''Mask'' is the second studio album by English

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...

band

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...

. It was released on 16 October 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 "Kick in the Eye" is a song by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released in 1981 as one of two singles released along their second studio album, ''Mask'' (1981) and was released the following year as an EP titled ''Kick in the Eye (Search ...

", "Dancing" and "In Fear of Fear". The album cover is a drawing by guitarist

Daniel Ash Daniel Ash (born 31 July 1957) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He became prominent in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the iconic goth rock band Bauhaus, which spawned two related bands led by Ash: Tones on Tail and Love an ...

. The original artwork for the album was a

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...

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 US

Club Play Singles Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart. 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 The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

and alternate versions called ''Singles and Out-Takes'', as well as a live CD called ''This Is for When...'', recorded at

Hammersmith Palais The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first ''palais de danse'' to b ...

in London on 9 November 1981.

Reception and legacy

In his retrospective review of the album, Ned Raggett of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called ''Mask'' "arguably even better than the band's almost flawless

debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Debu ...

". ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' described the album as " auhaus'finest achievement". ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

'' reviewer Jonathan Selzer remarked how on ''Mask'' "Bauhaus managed to sound more expansive and less withdrawn, without losing any of their austere aura", gaining "a newfound accessibility that would see them break into the Top 30." ''Mask'' was also included in the book ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

''. In the album's entry in the book, 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."

Track listing

Personnel

Bauhaus * Peter Murphy – vocals, additional guitar,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– guitars, saxophone, album cover illustration, production *

David J David John Haskins (born 24 April 1957, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England), better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus and for Love and Rock ...

– bass guitar, vocals, production *

Kevin Haskins Kevin Michael Dompe (born 19 July 1960), born and best-known as Kevin Michael Haskins, is an English drummer, best known from the British rock group Bauhaus. He was also a member of Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets. Early career As a child ...

– drums, keyboards, production Technical * John Etchells –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Kenny Jones – engineering *

Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1953) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from roc ...

– engineering * Arun Chakraverty – mastering * Sheila Rock – sleeve photography * John Dent – 2009 CD

remaster Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

ing

References

External links

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