Jump to content

Gothic rock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 128.193.88.1 (talk) at 09:11, 5 December 2005 (→Bands). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the musical style of gothic rock. For the goth scene in general, see goth.

Template:Altrock Gothic rock evolved out of post punk during the late 1970s. Originally considered just a label for a small handful of punk rock/post punk bands, goth only began to be defined as a separate movement in 1981. While most punk bands focused on aggressive, outward rock, the early gothic bands were more introverted and personal, with elements that can be traced to much older literary movements such as gothic horror, Romanticism, existential philosophy, and the philosophical construct of nihilism. The earliest gothic bands were Bauhaus (whose song "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is said to have created the gothic scene), The Cult, and Fields of the Nephilim.

First generation (c. 1979–c. 1985)

Associating the goth subculture with the first generation of gothic bands can be a bit controversial. This is because "gothic" started out as a label and these groups labeled as such were part of the greater punk/post punk/new wave scene. The result is that not all of the punks and new wavers who liked these groups were necessarily a part of the goth scene. Associating these early bands with goth may spark angry protests from fans who are not goths and don't want their favorite band associated with goth. Several bands, including The Sisters of Mercy, do not consider themselves part of the goth movement even most of their fans may be goths. This even happens with some of the bands that came around after goth started turning into a distinct subculture and the band in question were very much involved in it (for example Alien Sex Fiend), despite being actively a part of the scene will get denied gothic rock status. However, regardless of the controversy surrounding this use of labels, these early groups are where gothic rock had its origins.

Each of the early bands had much in common with the punk movement, though any similarity with punk was owed to the fact that that was the scene from which they were emerging, and were attempting (whether consciously or unconsciously) to leave behind. What is most notable about the core early 1980s post punk bands is that, typical to their punk roots, they had a general distaste for labels, presumably seeing such things as anathema to creative expression [1]. In recent years, the tendency has swung almost entirely the other way, with many bands being quick to label themselves as goth.

With some exceptions, such as Christian Death from Los Angeles, the Virgin Prunes from Ireland, and Xmal Deutschland from Germany, most of these first gothic rock groups were British.

Early goth bands in the United Kingdom

The first post punk/new wave groups later to be labeled gothic were Joy Division and Siouxsie & the Banshees in 1979. They seem to have been a part of a wave of bands developing a haunting sound between 1978 and 1979, two other examples of this trend were Public Image Ltd and Killing Joke. Though these groups may not have been part of the goth scene that sprung up a few years later, they were very influential. Among influential albums by Siouxsie & the Banshees would be everything put out between their debut album The Scream (1978) and Nocturne (1983). Joy Division were short lived and did not leave much of a legacy because their vocalist Ian Curtis committed suicide, but the two albums they put out, Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980), were both gothic in sound and also influential. The remaining members of Joy Division became New Order and New Order's first album Movement (1981) continued Joy Division's influential gothic style. New Order afterwards turned into a New Wave/dance group but not before the British press began slamming gothic rock groups, such as Danse Society, as New Order rip offs.

As the gothic label began to stick to Joy Division and Siouxsie & the Banshees in 1979; then came Bauhaus, originally called Bauhaus 1919. They started out wearing plain jeans and t-shirts, but after appearing on the same bill as Gloria Mundi (who looked and sounded gothic yet remained unknown since nobody ever saw them), Bauhaus ended up having a make over, dressing in all black and wearing make up. Strongly influenced by English Glam rock, such as David Bowie and T. Rex, Bauhaus's debut single Bela Lugosi's Dead released in late 1979, is considered to be the gothic anthem that sparked several people to follow in their gothic footsteps.

More bands came along in 1980-1981; among them were Danse Society, Theatre of Hate, Play Dead, and The Sisters of Mercy. In February 1981, Abbo from UK Decay jokingly labeled this emerging movement gothic and so it went from being a label for a few bands to a label for a movement. UK Decay started out as a punk band in the late 1970s and, though they sounded very gothic since their beginning, they became more important in the emerging scene of the early 1980s.

