Bauhaus

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History
Daniel Ash, his friend David J. Haskins and Haskins' younger brother Kevin had played together in various bands since childhood. One of the longer-lived of these was a band called The Craze, which performed a few times around Northampton in 1978. However, The Craze still split up fairly quickly, and Ash once again tried to convince hisold school friend Peter Murphy to join him, simply because Ash thought he had the right look for a band.[1] Murphy, who was working in a printing factory, decided to give it a try, despite never having written any lyrics or music. During their first rehearsal, he co-wrote the song "In the Flat Field".[2] Ash's old bandmate Kevin Haskins joined as the drummer. Ash made a point of not inviting DavidJ, the driving force in their previous bands, because he wanted a band he could control.[3] After only a few weeks though, Ash reconsidered and invited David J to replace original bassist Chris Barber. Haskins had already agreed to tour American airbases with another band, but decided that joining his friends' group was "the right thing to do". With their line-up complete, the unnamed band playedtheir first gig at the Cromwell pub in Wellingborough on New Year's Eve 1978.[4]
The band chose the name Bauhaus 1919, a reference to the German Bauhaus art movement of the 1920s, because of its "stylistic implications and associations", according to David J.[5] The band also chose to use the same typeface used on the Bauhaus college building in Dessau, Germany. Bauhaus associate Graham Bentleysaid that the group was unlike any Northampton band of the time, most of which played predominantly cover songs.[6] Bentley videotaped a performance by the group, which was sent to several record labels in the hope of obtaining a contract. This approach was hindered partly because many record companies at the time did not have home video equipment or Bentley had to provide it himself, so the groupdecided to record a demo.[7]
[edit]"Bela Lugosi's Dead" and 4AD
Together for only six weeks, Bauhaus entered the studio for the first time at Beck Studios in Wellingborough to record a demo.[8] The band recorded five songs; one of the tracks from the session, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", running more than nine minutes, was released as the group's debut single in August 1979 on Small Wonder Records asBauhaus (the 1919 abandoned).[9] The single received a positive review in Sounds and stayed on the British independent charts for two years. The song received crucial airplay on BBC Radio 1 and DJ John Peel's evening show, and Bauhaus was subsequently asked to record a session for Peel's show, which was broadcast on January 3, 1980.[10]
The band released three more singles, "Dark Entries", "TerrorCouple Kill Colonel", and "Telegram Sam"—originally written by glam rock pioneers T. Rex—before the debut of their first album In the Flat Field in 1980 on 4AD. Despite negative reviews, In the Flat Field topped the indie charts and made headway onto the British pop charts, peaking for one week at number seventy-two.[11]
[edit]Beggars Banquet and breakup
Bauhaus' growing success outstripped4AD's resources, so the band moved to 4AD's parent label Beggars Banquet Records.[12] Bauhaus released "Kick in the Eye" as its debut release on the label. The single reached number 59 on the charts.[13] the following single "The Passion of Lovers" peaked at number 56.[14] Bauhaus released its second album, Mask, in October 1981. The band employed more keyboards and a variety of other instruments toadd to the diversity of the record. In an unconventional move, the group shot a video for the album's title track as a promotional tool for the band as a whole and not any specific song from the record.[15]
Bauhaus followed with the single "Spirit", produced by Hugh Jones and intended to break into the Top 30. However, "Spirit" only reached number 42. The band was displeased with the single and...