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Laibach

P

palpnorte

leaf, heem strong ...
I don't know quite how, but until the other day I had never heard anything at all by Laibach, and was under the misapprehension that the teutonic shouty thing was a Rammstein invention. Big mistake, obviously. Looking through their discography, it's hard to decide where to start. Any recommendations?

palp
 
Hmm, I've got quite a lot Laibach but must admit to rarely listen to it. If you want the central works then these should be it:

Opus Dei
Let It Be
Sympathy For The Devil
Nato

Enjoy :) But if you want what's best you got to have some KMDFM and Die Krupps !

/Mirland
 
I have Macbeth... Its actually a little off the beaten path Laibach-wise as its actually a soundtrack/theatre piece and oddly very introverted and menacing and is more growly rather than shouty. Very good band.

Their version of Geburt einer Nation ('Birth of a nation') fromthe LP Opus Dei was fabulous and far improved on Queen's original "One Vision" changing the song and revealing the ambuiguity in the original lyrics like "One race...one hope...one decision".
 
You could always get "Anthems" - Double compilation CD covers a fair range of their stuff.
I've always liked "Nova Akropola" myself
Pete
 
None of you have mentioned thier cover of 'Life is Life' !

Sympathy is good too.

DS

OTD - The Orb - Okie Dokie
 
None of you have mentioned thier cover of 'Life is Life' !
Click to expand...

Look above. It's the first track on side 1 on "Opus Dei". Actually it contains both versions "Life is Life" and "Leben heisst leben" :)

/Mirland
 
dss said:
None of you have mentioned thier cover of 'Life is Life' !

Sympathy is good too.

DS

OTD - The Orb - Okie Dokie
Click to expand...

Absolutely, 'Life is Life' is a terrific track. It was released as a 12" single back in the late 80's but I think it's still available on the John Peel session album. Much of their other stuff is a bit dodgy, however.

Dave
 
Opus Dei is where to start - it contains both Life is Life and One Vision.
Not sure they have ever recaptured this sort of excellence since.

Laibach are a very different kettle to Rammstein
 
OK then, Opus Dei is ordered [and under a fiver on Amazon to boot]. Tempted though I was by Anthems [that was what I was listening to snippets of, on iTunes] if you buy a greatest hits and really like it, getting all the albums makes the compilation redundant!

Macbeth was the one that originally had me confused ... even though I have not heard a note, I had mentally bracketed it somewhere with Vangelis and thought it was some sort of German concept prog ... weird, I know.

Although I can see that their kettle is altogether artier, like Rammstein, they seem to have a sense of humour.

palp
 
Opus Dei arrived today, and I've just played it - terrific stuff, and very impressive they way they can cover a song and seemingly own it - like Nina Simone, but different.

Kudos also to the singer's way with a snood; not the easiest look.

palp
 
I cannot abide the shouty thing that they do.

But, I do have their 12" of 'Across The Universe' which features a Slovenian woman's choir - it is beautiful!
 
Well, maybe the shouty thing wears thin after a bit. Ditto the outrageous covers, a bit like the stunt casting in the recently late and much lamented Crossroads [..it's Tim Brooke-Taylor..... strangling Lionel Blair..... with Madge Hindle's tights!!!!! How cool is that!!!! gosh!!!!etc. !!!!!!].

WAT and Jesus Christ Superstars have just come in, BTW [how typical to order the ones that no-one recommended... sorry] and fab they are too. Although I cleave to them immediately, I do have to confess that I think they somewhat pale when compared to the undoubtedly derivative and uncool because popular and sold a lot of records Rammstein.

Although Laibach yield to none in their covers, original stuff is.... how shall I put this.... just about OK, wheras tubby but gorgeous Til & pals have an exquisite way with a tune no doubt brought on by all that stripped-to-the-waist birch-twig bonding stuff they get up to [I'm not making this up BTW, just look at the video to the latest single off Rosenrot].

I also do have a slight problem with the Fascist Thing. Are we [new yet fervent] fans just so cool we intuitively understand that it is Laibach yanking our chain by striding round forests in those chain-decorated caps and jodphurs in an unspecified deep yet ironic manner? Making some nebulpus point about the plight of oppressed Slovenia and being slightly too obscure for us to properly understand etc etc.??? Minty did this one in about 1980 and the Gristles were sorely tempted - it was equally dubious then. I think the problem is they they just love third reich graphics and the homoerotic fabness of it all and spend hours in their bedrooms with hairbrushes elaborately trying to justify it all.

No matter how much Laibach wiggle, there are people still alive for whom those images and bits of campy set decoration strike a place of such horror which we post-war babies cannot even begin to comprehend. If you want to be edgily offensive, there are perhaps more worthwhile targets.

Nevertheless, Geburt Einer Nation is fabness on a plate, and full credit to Laibach for achieving all their effects with very little money, just a good ear. I expect I'l get the rest.

palp
 
Hmm. You may be right that the flirting with the fascistic / nationalsocialist graphics could be misinterpreted by someone who already has a latent fascination with that stuff (eventhough I as a graphics consultant must say it's quite geniously done). But I think there's a long way to go from Laibach to say Varg Vikernes latter projects such as Burzum which really doesn't pretend to flirt but rather is the real rightwing extremist thing. But I understand your doubts. I had the same when first listening to Michael Moynihans Blood Axis "Gospel of Inhumanity". It's a thin line between using concepts and ideas to underline messages and to actually enforce them.

But Rammstein is a whole different animal. If political in any aspect it's leftwing. I consider Till and his comrades great storytellers in the vein of german / northern european tradition. And yes they have much much better songs than Laibach when it comes to own creations.

/Mirland
 
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