The Cure also started developing their own goth sound. Their contribution to the goth genre is centered around Faith, Seventeen Seconds, Pornography and Disintegration (1989). This sound originated from the song "Three Imaginary Boys" on the first album (Three Imaginary Boys, 1979), which is generally considered closer to being a New Wave album.

Echo and the Bunnymen were another early post punk outfit that would bear substantial influence on the gothic look and sound, particularly with the album Crocodiles (1980) and songs like 'Happy Death Men'.

The origins of gothic fashion can be traced to Siouxsie & the Banshees, Bauhaus, and The Cure, though some mention should be given to The Damned, a 1977 punk band whos lead singer Dave Vanian dressed up as a vampire for kicks. Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Cure have retained their goth imagery throughout their careers, but their music has strayed from the gothic style. After the Nocturne album, Siouxsie's output shifted to softer focus on gothic themes. Bauhaus remained a consistently gothic band up until their break up in 1983. Some members of Bauhaus had a side project called Tones on Tail and continued with it during the mid 1980's, releasing gothic music influenced strongly by Pet Sounds-era The Beach Boys and psychedelia.

Early Gary Numan material from Tubeway Army to The Pleasure Principle can be considered goth. The use of analog synthesizers and subject matter were a definite influence on later goth bands. His imagery & fashion have influenced contemporary goth Cyberpunk fashion.

1982 saw gothic rock turn into a full on sub-culture, not just because of the emergence of bands like Gene Loves Jezebel, Sex Gang Children, Southern Death Cult, March Violets, Specimen, and Alien Sex Fiend, but because it saw the opening of the Batcave in London, a venue with the purpose of reinventing David Bowie's style of glam rock with a darker, horror-type twist. Some members of gothic rock bands began hanging out there and it ended up becoming the prototype goth club. By 1984, music played by the DJs there ranged from Siouxsie, the Cramps, Sweet, Specimen, Eddie Cochran, and Death Cult. 1982-83 also saw the gothic rock scene gaining a lot of media attention from the British press and venues similar to the Batcave started popping up all over England.

Early goth bands in America and Canada

From the late seventies onward, the Death Rock movement in Los Angeles, California was on the rise, with such bands as Christian Death (formed 1979), Gun Club (1981), 45 Grave, and Kommunity FK (c. 1983). At the time that Christian Death were recording their debut album Only Theatre of Pain in 1982, frontman Rozz Williams knew of the goth scene in England but had not yet heard any of those bands. Christian Death soon became popular in France and started touring Europe and England in 1984. Their second two albums Catastrophe Ballet and Ashes showed more direct influence from goth as Rozz Williams became interested in surrealism and the dada movement. The Gun Club also started playing in Europe and England a lot, often opening up for the Sisters of Mercy.

The power-industrial outfit Swans emerged in 1981 from the same N.Y. No Wave scene that included Suicide (extremely influential prototype of later Industrial and dark electronic bands), Lydia Lunch/Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and Sonic Youth. The Swan's high-octane, raw, black sludgery characterized their first Filth EP and LP, released in 1982/83. Their sound quickly evolved into an industrial dirge synth-waltz (1989's The Burning World, 1991's White Light From the Mouth of Inifinity, and 1992's Love of Life), and today M. Gira's Swans remain one of the most influential and acclaimed gothic bands ever to have struck the scene.

cEvin Key's and Nivek Ogre's Skinny Puppy (formed c. 1982), were also doing their "thing", quite apart from the Death Rock scene. Whilst all of these groups began as quite distinct from goth, they soon began to be equated with it, and are now recognised as strong early influences. Many fans of early gothic rock are embracing a Death Rock revival, as a return to the original music and fashions of the first generation of goth.

Early goth bands in Europe and Australia

Goth was as much a continental European phenomenon as it was British or American. At the same time bands like Bauhaus and Christian Death were forming in those countries, dark bands such as Einstürzende Neubauten (1980), Xmal Deutschland (1980), Die Krupps (1981), and Pink Turns Blue were forming in Germany. Belgium gave rise to electronic body music (EBM) with influence from bands such as Kraftwerk and the early EBM band Front 242 (1981). Amsterdam soon joined in with Clan of Xymox, who formed in 1983. Subsequently, Germany is now home to the largest modern gothic festival, the yearly Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, which began in 1992.

