BAUHAUS

In The Flat Field (reissue, 1980)

Undead, undead, undead: foundation goths resurrected on vinyl

“We came and said we’re beautiful, we’re male and we’re very dangerous,” shrugged frontman Peter Murphy as he explained how four skinny boys from frumpy Northampton invented goth. Bauhaus zombie-walked their way through four albums from 1980–83, and while 1981’s Mask was more sophisticated, their caterwauling debut – restored to vinyl as part of a full-scale reissue campaign – better encapsulates their tortured artistry. Bauhaus could be stylishly restrained (“The Spy In The Cab”, “A God In An Alcove”), but with Murphy playing a cadaverous Jim Morrison or a boiled Brian Eno, they revelled in maximum darkness, “Stigmata Martyr” and the torrid title track both deliriously discordant. Extras: 7/10. The first album has been pressed on bronze vinyl, with Mask (yellow), The Sky’s Gone Out (violet), Burning From The Inside (blue), the live Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape (white) and hits set Crackle (red) also coming in colours. Meanwhile, US label Leaving have resurrected Bauhaus’ echo-fest debut single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, with three unreleased songs from the same 1979 session.