April 26, 1998 18:05

BAUHAUS RETROSPECTIVE ALBUM AND REUNION DATES IN JULY

[a]Bauhaus[/a] are releasing a new compilation album and playing live dates in July...

Bauhaus (pictured in '80s guise) are releasing a retrospective compilation album and reforming for a pair of live dates this July in the United States.

British fans, however, will have to wait longer for the release of 'Crackle', the career overview collection which will hit US stores on July 7. Beggars Banquet in the UK told NME.com that they have no fixed date for the release, though BB catalogue manager Steve Webbon said the release date was likely to be a few months after America.

The reunion dates at the Los Angeles Palace (July 10 & 11) will feature the original Bauhaus line-up of Peter Murphy (vocals), Daniel Ash (guitar), David Jay (bass) and Kevin Haskins (drums).

In the late 1970s, Bauhaus were one of the pioneers of the Goth style which would influence a slew of '80s bands. They released four studio albums and a live album before disbanding in mid-1983. 'The Sky's Gone Out', which hit Number Four in the UK album charts in 1982, was their biggest hit, though the band were best known for the singles 'Kick In The Eye', 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' and their cover of T Rex's 'Telegram Sam'.

'Crackle', the first Bauhaus compilation since the two-volume retrospective in 1986, will feature the following tracks: 'Double Dare', 'In The Flat Field', 'The Passion Of Lovers', 'Bela Lugosi's Dead', 'The Sanity Assassin', 'She's In Parties', 'Silent Hedges', 'Hollow Hills', 'Mask', 'Kick In The Eye', 'Ziggy Stardust', 'Dark Entries', 'Terror Couple Kill Colonel', 'Spirit', 'Burning From The Inside' and 'Crowds'.

The decision to release the compilation was "mutual", according to Webbon. "We had been talking about it for ages. The previous compilations were done in 1986, and I knew there was better stuff. What I've been hearing off the master tapes has been so far superior."

Webbon said there were no concrete plans for the band to tour in the UK yet. "The fact that they've agreed to do two dates is a bit of a toe in the water," he said.

Webbon said 'Crackle' was aimed predominantly at the US market, as the second of their 1986 compilations was not released there.