Australia and New Zealand also deserve mention. The emerging movement there was characterized by Nick Cave's second band, The Birthday Party (c. 1979 and later moving to London) and other post-punk collectives like Fetus Productions (also called The Features/The Fetals, c.1979), who as of 2004 were still holding art museum exhibits for their controversial depictions of deformed human beings. From the New Zealand Film Archive site: "Operating as an audio-visual company from 1980-1989, Fetus Productions were part of a small global 'industrial' culture network, which included Throbbing Gristle in Britain, and Survival Research Laboratories on the West Coast of America. They released seven albums, designed clothing, wrote manifestos, made films, and challenged the parameters of music and art, blending pop, industrial and philosophical methodologies. Their work attacked advertising's promulgation of perfect images and perfect bodies using images of medical misadventure and mutation."

Second generation (c. 1985–c. 1995)

In the UK this period saw goth bands at their most popular, and the subculture at its largest extent. Throughout the '80s, there was much cross-pollination between the European goth subcultures, the Death Rock movement, and the New Romantic (New Wave) movement. The rise in popularity of rock music in the mid-eighties, was mirrored by the rise of gothic rock, most notably in the form of the seminal goth rock bands, The Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim (1984), a new version of Christian Death (1985), The Mission (1986), and Mephisto Walz (c.1987) founded by former Christian Death composer / guitarist Barry Galvin (alias Bari Bari), Galvin defined the dark droning style of Christian Death on the album Atrocities, the songs of which he composed and later transferred to the Mephisto Waltz repertoire.

Around 1985, the post punk era came to an end and many of the first generation gothic groups either disbanded or changed their style. That era closes with The Sisters of Mercy's debut album First and Last and Always (1985) which cracked the British top ten and is a good picture of the transition between first and second generation goth. Despite the fact that they had formed in 1980, the Sisters would prove to be very influential on the second generation. Vocalist Andrew Eldritch had a voice very different from any of the other first generation gothic rock groups and by the late 1980's was labeled the "Godfather of goth". The Sisters of Mercy were also the first among the gothic rock groups to use a drum machine, along with the March Violets, who, like the Sisters, were also from Leeds, England. The drum machine seems to have been a unique feature of goth bands coming out of Leeds (the Three Johns and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry are good examples) and became much more common during the second generation. The drum machine continues to be common in goth music to this day.

It was during the second wave of goth that the term and the style became noticed outside of a few tight-knit circles. The term began to appear in mainstream British publications like The Face and the NME, fanzines and goth-only clubs began to spring up in the tradition of London's Batcave which was still going strong). The 1983 vampire film "The Hunger" starred David Bowie and featured an appearance by Bauhaus, cementing the relationship between glam, horror, goth and mainstream in a way that influenced much of the second generation. Several goth magazines arose during this time, the first possibly being Propaganda (though it later became a softcore gay porn magazine). Goth zines split their direction in much the same way that the scene itself did; earlier magazines such as Permission were allied to the punk roots of goth, and tended to veer towards industrial music as the years went on, while later magazines such as Carpe Noctem focused more on the lace-and-poetry romantic sound, setting the stage for the "spooky kids" of the third wave.

By 1987, gothic groups started to emerge in Toronto and Montreal, Canada. Those achieving acclaim include: Disappointed a Few People (Montreal 1986) and Masochistic Religion (Toronto, 1988?-2003) whose signer, Mitch Kroll, relocated to Montreal and is still active as a musician but the band is now dormant. Masochistic Religion also included the singer from Armed and Hammered, the Guitarist from technicolour rain coats and a member from Ichor. Toronto band Exovedate signed with German record label Pandaimonium Records and their third CD "Seduced by Illusions" received airplay in Australia, Russia, the United States, Brazil, Guam, Germany, and Canada.

