The Crackdown is the fifth studio album by English electronic band Cabaret Voltaire, released in August 1983 jointly through record labels Some Bizzare and Virgin. It was produced by the band themselves and Flood. Mixing their earlier experimental sound with more conventional dance rhythms, the album received positive reviews and was listed on NME's "Albums of the Year" in 1983.
| The Crackdown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 August 1983 | |||
| Recorded | December 1982 | |||
| Studio | Trident Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:33 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Cabaret Voltaire chronology | ||||
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Background and recording
editThe Crackdown was Cabaret Voltaire's first full studio album following founding member Chris Watson's departure, and their first release for Virgin Records via Some Bizzare. This album marks a turning point in the band's discography, straddling their early experimental work with their later more conventional electronic dance-funk output. It was recorded and mixed at Trident Studios, London, England in late 1982.
AllMusic wrote that the album "features the band working a number of menacing electronic textures into a basic dance/funk rhythm".
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
| Record Mirror | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10[7] |
| Sounds | [8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[9] |
Upon its release, the album was given a 8 out of 10 rating by Smash Hits reviewer Peter Martin who wrote that The Crackdown put the band's earlier experimental sound into practice: "Dense, hard-edged sequencer pulsebeats now swamp a strange strangled voice. The sound is panic-stricken and the effect is hypnotic."[7]
It was ranked at number 11 in NME's "Albums of the Year" list for 1983.[10] Trouser Press, meanwhile, was less enthusiastic, accusing the album of being "rather staid-sounding" while clarifying that their indifference "shouldn't be taken as a blanket panning."[11]
Retrospectively, The Quietus reviewer Albert Freeman wrote: "The production is noticeably cleaner than their underfinanced independent recordings, but it’s hardly less dark, and the added clarity serves to show off the diverse, layered productions, which draw equally from dub, funk, and early electro. Mallinder’s vocals are easier to cipher than they had been before, but the pop tones they would later take on are evident on a few tracks from the album: the title track, ‘Taking Time’, ‘Animation’ and the cynically comical ‘Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself)’."[12]
AllMusic described The Crackdown as "one of Cabaret Voltaire's strongest albums" and "one of their most distinctive, challenging records."[3]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Richard H. Kirk and Stephen Mallinder
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "24-24" | 5:55 |
| 2. | "In the Shadows" | 4:36 |
| 3. | "Talking Time" | 5:25 |
| 4. | "Animation" | 5:33 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Over and Over" | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Just Fascination" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Why Kill Time (When You Can Kill Yourself)" | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Haiti" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Crackdown" | 6:31 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Diskono" | 5:49 |
| 2. | "Double Vision" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Moscow" | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Badge of Evil" | 4:53 |
- Note: Some discographies and CD releases of the album swap the titles of the last two tracks of the Doublevision EP.
Release
editThe original LP came with a bonus 12" of four tracks, comprising the EP Doublevision.
Personnel
editCabaret Voltaire
edit- Stephen Mallinder – vocals, bass guitar, trumpet, grand piano
- Richard H. Kirk – synthesiser, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, & shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), grand piano
- Alan Fish – drums, percussion
Additional Personnel
edit- David Ball - keyboards and drum programming
Production
edit- Executive Producer: Stevo Pearce (for Some Bizzare)
- Arranged by Cabaret Voltaire
- Produced by Flood and Cabaret Voltaire
- Engineered and mixed by Flood
- Tape Operation on "Animation" and "Crackdown" by David Ball
- Single remix by John Luongo
- Mastered by George Peckham
- Sleeve Typography by Ken Prust and Neville Brody
- Sleeve Illustration by Phil Barnes
References
edit- ^ Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1983.4". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. p. 459. ISBN 978-1-915841-45-2.
- ^ a b Bradley, Larry (4 November 2014). "The 1980s: Cabaret Voltaire - "Just Fascination". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Crackdown – Cabaret Voltaire | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Page, Betty (6 August 1983). "Hi Volt-age". Record Mirror. p. 18.
- ^ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Cabaret Voltaire". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 128–29. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b Martin, Peter (18–23 August 1983). "Albums". Smash Hits. p. 23.
- ^ Henderson, Dave (6 August 1983). "When the whip comes down". Sounds. p. 33.
- ^ Sinker, Mark (1995). "Cabaret Voltaire". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 67–68. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ Payes, Robert (December 1983). "Cabaret Voltaire: The Crackdown" (PDF). Trouser Press. 10 (10). New York, NY: Ira A. Robbins: 78. ISSN 0164-1883.
- ^ Freeman, Albert (22 November 2013). "Cabaret Voltaire #8385 (Collected Works 1983-1985)". The Quietus.
External links
edit- The Crackdown at Discogs (list of releases)