It was a dark and stormy Friday the thirteenth. What better time to listen to selections from Rhino’s A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box? Sorry, we’re not talking about Ostro- and Visi- from the fall of Rome here. We’re talking music; music that us creepy sorts drew funny looks for listening to from other kids in high school. What most people fail to realize is that the Gothic sound is more than just slow gloom, doom, Edger Allen Poe, and sexual perversions. Many Goth bands have a jump to them while carrying dark overtones, and yes, sex plays a large part as well. The vocals have a dark passion to them. Emotions run high, which only adds to the mystique of the dark poetry and twisted tales of loss and love. This darkness combined with the lyrics that make you wonder “what the hell was the inspiration behind that?” is what draws people to the music and also what brings the music together under the Gothic banner.
The set itself is dressed in a black leather corset and comes with a nifty book filled with photos and artist’s commentaries; three CDs and a DVD containing videos from some of the bands represented in the boxed set. Making my desire to own the full set that much stronger, for you see, ghoulies, I received only a sample disk, but that’s all right because some of my favorite bands are present. The Cure being one. They show up here with the wonderful “Charlotte Sometimes” and the disk moves very smoothly into Bauhaus’ “She’s In Parties”; two tunes that capture the gloom and darkness of the scene perfectly. Both bands bring their dark poetry to life through their distinct sound; though Bauhaus, as the name reflects, is more art-driven sound, which comes through in lead singer Peter Murphy’s stage presence as well. See them live; I highly recommend it.
Article comments
1 - SFC SKI
This box set sounds like a much needed history lesson for the young kids. There is nothing new under the sun.
Aounds like a great set, I heard there is some Alien Sex Fiend on there, too. I'd forgotten about Specimne until you metioned them but their inclusion is added incentive.
2 - A.L. Harper
This article has been chosen by Assistant Music Editor A.L. Harper as an Editor's Pick of the Week.
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