RHINO DISINTERS GOTH CLASSICS

A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box Features 53 Influential Tracks On Three CDs And 12 Music Videos on DVD
Boxed Set Is Available September 19 from Rhino

With 53 songs and 12 videos originally released between 1978 and 1998, this boxed set provides a uniquely comprehensive listen into the largest underground scene in the world. Or as the collection's producer, Liz Goodman, explains in the extensive liner notes, the box showcases "the essential hit bands from a scene that arguably never had hits."

The deluxe packaging features a track-by-track listing penned by Dave Thompson, author of the Goth history The Dark Reign Of Gothic Rock, as well as humorous how-to essays about dancing and clubbing Goth. The liner notes also contain an enlightening exploration of the word Goth by members of Bauhaus, The Damned, Love And Rockets, The Mission (U.K.) and Ogre of Skinny Puppy, who says, "I've always found the term to be much more of a 'label' to categorize, instead of remaining true to its origin or more romantic, historical relevance. Seemingly lost in the mists of time, the forever shape-shifting meanings of certain words give little to the authenticity or spirit."

Some interesting choices here:


A LIFE LESS LIVED: THE GOTHIC BOX
Track Listing

Disc 1
1. "Dead Souls" - Joy Division
2. "Charlotte Sometimes" - The Cure
3. "She's In Parties" - Bauhaus
4. "Temple Of Love" - The Sisters Of Mercy
5. "Christian Says" - Tones On Tail
6. "Mutiny In Heaven" - The Birthday Party
7. "Spellbound" - Siouxsie & The Banshees
8. "Fatman" - The Southern Death Cult
9. "Mirror People" - Love And Rockets
10. "Power" - Fields Of The Nephilim
11. "Now I'm Feeling Zombified" - Alien Sex Fiend
12. "Snake Dance" - The March Violets
13. "Walking On Your Hands" - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
14. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" - Specimen
15. "Wasteland" - The Mission (U.K.)
16. "The Grip Of Love" - Ghost Dance
17. "His Box" - Dali's Car

Disc 2
1. "The Weeping Song" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2. "Exterminating Angel" - The Creatures
3. "God's Zoo" - Death Cult
4. "Heartache" - Gene Loves Jezebel
5. "I Go Crazy" - Flesh For Lulu
6. "Cuts You Up" - Peter Murphy
7. "Open Your Eyes" - The Lords Of The New Church
8. "Heaven Is Waiting" - The Danse Society
9. "All My Colours" - Echo & The Bunnymen
10. "Don't Fall" - The Chameleons UK
11. "Dreamland" - The Rose Of Avalanche
12. "Fall" - The Jesus And Mary Chain
13. "Coming Down Fast" - Daniel Ash
14. "Muscoviet Musquito" - Clan Of Xymox
15. "Incubus Succubus II" - Xmal Deutschland
16. "Starblood" - Cranes
17. "Ardera Sempre" - Miranda Sex Garden
18. "Blood Bitch" - Cocteau Twins
19. "The Arcane" - Dead Can Dance

Disc 3
1. "Rain" - The Cult
2. "Away" - The Bolshoi
3. "Watch Without Pain" - Rubicon
4. "Pagan Lovesong" - Virgin Prunes
5. "Morning Dew" - Einstürzende Neubauten
6. "Hamburger Lady" - Throbbing Gristle
7. "To Blame" - Kommunity FK
8. "Melody Lee" - The Damned
9. "Romeo's Distress" - Christian Death
10. "Party Time" - 45 Grave
11. "Kiss" - London After Midnight
12. "Dieche" - Sex Gang Children
13. "Assimilate" - Skinny Puppy
14. "Halloween" - Misfits
15. "Tomorrow's World" - Killing Joke
16. "So What" - Ministry
17. "The Hanging Garden" - AFI

DVD
1. "Lullaby" - The Cure
2. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" - Bauhaus
3. "Lucretia My Reflection" - The Sisters Of Mercy
4. "Moonchild" - Fields Of The Nephilim
5. "Deliverance" - The Mission (U.K.)
6. "Ball Of Confusion" - Love And Rockets
7. "Head On" - The Jesus And Mary Chain
8. "The Killing Moon" - Echo & The Bunnymen
9. "Where The Wild Roses Grow" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
10. "Stigmata" - Ministry
11. "Spiritwalker" (Live) - The Cult
12. "Cities In Dust" - Siouxsie & The Banshees



Can't believe there's no Sisters Of Mercy on this.

