Mask (Bauhaus album)

Mask
A black-and-white drawing of a panda, a joker-like figure and an alien creature hiding behind the shoulder of the joker. "BAUHAUS" is imprinted in the top-right corner in yellow text.
Studio album by Bauhaus
Released October 1981
Recorded 1981
Studio Playground Studios and Jam Studios, London, England
Genre Gothic rock
Length 34:19 / 54:31
Label Beggars Banquet
Producer Bauhaus
Bauhaus chronology
In the Flat Field
(1980)In the Flat Field1980		 Mask
(1981)		 The Sky's Gone Out
(1982)The Sky's Gone Out1982

Mask is the second studio album by English post-punk band Bauhaus. It was released in 1981 by record label Beggars Banquet.

Content

Bauhaus expanded their style a bit on Mask, particularly by incorporating keyboards and acoustic guitar on songs such as "The Passion of Lovers", and funk rhythms and saxophone on tracks like "Kick in the Eye", "Dancing" and "In Fear of Fear".

The album cover is a drawing by guitarist Daniel Ash.[1] The original artwork for the album was a gatefold sleeve with blue text on the inside and a stark black-and-white image of the band. On later editions this inside was replaced with white text and a montage from the promotional video for the song "Mask".

Release

Mask was released in October 1981 by record label Beggars Banquet.

"Kick in the Eye" charted at No. 29 on the U.S. Club Play Singles charts.[2]

The 19 October 2009 CD reissue, subtitled the Omnibus Edition, included a remastered version of the original album as disc 1, a second disc of B-sides and alternate versions called Singles and Out-Takes, as well as a live CD called This Is for When..., recorded at Hammersmith Palais in London on 9 November 1981.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Drowned in Sound8/10[4]
Record Collector[5]
Trouser Presspositive[6]

In his retrospective review of the album, Ned Raggett of AllMusic called the album "arguably even better than the band's almost flawless debut".[3] Trouser Press described the album as "[Bauhaus'] finest achievement".[6] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In the album's entry, Australia's Fiend Magazine editor and contributing critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas wrote that "The sounds were harder edged than those of Bauhaus' debut, but the introduction of more pop-friendly melodies helped to make Mask digestible for a mainstream audience."[7]

Track listing

All tracks written by Bauhaus (Daniel Ash, David J, Kevin Haskins and Peter Murphy).

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Hair of the Dog"2:43
2."The Passion of Lovers"3:53
3."Of Lillies and Remains"3:18
4."Dancing"2:29
5."Hollow Hills"4:47
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Kick in the Eye"3:39
2."In Fear of Fear"2:58
3."Muscle in Plastic"2:51
4."The Man with the X-Ray Eyes"3:05
5."Mask"4:36

Personnel

Bauhaus

Technical

  • John Etchells – engineering
  • Kenny Jones – engineering
  • Mike Hedges – engineering
  • Arun Chakraverty – mastering
  • Sheila Rock – sleeve photography
  • John Dent – 2009 CD remastering

References

  1. ↑ "The Bubbleman Cometh: An Interview with Daniel Ash". post-punk.com. 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  2. ↑ "Mask – Bauhaus | Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Mask – Bauhaus | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Gourlay, Dom (27 October 2009). "Bauhaus Re-Issues: In the Flat Field and Mask Omnibus Editions Reviewed / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  5. ↑ Rigby, Paul. "Faces from the Ancient Galleries". Record Collector. Diamond Publishing. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  6. 1 2 Grant, Steven; Robbins, Ira; Fasolino, Greg. "TrouserPress.com :: Bauhaus". Trouser Press. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
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