| The Crackdown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 August 1983 | |||
| Recorded | December 1982 | |||
| Studio | Trident Studios, London, England | |||
| Length | 43:33 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Cabaret Voltaire chronology | ||||
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The Crackdown is the fifth studio album by English electronic band Cabaret Voltaire, released in August 1983 jointly through record labels Some Bizzare and Virgin. It was produced by the band themselves and Flood.
The Crackdown was Cabaret Voltaire's first full studio album following founding member Chris Watson's departure, and their first release for Virgin Records via Some Bizzare. This album marks a turning point in the band's discography, straddling their early experimental work with their later more conventional electronic dance-funk output. It was recorded and mixed at Trident Studios, London, England in late 1982.
AllMusic wrote that the album "features the band working a number of menacing electronic textures into a basic dance/funk rhythm".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone |  [2] |
AllMusic described The Crackdown as "one of Cabaret Voltaire's strongest albums" and "one of their most distinctive, challenging records." [1]
It was ranked at number 11 in NME 's "Albums of the Year" list for 1983. [3] Trouser Press , meanwhile, was less enthusiastic, accusing the album of being "rather staid-sounding" while clarifying that their indifference "shouldn't be taken as a blanket panning." [4]
All tracks are written by Richard H. Kirk and Stephen Mallinder.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "24-24" | 5:55 |
| 2. | "In the Shadows" | 4:36 |
| 3. | "Talking Time" | 5:25 |
| 4. | "Animation" | 5:33 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Over and Over" | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Just Fascination" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself)" | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Haiti" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Crackdown" | 6:31 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Diskono" | 5:49 |
| 2. | "Double Vision" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Moscow" | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Badge of Evil" | 4:53 |
The original LP came with a bonus 12" of four tracks, comprising the EP Doublevision.
Cabaret Voltaire were an English music group formed in Sheffield in 1973 and initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson. Named for the the Zürich nightclub that fostered the early Dada movement, the band are often characterized as among the most innovative and influential electronic acts of their era.
23 Skidoo are a British band playing a fusion of industrial, post-punk, funk, and world music.
Richard Harold Kirk was an English musician who specialised in electronic music. His career began as a co-founder of the influential industrial music band Cabaret Voltaire, formed in 1973. He subsequently released projects under his own name and a number of aliases, and was a member of various groups such as Sweet Exorcist. Kirk was considered a major figure in the creation of industrial music.
Stephen William Mallinder is an English artist and musician who was a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, and went on to work as Sassi & Loco, the Ku-Ling Bros., Hey, Rube!, Wrangler, and Creep Show.
Three Mantras is the second studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in May 1980, through record label Rough Trade.
Extended Play is an extended play and the debut release by English industrial band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in November 1978, through record label Rough Trade.
Micro-Phonies is the sixth full-length studio album by British electronic band Cabaret Voltaire. Released 29 October 1984, the album was the group's most mainstream release to date, with the singles "Sensoria" and "James Brown" gaining popularity, especially the former, due to the music video finding MTV airplay. The album sees Cabaret Voltaire continuing to change, pursuing the more electro and synthpop-oriented direction they had started shifting towards on The Crackdown.
Drinking Gasoline is a 1985 EP release by Cabaret Voltaire, originally released on the Some Bizzare label and distributed through Virgin Records. All four tracks are featured on the band's "Gasoline in Your Eye" videocassette, also issued in 1985. All known copies of the original UK pressing had labels on the wrong discs It peaked at #71 in the UK.
2x45 is the fourth studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in May 1982, through record label Rough Trade.
International Language is the twelfth studio album by English electronic band Cabaret Voltaire, released in October 1993 on the band's own label, Plastex.
Mix-Up is the debut studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released on 23 October 1979, through record label Rough Trade.
Live at the Y.M.C.A 27-10-79 is a live album by industrial/post-punk band Cabaret Voltaire, recorded in 1979 and originally released in 1980 by Rough Trade. It was re-released on CD in 1990 on Mute Records in the UK and on Restless Records in the US. The album contains a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Here She Comes Now" from their album White Light/White Heat.
Red Mecca is the third studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in September 1981 through record label Rough Trade.
The Voice of America is the second studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in July 1980, through record label Rough Trade.
Hai! is a 1982 live album by the U.K. industrial band Cabaret Voltaire. It was recorded at the Tsubaki House in Tokyo, Japan on 23 March 1982, and was released on CD in 1991 by Mute Records Ltd. The original master tapes being lost, the CD was transferred from a vinyl copy.
The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord is the seventh full-length studio album by the electronic band Cabaret Voltaire. The album was released through Some Bizzare Records in November 1985. The album's title was shortened to The Arm of the Lord for the United States.
Groovy, Laidback and Nasty is the ninth studio album by English electronic band Cabaret Voltaire, released in April 1990 by record label Parlophone.
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.
Body and Soul is the tenth studio album by English electronic band Cabaret Voltaire, released in March 1991 by Belgium-based label Les Disques du Crépuscule. Music historian Colin Larkin wrote that the album was "well-received" and "consolidated Cabaret Voltaire's pivotal position on the UK's dance scene". Martin Aston in Q Magazine called the album "nothing radical but by their own standards, a rewarding leap sideways."
Sweet Exorcist were a British music duo consisting of Richard Barratt and Richard H. Kirk. They were among the flagship bleep techno acts on Warp Records in the late 1980s.
cabaret voltaire body and soul.
