I have a confession. I was fairly into goth music in the late-'80s. I mean a lot of it (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, the various Bauhaus offshoots) was genuinely popular, but I also own records by Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Xymox, the Bolshoi and others. And I still like them! As we're experiencing a bit of a goth resurgence these days (Gang Gang Dance, Crystal Stilts, Shearwater) and 'tis the season to be spooky, I thought I'd post this Classic Goth mix that I made for my local hang, Snacky, back in 2003. This is a not an obscurity-filled mix; we're talking Nothing But the Hits. You might question the inclusion of Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen (maybe not Goth goth, but definitely within that world); and the abscence of, say, Fields of the Nephilim and the Mission (I don't like them); as well as wondering where Ministry's "(Every Day is) Halloween" (good question), but i think this will probably go over pretty well at any Halloween party. Like all my mixes, the songs segue together so no shuffle!
Download VAMPIRE BITES: ESSENTIAL GOTH
Here's the tracklist:
1. Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
2. Clan of Xymox - Muscovite Mosquito
3. Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection
4. The Birthday Party - Release the Bats
5. Death Cult - God's Zoo
6. The Damned - Wait for the Blackout
7. Siouxsie & the Banshees - Spellbound
8. The March Violets - Snake Dance
9. The Bolshoi - Away
10. Echo & the Bunnymen - Pictures on My Wall
11. The Cramps - Human Fly
12. The Cure - The Hanging Garden
13. Xmal Deutschland - Incubus Succubus
14. Lords of the New Church - Dance With Me
15. Southern Death Cult - Fat Man
16. Joy Division - Heart and Soul
17. Tones on Tails - Christian Says
18. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Temptation
19. Sex Gang Children - Beasts
And though this song didn't exist when this mix was originally made, I've got to include this new Halloween classic:
MP3: Tracy Jordan - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
And for more Halloween fun, dont' miss Heart on a Stick's annual collection of terrifiying tunes.
I saw The Dead Milkmen the other night and they covered Bauhaus' "The Passion of Lovers" and incorporated the chorus of Shriekback's "Nemesis" into the end of one of their songs ("Nutrition"). Maybe there's something in the air given the time of year or maybe there's a genuine goth revival or maybe they always did that in the '80s and '90s (I never saw them before).
Posted by: Matt Berlyant | Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 10:15 AM
wow. vampirebites is such a clever name. i wonder what clever person came up with that?
Posted by: kelly | Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 04:59 PM
I was into Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Bolshoi and others (not so much Xymox and definitely not Fields of the Nephilim) but for some reason I never felt super-Goth. The late '80s were just kind of naturally Goth, I think. I'm all for a late '00s revival.
Posted by: Krista | Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 11:44 PM
I agree, a lot of it was just popular, at least withing the alt-rock world, especially if you were into British stuff. I mean Floodland was a huge record in 1987.
But there was definitely goth for goth's sake and that's where the long coats of Fields of the Nephelim came in.
Posted by: SoundBitesNYC | Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Nice mix. Brings back memories of my brief 'goth' days, lol.
Speaking of which you may enjoy my post today:
http://versionsgalore.blogspot.com/2008/10/control-issues.html
Posted by: Leopold Stotch | Friday, October 31, 2008 at 01:48 PM
Nice mix. Brings back memories of my brief 'goth' days, lol.
Speaking of which you may enjoy my post today:
http://versionsgalore.blogspot.com/2008/10/control-issues.html
Posted by: Leopold Stotch | Friday, October 31, 2008 at 02:16 PM
goth or not,good music is still good music :)
Posted by: Rose | Tuesday, March 01, 2011 at 09:19 AM
oh the link is down.could you please reup it? :)
Posted by: Rose | Tuesday, March 01, 2011 at 09:22 AM
Thanks alot mate
Posted by: Rose | Wednesday, March 02, 2011 at 04:47 AM
Any chance of a re-up on this? Thanks.
Posted by: Paul Leader | Monday, July 18, 2011 at 12:43 PM