Posted: Sun, Jan 1, 2012
Last updated: Tue, Feb 6, 2024
Released: some time in 2004
ebm, techno, industrial
My first review of 2024! In fucking February, but to give meself a smidgin of credit, I did start writing it in January! This CD is so overlooked in my opinion, it’s a hodge-podge of all sorts that Jason Charles Miller and Julian Beeston (Nitzer Ebb, Cubanate, The Joy Thieves) put together that Cleopatra Records then threw out in 2004. It wasn’t even labelled as ‘Various Artists’, just Godhead. It has covers of bangers by fab artists mixed with some more recently(-ish?) released original tracks sprinkled in.
It’s really good, although really strangely thrown together? I mentioned this one very briefly in the Godhead Merch Shed, but it was only recently I dug it out for another listen-through after God knows how long. A couple of tracks on here I’ve been listening to a lot recently and I felt the whole album needed a proper sit through! I’m not even sure when I picked this CD up – my more recent reviews I have exact dates for as I’ve tried to write them shortly after buying them, but this was a high school find I think, so some random date in 2012 would make sense. Don’t question it too much!
01. funker vogt - narayan
We open up with a cover of the Prodigy’s Narayan by Funker Vogt. A great dance track and a proper floor filler to open up, I really like this one.
02. zeromancer - doctor online
Following up, an absolute classic from Zeromancer. Love it. I think this CD is how I even found Zeromancer in the first place actually, way back then. We get a solid 1 minute 30 seconds of ‘Doctor Online’ before abruptly (i.e. just before the second chorus kicks in) switching to-
03. haujobb - smack my bitch up
Haujobb’s take on another timeless Prodigy track - Smack My Bitch Up. I feel like it takes quite a while to build into the recognisable track. There are hints of punch, but it feels like mostly build up? I’m not sure if I’m fully sold on it. It feels like a filler track to bridge between the previous and the next track without being able to hold up on its own. It cuts off just as the lass starts singing from the original song and it all just feels a bit weird and shoehorned.
04. slick idiot - it won’t do
Picking up the pace with Slick Idiot. En Esch’s voice is always welcome. Another instance of being cut off after like 2 minutes…
05. x-marks the pedwalk - i see you
An iconic sound bite pops up here that caught me off guard: “leave me alone… aagh”, from Akira (you KNOW the one). The song’s over 30 years old now (fucking wild to think about) and Akira had only been about less than 5 years at this point, so just feels a bit mad to hear it now when that specific sound bite has been memed to hell and back over the past few months everywhere online. Getting back to the point! We get a bit of a longer track here from X-Marks the Pedwalk, some great fucking EBM.
06. vnv nation - dsmo
This is a really beautiful one, from VNV Nation. Gorgeous instrumental track, which just so happens to be a cover of a Front 242’s This World Must Be Destroyed. I feel it really emulates the name of this album, a long-distance nighttime road trip, there’s just something lush about it. I think it deserved a proper release somewhere as it just feels a little forgotten about here? It also appeared on Sacrilege - A Tribute to Front 242, but I don’t know, it deserves more.
07. pig - rope
A classic from Raymond Watts, another voice that’s always welcome to hear. Again, chopped off after 90 seconds! I don’t understand how there’s so little transition between tracks. But it’s still good!
08. pigface - Blow U Away (G.T.F.A.F.M)
A very busy track from Pigface. I forget every fucker’s been in this band. Vocals here are provided by JCM. The ‘get the fuck away from me’ Combichrist-sounding-ass sound bite is a bit much for me but it’s a nice boost in tempo for sure.
09. ogre - borderline
How stacked is this CD in terms of artists? Nivek Ogre pops in with the more melancholic Borderline, a cover of the original classic by Madonna. Again… song is chopped off, this time less than a minute in… I think whoever threw this CD together did not give a single fuck. Sorry Jason/Joolz/whoever made this decision… I just think some of these tracks need a little extra breathing room.
10. the damned - Shadow To Fall (Leaether Strip Mix)
The Damned remixed by Leaether Strip. I’ll admit, I’m not the hugest fan of the original track but I love Claus' remix of it. Sounds fucking brilliant and Claus can do no wrong. There was another cool remix of this song, a lot rockier but with a splash of electro goodness from Razed in Black – Hypersensitive (Razed in Black Mix) on the Damned’s Testify EP. That version’s not on YouTube but you can probably grab a disc off Discogs or find it sailing the seven seas.
