VIA PRESS RELEASE | Leaving Records, in partnership with Stones Throw Records, will release ‘The Bela Session’ by Bauhaus on November 23rd worldwide on vinyl and digital platforms.
‘The Bela Session’ captures the first time Bauhaus recorded together, just six weeks after forming as a band, on January 26th, 1979. This is the first release of that complete recording session featuring all five tracks, three of which are previously unreleased (all track listing information is included below). This also marks the first official reissue of the single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” on vinyl for over thirty years, as well as the first time the studio recording will be officially available on DSPs. The audio has been newly mastered from the original analogue tape by Mandy Parnell at Black Saloon Studios (Björk, Brian Eno, Aphex Twin).
Bauhaus are a four-piece from Northampton, England, composed of Peter Murphy (vocals, occasional instruments), Daniel Ash (guitar), Kevin Haskins (drums), and David J (bass). Venerated and highly influential, the band emerged from the post-punk alternative music scene of the early ’80s with a string of innovative albums and a powerfully dramatic live presentation. Their music embodies a minimalistic gloomy style of post-punk rock driven by jagged guitar chords and cold, distant synthesizers.
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is considered the original gothic rock record and a cornerstone of the genre. Originally released in 1979 on Small Wonder Records, “Bela” failed to make the pop charts but remained a staple of the U.K. independent singles chart for many years. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” has widely influenced contemporary goth culture as well as popular culture at large. Among many highlights, a live recording of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” was the iconic soundtrack to the opening scene of 1983 horror film The Hunger (starring David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve, and Susan Sarandon); it’s been covered by Nine Inch Nails, Massive Attack, Nouvelle Vague, Chvrches and others; cited as an influence on authors Chuck Palahniuk and Neil Gaiman; used on Saturday Night Live’s skit “Goth Talk”; and the band itself was parodied on Beavis & Butthead and South Park.
Three months after releasing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” in August 1979, the group signed with influential U.K. indie label, 4AD who released their debut album In The Flat Field. They then moved to the larger parent company, Beggars Banquet and between 1981 and 1983 released three studio albums, peaking at #15 (UK) with their cover of David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.” After disbanding in 1983, members of the band went on to form Love And Rockets and Tones On Tail while Peter Murphy enjoyed a successful solo career.
Bauhaus | The Bela Session
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead” – 9:36
“Some Faces” – 2:29 – previously unreleased
“Bite My Hip”– 2:57 – previously unreleased yet later reworked, re-recorded, and released as “Lagartija Nick” in 1983
“Harry” – 2:56 – later released as a B-side in 1982
“Boys (Original)” – 3:03 – previously unreleased, later re-recorded and released as the B-side of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”
