Bauhaus
Best Of Bauhaus: Crackle

THE REVIEW

You won't believe it, but I swear, even though I was in England, it wasn't easy to find this record (truth be told, it wasn't easy to find anything by Bauhaus either). Well, I scoured many shops in Brighton without success, until I reached a colossal Virgin Megastore, where, needless to say, this was the only CD available. I must inform you that before finding it, I went through a small epic journey. The scene in the previous store was tragicomical: not finding anything, I decided to ask the clerk, who (unfamiliar with Bauhaus) typed what into the database? "Bow House." Afterward, I ensured my English pronunciation was acceptable, and I got confirmation—indeed, thanks to the help of a clerk at the aforementioned Virgin Megastore, I managed to find this Best Of, "Crackle" (placed in an inaccessible corner, the only one in the mighty store).

Before listening to it on the first stereo I could find, I read the title carefully: "Crackle," literally "crackle"… the name says it all… indeed, it seems that of this historic group, only a few crackling sparks remain that, alas, are burning out, the only light in that darkness, which would be that myriad of fake indie-rock bands that swarm across Europe.

I decided to listen to it. Indeed, it is well made: the selected tracks are truly the best (except for "Crowds", the last track, even in terms of beauty). I like the start already: "Double Dare" is one of my favorites, with its heavy and powerful riff. It is followed by the dark and visceral "In The Flat Field" (I don't understand those who call it "claustrophobic," as it speaks of the exact opposite). Then the beautiful "The Passion Of Lovers", with a very funky drumbeat (it was a big hit in underground clubs in the '80s). "Bela Lugosi's Dead" could not be missed, with its almost reggae rhythm (I recommend DeBaser's review of this single, in my opinion very well done, compliments to the author).

Then a string of the most successful tracks from the albums Mask and Burning From The Inside, among which "She's In Parties", "Hollow Hills", "Mask", and "Kick In The Eye" stand out. The well-done cover of "Ziggy Stardust" is yet another masterpiece, followed by the equally well-done "Dark Entries", a true celebration of goth rock. Then the ironic (so to speak) "Terror Couple Kill Colonel", with its very simple riff, always makes an impact. "Spirit" is the least goth song of the best goth rock band. The result? Fair enough. The last two: the nine minutes of "Burning From The Inside" are hard to endure, but Bauhaus has accustomed me to much "worse." This is the only song with a "boring" cadence that I truly like. If they really wanted to put a seal… I thought of "All We Ever Wanted"… or moving "Bela Lugosi's Dead", but not "Crowds", a track in my opinion not very representative, which makes me dock half a star… all things considered, I'd say 4.5.

However, it remains a truly well-made work, and behind great work, there is always a great band. It seems to me that this is one of Bauhaus's last releases. The record was published in '98 to announce the band's reunion. Those who thought that after all these years the four from Northampton had grown soft or flabby must rethink: at the live at the Lignano Rock Festival they proved to be more in shape than ever. Too bad, as I said before, they have been somewhat forgotten… and I fear we won't see many more live performances in Italy in the future…