GOTHIC ROCK

Bands such as Bauhaus, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure and the early The Sisters of Mercy (just to name a few) were influential mainstream in the scene, but there were still so many lesser-known indie bands that definitely belonged to the wide spectrum of the genre..

GOTHIC ROCK is a fairly detailed encyclopedia of the Who's Who of the Gothic Rock scene, written by one of the journalists who truly covered it for decades. 

Though fairly dated now, Mick Mercer does his surly sarcastic best to give an overview of the Goth scene, from the bands to the fans, writers, artists, showing where the scene had been and where it was going.

Still, I think Mercer leaves out some bands that traditional, old-school goths like myself would consider “Gothic Rock.” 

Quote about Siouxsie Sioux/Banshees:

[❝Again, no! It was all down to imagery and the warm sound which was a happy or dreadful coincidence depending on how you view it. Even at her hairiest Siouxsie was more an EC Comic's version of a voodoo queen, which was a remarkably strong, highly stylised image at the start of the 80's which many were so prone to copy, and certainly preferable to her cretinously misguided Nazi chic (sick) of the early punk days, which was followed by the austerity look of neutered androgyny.

Being ripped off does not make you a Goth ... 

... So they've always looked naff. Ha!❞] 😁

I like Mercer's breezy, playful style to write about it.. 

❝The longest running Goth and Post-Punk writer in the world❞ is one of those rare authors who finds inventive ways to describe music without making too many comparisons or coming off as pretentious. On top all these original scene photos are so reminiscent of the good old days. 

 ✯

Gothic Rock - various compilation CD, is the companion album to Mick Mercer's book:

"Stigmata Martyr... The unstoppable Goth Machine" includes Bauhaus, Tones On Tail, Christian Death, Danse Society, Alien Sex Fiend, Sex Gang Children, Virgin Prunes, X-Mal Deutschland and many more... 

This is truly a classic and it makes me happy to own this awesome first release of the compilation from back in 1992. 

Some of the songs are common classics such as Bauhaus' Dark Entries, but there are a few other valuable reasons to own this CD. 

☞ One is the remarkable booklet. It's minimal, but it contains some awesome band photos from back in the day. 

☞ Number two is the rare version of Alien Sex Fiend's Now I'm Feeling Zombified (link) 

This version is a must have and actually puts the studio version to shame. Other hard to find classics are Sex Gang Children and Virgin Prunes. 

This Gothic Rock CD and Mick Mercer's book are both must have pieces of nostalgia and a shear blast of the past.