Holy Smoke - Peter Murphy

Advantages: Dark and raw sound.
Disadvantages: Not the classic iron Maiden sound, less epic.

...This is probably one of the most unpopular Maiden albums, although it does contain their only number one single, "Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter." I think that the introduction of Janick Gers after Adrian Smith left was an inspired move - he added a new, slightly more ‘classic rock’ sound to the band, and the songs which they produce here are some of their best. The inspiration of Black Sabbath really shines through here, with dark, slightly bluesy songs representing a change from their earlier, more upbeat material. Outstanding tracks are the anthem "Bring your Daughter to the Slaughter", "Run Silent Run Deep", "The Assassin" and "Holy Smoke" "Holy Smoke" is an attack on televangelism, and has some great guitar work, with Bruce screaming much more harshly than he ever used to. Overall, the song is an aggressive return... Read review

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Advantages: 9 art rock classics
Disadvantages: er, the cover?

...Bauhaus - Kevin Haskins (drums), David Jay (bass), Peter Murphy (vocals) and Daniel Ash (guitar) - released their debut album in 1980, at the height of the indie boom. It's clear that Murphy had been aping Bowie with his vocal style, indeed critisicm of the band would be that they were no more than Bowie clones. That's essentially unfair, as this forgotten classic shows. Ash was a good guitarist in his own right, and this is as much his record as it is Murphy's. For 2-3 years Bauhaus (named after the 1930's German art movement) were just about the hippest alternative rock band in the UK. All the trendy 14 year olds at my secondary school were listening to them! Kicking of with "Double Dare", all screeching guitar, Murphy's dramatic vocals and thudding drumwork, leaving the listener in no doubt what to expect for the rest... Read review

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Advantages: Some classic tracks
Disadvantages: Inconsistent

...Bauhaus' final studio album from their 80s career feels very much like a collection of songs that was hastily put together, rather than a single, cohesive effort. The reason for this is that effectively that's how the album came about. some of the recordings were made without lead singer Peter Murphy being present, meaning that the other band members had to contribute vocals on a few of the tracks. Nevertheless there are some great songs on this album, most notably "She's in Parties", a quirky but almost poppy track which became probably the most famous on the album. However, the title track wears on you after a little while, and the songs do not seem to go together as well as they do on the band's earlier albums. "Burning from the Inside" is effectively a last spasmodic kick by a band that was already beginning to fall apart. I would... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful