Leichenschrei
| Leichenschrei | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by SPK | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | October 1981 - March 1982 at SPK/Side Effekts studio | |||
| Genre | Industrial | |||
| Length | 43:09 | |||
| Label | Thermidor | |||
| Producer | SPK | |||
| SPK chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 1992 CD reissue |
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Leichenschrei is the second album by the band SPK. It was released in 1982 on Thermidor Records in the United States and in 1983 on the band's own Side Effekts label in the United Kingdom. The title is a German word meaning "corpse scream", and might refer to an alleged supernatural behavior exhibited by the deceased.
The band was listed on the initial Thermidor release as "SPK", although subsequent vinyl reissues were credited to "Sozialistisches Patienten Kollektiv", a reference to the leftist German patients' group of the same name. The name was misspelled on the CD reissue as "Socialistisches Patienten Kollektiv".
Legacy
In a 1987 interview for Italian fanzine Snowdonia, Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots stated that he thought industrial music should have stopped after Leichenschrei, describing it as a "brilliant album" and "nobody could make a better, more definitive work in industrial music".[1]
Oddity
The final track on side 2 of the vinyl LP contained a locked groove whose sound emulated a combination of a steam press and a pile driver. This track was often used in the mid-1980s by announcers at the University of Maryland WMUC-FM radio station to avoid dead-air when an announcer's relief failed to show. Rumour has it that this record was used so much that they wore the groove out on more than 5 copies over three years.
Track listing
No tracklisting was provided with the initial release on Thermidor Records. The first side of vinyl editions of the album end with a lockgroove. Sides one and two of the vinyl editions are labeled "Seite ((Lysso))" and "Seite ((Klono))", respectively.[2]
Side one
- "Genetic Transmission" – 3:17
- "Post-Mortem" – 2:24
- "Desolation" – 1:18
- "Napalm (Terminal Patient)" – 2:39
- "Cry from the Sanatorium" – 2:26
- "Baby Blue Eyes" – 2:38
- "Israel" – 2:46
- "Internal Bleeding" – 1:46
- "Chamber Music" – 3:26
Side two
- "Despair" – 4:45
- "The Agony of the Plasma" – 3:03
- "Day of Pigs" – 4:18
- "Wars of Islam" – 4:31
- "Maladia Europa (The European Sickness)" – 3:50
Personnel
According to the album liner notes:[3]
- Oblivion (Graeme Revell) – synthesizer, electronic rhythms, tape, syncussion, vocals
- NE/H/IL – synthesizer, electronic rhythms, tape, treatments, vocals
- Pinker – drums, syncussion, metal percussion, backing vocals
- Paul Charlier – guitar, bass, synthi
- Peter Kennard – guitar, bass
- Karel van Bergen – violin, vocals
- Sinan Leong – vocals, photography
- Brett Guerim – additional vocals
- Margaret Hill – additional vocals
- Lustmord – additional vocals
- Rose – additional vocals
- Phil Punch – mixing
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[4] | 14 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1982 | Thermidor Records | LP | T-9 |
| United Kingdom | 1983 | Side Effekts | LP | SER 02 |
| Germany | 1986 | Normal Records | LP | NORMAL 26 |
| United Kingdom | 1992 | The Grey Area | CD | SPK 2CD |
Notes
- ↑ "The Legendary Pink Dots – Snowdonia, 1987". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ↑ "SPK Discography – Leichenschrei". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ↑ "SPK – Leichenschrei (LP) at Discogs". Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
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