For the young folks out there gothic rock (or goth) didn't start with Type O Negative but way back in the late '70s, springing from the ashes of punk rock with such great bands as The Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Sisters of Mercy.
Yes, the themes were dark, but not in the satanic sense of so much goth metal of today. Rather it was like the haunting Victorian romantic-horror novel: intelligent, nihilistic and above all else, cool.
Check out the classic "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus and you'll see what I mean.
It Started With Glam
Artists took their cue from British glam rock, all makeup and camp extroversion, as if Ziggy was a vampire not an alien, or Aladdin Sane a corpse.
By 1982, gothic rock had become as established scene with its own clubs, notably The Batcave in London. Along came Sex Gang Children, Southern Death Cult, Skeletal Family, and Alien Sex Fiend. The movement also spread to Europe (Bauhaus, Fields of Nephalim) and as far as Australia (Nick Cave.)
Nowadays there is something of a goth revival. The best of the bunch is probably 69 Eyes or, perhaps, with a more popular sound, Lacuna Coil. The operatic antics of Within Temptation or Nightwish are also worth a listen.
The worst lacks subtlety (usually American, of course, taking the death theme all too far in a way that only Americans can, Cradle of Filth for example) or depth (Evanescence.)
Here are some classic goth rock tracks to set you on your way:
- "Christine" Siouxsie and the Banshees
- "Bela Lugosi's Dead" Bauhaus
- "Lucretia My Reflection" Sisters of Mercy
- "Don't Turn Your Back On Fear" 69 Eyes
- "The Mercy Seat" Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- "Last Exit For The Lost" Fields of the Nephilim
- "Wish You Were Here" - Rasputina
- "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult
- "The Caterpillar" - The Cure
- "Bittersweet" - Within Temptation
