Bauhaus on Leaving Records? Weird flex but OK... Matthewdavid's Angelino new age beats imprint has been tapped to handle this expanded reissue of Peter Murphy & co's debut single, recorded just six weeks after forming as a band. Enough has already been said about the legacy of the band and this song in particular, the very first goth rock song blah blah blah...  but the song holds up, and if you close your eyes and imagine a time before black metal, Marilyn Manson, Lil Peep, Pornography by The Cure and Hot Topic, "Bela" is actually pretty fucking spooky. It's since been covered by everyone from Nine Inch Nails to Massive Attack, and Bauhaus went on to become one of 4AD's first success stories in the label's early years. This release marks the first time the complete recording session has been made available, and all tracks have been remastered from the original tapes by Mandy Parnell at Black Saloon Studios. Includes a 20-inch foldout poster of the original 12-inch sleeve art (I'd argue the artwork did even more to establish the goth aesthetic than the music contained within) and printed inner sleeve with repro design scanned from the original master tape box. Recommended. 

• 180g black vinyl pressing
• complete recording session w/ prev. unreleased tracks
• remastered from the original tapes
• includes 20" foldout poster
• music label: Leaving Records 2018

reviewed by tom violence 12/2018