Friday, December 14, 2012

Einsturzende Neubauten - "Live At Rockpalast 1990" CD+DVD


A vintage Neubauten show, here resurrected as part of the excellent Rockpalast series, originally broadcast on German TV. "Live At Rockpalast" captures Bargeld and the boys in their "Haus Der Luge" period, at an intersection before the group decided to  further make their unique sound sculptures more subtle and, at times, even melodic.

Opening with the scalding noise/silence of "Prolog", and followed by the dance-oriented "Feurio!", "Rockpalast" includes some of the band's best-loved tracks from their earlier days. We get superb versions of "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy", Sehnsucht", "Armenia", "Yu Gung", "Zeichnungen Des Patienten O.T.", "Sand", and plenty more. The band isn't in their most intense form here, but it's still an excellent show. Bargeld is, as always, dramatic and shrill -- all the while remaining a perfectly refined madman. Behind him, Einheit and Unruh batter shopping carts, industrial debris, and likely themselves. Hacke is the resident "rocker", with long hair flailing about like a metal maven, with Chung tirelessly plucking his bass. It's a classic lineup, thus the classic material.

The DVD is pro-shot, with multiple cameras, so there's enough great visuals to illustrate the beauty and genius of Neubauten. The CD has the exact same tracklist (16 songs), and sounds as clear as a studio album. This is a must-have for serious fans, and would provide a fine introduction or primer for a novice. Absolultely recommended. 


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