Among these bands, and included in the scene was a fledgling Industrial scene which included D.H.I. (Death and Horror Inc.) (Fringe Records), Digital Poodle, and Dog Pile who achieved rather formidable acclaim in the Netherlands.

Contemporary dance club goth evolved simultaneously with industrial music, and both use the same techniques and types of synthesis equipment. The main difference is that industrial is "harder" sounding, and goth is "softer" sounding. Modern goth often has the evolutionary feel of New Wave music or synth pop, while industrial is an evolution of noise music and Musique concrète.

Third generation (mid-1990s– present)

The mid-1990s would see gothic rock somewhat merge with industrial music, with industrial bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Razed in Black. Mention must be given to the New York band Type O Negative and the Pennsylvania band Fields of Aplomb, whose metallic style draws heavily on the supposed gothic influences of black magic, fetishism, and depression.

Glam rock diverged into death glam, assimilating some of the visual elements of goth while retaining the frantic lollypop essence of Glam Rock with a dark theme, with bands like Marilyn Manson (formed as Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids).

With the arrival of Manson, the 'goth' movement has become more mainstream in popularity in the United States and has brought the "goth-not goth" debate to a head. Many people—including a large number of 'traditional' goths—balk at the claim that Manson or Mansonites are goths. Indeed to say as much is to commit heresy in many gothic circles. To them, Spooky Kids (as fans of the band have also been dubbed) are just not goth.

Others say that with many Mansonites consistently identifying themselves as goths, they speak for the movement, however much some may wish to deny them a place. Seeking a middle-ground, others have begun to accept a distinction between goth and goth-friendly, and placing Manson and his ilk in the latter category.

Another genre of music sometimes associated with the goth subculture is gothic metal, which combines medieval gothic music with heavy doom metal. Goth metal is often described as sounding like Beauty and the Beast because of the characteristic duets between operatic female vocals and male death metal vocals, however, traditional gothic male voices can be heard in goth metal bands like Paradise Lost. Some of the key bands in this area are Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Theatre of Tragedy, Tristania, Skeptical Minds and Lacuna Coil. As with Manson, above, it is hotly debated whether this genre is really part of the goth subculture; most goths will have nothing to do with it as goth and metal are very different.

In the UK, of equal importance was the gradual rise of cybergoth first developing at Slimelight, arguably the most famous and longest running goth club in the world, currently based in a disused industrial complex in Islington, London.

Cybergoth developed in the late 1990s, the term influenced by cyberpunk writers such as William Gibson, as a new breed of gothic fashion/lifestyle. With influences from rave culture, industrial music and anime, the neon hair extensions, glowsticks, bright make up and clothes, and love of upbeat music sets this somewhat apart from the "mainstream" goth movement. Cybergoth bands include Goteki, Action Directe, Sheep on Drugs and Apoptygma Berzerk.

Goth, as a concept, continues to evolve and develop in the 21st century with legendary bands such as Gene Loves Jezebel releasing new material into the new millennium. Notable mention should also include The New Creatures, a gothic rock band out of New York City who has been playing and recording since the late 1980's and now continues to change within their own style. Each incarnation of the band has maintained the gothic sound while pushing the envelope of the gothic genre into the new millennium .

Musical predecessors (1960s–1970s or Earlier)

