September 1, 2008
US 3xCD Brainwashed Archives BARK003
disc a
disc b
disc c
Features the classic WaxTrax! recordings from 1989: the entire G-Force LP, I Don't Need God and Utopia singles as well as videos for "I Don't Need God" and "Utopia" as enhanced content. A third disc collects the 1991 EP Index as well as unreleased music, including music from the Japanese-only VHS tape Video Drug 1, previously unavailable on CD.
On G-Force, Greater Than One's final album for the pioneering Wax Trax! label, the duo finally comes fully into its own with a completely integrated hybrid of industrial music in the same general style as that of Front Line Assembly and KMFDM; cut-and-paste sample-based funk similar to that of Colourbox; hip- hop, and ethnomusicology. This album offers the most balanced and fully realized sound of the group's catalog, and also features some of their most interesting musical choices: "Alpha 5" incorporates what sounds like an excerpt from the Thomas Tallis motet "Spem in Alium" into a funky sample-fest that moves in an unsettled manner from one texture to another; "The Ballet of the Three Feathered Sardines" reads like a charming tribute to early 20th century surrealism; "Learn with Pleasure; Knowledge Is Power" puts yet more choral and classical samples to work in the service of what sounds like a suspiciously Maoist theme. One quick note to the vocalists: if you're going to growl in German, make sure your pronunciation is correct; otherwise, you run the risk of inducing giggles in the more educated segments of the bourgeoisie rather than the dread that seems to be the point. Overall, this is an excellent reissue set and can be highly recommended to all fans of vintage industrial music. - Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
Dancefloor Surrealists - and that's just the half of it - GTO construct collages of multi-lingual samples and wacked-out noises to cover their technological tracks. G-Force is a cartwheeling combination of Steinski's nimble feet and The Young Gods' operatic gusto, all stitched together by St. Winifred's style choir chanting devil-worship slogans in the middle distance. "Ich Liebe Dich Mein Prinz" energizes ethnic wailing seemingly recorded through a snorkel, and "Black Magic" impales minimalist vocals onto a wiry violin while sevarel Daleks dance themselves dizzy in the studio. Fragments of MC 900 FT Jesus's harsh, dislocated chatter and Front 242's leather-clad New Beat throb abound, with tons of Acidic sparks and dadaist references tossed in for extra momentum. But the weirdest, simplest track here is "Why Do Men Have Nipples?," marrying snatches of American dating-game show dialogue with a toe-tapping tape-loop of numb percussion. - Stephen Dalton, NME
Greater Than One are yet another group who are popular in Europe. They fit loosely into the new genre of Front Line Assembly, Click Click, and the lesser purveyors of the new beat. But their redeeming quality is that they don't shout over their hybrid of techno sound sculpture. Here they toy with crisp snares, clean beats and the occasional acid bass line. They Sample amusing commentary from American TV shows, and steal one-liners from Peter Sellers. Occasionally, GTO suggest they would be capable of crafting huge soundscapes, alive with delicate textures of noise. On "Learn with Pleasure, Knowledge Is Power," speeding rhythms are mixed with layers of crystalline choral tones. And the simple, schizophrenic collecton of beats and breaks connected by vocal outbursts of "I am somebody," on "The Man Who Lived In Books," shows they are not obsessed by overindulgence. - Rob Deacon