Released September 21, 1973 Faust IV
(1973) Rien
(1994) Release date 21 September 1973 Label Virgin Records | Length 43:37 Artist Faust Producer Uwe Nettelbeck Genres Krautrock, Rock music | |
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Recorded The Manor, Oxfordshire,
England, June 1973 Similar Faust albums, Krautrock albums, Other albums | ||
Faust krautrock
Faust IV is the fourth studio album by the German krautrock group Faust, released in 1973. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it is referred to as a "krautrock classic". The band did not release another album for 20 years, and with a different lineup.
Contents
Faust the sad skinhead
Recording
The album was recorded at the Manor Studio in England. As the sessions took too long to complete, producer Uwe Nettelbeck opted to complete the album with material that was recorded at previous sessions in Wümme, Germany. These additions include "Krautrock" (previously aired on the John Peel show) and "It's a Bit of a Pain" (previously released as a single in Germany).
Music
The opener, "Krautrock", is a drone-based instrumental with drums appearing after seven minutes, while later tracks such as "The Sad Skinhead" and "Jennifer" employ more conventional songwriting techniques. The closing track, "It's a Bit of a Pain", combines both styles, utilising noise during its chorus. At a point late in the song, following the chorus a woman's voice speaking in Swedish is heard. The track "Just A Second" had the notation "starts like that!" added to the title on the CD reissues. The track numbering on the original CD was incorrect and misleading. The liner notes on the 2CD remaster contain many inaccuracies.
Track listing
1973 release:
The published track listing contains a number of errors. Track 5 is listed as "Picnic on a Frozen River, Deuxieme Tableux", which is in fact part of track 4. Track 6 is listed as "Giggy Smile", which is actually track 5. Track 6 is the first part of "Läuft...Heisst Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft", of which Track 7 is the second part.
Personnel
Sound and art work
Reception
Some, not all, fans of Faust's earlier work felt that it was a "sell-out" album, for suggested reasons including the album artwork, and the inclusion of oddities including The Sad Skinhead and Jennifer which are today praised as some of the band's best lyrical work.
Re-release
Faust IV was re-released on two CDs in February 2006 by EMI.
Songs
1Krautrock11:48
2The Sad Skinhead2:43
3Jennifer7:11