Fourth song.

This is a great track listing but should of put a better Cure song...

Gene Loves Jezebel??? Flesh For Lulu??? What's the matter, they couldn't get rights to any Balaam & The Angel?

Gack!

Oops, you're right...


Still, looking at this closer I would've chosen "Vision Thing" or "This Corrosion" instead.

Interesting to see a lot of industrial artists on here.

Misfits?

I heard that, contrary to popular belief, this box set is best listened to down the road, not across the street...

"Temple of Love" might be their best song, one of their more gothic.

We shall never agree.

I liked the Bolshoi and thought Friends/Lovers was a great album. Hearing it today probably would leave a lot to be desired.

I adored Gene Loves Jezebel but will admit that they are cheesy.

I have always hated Balaam & The Angel. They copied the Cult’s Electric album and did it poorly. See I was a huge Love fan and was so pissed at the Cult for cashing in on the heavy metal trend at that time.

The Cramps were popular with goths too. They ought to be on there.

I liked Balaam & The Angel's first album but it's impossible to find on cd.

looks pretty cool.

I can't wait to see what the packaging looks like for this boxed set.

I'm betting coffin-shaped.

I still like The Bolshoi, but they were hardly goth. Goth trappings, yeah. But they were on the Big Country end of the Murphy spectrum.

I'd have put a different Xymox song on there. Maybe "A Day" or "No Human Can Drown"

This set is so general I'm wondering where Concrete Blonde and Helium's vampire songs are.

Buncha cool tracks there, though.

Major Exclusions:

Marilyn Manson (not a total fan but he's exposed the scene to more people than possibly even the Cure)
Nine Inch Nails
My Life With the Thrill Kill Cult
David Bowie
Nosferatu (think dark My Bloody Valentine)

As opposed to what is there:
AFI (My Chemical Romance have more cred)
Clan of Xymox (even VNV Nation would be better)
The Cult

omg, i'm all over this. i can't wait to see what the packaging is like...

wtf a "goth" box set and no korn or slipknot??? this is stupid whoever maade this is a fu.cking retard

The best part is when my Rockin' Bones Rhino Comp takes the goth comps lunch money then gives it a swirlie.

Is that the same March Violets that has 2 songs on the Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack? Cause I'm thinking they're not really even a little bit goth...

It looks like it could be good, but some omissions are pretty sad.

I knew alot of goths that loved Kate Bush.

Here is what I would have liked to have seen.

Love Spirals Downwards
Love is Colder Than Death
Black Tape for a Blue Girl
Swtichblade Symphony
The Moon Seven Times
Coil
Chris & Cosey

And for Pete's sake, no This Mortal Coil?!!

What Goth want to be:


What it actually is:

my friend just sent this to me, totally fucking made my day. the packaging is sick.... it's a black/red box wrapped with a leather corset. so. awesome. and there's a 60-page book with pictures, artist commentaries, etc.

OMG LETZ BY THIS 4 GINA LOLZ!1!!!

Funny thing is that most of those songs...and it looks like a pretty fun collection to me...were released before the "goth" label was really used to describe them.

When did that goth term start getting used...and I don't mean like one guy used it in some obscure interview somewhere...I mean like when did it actually get to be something said and recignized in any meaningful way? (ok...big stretch to say it's used in a "meaningful" way now) I just ask because I've known plenty of people who listened to much of the music on this set and not a one of them would have ever used the term...or maybe I just wasn't listening.

I want to say late 80's is when I first heard the term but it probably predates that.

Muically speaking, I first heard the term "gothic" describing early Siouxsie and some Bauhaus. Don't remember it being the shorter "goth" very much until after The Damned's Phantasmagoria album.

But I lived in Maine and wouldn't have been privy to all reviews.

People they call "goth" now, they used to just call "weird." Like as far back as Lydia Lunch. As in the "weirdly compelling dark experimental pop of [insert late 70's act with too much makeup here]"