Faust
Faust

The current world of music listeners is divided into two: those who read Piero Scaruffi and those who don't.

I read him from time to time, and among the various readings, I came across the page about Faust, a band that I had always heard of (by hearsay) but never listened to. Well, the good Piero gives the first album of Faust a rating of 9.5 out of 10 points (10 means the best rock album ever recorded). A score that the know-it-all Piero perhaps only gives to two other rock albums.

Now, after reading Piero S.'s review, I go to get this great album by Faust. By now, I've vaccinated myself with everything strange and particular in music (Zappa, Velvet Underground, Boredoms, Xiu Xiu, Eno, Sonic Youth, Beefheart, Shaggs, Pixies, Merzbow, and a thousand others), so I wonder if this time Piero got it right and it will indeed manage to surprise me.

After 34 minutes of the album, I ask myself: is this the famous 9.5 album???

Come on, anyone who has listened to Zappa's albums from the '60s has already heard all this, and done much better.

This first album by Faust simply seems like a copy of "Lumpy Gravy" with some additions from Frank's crazy albums of that period ("Uncle Meat," "Burnt Weeny Sandwich," "Weasels Ripped My Flesh," and "We're Only In It For The Money"). Nothing more and nothing less. A good album but that's it. No masterpiece though, I'm sorry. And honestly, I don't hear any exceptionally original solutions of this infamous "krautrock." Everything had already been recorded in the Zappa albums I mentioned. Anyone who thinks this Faust album is a masterpiece should go listen to Zappa, please. 

Sure, I'm curious to listen to the next three Faust albums (about which I've read enthusiastic comments around) and finally understand what's so special about krautrock. Because if krautrock is the first Faust album, then krautrock is simply synonymous with Frank Zappa.

To conclude (as we used to do with school essays), this album honestly disappointed me, let's see the next ones...