| What's THIS For...! | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 June 1981 | |||
| Recorded | Late December 1980 to February 1981 [1] | |||
| Studio | Townhouse Studios, London [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:04 | |||
| Label | E.G., Polydor | |||
| Producer | Killing Joke, Nick Launay | |||
| Killing Joke chronology | ||||
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| Singles from What's THIS For...! | ||||
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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.
Like Killing Joke's debut album, What's THIS For...! was self-produced by the band. It was engineered by Hugh Padgham and Nick Launay. Launay, Padgham's assistant at that time, finished the album after an altercation that resulted in damage to the mixing desk, causing Padgham to leave before the album was mixed. Launay continued to work under the band's direction. [1] Padgham contradicts the mixing desk incident saying that Jaz's recollection is "all rubbish. The thing is they were so out of it." [2]
What's THIS For...! was released in June 1981 by E.G. Records. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 51 on 20 June and peaked at number 42 on 4 July. [3]
A remastered version with three bonus tracks was released in 2005.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [5] |
| Robert Christgau | B [6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| MusicHound Rock |  [8] |
| Select | [9] |
| Sounds | [10] |
What's THIS For...! was generally well received by critics. In a 5 out 5 star review, John Gill of Sounds wrote: "it's an album of incomparable verve, energy and aggression, and you might even risk a dalliance with the slumming glamour of its violence. [10] NME hailed the album, saying: "In its own terms, What's THIS For...! is an excellent record - even if those terms are the most hopeless ones to be found in rock today. It's the same wardance as before, slightly better realised." [11] Trouser Press described the album as "nearly as terrific" as their debut album, "bringing funk to ambient music, implying feeling sublimated in a chaotic world". [12]
A significant contemporary dissent came from Melody Maker , whose Adam Sweeting called the album "a tired and very noisy collection of ripoffs", and deemed the whole effort "unlistenable ... apart from the spaces between the tracks". [13]
In a 2016 review, Paste magazine's Josh Jackson listed the album at No. 48 on his list of "The 50 Best Post-Punk Albums", noting that "the real genius here is the human emotion that comes through such spare efficiency". [14] The Pensive Quill's Christopher Owens calls this "...the greatest album ever made." [15]
The image of the photograph was taken at 88 Colegate in Norwich, though only the left hand side is visible. [16] [17]
All tracks are written by Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Martin Glover and Geordie Walker)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Fall of Because" | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Tension" | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Unspeakable" | 5:20 |
| 4. | "Butcher" | 6:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Follow the Leaders" | 5:37 |
| 2. | "Madness" | 7:43 |
| 3. | "Who Told You How?" | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Exit" | 3:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Follow the Leaders" (Dub) | 4:06 |
| 10. | "Madness" (Dub) | 7:28 |
| 11. | "Brilliant" | 3:58 |
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | UK Albums Chart | 42 [3] |
Killing Joke are an English rock band formed in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in 1979 by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass).
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.
Night Time is the fifth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in February 1985 by E.G. through Polydor Records and produced by Chris Kimsey.
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 on 15 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.
Outside the Gate is the seventh studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in June 1988 by E.G. via Virgin Records worldwide. It was a significant stylistic departure for the band, with complex synthesised arrangements and less prominent guitar. Tensions within the band surfaced during pre-production. Drummer Paul Ferguson was dismissed at the beginning of the sessions and replaced by a studio musician while bassist Paul Raven took part to the recording but ultimately asked his name to be withdrawn from the credits for major disagreement over artistic content. The lead single was "America".
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.
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.
Laugh? I Nearly Bought One! is the first major compilation album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released in September 1992 by Caroline Records in the U.S. and in October by Virgin Records in the U.K. and Europe.
"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.
"Requiem" is a song by the English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released in September 1980 by E.G. Records as the second single from their first studio album, Killing Joke.
Turn to Red is an EP and the debut release by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released as a 10-inch EP on 26 October 1979 by Malicious Damage and re-released as a 12-inch EP on 14 December by Island Records.
"Eighties" is the lead single from English post-punk band Killing Joke's fifth studio album, Night Time (1985), produced by Chris Kimsey. The song had been premiered during a three track live performance for UK TV show The Tube in December 1983. Upon its release, the single reached No. 60 in the UK Singles Chart.
The Peel Sessions 1979–1981 is a compilation album collecting the first four sessions recorded by the English post-punk band Killing Joke for the legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, plus a session recorded for his colleague Richard Skinner's programme. The sessions had been previously available as bootlegs, but are presented here in pristine sound quality.
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, which was 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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