Tuesday 13 April 2010

Einsturzende Neubauten - Drawings of O.T. (1984)


Intense and cathartic, Einsturzende Neubauten's second studio album was released in 1982 and is still one of the most frightening and beautiful albums I have ever heard, bridging the gap between the all out sonic blitzkreig of their first album Kollaps and their later, more contemplative works. I first heard this band back in 1984 when I was a moody teen masquerading as a goth. I bought the (fabulous) Strategies Against Architecture lp, with money from my paper round and fell in love with this song, Kalte Sterne:

I have included mp3's of the two sides of this cassette, partly out of laziness, and partly because I think the album is best listened to straight through from start to finish. Here's a video for the album's most well known piece, Armenia:


Tracklist:

A1 Vanadium I-Ching
A2 Hospital Istische Kinder / Engel Der Vernichtung
A3 Abfackeln!
A4 Neun Arme
A5 Herde
A6 Merle
A7 Zeichnungen Des Patienten O.T.
A8 Finger Und Zahne
A9 Falschgeld
A10 Styropor

B1 Armenia
B2 Die Genave Zeit
B3 Der Herrscher Und Der Sieger
B4 Affenroulette
B5 Durstiges Tier
B6 Wasserturm

Get it HERE.

7 comments:

icastico said...

Really one of my all-time favorite albums. I bought it on vinyl (two disks) back in 1983 after seeing them on Nightflight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Flight_%28TV_series%29

Anonymous said...

Ahhh, sweet, sweet memories!

James Barrett said...

Thanks for this. You are right about Strategies Against Architecture, what an amazing piece of work it is, even now.
I saw Einsturzende Neubauten play in Australia in 1991. It was a turning point in my life. I am serious. Part performance art, part happening, part industrial event, with a thick dark vein of poetry running up the throat of the mad beautiful beast.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this - I've never heard it. I bought Strategies Against Architecture back in the mid '90s...I still love it. Unfortunately, none of my friends could handle it.

Have you ever read Nick Cave's "review" (short story) of Einsturzende Neubaten called "Thistles in the Soul"? It's in the book "King Ink".

Mr Tear said...

Glad everyone's enjoying this one. I hadn't thought about Einsturzende Neubauten for many years having sold most of my records in the early '90s when I was young, carefree and unemployed and kind of fell headlong into Brighton's free-party/rave scene. I couldn't see why I would ever want to listen to all of that old, bleak, nihilistic music again. I was really pleased to find this tape recently and I'm now looking forward to rediscovering some of their other albums...Tabula Rasa anyone.
I never read King Ink I'm afraid, however I read Bunny Munro a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed that cracked nympho of a novel.
P.S. Icastico, did you listen to the Kuusumun Profeetta l.p.? I think you should.

groove68 said...

Watch rare 1985 documentary Berlin Now feat. Einsturzende Neubauten as video on demand stream

http://www.realeyz.tv/en/wolfgang-buld-sissi-kelling-berlin-now_cont2253.html

icastico said...

Mr. Tear,

Re:Kuusumun Profeetta
Yep. I have them in heavy rotation...good stuff.