Mask (Bauhaus album)

Mask is the second studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released on 16 October 1981 by record label Beggars Banquet.

Mask
A black-and-white drawing of a panda, a joker-like figure and an alien creature hiding behind the shoulder of the joker. "BAUHAUS" is imprinted in the top-right corner in yellow text.
Studio album by
Bauhaus
Released16 October 1981
Recorded1981
StudioPlayground and Jam, London
GenrePost-punk, gothic rock, experimental[1]
Length34:19
LabelBeggars Banquet
ProducerBauhaus
Bauhaus chronology
In the Flat Field
(1980)		 Mask
(1981)		 The Sky's Gone Out
(1982)

Content

Bauhaus expanded their style a bit on Mask, particularly by incorporating keyboards and acoustic guitar on songs such as "The Passion of Lovers", and funk rhythms and saxophone on tracks like "Kick in the Eye", "Dancing" and "In Fear of Fear".

The album cover is a drawing by guitarist Daniel Ash.[2] The original artwork for the album was a gatefold sleeve with blue text on the inside and a stark black-and-white image of the band. On later editions this inside was replaced with white text and a montage from the promotional video for the song "Mask".

Release

Mask was released in October 1981 by record label Beggars Banquet.

"Kick in the Eye" charted at No. 29 on the US Club Play Singles chart.[3]

The 19 October 2009 CD reissue, subtitled the Omnibus Edition, included a remastered version of the original album as disc 1, a second disc of B-sides and alternate versions called Singles and Out-Takes, as well as a live CD called This Is for When..., recorded at Hammersmith Palais in London on 9 November 1981.

Reception and legacy
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Classic Rock8/10[5]
Drowned in Sound8/10[6]
Record Collector[7]

In his retrospective review of the album, Ned Raggett of AllMusic called Mask "arguably even better than the band's almost flawless debut".[4] Trouser Press described the album as "[Bauhaus'] finest achievement".[8] Classic Rock reviewer Jonathan Selzer remarked how on Mask "Bauhaus managed to sound more expansive and less withdrawn, without losing any of their austere aura", gaining "a newfound accessibility that would see them break into the Top 30."[5]

Mask was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In the album's entry in the book, Australia's Fiend Magazine editor and contributing critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas wrote that "The sounds were harder-edged than those of Bauhaus' debut, but the introduction of more pop-friendly melodies helped to make Mask digestible for a mainstream audience."[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bauhaus (Daniel Ash, David J, Kevin Haskins and Peter Murphy)

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Hair of the Dog"2:43
2."The Passion of Lovers"3:53
3."Of Lillies and Remains"3:18
4."Dancing"2:29
5."Hollow Hills"4:47
Side B
No.TitleLength
6."Kick in the Eye"3:39
7."In Fear of Fear"2:58
8."Muscle in Plastic"2:51
9."The Man with the X-Ray Eyes"3:05
10."Mask"4:36
CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."In Fear of Dub"2:55
12."Earwax"3:15
13."Harry"2:47
14."1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash"6:37
15."Satori"4:36
Bonus disc: Singles and Out-Takes
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kick in the Eye" (original single version; BEG 54[A]) 3:38
2."Satori" (BEG 54T[B]) 4:35
3."In Fear of Fear" (original version; previously unreleased) 2:43
4."In Fear of Dub" (BEG 74T[A]) 2:57
5."Muscle in Plastic" (rough mix version; previously unreleased) 3:01
6."Dancing" (rough mix version) 2:33
7."Hair of the Dog" (rough mix version; previously unreleased) 2:53
8."Monkey (Poison Pen)" (rough mix version; previously unreleased) 3:17
9."Ziggy Stardust" (rough demo version; previously unreleased, also includes a rehearsal of "Cracked Actor")David Bowie4:12
10."Earwax" (full unedited version; previously unreleased) 3:29
11."1-2-3-4" (a.k.a. "1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash"; BEG 59[B]) 6:33
12."Muscle in Plastic" (rejected album mix; previously unreleased) 3:22
13."Hollow Hills" (rejected album mix; previously unreleased) 4:49
14."Hair of the Dog" (rejected album mix; previously unreleased) 2:38
15."Poison Pen" (previously unreleased) 3:18
16."Kick in the Eye" (single re-mix version; BEG 54T[A]) 4:01
17."Dave and Danny's Waspie Dub #2" (previously unreleased) 5:53
Bonus disc: This Is for When...
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Is for When" (performed by Alan Moore)Moore1:31
2."The Passion of Lovers" 3:35
3."In the Flat Field" 4:10
4."Silent Hedges" 3:30
5."In Fear of Fear" 3:18
6."Terror Couple Kill Colonel" 3:43
7."The Man with X-Ray Eyes" 3:59
8."Dancing" 2:57
9."Mask" 5:50
10."Rosegarden Funeral of Sores"John Cale5:20
11."Hair of the Dog" 3:13
12."Kick in the Eye" 4:15
13."A God in an Alcove" 3:48
14."Hollow Hills" 4:29
15."Stigmata Martyr" 3:55
16."Dark Entries" 5:55
17."Bela Lugosi's Dead" 9:48

Personnel

Bauhaus

Technical

References
  1. David J. Haskins (2014). Who Killed Mister Moonlight?: Bauhaus, Black Magick, and Benediction. Jawbone Press. ISBN 9781908279675.
  2. "The Bubbleman Cometh: An Interview with Daniel Ash". post-punk.com. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  3. "Bauhaus Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  4. Raggett, Ned. "Mask – Bauhaus". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  5. Selzer, Jonathan (November 2009). "Bauhaus: In the Flat Field / Mask". Classic Rock. No. 138. p. 97.
  6. Gourlay, Dom (27 October 2009). "Bauhaus re-issues: In The Flat Field and Mask Omnibus Editions reviewed". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  7. Rigby, Paul (Christmas 2008). "Bauhaus – Mask". Record Collector. No. 357. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  8. Grant, Steven; Robbins, Ira; Fasolino, Greg. "Bauhaus". Trouser Press. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  9. Dimery, Robert, ed. (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (revised and updated ed.). Universe Publishing. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
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