Suicide - Suicide

I was first exposed to Suicide by John Peel's BBC Radio show in the UK in 1977. The way he introduced the track immediately grabbed my attention - "Now, I first played this track a few weeks ago, and I've since had a number of requests from listeners NEVER to play it again. So, for all of you, here are Suicide - and "Frankie Teardrop".. (Probably not his exact words, but close to them). What followed was ten minutes of gruesome, desperate anguish brought into stark life, even through a cheap mono transistor radio.

Simply a milestone record in Rock history. People working with cobbled-together electronics and a sprit of independence, who somehow managed to translate raw emotion and imagery into the sound coming out of your speakers more powerfully than anyone before (or arguably since). This record makes movies in your head; escapist, voyeuristic, sleazy, right-on-the-edge ones in glorious widescreen super-high-def.

Often described as "ahead of it's time", I'd simply call it timeless. Wait 'till dark, draw the curtains, turn out the lights and absorb it. It'll force you to inhabit extremely vivid worlds, some you might not be too comfortable with, some you might want to stay in forever. Warm and cosy this ain't. Beware. Danger lurks within...

I was first exposed to Suicide by John Peel's BBC Radio show in the UK in 1977. The way he introduced the track immediately grabbed my attention - "Now, I first played this track a few weeks ago, and I've since had a number of requests from listeners NEVER to play it again. So, for all of you, here are Suicide - and "Frankie Teardrop".. (Probably not his exact words, but close to them). What followed was ten minutes of gruesome, desperate anguish brought into stark life, even through a cheap mono transistor radio.

Simply a milestone record in Rock history. People working with cobbled-together electronics and a sprit of independence, who somehow managed to translate raw emotion and imagery into the sound coming out of your speakers more powerfully than anyone before (or arguably since). This record makes movies in your head; escapist, voyeuristic, sleazy, right-on-the-edge ones in glorious widescreen super-high-def.

Often described as "ahead of it's time", I'd simply call it timeless. Wait 'till dark, draw the curtains, turn out the lights and absorb it. It'll force you to inhabit extremely vivid worlds, some you might not be too comfortable with, some you might want to stay in forever. Warm and cosy this ain't. Beware. Danger lurks within...

Suicide self-titled debut is hard to top. Unfortunately, it also meant that the band itself will be forced to try and top it in the following years, which is not an easy thing to do. This album, along with early Throbbing Gristle material was a precursor to industrial/experimental/noise madness of the 80s and 90s. Much of it is an honest portrayal of daily life with all of its weirdness, culminating in 10-minute (which seems to be an eternity, given that you listen to it at night) monster "Frankie Teardrop". Anyone who have ears will probably shiver after hearing screams in that song. Overall, this is one of the most recognizable albums falling under "uneasy listening" category.