Peter Murphy Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
Peter Murphy took six years in between his fifth and sixth solo albums, although the Recall EP and the live effort Alive Just for Love captured what would eventually come next. His 1995 release Cascade tested his dark rock & roll roots while adding musical elements of the Eastern world. It was stylishly optimistic and sonically gorgeous, typical Murphy. By the new millennium, he reinvented himself. Dust marked his spanking new sound, naturally and tastefully. Murphy and world instrumentalist Mercan Dede went for a vast mix of prog rock, trance, and classical music on Dust. Murphy's lyrical depth transforms into individual dreamscapes, particularly on the tribal beats of "Things to Remember." Murphy's spoken-word chant tangos the song's chorus for Dust to rouse a raw desire. The rhythm escalates with a backing section made of distinguished Turkish and Canadians musicians. Violinist Hugh Marsh and jazz bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma guide Murphy's lyrical visions to a higher, spiritual place. "Your Face" is a swaggering mix of electronic textures, hauntingly similar to the dark beauty of Murphy's first album, Should the World Fail to Fall Apart. Older tracks "My Last Two Weeks" and the epilogue of "Subway" are reworked as well. Murphy has bravely restructured the simplicities of each song, introducing a massy richness. Dust itself materializes into a new chapter for Murphy. He's crafted a successful solo career to his own liking, never sticking to one formula. Dust is a stunning look into his exotic, sharp imagination and a vibrant effort for those who've watched him evolve. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
'Alive Just for Love'
Release Date 7/31/2001
Tracks 18
Label Metropolis
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
After the monumental Bauhaus reunion tour in late 1998, Peter Murphy quickly jumped back into his solo work, making around the U.S. during the new millennium. He didn't have a label or industry support, just the love of his fans. And in celebration of their dedication, Murphy issued a best-of collection on Beggars Banquet and took to the stage. Two successful legs surprised Murphy, and his expanding fan base as well. For everyone instantly took to his new musical boundaries of Middle Eastern authenticities while forever appreciating his solo hits. To thank his loyal fans, Murphy issued his eighth album Alive Just for Love in summer 2001. Now with a new record deal (Metropolis), and a fresh fervor, this double-disc reflects the intimate evening captured at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles.The songs were stripped and delicately approached while Murphy's harkening vocals never sounded so lush. Accompanied by Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros) on guitar and violin virtuoso Hugh Marsh, Alive Just for Love highlights personal appeal and intricate acoustic beauty on favorites like "All Night Long" and "Marlene Dietrich's Favourite Poem," however new song "Cool Cool Breeze" exudes a sweet airiness to Murphy's approach to songwriting. "Keep Me From Harm" from 1994's Holy Smoke glitters with Marsh's violin plucking composing a new-fangled sneakiness to the song itself. "Cuts You Up" slides fragile bow guitar licks with Murphy's hushing vocals, bringing the most cheers of adoration from the crowd. Disc two is short with a rare performance by Bauhaus mate David J. on "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight" and "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything." Humble and enjoying his cult-like status, Peter Murphy appears grateful for what he does for a living. He's a perfectionist, but with added humility. Alive Just for Love personifies that exact thing. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Hopes for another surprise American success from Peter Murphy with Deep's follow-up went unfulfilled, as success proved not to be the case; released in the initial craze of the grunge/alternative mega-crossover, Smoke's elegant ballads and angular, arty rockers simply didn't fit in. Taken on its own merits, though, Smoke is quite a strong release, avoiding any cloning of Deep or "Cuts You Up" in favor of a different approach meant to bring out the band's live power more directly. Producer Mike Thorne gets some great performances out of them and Murphy both, giving the album a crisp, solid punch throughout, even during its quieter moments. The album is like Deep in one important respect -- variety, which is showcased successfully throughout. "Low Room" was an especially powerful blast, the band firing out a choppy, strong rhythm as Murphy almost barks his lyrics; similar, if not as totally successful, energy appeared with "Kill the Hate" and "Dream Gone By." On the quieter tip, "Let Me Love You," the understated drive of "Our Secret Garden," and the lovely opener "Keep Me From Harm" are all fine showcases for Murphy at his most love-drunk. "The Sweetest Drop" was the lead single, but better choices would have been "You're So Close," with an anthemic, stunning chorus and a flat-out brilliant vocal, and the cleverly titled "Hit Song." Murphy's dramatic singing, concluding in a duet with guest singer Alison Limerick's lovely falsetto, makes it all the more enjoyable. