| Killing Joke | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1980 | |||
| Recorded | August 1980 | |||
| Studio | Marquee, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:10 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Killing Joke | |||
| Killing Joke chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Killing Joke | ||||
Killing Joke is the debut studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in October 1980 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It debuted at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart on 25 October 1980 and later peaked at number 39.
Singer and keyboardist Jaz Coleman met drummer Paul Ferguson in late 1978. In February 1979, they put an announcement in Melody Maker with the words: "Bass, lead, to tell the killing joke, we mean it man ! Total exploitation, no information, anonymity". [1] They soon recruited guitarist Geordie Walker and then bassist Youth. After releasing a few singles, they recorded Killing Joke in August 1980 at Marquee Studios in London, [2] shortly after a small tour promoting the Almost Red EP.
The album was self-produced by the band on purpose. They only wanted an engineer "who can put their technical knowledge into what we want, the way we want it. He's got to take us as we are". They recorded it live in the studio as "basic" as possible with "no overdubs to speak of"; Ferguson explained, "The mixing is where the difference is". [3] Engineer Phil Harding reckons the recording of the album might have only taken two weeks. [4] The album's lyrics were written by Coleman and Ferguson expressing their opinions on issues such as politics, death, hypocrisy, human nature, pollution and exile.
The artwork was based on a photograph by Don McCullin of young rioters trying to escape from clouds of CS gas released by the British Army in Derry, Northern Ireland, on 8 July 1971 during the Troubles. [5] The original picture was taken a few months before the day now known as Bloody Sunday that took place in the same town in early 1972.
Killing Joke was released in October 1980 by E.G. Records, who were distributed at the time by Polydor Records. [6] [7] It entered the UK Albums Chart on 25 October 1980, and eventually reached number 39. [8]
The album produced two singles: "Wardance" and "Requiem".
The 2005 and 2008 reissues of Killing Joke featured several bonus tracks, such as previously released B-sides and demo tracks. as it was in the original US release.
It got slagged off by everybody and then eight years later we were told it was a ground-breaking record. People are fickle and you have to stand by your own creations.
—Jaz Coleman [9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [12] |
| Mojo | [13] |
| MusicHound Rock | [14] |
| Select | 5/5 [15] |
| Uncut | 9/10 [16] |
In his retrospective review, Bradley Torreano of AllMusic praised the album, writing, "Since 1980, there have been a hundred bands who sound like this, but before Steve Albini and Al Jourgensen made it hip, the cold metallic throb of Killing Joke was exciting and fresh", calling it an "underground classic" that "deserves better than its relative unknown status". [10] In the band's biography it was called an "outstanding debut album which captured not only their defining sound, but also the chilling apocalyptic anguish about the world to come." [9]
Sputnikmusic called it a "post-punk masterpiece of tribal funk-rock and grinding heavy metal with suitably doom-mongering lyrics and splenetic vocals". [17] In 2019, Pitchfork placed the album at No. 9 on their "33 Best Industrial Albums of All Time" list. [18]
The album has been called "an underground classic" for fans of "heavy music". [10] Dave Grohl has cited it as one of his favorite albums. [19] "The Wait" was covered by Metallica on The $5.98 E.P. - Garage Days Re-Revisited EP in 1987 and was later featured on Garage Inc. "Primitive" was covered by Helmet in 1993 as the A-side to their "Primitive" single, and later added to their Born Annoying compilation album. "Requiem" was covered by Foo Fighters in 1997 as a B-side to the "Everlong" single. Japanese band The Mad Capsule Markets covered "Wardance" on their 2001 album "010". Scar the Martyr covered "Complications" as a bonus track on the Japanese and deluxe editions of their 2013 self-titled "Scar the Martyr" album.
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [20]
All lyrics are written by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson; all music is composed by Killing Joke (Coleman, Geordie Walker, Youth, Paul Ferguson), except as noted
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Requiem" | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "Wardance" | 3:49 | |
| 3. | "Tomorrow's World" | 5:31 | |
| 4. | "Bloodsport" |
| 4:46 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "The Wait" | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Complications" | 3:08 |
| 7. | "S.O.36" | 6:52 |
| 8. | "Primitive" | 3:37 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Change" | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Requiem" (Single version) | 3:47 |
| 11. | "Change" (Dub) | 4:00 |
| 12. | "Primitive" (Rough mix) | 3:35 |
| 13. | "Bloodsport" (Rough mix) | 4:50 |
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | UK Albums Chart | 39 [8] |
Killing Joke are an English rock band from Notting Hill, London, England, formed in 1978 by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass).
