As goth lists are all the rage at present in the pre- and post-Halloween content melange, and feeling the need to lay bait for some clicks myself, your humble scribe has laid down their top ten recommendations for old-school gothic rock albums. Well- everyone else is doing it, after all. A few ground rules must be set down before we begin, however. Firstly, when I say 'old-school goth' I am limiting that to the initial '70s-early '00s period within the lifespan of goth's first and second waves, as comparing these to goth albums of the last twenty years is like comparing plutonium to Prosecco (not in a bad way – they're just, y'know, different). Secondly, I've tried to limit the scope to bands who were directly associated with the scene, rather than those who were linked to it through being contemporaneous, or be being just 'liked by goths'. So, no Cramps, New Model Army, Chameleons, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins or Diamanda Galas. And thirdly, this list is in date order – not in order of preference.So, without further ado – here's the top ten:
Bauhaus – ‘In The Flat Field’ (1980)
The secret weapon of Northampton’s gloom guerrillas Bauhaus was the substantial mismatch between the Weimar-scale ambitions matching their namesakes, and their raw and still developing musical skills. Indeed, they often seemed to be playing a song just a little bit too complicated for them to do justice, and even their big hit cover of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ featured the wrong chords. But when they approached their material with the brutal application seen here on their debut, the results were explosive. ‘Double Dare’ and the title track practically spill over with art-punk energy and intensity, marking the band as one of the most uncompromisingly brave of the post-punk crop. This is Bauhaus at their most urgent, monochromatic, and compelling.
The Sisters of Mercy – ‘First And Last And Always’ (1985)
The debut album of the founders of Leeds goth, and the only and last album by the band’s original itineration, by which point the project was already falling apart. Plagued by personal discord, drug use, and illness, the band that recorded such luminary tracks such as ‘Alice’ and ‘Body Electric’ was by this point barely discernible; and the album’s dynamics are often blocked, hidden, or generally repressed by muted production and lack of energy. However, the album still delivered bleak hits of post-’70s decay that were more New York blackout than York Minster. ‘Black Planet’ kicks the album off in bombastic B-movie style, and between that and the sublimely broken coda to ‘Some Kind Of Stranger’ it hits every note of cynicism and angel dust possible. A flawed masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
Christian Death – ‘Ashes’ (1985)
What was true for Bauhaus was one hundred-times true for Christian Death; the ideas were even more obtuse, inscrutable, and hi-falutin’, and the delivery possibly even more rudimentary. There was also something morbidly nihilistic and ‘born to lose’ about them, in keeping with their West Coast base and singer Rozz Williams’ drug habit. However, the kick in these songs is undeniable, and from the walloping twitch of the title track to the heart-rending scream of ‘The Luxury of Tears’ this album is a swirling blast of art-punk discord, proving that when it comes to pretension it’s best to go as big as possible.
The Damned – ‘Phantasmagoria’ (1985)
Former punk pacesetters The Damned shuffled the deck to great effect by swapping Captain Sensible’s beret and tutu for four frock coats and a whole new sonic makeover with this, their mid-period comeback hit. The pop-goth edge of ‘Phantasmagoria’ owed just as much to psychedelia as it did to Victorian melodrama, and no sooner had the band began to explore the possibilities of the form then it was all over for them again. But, on ‘Shadow Of Love’ and ‘Sanctum Sanctorum’ they make the potential of the format clear, effective, and exciting.
The Mission – ‘God’s Own Medicine’ (1986)
Having split from the Sisters over a difference of approach (namely between a ‘brainer’ and a ‘no brainer’ formula), the Hussey/Adams faction set about making their case here. Although the raw ingredients were the same as on the Sisters’ debut, with the addition of drummer Mick Brown and guitarist Simon Hinkler and a few minor tweaks the Mission managed to do a full Marie Kondo on the basic formula and get all the energy moving in the right direction, and so the best tracks here (‘Bridges Burning’, ‘Wasteland’, ‘Sacrilege’) roll forward with an irresistible momentum. Although not a substantial feast, ‘God’s Own Medicine’ nonetheless manages to be an unselfconsciously fun, almost uplifting experience.
Fields of the Nephilim – ‘The Nephilim’
After the Spaghetti-Western goth of their debut, the Stevenage boys made their great statement here by adding the unique elements of their sound into neo-progressive pieces of sombre occultism. The severity of their approach might have been unpalatable if the songs weren’t bona fide goth classics, but ‘The Watchman’, ‘Last Exit For The Lost’, ‘Moonchild’, and ‘Celebrate’ brought exactly the kind of morbidly-set Thelemite sermons that every other act on the scene was busy trying to disown. Only the slightly crumbling, muted production prevented this from being a total knockout. Crowning glory ‘Psychonaut’ may have been yet to come, but ‘The Nephilim’ set the tone for much of ’90s goth rock and for the band’s burgeoning reputation.
Rosetta Stone – ‘An Eye For The Main Chance’ (1991)
Determined to bash through goth’s glass ceiling at exactly the time the scene began shrinking, Rosetta Stone fashioned a brutally elegant formula and bludgeoned the listener over the head with it. Featuring massive electronic drums, swirling & chiming guitars, and hooks filled with sardonic resentment and mordant wit, this debut album was as good as it got at the time – ‘Deeper’, ‘Forevermore’, ‘Reason’, and the killer title track were all unparalleled velvet zingers. Unfortunately, the band’s messianic zeal could not withstand the clusterfuckery of the industry nor the annoyances of UK goth, but they still set as high a standard as anyone.
The Horatii – ‘Riposte’ (1995)
This criminally overlooked four-piece delivered their masterpiece with this album, showcasing a refreshingly postmodern formula of wit and kink, beside funk rhythms and probably the best example of post-Batcave guitars seen that decade. ‘Darrell & Alicia’ may have been the club hit, but it was the jerky malevolence of ‘A Rose In My Flies’ and the sublimely bleak ‘Annaline’ that made this album essential.
Nosferatu – ‘Prince Of Darkness’ (1997)
The split of their original formulation may have drastically reduced their musical palette, but that did not prevent the late’-90s itineration of Nosferatu from hitting the heights on occasion.. Limited by their commitment to their now-established vampire schtick, on ‘Prince Of Darkness’ the band blended atmospherics and melody with their goth rock foundations to create one of the finest ‘brandy & cobwebs’ goth albums since ‘Phantasmagoria’. Not a masterpiece, but ‘The Haunting’, ‘The Hunger’, and ‘Graveyard Shift’ all deliver the thrills and chills you would expect with the package and hint at the unrealised potential of the project.
Dream Disciples – ‘Asphyxia’ (2001)
From the same ‘if you’re going to do it, do it right’ school as Rosetta Stone and Wham!, the Scottish goth stalwarts delivered the goods in fine style with their final album. Immaculately performed and produced, ‘Asphyxia’ features a sublime mix of electronic rhythms and hard-edged guitars as well as a stone-cold classic in ‘Room 57’, which may be one of the greatest cuts of the classic goth lot. Few bands in UK goth would attempt to give it such a comprehensive go ever since.
Voodoo Diplomacy 