Throbbing Gristle Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
Why is it in 2007 that Throbbing Gristle -- the once-feared monolith of cultural warriors from the outlaw zone -- no longer sound frightening, disturbing, or, for the most part, even interesting? Certainly the industrial music and technology they pioneered has come so far as to implode and leave behind it a trail of diehards clamoring for more, but more of what? It's true that Coil, Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson's project with the late John Balance, was a far more unsettling unit, picking up from where TG left off and taking it into the black light of the void. Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti's solo and joint projects with electronic and electro-acoustic music resonated with dancefloor crowds as well as art students, and continue to move ever so carefully quietly and decidedly forward in their sonic research. Genesis P-Orridge (now "Breyer P. Orridge") has succeeded in turning himself into a living experiment at becoming a truly omnisexual being. Musically, his Psychic TV output in the '80s was rather dismal, though his collaborations with others such as Monte Cazazza, David Tibet, Diana Rogerson and others were a might compelling. But Part Two: Endless Not -- improperly using a holy Tibetan Buddhist symbol for the interconnected nature of the spiritual path and the flow of time and movement within the eternal -- is, actually, ridiculous. There is nothing remotely compelling about this reunion album except for the backing jazz fragments on "Rabbit Snare," thanks to Tutti's trumpet playing. This is the same track, however where Genesis sings "Why are you scared?" There's nothing remotely scary, disturbing or otherwise even noteworthy about the cut except its infernal length: five seconds shy of nine minutes. On "Separated" and "Above and Beyond," there's a bit of the old paranoid ambience courtesy of trumpets and echoey samples, rail-yard sonics and other detritus from the aural world that recalls the original TG, the one that appeared on 20 Jazz Funk Greats. "Greasy Spoon" too has its moments, and resembles things on Second Annual Report, but the songs are simply too rhythmic and go on for too long. "Endless Not" feels like a song from a bunch of adolescents who can't make up their mind whether they want to be Pink Floyd or the Stranglers. "After the Fall," the brief closing track, is the most moving and beautiful thing here. It not only offers a glimpse of what TG were on occasion -- of what made these gorgeous little ambient cuts so sinister in their emotional beauty -- but where they might have gone if they'd forgotten about their reputation and just made noise together. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One of the more strange entries in the Throbbing Gristle catalog, though not one of their best, Grief offers two LP-side-long collages of various rumblings and tweakings and other electronic noises, even half a minute of "Subhuman," with several interviews with Throbbing Gristle's leader, Genesis P-Orridge, and occasional interjections from other bandmembers. Most of the interviews are put though various effects boxes, lots of echoing, and other distortions that make them quite difficult to follow, and other times two different dialogues are going on at once. It's too bad, because at times what P-Orridge has to say is quite fascinating, like when he talks about censorship and his troubles of mailing pornographic postcards or going through William S. Burroughs' archives of old tape experiments. A bit less on the effects and sounds would have been an improvement. Everything is piled on top of each other haphazardly for one chaotic soup of noise that is really too confusing to be effective. This comes off too much like the work of stoned college sophomores with a multi-track and too much time on their hands. ~ Rolf Semprebon, All Music Guide
'The First Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle'
Release Date 5/21/2001
Tracks 6
Label Yeaah!
