Mask

Mask is my personal favorite Bauhaus album. This 40th anniversary vinyl edition is perfect. And when I say perfect, I mean zero surface noise, no scratches and virtually no static (which is rare for a new pressing - I usually have to clean a new vinyl album so it doesn’t stick to my platter when I pull it up). Clearly, it was pressed by a quality facility (or I just got very lucky). Anyway, based on my copy, I highly recommend it if you are a fan. If you’re new to Bauhaus, In The Flat Field may be a better choice.

This album hits a soft spot for me whenever I do see it shuffle on my mp3 player or in my box of CDs. It was, honestly my first album by Bauhaus that I first picked up and listened to before I started getting into goth. It was weird and strange and didn't understand it at the time. After the next listen I really started to love it. Later on in the future I have come to listen to the tracks on this album and had considered it one of my favorite Bauhaus albums. I can probably say that I enjoyed the experimental new free direction they were going for. It's to me like their most "Da-Daist," moment in their career. I love the flamboyancy in it, the strangeness, the glam. It has so many levels that I forget if I'm listening to the same album or a mix of their stuff.

A great album for casual or hardcore Bauhaus fans. You get the catchy and obscure well known hits such as "The Passion of Lovers", the catchy dancy "Kick in the Eye"(Album versions diff than hit version tho more guitars), The gloomy depressing "Hollow Hills", as well as the excellent obscure trip that is the title track "Mask". Then you get excellent yet catchy non hits such as the NON CURE like "Man With the X Ray Eyes", slightly sounds like the beginning bass on Skeletal Families "So Sure" many say sounds like Cures "Icing Sugar" but it doesn't and it is way before that ninties pile of crap.And the spoken word like Joy Division ish "Of Lilies and Remains". Then you get the obscure non hits like "Muscle in Plastic", and "In fear of Fear", more like early Cabaret Voltaire highly out there. This is a very diverse and progressive album for it's time. And I love how the lyrics make the most sense on this album like the inspiring "Hair of the Dog".For casual fans like me I reccomend this and the best of comp "Crackle" for hit versions of album songs such as the better version of "Kick in the Eye". The bonus tracks are interesting too.

This is by far my favorite album by these fellas. Cohesive and powerful. You cannot loose. Seriously...buy this album. Educate thy self.

Yes, my son was completely thrilled to receive Mask. He loves Bauhaus and had just seen him in concert.It arrived just in the nick of time for his birthday and was in excellent condition. It met all my expectations and I didn't have to spend a penny on gasoline for the car to get it. :-)

My favorite Bauhaus cd!

One of my favorite Bauhaus albums.

husband likes

Mask was the best studio album Bauhaus produced, so it's good that it has received the omnibus treatment. The extra two discs and booklet really give the big picture overview of what is now a minor classic, panned by most critics at the time.Bauhaus were unique in the post punk alternative landscape and approached their craft from many different directions, including influences from literature, theatre and art into their undeniably rock n roll sound. Thirty or so years later it's hard to see why the album provoked such negative reviews when it was released, so a short history lesson is required. At the start of the 1980s the British music press was struggling with the fragmentation of the the punk movement. It resulted in a dizzy form of trend hopping that continued to spin faster and faster as the decade went on. When this was released the press were still obsessed with the impact of Joy Division and the related emergence of synthesisers as a core instrument. Where bands on that path were earnest and introverted, Bauhaus were theatrical and challenging. They came across like a side show house of horrors against the grey backdrop of Thatcher's Britain. They were seen as pretentious and arty, but their live act was virtually unequalled at the time in terms of energy and entertainment value. The third disc of this set provides easily the best document of that side of the band. Better even that Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape, this show from Hammersmith Palais is an astonishing and exhausting run through their best tracks, played with real energy and commitment by a band at the peak of their creative power. It's worth the price of admission alone and the reason I picked this up.The second disc is a pleasant surprise. I expected a run of the mill collection of out takes and alternative versions, but what you get is an exploration of the dub side of the band - a side I hadn't appreciated much until now. They often threw in dub versions and spoken word pieces as b-sides, but when assembled in a single place you can appreciate the considerable skill they had in the studio. It's subject matter is where things can be difficult. It is all very film noir and ominous, but it's entertaining in the same way as Hammer horror films were, containing the same kind of camp self-consciouness that stops things from getting too serious. There is a lot of humour in the stuff Bauhaus did, but it's humour that's as black as coal and requires the listener to appreciate irony and surrealism - something seriously lacking in audiences (and a lot of other bands) at the time. I still don't get why they decided to cover Ziggy Stardust though. For me that's the low point of the disc and the band as a whole. It's just really obvious and dull.The first disc contains the Mask album intact. I would have left out Of Liiles and Remains and replaced it with Poison Pen if I was them, but it's a bit late now. It's a classic of dark surrealistic rock: part Black Sabbath, part dub and part death disco. Like Public Image Ltd without the nihilism. Or Chic doing a vampire horror sountrack. No shades of grey to depress you, just black on black with flashes of strobing white. Not many other bands would open up with the Peter Gunn Theme and use it as the riff for a song about obsessive self destruction then finish the album with a pretty sounding piece of mock harpsicord like Bach writing the score for the apocalyse.So that's it. Apart from a couple of personal points of taste, I recommend this one to anyone with an interest in the band. As I say, disc three is where the real treasure lies, but there's plenty of black gold to be found in the rest. Get drilling.

I payed £10.99 for this superb package and would have been happy to pay a little more as its so good. The discs come in replica card sleeves which in turn fit nicely into a sturdy A5 box.The first disc contains the original album with no bonus tracks which I like because the extras can often dilute the quality of treasured recording. This album is considered by many to be their finest. I am not sure about that but anyway you look at it, its still a very good album. Disc 2 contains alternative/rough/dub mixes of Mask tracks aswell as a few other things which vary in quality. Overall, a very listenable extras disc featuring 17 tracks. Disc 3 is a real treat. A live recording from 1981 which I believe to be far superior to press the eject button. On top of that you get a nice booklet. This is how it should be done. A great package.

WOW! This 3 CD box set truly reprises the excitement that you used to get with special edition vinyl albums- a sense I've never had with any previous CD purchase. From the artwork, to the glossy brochure that includes all the lyrics, down to the little plastic sleeves protecting each CD in its individually designed outer sleeve. This is a pleasure to use and own, and would be a great gift for any Bauhaus fan! The outtakes track is just brilliant - particularly 1-2-3-4 which I had never heard before and makes me laugh every time I hear it! FISHCAKES!! :-)

when first time play, the sound is terrible , but after several times play, it is ok!! maybe stylus and record break in

I love the other records and this is just as good!!