11. Spahn Ranch - vortex
Some good ol' electro-industrial from Spahn Ranch. Feels like a bit of a breather, where you finally decide to go grab a drink after dancing but you’re bopping your head the whole way. Except I had this blasting through my hi-fi when I was cleaning my bathroom and this was the song I chose to scrub the toilet to as I didn’t mind the music being muffled out so much. Fucking glowing review that like! It’s a genuine classic though, don’t skip it.
12. Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Virus
Another 90 second snippet here with a good bit guitar, a cover of KMFDM’s Virus by Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Not a bad cover! Doesn’t come anywhere close to the original though, but I’m biased as KMFDM are my favourite band after all…
13. fear cult - girls and boys
Okay, this is an odd one. There’s a cover of Girls and Boys by Blur, which you can look the original up yourself as I refuse to link a song by fucking Blur on my site. This site is the pits as it is. Switching gears, this cover is by Fear Cult, a seemingly short-lived electro-deathrock project, and it ain’t too bad. I actually couldn’t find a whole lot on Fear Cult. I found their site which hadn’t been updated since July 2004, and their Discogs has a latest release in 2003, however their Facebook (which appears to be solely ran by Matt), Instagram, and eBay are still in use. Cleopatra also repressed Visionary Complex last year, and I’ve been giving it a listen while researching. As a lowly UK dweller I’m not paying the price of the record in shipping and the price of the record again in customs fees, but Cleopatra have the digital album available for $5, so all’s not lost I suppose.
14. razed in black - visions
We love a bit of Razed in Black!! Here we have Visions, and the full track too. Nothing to say. Picks the pace up beautifully.
15. die krupps - eggshell… but it’s not eggshell
A bit of Die Krupps next. Now, this one’s just weird… it’s listed as Eggshell on the CD and on Discogs, but it’s actually KMFDM’s remix of Iron Man! Why was the wrong track wrote down? I mean, take a listen to Eggshell, Iron Man (KMFDM Remix), and while you’re at it the the original Iron Man just ‘cos it’s mint. Not even remotely similar, they weren’t even on the same album, and how do you just skip over KMFDM?! I went to consult the sacred texts (i.e. the CD booklet) in case the actual track information was tucked away in there, but it wasn’t. A mystery we will never solve, but I should really update the Discogs page so my Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalism is not for naught. Anyway, they’re all banging tracks like nonetheless, with Iron Man influenced by the ever-iconic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. A lush bit of guitar to break the CD up a bit.
16. pigface - the horse u rode in on
Cheesy! Fun! More from Pigface. Reminds me a bit of Meat Beat Manifesto, this one. Got a good groove to it.
17. godhead - Bela Lugosi’s Dead
We end the CD with 3 Godhead covers of some goth heavyweight tracks. This has a lush, almost gentle techno buildup for a couple minutes as Jason’s voice creeps in. Feels less like a full blown cover, and more of a sampler? I wouldn’t mind hearing a full version of this. If you have ears and taste, you’ve listened to Power Tool Stigmata. A full version would hit. It’s still cool though!
18. godhead - fascination street
NOW we’re talking. I do enjoy this cover - a lil dark electro twist on The Cure’s phenomenal Fascination Street. A gloomy dancefloor hit. I think Jason’s voice lends itself so well to this.
20. godhead - this corrosion
Love this take on a Sisters belter. I think it really holds up. Some hardcore tradgoths not so onboard with the EBM-ification [1] of the classics may disagree, but I imagine they probably don’t like the original either for how overplayed it is. This is such a strong closer for me. Just as fucking long as the original too.
[1] Official term, I’ve decided
It did tickle me that a lot of my website’s colour scheme matches the CD booklet so closely - black circuitry backgrounds, white headers, and red text. It just works!
Another thing, completely unrelated, is that so many of these tracks are 10 years old. This isn’t a collection of fresh releases, remixes created just for this disc, or anything like that. So many of these range from 1993-1995. Just another layer of ‘just what the fuck is this CD’?? I really like it though and it introduced me to artists in my very early teens that would become extremely influential for me as I got older.
I’ve got to a point in my life where I’m referring to things being over a decade ago fairly regularly in regards to music (I’m 25 now, as of writing) which feels weird. This album turns 20 this year. Tracks on this album are over 30 years old. Maybe it feels so strange due to lost years to a pandemic, many of these songs sounding so fresh, me having such an attachment to artists both on this CD and covered on it, the fact I can distinctly remember posting MP3s on Tumblr of some of these songs (again, over 10 years ago). I don’t know. I’ve rambled enough about this one. I’m sentimental, sue me!
Favourite track: VNV Nation - DSMO, but it’s a tough choice
