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Fad Gadget – Gag
Album | 01/02/1984 | Mute Records
38:59 | 9 tracks | Vinyl
Synth Pop / New Wave
London, England
Collapse and Deconstruction
Gag was the fourth Fad Gadget album within five years. All of them were released via Mute Records. Different to the previous longplayers, on Gag Francis John Tovey gathered a proper band around him for the recordings. Therefore, he translocated to Hansa Studios in Berlin’s district of Kreuzberg. And recording experimental music in 1980s‘ Berlin, it is not the biggest surprise that the album features a guest appearance by Einstürzende Neubauten. The famous German band and the British pioneer of Synth Pop and Industrial shared similar ideals and can be considered part of the same movement. Nevertheless, Einstürzende Neubauten have become an immortal legend while Francis John Torvey has remained an eternal hidden gem.
Cornerstones for a New Wave of Music
The legacy of Fad Gadget is nevertheless immortal. Not only have many artists in subcultural genres such as Industrial Rock, Post Punk or Experimental Rock referred to Tovey’s work until today. World famous acts such as Boy George or fellow Mute Records band Depeche Mode carry on the legacy. The album Gag is an ideal example of the vast range that Fad Gadget covered. Musical experiments such as innovative use of instruments and recording methods can be found on the album as well as catchy themes and melodies that can still be found in contemporary music. Gag is dark, dynamic, melancholic, and colourful simultaneously – a legit and timeless all-killer-no-filler album.
9/10 Mangoes
Next week in this series:
Papa Roach – Getting away with Murder (27/08/2004 | Geffen Records)
We will dance again
Mia Schem
