Disco de Bauhaus: “Swing the Heartache: The BBC Sessions”

Believe it or not this was the very first Bauhaus recording I picked up. I was about 13 at the time and I bought the cassette version and it just blew my mind. Peter Murphy's deep resonating voice was unlike anything I'd heard before and Daniel Ash's guitar playing was truly brilliant.

Recorded for various broadcasts on the BBC in the early 80s this collection of songs is my favorite of all the Bauhaus recordings. The collection was originally five separate studio sessions of 3-4 songs per session which were recorded and mixed in one day. Despite the limited time frame some of the recordings later ended up on other albums, most notably "Double Dare" which as recorded in these studio sessions was "stronger" than a later recorded version. It also includes the brilliant Bowie cover "Ziggy Stardust" that was to be their most popular single.

Other standout tracks include "Silent Hedges", "A God in An Alcove" and "In the Flat Field". There is also a very interesting song called "Party of the First Part" which features a dialogue between a young woman vying for stardom and the "devil" who takes her soul in exchange for fame and fortune.

The great thing about Bauhaus is that they appeal to a very wide audience. I don't listen to "goth" music but I love Bauhaus. If I were a new fan or somebody who had never heard of Bauhaus I would definitely pick up "Swing the Heartache" because it is truly representative of what Bauhaus were all about.

This is a wonderful album that was played and recorded live in england (bauhaus' homebase). I would recommend it to anyone interested in modern/post-modern/post-punk/expressionistic/dark wave/new wave/ect. rock. I was genuinely tired of some of the versions of some of the versions of the songs on the other bauhaus albums like mask, burning from the inside, and the sky's gone out, so I went searching for live albums from this band in hopes of perhaps finding some fresher versions of these songs or maybe even some new material. I had already purchased an listened to bauhaus' press eject and give me the tape, loved it too much, and played it over and over again until I reached the point where I could not stand to listen again. And then I found this album. This album comes complete with some very haunting new versions of

A God in an Alcove, Double Dare, In Fear of Fear, and In the Flat Field, which I continue to enjoy undoubtedly. All of these songs come complete with rare chorus coming from the other band members . It also has some rare material at the end, which, if you can call them songs, are very interesting to say the least. I would go ahead with this one, you will not be disappointed. And for those of you who were wondering, yes, alot of bauhaus' songs are repeated in different recordings. But no, they are not all the same. They all seem to vary in terms of the atmosphere expediated from the band members' instruments and Peter Murphy's hollowing vocals.

This single disc of BBC recordings is a handy way to have the Bauhaus experience in it's most concentrated form. Bauhaus between 1980 and 1983 were a full-time group, and when they played live they did it very very well. They achieved legendary status with their live act. It's not just the unbridled imagination that constitutes their art, it's also the unfiltered, raw energy of their talent and honest approach to performance. Their performance had a capital 'P', which was willed by the desire to go for skillful provocation and full-on, risk-taking abandon. Such is the evidence found in Swing the Heartache. These 'live and in the studio for a day' sessions were done with an edge and immediacy far greater than the work they did for their record company. Pretty much each version here shreds the ones that reappear on the four proper albums. 'Swing the Heartache' has acoustic-sounding drums and sounds much better and twice as terse as it does on The Sky's Gone Out. Also, on this album you find the largest grouping of cover versions (Bowie, Bolan, Eno, etc.), tempered with the usual handful of their more left-field and far-out originals (an example in this case is the terrifically twisted, narrative-driven 'Departure').

Getting lost in the world of Swing the Heartache, it's possible to think 'Geez, this is bizarre to the average ear, but for the creatively inclined it sure is energizing and inspiring!' The sparks that flew off of the young Bauhaus quartet were as unique as is possible to be. The average musical acts that came after Bauhaus were what spurred the term 'Goth'. Bauhaus were just being themselves. Yet these days they seem so light in attitude that they just smile and give a shrugging response to the word 'Goth' as it's tagged to their identity. 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' (not on this album) is wonderful, original and may be their most 'Goth' and signature piece. But this may well be their most signature album in a hundred years. That's because it summarizes their career-spanning situation: Bauhaus in a room with nothing but themselves, the combustion of talent and the fleeting moment.

Not to be missed by anyone into or curious about Bauhaus. Also, it's got good cover art - which makes an impressive match to the music.

I bought "Swing the Heartache" on vinyl back in 1991 (give or take a year). This is a good album that, for me, has stood the test of time. I've just listend to it again after nearly 15 years and it still sounds great and brings back lots of memories. If you're into the '80s style goth/new wave then buy this record. If you're more into the later and various incarations (e.g. Tones On Tail or Love and Rockets) you might not care for it much, but it's worth a spin regardless.

It's a must have - not just for Bauhaus\goth\punk\blah blah blah fans, but for anyone who is open to exploring & understanding contemporary music. It's a great collection of Bauhaus material, and the sound is so cool. I'm a huge fan of the BBC\John Peel sessions because the performaces are 'live' and the sound is raw. Thses recording let you hear what bands that are famous for their 'eletronic' sound actually sound like with minimal studio magic!