Claudia @ Scala | March 2, 2011 by Roger Goodgroves
Finally! The already legendary Scala concert held on March 2, 2011 as a complete career overview for Claudia Brücken to celebrate her “Combined” CD release is finally ready to share with the public. With special guests Paul Humphreys, Andrew Poppy, Andy Bell, Heaven 17, as well as Suzanne Freytag and Ralf Dorper from Propaganda; the event flat out slayed me to miss it, but without several thousand to blow it just wasn’t going to happen. After all, I’m not Mr. Normall! I don’t even play him on TV.
Several weeks after this happened, I had the occasion to congratulate Paul Humphreys for directing this most impressive exercise and he said that he was working diligently to prepare the show for DVD release. Well, after a year of gestation, the DVD is getting ready to fly from the nest and meet the loving public. Better yet, it will be a two disc package with a bundled soundtrack CD to double your pleasure and double your fun. Details below. Bonus material in red.
There[there] | UK | DVD+CD | 2012 | TTDVDCD001
DVD
- Kiss Like Ether
- Sequentia
- Dr. Mabuse
- Absolut[e]
- Cloud 9
- Snobbery And Decay
- Temptation
- When Your Heart Runs Out Of Time
- Running Up That Hill
- In Dreams
- Dream Within A Dream
- p:Machinery
- Night School
- Light The Way
- Home (Tonight)
- Delicious
- Absolutely Immune
- Duel
- Thank You
- Backstage Stills by Glenn Gregory
- Thank You – Official Video
CD
- Kiss Like Ether
- Sequentia
- Dr. Mabuse
- Cloud 9
- Snobbery And Decay
- Temptation
- When Your Heart Runs Out Of Time
- Running Up That Hill
- Dream Within A Dream
- p:Machinery
- Night School
- Home (Tonight)
- Absolutely Immune
- Duel
- Thank You
The exact release date hasn’t been revealed yet, but we’re told that it will be ready “this summer.” No word on what the system or region information is on this, but if it’s a PAL DVD, it will zoom to the top of my small stack of PAL DVDs to system convert for viewing on my ancient entertainment system that uses primitive “disc” technology. It was only the knowledge that this once in a lifetime Event was being recorded for posterity that kept me from the clutches of depression last March. Well, that and the fact that I had VIP tickets to an OMD concert as solace! This info is especially timely since I have entered a phase of devout listening to the sumptuous new song “Thank You” from “Combined” just this week. The other night, I had the track on repeat for an hour while I did dishes and housework. This track is surely the acme of all Stephen Hague productions that I can name. I have countless Hague productions in the Record Cell, but this one is his finest to date.
Undoubtedly, the presence of Ms. Brücken has everything to do with that. I collect and enjoy hundreds of artists, but Claudia Brücken is quite singular for being the only artist I can think of, off the top of my head, who has never released a recording that ever disappointed me. Even John Foxx has this record to his discredit! And she’s been doing it for 28 years now. Methodically. Carefully. I can’t begin to count the painfully long gaps of silence in her career, but her levels of activity of late seem to be aiming at a more consistent pattern of releases. This is no doubt concurrent with her “going indie” with her own There[there] label, which she runs with her partner in OneTwo, Paul Humphreys.
Would you like to know exactly when this is to be released? Of course you would. Click here and join the There[there] mailing list to receive the latest news and receive a free download of a track from the DVD for your efforts.
You’re welcome.
– 30 –
Post-Punk Monk 
Squeeeeee!
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chasinvictoria – I echo your thoughts, Sir!
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Ashamed to say I still havent seen the dvd,even though I was at the show!
To be honest I have been disappointed with Ms Brucken’s solo work since her first solo outing many moons ago.I gave in and bought “Combined” of course,but none of the later collaborative works appeal to me.I guess I’m just a hardcore ACT fan.
It was great to see members of Propaganda playing together and there was a real feeling of joy coming from the stage throughout the show.
ps-sorry I keep commenting on old posts-discovering this blog feels like all my Christmases have come at once and I cant help myself!
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Gavin – Brücken has consistently worked for me as a favorite artist for as long as she’s been going. The Act project was a brilliant follow up to “A Secret Wish.” Completely different with scant overlap of theme, sound, and vibe. The only project that disappointed me was never actually released; the third Propaganda album, so I salute her good judgement. Actually, I just listened to that the other day and no, it didn’t seem any better a few years later.
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“Kiss Like Ether” was an oasis in an musical desert when it came out, still like it to this day.
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Tim: Just “like” it??! It’s one of the “Big Four” remixes for me.
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I will say for it’s vintage of release the mixes are enjoyable and not the dreaded bloop bleep bloop with sample sample sample sample for ages. Quite honestly, when it came out I had already bought a Propaganda album (David Sylvian completionist) and I didn’t know that there was a connection, I just really liked the name of the song. It’s a great single and I bought the parent album which, um, doesn’t do much for me.
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Tim: Incredible! You bought “A Secret Wish” because you are a David Sylvian completist…? No-one really knows exactly what he did on that album, but anything to get a copy in your hands could only be a good thing.
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I know, I know. If it makes you feel better he stopped being a core collectible in the early 2000’s.
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Tim – I was happy as a clam… until “Blemish.” Possibly the poster child for “difficult” music from a core collection artist that would test even my mettle. And I enjoy “An Index Of Metals!”
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I made it through Blemish and even used a bunch of it in a killah Sylvian mix set that I made called “The Sirens of Autumn” (2:07:34 2009 Evil Jukebox Records) it was Chloroform I mean Manafon that put me off of the brand. Love the AbFab comment, that’s exactly what I am poking at with the 1994 and following bloop bleep boop mixes.
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Tim – “It’s techno…bloody techno, dahling!”
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“I will say for it’s vintage of release the mixes are enjoyable and not the dreaded bloop bleep bloop with sample sample sample sample for ages.”
“Dull, soulless, daaaaaaaance music!”
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