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having assembled, for touring purposes, what would soon be his formal backing band, the Hundred Men, and more specifically, having found a new key songwriting collaborator in ex-B. Movie keyboardist Paul Statham, Murphy created his most elegant post-Bauhaus effort to date. Love Hysteria had definite Bowie echoes, though the feeling was more late-'70s Berlin-era than Ziggy glam. That said, with his band turning in a variety of bright, lively performances and with sympathetic production from ex-Fall member/arranger Simon Rogers, Murphy matched the music with flair, his voice even more of a passionate croon than a powerful howl. Lead single "All Night Long" was something of an American breakthrough hit; its upbeat rock drive and lush keyboards are a perfect bed for Murphy's performance. Other moments, such as the ringing acoustic/electric guitar combinations on "Indigo Eyes" and "Dragnet Drag," take Murphy even further away from Bauhaus' shadow, though "His Circle and Hers Meet" and "Blind Sublime" have a brusquer energy. The definite highlights of the album are two majestic ballads: "Time Has Got Nothing to Do With It," with a fine Statham synth line matching Murphy's soaring vocals; and "My Last Two Weeks," a simply wonderful romantic sentiment. If his lyrics now sometimes have the feeling of formal philosophical pronouncements, the sense of style with which he sings them saves the performances more often than not. Closing with a fun romp through Iggy Pop's "Funtime," saluting another one of Murphy's old heroes with an appropriately strong vocal and amusing horror-movie samples, Love Hysteria shows Murphy fully coming into his own as a performer. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following the Holy Smoke tour, the Hundred Men disbanded, with only Statham remaining as Murphy's main songwriting partner. Along with the help of producer Pascal Gabriel and some good session players, including extra "infinite guitar" from cult musician Michael Brook, Murphy created the marvelous Cascade. Another step further up in Murphy's continuing embrace of generally positive, inspiring work, Cascade shows him once again not repeating himself, aside perhaps from the sprightly, acoustic guitar-led "The Scarlet Thing in You." Otherwise, the music this time is generally lush and electronic, emphasizing Statham's atmospherics and melodies to their fullest. "Subway" is a good example, with Statham's synth strings creating a striking air for both the band's performance and Murphy's own passionate vocals, which cheekily quote the old Petula Clark hit "Don't Sleep in the Subway." "Gliding Like a While," which immediately follows it, is just as vast and powerful, a strong guitar/electronics arrangement giving Murphy the opportunity to deliver an equally compelling lyric and chorus. More upfront rockers haven't been left out of the equation: "Disappearing" builds a slow crunch reminiscent of his cover of "The Light Pours Out of Me," while "Wild Birds Flock to Me" has a good charge to it, accentuated by some fine backing vocals. Arguably Murphy's best song yet appears smack dab at the album's center: "I'll Fall With Your Knife." With a slightly quirky Statham keyboard loop starting things out, it develops from a minimal vocal/electric guitar combination into a huge, skybound declaration of love and devotion. It's Murphy at his most commanding and passionate, and the band's brilliant performance doesn't let up a jot. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Perhaps the stars were right, or perhaps his American company, flush from the unexpected success of Murphy's former bandmates in Love and Rockets, just decided to give Murphy a well-deserved publicity push. Whatever it was, with Deep Murphy scored an honest to goodness American radio/MTV hit thanks to the tender, lively "Cuts You Up," a love song with solid energy and an inspired vocal. It was a perfect calling card for the album as a whole, with Murphy in excelsis throughout and his Hundred Men providing everything from the lush, acoustic guitar wash of "Marlene Dietrich's Favorite Poem" to the stripped-down Arabic-tinged funk/hip-hop punch of the commanding "Roll Call." Through it all, Murphy simply sounds like he's having the time of his life, singing both for the sheer joy of it and for the dramatic power of his commanding voice. He's even comfortable enough to do an open rewrite of Bauhaus' "In the Flat Field," renamed "The Line Between the Devil's Teeth"; it has almost the same verse structure, definitely some of the same lyrics, but still, it's something he could have only done in his solo days. Quite why nothing else on the album connected with the public as strongly as "Cuts You Up" is a mystery; its follow-up single, "A Strange Kind of Love," was a striking love song, with acoustic guitar and plaintive Statham keyboards supporting one of Murphy's strongest lyrics and performances. Regardless, Deep showed Murphy balancing mass appeal and his own distinct art with perfection. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Should the World Fail to Fall Apart'
Release Date 1/1/1986
Tracks 10
Label Beggars Banquet
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Following the collapse of Dali's Car, Murphy embarked on a solo career in earnest, fortuitously hooking up with Howard Hughes, who had been working with fellow cult artists the Associates. With 4AD label head Ivo Watts-Russell drafted in to produce and guest musicians popping in as desired, Murphy and Hughes created a slightly fragmentary but still intriguing record. Caught between his recent past (the use of fretless bass on "Canvas Beauty" was a dead giveaway that he missed working with Mick Karn) and his eventual solo successes, Murphy concentrates here mostly on breaking free of the goth stereotype in which he had found himself trapped. His vocal passion isn't diminished in the slightest, but this time the music over which he sings is generally lighter and freer in tone; he himself handles drum programming, core guitar parts, and keyboard lines while Hughes takes care of the rest. The quietly anthemic title track and "God Sends" stand out as thorough successes on these lines. Two covers also crop up, both worthy of note: A solid run-through of Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me" with that band's guitarist John McGeoch; more noteworthy is a fierce rip on Pere Ubu's "Final Solution." The ghosts of Bauhaus do crop up at points, most notably "Never Man," with haunting backing vocals and a generally creepy feeling. Meanwhile, "The Answer Is Clear" has a more direct connection, with none other than Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash contributing some fine feedback squalls. Ironically enough, the song itself is a pointed response to Ash's own recent Tones on Tail song "The Movement of Fear," which Murphy took as an attack on himself! ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