  • David Bowie and glam rock. Elements of the seventies glam subculture helped influence goth both musically and visually. As goth broke further away from punk, the androgynous look, which Bauhaus favoured, developed, and was taken even further by bands like Alien Sex Fiend and their followers. David Bowie's androgynous appearance, love of melodrama and his use of dark themes meant he had a major influence on many early goth bands. His songs frequently appeared on the Batcave playlists. Bowie had also described his Diamond Dogs (1974) album as gothic when it first came out.
  • The Velvet Underground (1960s), whose dark and depressing sound and themes were frequently referenced by early goth bands, especially by Siouxsie & the Banshees. Joy Division performed a cover version of "Sister Ray", and Christian Death covered "Venus in Furs". Nico, who performed with the Velvets, is sometimes considered the first Gothic Rock artist.
  • The Doors influenced the Los Angeles emergence of Death Rock, particularly with the album Strange Days (1967). Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen were also suggested to have borrowed The Doors' sound. The Bunnymen's cover of "People Are Strange" is included in the film (as well as on the film's soundtrack) The Lost Boys. A 2000 album on Cleopatra Records, Darken My Fire: A Gothic Tribute to The Doors, featured covers by bands such as Mephisto Walz, Ex Voto, Alien Sex Fiend, and The Mission UK. The New Creatures, heavily influenced by The Doors, also took their name from a book of poetry by Jim Morrison.
  • Alice Cooper is also worth acknowledging. Despite rarely being considered goth music, they were key influences in the darker trend rock music began to take and have continued to take. Alien Sex Fiend in particular were Cooper fans. Generally speaking, musicians like Cooper only set the stage for makeup wearing as acceptable among youth subcultural groups.
  • T-Rex, another glam rock band and peers of David Bowie. Marc Bolan's style and lyrics were extremely influential. Records of early playlists from the Batcave include T-Rex tunes, and Bauhaus recorded a cover of "Telegram Sam" which appeared on their debut record, In the Flat Fields.
  • The progressive rock band, Genesis, also showed strong elements of glam rock in the early 1970's. The music often consisted of twisted lyrics with dark and medieval sounding instrumental arrangements. Peter Gabriel's pale makeup, partially shaved head, extravagant and often androgynous costumes as well as his unusual stage persona would also become a predecessor of the gothic look later expanded upon by artists like Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor.
  • Honorable mention can also go to Black Sabbath, whose early work featured a sinister tone that some goth bands would appropriate as a means of darkening their sound. It is widely believed that Black Sabbath were the creators of Doom Metal, which eventually spawned gothic metal. Such gothic metal bands as Type O Negative often refer to Black Sabbath as both gothic and significant inspiration.

Musical arrangements

Early English goth rock follows a standard hard rock lineup, but often adds synthesizers, or at least guitar effects that sound like synths. The front person strategy varies, because the music is more introspective than high energy hard rock:

  • Singer/front-person
  • Guitar player
  • Bass player
  • Drummer
  • Synth player

Contemporary goth music is generally sequenced, making heavy use of FM & digital synthesizers. It is characterized by a crisp snare drum sample and a heavy bass drum sample. The auto-arpeggiate feature of modern synthesizers is used in often complex sounding multiple simultaneous arpeggiations. Vocals tend to be either spooky or lovelorn.

Lyrics are generally very poetic in nature, and follow melodies in the instrumentation of the song.

Guitar settings are the most notable influence to the overall musical style. Single coil pickups are important to achieve the correct sound, Fender Jazzmasters, Jaguars, & Mustangs fit the bill nicely. The guitar sound before processing ranges from clean, to warm overdrive with gain settings at approx 50%. Dynamics to this can include just turning all amp knobs to the right for chaotic amp-driven sounds found in some Bauhaus & Siouxsie material. For the most part, the combination of the following effects will give you this sound:

Bass is very warm and round sounding, and often uses chorus and/or flange effects.

Drums tend to be played by a human with an electronic kit, BPM ranges are from 80-150.

Synths usually have the above listed guitar attributes, and are generally based on a 'Strings' type of synth patch with a 25% attack rate. Analog synthesizers are almost universally used.

  • Song composition utilizes the 1-4-5 scalular progressions that typify rock & roll music, but are often augmented or diminished.
  • Minor key themes are prevalent, but major keys are not shunned.
  • Composition is usually guitar oriented, and follows surf music-like vertical scales, rather than blues-like horizontal scales.
  • Focal points are often on the two semitonal increments of the particular scale.
  • Various octave fingerings are often substituted for chords.
  • Playing style is generally all downstrokes, to create the 'sound'.

This type of gothic rock requires a fairly capable musician, as it will often include modal scales in song construction. Additionally, finger picking & up/down arpeggiation of chords will be found in many verse parts.

==Bands== (Core representative bands; Includes Death Rock, darkwave, and other genres directly associated with the gothic music scene)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gothic_rock&oldid=30206200"