What's THIS For...! is the second studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in June 1981 by E.G. via Polydor Records.
Killing Joke is the eleventh studio album by English rock band Killing Joke, released on 28 July 2003 through Zuma Recordings. It was their first album in seven years, following Democracy in 1996, and their second self-titled album, following their debut in 1980. The album was produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill and features Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums, a long-time Killing Joke fan. It peaked at number 43 in the UK Albums Chart.
Pandemonium is the ninth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 2 August 1994 by Butterfly Records. The album marked Killing Joke's return after a four-year hiatus, the longest the band had taken since it was founded. It also featured the return of founding member Youth, who replaced Paul Raven on bass.
Revelations is the third studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in July 1982 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It was recorded in Cologne, Germany and produced by Conny Plank, making it their first album not to be self-produced. Since bassist Youth departed from the band after the album's release, Revelations was the band's last album to feature the original line-up.
Fire Dances is the fourth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in July 1983 by E.G. via Polydor Records. It was the band's first album to feature new bass player Paul Raven, recorded at Basing Street Studios in London between February and March 1983. According to Paul Ferguson the band's drug use contributed to the original mix of the album being "tinny".
Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is the sixth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in November 1986 by E.G. Records. It was their first album to be distributed through Virgin Records. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 54 on 22 November 1986, staying for one week. It was produced by Chris Kimsey, who had produced the band's 1985 album, Night Time.
The Courtauld Talks is a live album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in 1989 by Invisible Records. It is different from the group's other releases in that it is essentially a spoken-word album.
Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions is the eighth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in November 1990 by Noise Records. After the commercial failure of their previous album Outside the Gate in 1988, singer Jaz Coleman and guitarist Geordie Walker were the last remaining members of the group. In December 1988, they recruited new musicians to perform a one-off concert in Porchester and premiered new songs, including early versions of "Extremities" and "The Beautiful Dead". The band didn't have any support of a record company anymore: Virgin had fired them and their label E.G. sued them. Coleman stated that it was a very stressful period of time for him and Walker. The new material was more intense, the band performed it live during a US tour in 1989. Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions was recorded in 1990 for a German independent label: bassist Paul Raven was called back before entering into the studio. Drummer Martin Atkins, formerly of Public Image Ltd and Ministry, had joined the band in 1988 and co-composed the songs with Coleman and Walker.
Democracy is the tenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 1 April 1996 by Butterfly Records and Big Life.
BBC in Concert is a live album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in October 1995 by Windsong International Records.
Hosannas from the Basements of Hell is the twelfth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 3 April 2006 by Cooking Vinyl.
Matthew Paul Ferguson is an English rock drummer, best known for his work in the post-punk/industrial group Killing Joke and cult English punk band Pink Parts. Following a stint as the drummer with the London-based Matt Stagger Band in 1978, Ferguson became a founding member of Killing Joke and served as their drummer from 1979 to 1987. He was known as Big Paul Ferguson during this period. Ferguson is known for his tribal drum style.
"Ha" or "Ha": Killing Joke Live is the first commercially distributed live recording by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was recorded at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 9 and 10 August 1982 by producer Conny Plank, and released on 4 November by E.G. Records. Rob O'Connor did the artwork for the album.
Turn to Red is an EP and the debut release by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released as a 7-inch EP on 26 October 1979 by Malicious Damage and re-released as a 12-inch EP on 14 December by Island Records.
Empire Song is a song by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released in 1982 by E.G. Records as the first single from their third studio album, Revelations.
"Chop-Chop" is a song by English rock band Killing Joke and the second single from their studio album Revelations. It was released by E.G. Records as a 7" single, backed by B-side "Good Samaritan". This single, unlike "Empire Song", did not chart.
Absolute Dissent is the thirteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 27 September 2010 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group.
MMXII is the fourteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 2 April 2012 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group.
Pylon is the fifteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 23 October 2015 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group. The album was recorded in the UK and the Czech Republic, and co-produced by the band and Tom Dalgety. It was preceded by the release of "I Am the Virus" and "Euphoria" was subsequently released as the album's second single. Jaz told biographer Jyrki "Spider" Hämäläinen that it was their Cold War album.
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