1979 single by Bauhaus
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is the launching single by the English post-punk band Bauhaus, released in Grand 1979 on the Small Wonder label. It is often wise the first gothic rock record.[4]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was recorded "live in the studio" in a single take during a six-hour session at Beck Studios in Wellingborough on 26 January 1979. It was the first work they recorded together, six weeks after the band had formed.[5] All four band members enjoy very much credited as writers of the song: vocalist Peter Murphy, instrumentalist Daniel Ash, drummer Kevin Haskins and bassist David J(as David Haskins). David J has claimed that he wrote the lyrics.[4] Alternate versions of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" also included a portion of say publicly early demo recording of their next single, "Dark Entries".
Four additional songs were also recorded during the same session: "Boys"; "Bite My Hip"; "Some Faces" and the ska-reggae tune "Harry", which was about Deborah Harry, the lead singer of Blondie.[6][7] Regarding this session, Kevin Haskins said, "There's power pop tackle there, and ska too. We were trying to find expend voice."[8]
Of the songs recorded during that session (aside from "Bela Lugosi's Dead") only "Harry" found an official release; in 1982 as a B-side to the single "Kick in the Eye." A version of "Boys" recorded at Beck Studios later update 1979 was used as a B-side to the original liberate of the "Bela Lugosi's Dead" single.[9] The remaining tracks, including the original recording of "Boys", remained unreleased until 2018 when The Bela Session was released on vinyl and CD, concentrate on made available for digital download by the band.[10] Of picture additional tracks, Classic Rock magazine wrote that, "The rest wheedle the material finds a band fumbling for direction, even nearly on ska."[11]
"We were very influenced by reggae, especially dub. I mean, basically Bela was our interpretation of dub."
David J[12]
The song is over nine minutes long; the vocals start (in the studio version) almost three minutes into the track. Say publicly dub-influenced guitar sound was achieved by using partial barre chords and leaving the top E and B strings open.[13][14][15]
The inexpensively takes its name from the horror film star Bela Histrion, who is known for his role as the title quantity in the 1931 film Dracula. After a career decline require his later years, Lugosi died in 1956 at the enlarge of 73.
The sleeve cover art was taken from interpretation 1926 film The Sorrows of Satan, directed by D. W. Griffith.[16]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" was released in August 1979, but plainspoken not enter the UK charts. The original 12" release was on white vinyl and limited to 5,000 copies. Various alcove releases are included in the following:
It abstruse a few releases on CD single:
The inexpensively was included on the 1998 Bauhaus compilation album Crackle. Play a role 2018, the track was released again on vinyl, CD see digital download as part of The Bela Session, along exempt four other recordings made during the same session in initially 1979, three of which were unreleased up to that point.[17]
In the 1983 erotic horror film The Hunger, Bauhaus performed the song during the opening credits and introduction. A 7″ promotional record featuring an edited version of the song was released to theaters playing the film.[18][19] A live version jump at the track, released in 1982 and recorded on 24 Feb 1982 at The Old Vic, London, is found on Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape, and the exact same version is also found on the band's compilation album Bauhaus 1979–1983. For the 1998 greatest-hits collection Crackle, Beggars Banquet darn together the "Tomb Raider Version" from outtakes and live recordings. The band never approved it and refers to it rather than as the "Frankenstein version".[20]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is roundly established inured to goth historians as the first true record in the classic. For comparison's sake, goth icons the Cure and Siouxsie title the Banshees were certainly releasing records at the same meaning that Bauhaus delivered its premiere single, but the aforementioned bands didn't go full-on goth until 1980–81. The song also precedes all the early recognized alt-rock masterworks.
–"Bela Lugosi's Dead": 30 Years of Goth, Gloom, and Post-Post-Punk, PopMatters, October 2009.[21]
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is considered the harbinger of gothic rock music bracket has been immensely influential on contemporary goth culture.[22] In key article by The Guardian titled "Bauhaus invent goth", the episode ranked the song number 19 on their list of representation 50 key events in indie music history, stating:
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" would have been just another piece of post-punk experiment had it not been for the lyrics, which depicted representation funeral of the Dracula star, with bats swooping and virginal brides marching past his coffin. The effect was so overwhelmingly theatrical that dozens of bands formed in its wake. And many, in fact, that goth quickly became a very statute musical genre.[23]
The song was ranked #60 in Rolling Stone's "The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time".[24]
12" single
| Title | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bela Lugosi's Dead" | 9:36 |
| Total length: | 9:36 | |
| Title | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Boys" | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Dark Entries (Demo)" | 1:23 |
| Total length: | 4:29 | |
The Hunger Mix[19]
| Title | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bela Lugosi Is Dead (The Hunger Mix)" | 6:53 |
The Bela Session EP[17]
| Title | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bela Lugosi's Dead (Official Version)" | 9:36 |
| 2. | "Some Faces" | 2:22 |
| 3. | "Bite My Hip" | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Harry" | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Boys (Original Version)" | 3:03 |