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This legendary recording from Genesis P-Orridge's Throbbing Gristle reached an almost mythical status in the industrial music scene until its belated issue in 2001. So the story goes, the album was recorded in 1975 and was held back by the group, opting to debut with Second Annual Report, the album which established Throbbing Gristle as the primary influence on what would later be termed the industrial music scene in 1977. This seminal recording displays the early abrasive sound of the group from the start with the 18-minute "Very Friendly." This blast of static noise pummels the listener for the best part of 15 minutes, in which Genesis P-Orridge spins a horrifying tale of murder in his deadpan delivery, which is absolutely terrifying. The piece evolves into a tape loop, which Peter Christopherson winds into an incessant mantra for the closing three minutes. It is clear after this brutal introduction that First Annual Report was a milestone in subversive music matched only by Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, which incidentally came out the same year. However, Throbbing Gristle went even further, not just bombarding the listener with electronic noise but with extreme confrontational texts delivered in the most deranged fashion. While the noise may be a little hard to stomach in parts, in others it reaches sublime hypnotic peaks, and in either case First Annual Report is striking in that it is undeniably the most important advent in the roots of industrial music. With Genesis P-Orridge going on to Psychic TV, Peter Christopherson to Coil, and Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti as Chris & Cosey, it is a wonder that it took until 2001 before this recording appeared. Practically every act within industrial music and its offshoots -- be it Merzbow, Whitehouse, Ministry, Big Black, or Godflesh -- owes an incredible debt to the groundbreaking music of Throbbing Gristle. ~ Martin Walters, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Mission of Dead Souls documents Throbbing Gristle's last live performance in San Francisco before splinting into Coil, Psychic TV, and Chris & Cosey. The recording sounds like it was sourced from an audience tape with the surrounding attendees carrying on conversations, and some drastic stereo panning makes it a poor introduction to the band. Unfortunate, since the show finds the band especially driven and menacing. It's a given that TG's studio work was noisy and abstract, but more was left to chance in better gigs like this, with primitive synthesizers and other electronics pitted against a band trying to keep some semblance of control. Taped voices introduce "Spirits Flying," before a shrieking swoop of the synthesizer swirls above a Can-like groove that proves that TG's assault never lacked talent or skill. "Vision and Voice," like many of the tracks, builds and builds the noise, striking one blow after another against rhythm and melody. "Persuasion U.S.A." presents the song with more of a creeping beat than usual, and "Discipline (Reprise)" gives listeners a rapid version of the song before the band leaves the stage to a Martin Denny tape. The CD adds two studio cuts to the album, the angelic "Distant Dreams, Pt. 2" and the sleazy "Something Came Over Me," whose aberrant lyrics could only be truly enjoyed by raincoated degenerates. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Once Upon a Time (Live at the Lyceum)'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 2
Label Casual Abandon
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Live in the studio, this combines the best of both harrowing worlds. ~ Myles Boisen, All Music Guide
'20 Jazz Funk Greats'
Release Date 1/1/1979
Tracks 13
Label Industrial
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It's a break in the clouds from Throbbing Gristle's pummeling noise and a first glimpse at the continuing pop influence on the TG/PTV axis, but 20 Jazz Funk Greats still isn't best described by its title. If there is such a thing as a funky Throbbing Gristle LP, however, this could well be it. "Hot on the Heels of Love," "Still Walking" and "Six Six Sixties" add only occasional bits of distortion between the rigid sequencer lines. 20 Jazz Funk Greats is the best compromise between TG's early industrial aesthetic and the reams of industrial-dance and dark synth-pop groups that used the album as a stepping stone to crossover appeal. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'D.O.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle'
Release Date 1/1/1978
Tracks 15
Label Industrial
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Breaking from the live sound of the previous Second Annual Report, D.O.A. finds the group assembling collages of computer noise (before connecting to the internet sounded almost friendly), cassette tapes on fast forward, looped feedback and tape hiss, surreptitiously recorded conversation, threatening phone calls, and much more, all to a grand alienating effect, the sound of a gray day in a British tower block after all the drugs have run out. Of course, this was the intended effect and the band succeed well enough. "Weeping," Genesis P-Orridge's version of a love ballad, loses itself among delayed strings and drones, a barely enunciated vocal, and a violin like a squeaky door. "Hamburger Lady" (about a burn victim) is even more repellent, but in a good way -- a genuinely scary listen. "AB/7A," on the other hand, approaches the pulsing electronics of Kraftwerk or early Yello. ~ Ted Mills, All Music Guide
'The Second Annual Report of Throbbing Gristle'
Release Date 1/1/1977
Tracks 11
Label Industrial
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
A proper debut of sorts, Second Annual Report includes several versions each (some live) of early Throbbing Gristle standards like "Slug Bait" and "Maggot Death," as well as an "Industrial Introduction" and the soundtrack work "After Cease to Exist." The music is relentless, grinding distortion, only occasionally leavened by vocal samples and percussion. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
