Faust IV

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Faust IV
File:FaustIV.jpg
Studio album by Faust
Released September 21, 1973
Recorded The Manor, Oxfordshire,
England, June 1973
Genre Krautrock
Length 43:37
Label Virgin
Producer Uwe Nettelbeck
Faust chronology
Outside the Dream Syndicate
(1973)Outside the Dream Syndicate1973
Faust IV
(1973)
Rien
(1994)Rien1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[1]
Pitchfork (9.4/10)[2]
Spin 4/5 stars[3]

Faust IV is a 1973 album by the German krautrock group Faust. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it is referred to as a "krautrock classic".[4] The band did not release another album for 20 years, and with a different lineup.[5]

Recording

The album was recorded at the Manor Studio in England. As the sessions took too long to complete, producer Uwe Nettelbeck opted to complete the album with material that was recorded at previous sessions in Wümme, Germany. These additions include "Krautrock" (previously aired on the John Peel show) and "It's a Bit of a Pain" (previously released as a single in Germany).[2]

Music

The opener, "Krautrock", is a drone-based instrumental with drums appearing after seven minutes, while later tracks such as "The Sad Skinhead" and "Jennifer" employ more conventional songwriting techniques.[2] The closing track, "It's a Bit of a Pain", combines both styles, utilising noise during its chorus. At a point late in the song, following the chorus a woman's voice speaking in Swedish is heard. The track "Just A Second" had the notation "starts like that!" added to the title on the CD reissues. The track numbering on the original CD was incorrect and misleading.[6] The liner notes on the 2CD remaster contain many inaccuracies.

Track listing

1973 release:[7]

  1. "Krautrock" – 11:47
  2. "The Sad Skinhead" – 2:43
  3. "Jennifer" – 7:11
  4. "Just a Second / Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableau" – 3:35
  5. "Giggy Smile" – 7:45
  6. "Läuft...Heißt Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft ("Psalter" section)" – 4:28
  7. "Läuft...Heißt Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft" – 3:40
  8. "It's a Bit of a Pain" – 3:08

The published tracklisting contains a number of errors. Track 5 is listed as "Picnic an a Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableux", which is in fact part of track 4. Track 6 is listed as "Giggy Smile", which is actually track 5. Track 6 is the first part of "Läuft...Heisst Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft", of which Track 7 is the second part.[6]

Personnel

Sound and art work

Reception

The album was not embraced by fans of Faust's earlier work, for suggested reasons including the album artwork, and the inclusion of oddities including The Sad Skinhead and Jennifer, today praised as some of the band's best lyrical work.[2]

Re-release

Faust IV was re-released on two CDs in February 2006 by EMI.[8]

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links