Revisiting Old Music Part II (Bu-Ca)

My overview of my entire CD collection continues. Lots and lots of Cabaret Voltaire!

The Budget Girls - On a Tight Budget

Two screaming gals front this wonderfully crude and trashy garage rock outfit.

The Buggles - The Age of Plastic

We all know the hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" but there about 2 or 3 more songs on this New Wave disc that are just as good. Some crap too.

William S. Burroughs - Dead City Radio

The only way to appreciate Burrough is his spoken word recordings. He could read the farm report and it would seem meaningful. But, let's face it. His books are well-written but in the end, are just meandering, plotless garbage. In this case, the short format suits him better.

William S. Burroughs & Kurt Cobain - The "Priest" They Called Him

Painfully short and Cobain is there in name only. Mostly just feedback. Lame.

Cabaret Voltaire - 1974-76

Cabaret Voltaire at their rawest. Barely listenable.

Cabaret Voltaire - Mix-up

A few good tracks, but they hadn't quite got the idea that music needs some structure to make a person want to listen.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Voice of America

The first decent Cabaret Voltaire record. The noise begins to become more musical. Still, not for the feint of ears.

Cabaret Voltaire - Three Mantras

2 Long tracks make up this good early Cabaret Voltaire record. World music has begun to creep up into the noise-scapes.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Living Legends

A compilation of early recordings. Pretty good.

Cabaret Voltaire - Red Mecca

The best of the Chris Watson era Cabaret Voltaire records. Dark, dense and challenging. Not to be missed.

Cabaret Voltaire - 2x45

Almost as good as Red Mecca with more natural sounding instrumentation and some genuine grooves. A perfect transition into the next phase of their sound.

Cabaret Voltaire - Hai!

A post-Watson live recording of some of their early material. Surprisingly improvisational in nature.

Cabaret Voltaire - Listen Up With Cabaret Voltaire

A 2-disc compilation of early and mid-career tracks. Highly recommended if you want to hear some of their old material, but don't want to dive right into the hardcore stuff.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Crackdown

This record is the start of the funky, danceable era of Cabaret Voltaire's records. My favorite of their long career.

Cabaret Voltaire - Micro-Phonies

The noisier side of Cabaret Voltaire is almost completely absent from this recording. A solid record that includes the super-excellent "Sensoria" remix.

Cabaret Voltaire - Eight Crepuscule Tracks

A dreamy journey back to the noisy-era.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Covenant, The Sword, and The Arm of the Lord

Found sounds and noise are brought back into the songs. It's definitely danceable and funky but the added harshness is a nice change.

Cabaret Voltaire - Code

They really lay on the funk on this record, with pounding drums and electric guitar. The sound has once again been cleaned-up and minimalized.

Cabaret Voltaire - Groovy, Laidback and Nasty

Another dramatic shift in the direction of the band. This album is filled with traditional Chicago-house electronica and Mal actually sings melodies. In hindsight, a mediocre release, but a necessary transition into their electronica period.

Cabaret Voltaire - Hypnotised (cd single)

The best song from Groovy, Laidback and Nasty gets some remixing.

Cabaret Voltaire - Keep On (cd single)

More remixes from Groovy, Laidback and Nasty.

Cabaret Voltaire - Body and Soul

This record is a great improvement on the previous. Richard H. Kirk is beginning to get a handle on the computer music. The music still lacks some edge but is pretty good nonetheless.

Cabaret Voltaire - What Is Real (cd single)

More remixes.

Cabaret Voltaire - Percussion Force

A few remixes of "Don't Walk Away" and several new tracks. Highly recommended.

Cabaret Voltaire - Colours

The last recordings to feature the singing of Steven Mallinder. Along the same lines as Body and Soul with some further refinement in the style.

Cabaret Voltaire - Plasticity

Much of the spirit of the old Cabaret Voltaire has come back in this CD. The music is pure dance electronica, but there is a return to found sounds and exotic world-music samples. Alas, no more singing.

Cabaret Voltaire - Technology: Western Reworks 1992

They dip way back into their catalog to find songs to remix/re-record using the power of computers and such. The result as a dazzling mix of noise and beats. I think this record changed the way Kirk/Mallinder approached electonica. Perhaps one of the earliest examples of I.D.M.

Cabaret Voltaire - I want You / Kino

Remixes of the remixes.

Cabaret Voltaire - International Language

A collection of new songs continues to refine the electronica meets noise.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Conversation

Cabaret Voltaire's swan song is a sprawling 2-disc masterpiece. It ebbs and flows through various themes and closes with an epic 40 minute track filled with hypnotic sonic beauty. Awesome.