (Adrian Sherwood Remix)" | 7:28 | |
11. | "Das Schaben" ("The Rasping") | 9:22 |
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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.
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