When Bauhaus first Rest in Peace in July of 1983, Daniel Ash, David J, and Kevin Haskins would regroup as Love And Rockets two years later in 1985 – giving themselves a clean slate and an opportunity to experiment with their sound, choosing to launch themselves into heaven above, as opposed to the glittering darkness they explored before.
In recent years, the legacy of Love And Rockets has only grown, with more people realizing the massive extent of their influence, and generations of new fans discovering them. The list of artists who cite their influence is impressive, amongst them, The Flaming Lips, The Dandy Warhols, A Place To Bury Strangers, Jane’s Addiction, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Beck, Maynard Keenan, Dubfire, and the Pixies. Their music has been used in films and TV, most recently Yellowjackets and Dexter: New Blood, and the recent unexpected cancellation of the Bauhaus US dates has spurred legions of fans to beg Love And Rockets to perform again. Only time will tell if there will be any more chapters to their intriguing tale.
Named after the underground comic by the Hernandez brothers, the band made seven records over the course of thirteen years. Now, Beggars Banquet is delighted to finally announce a fantastic series of reissues, in addition to two bonus titles!
On the 9th of December, a webstore-only box set containing the band’s six original albums on colored vinyl + an exclusive slipmat will be available to fans through Beggars Arkive. The Albums 1985-1996 Boxset is limited to 1000 copies worldwide and only available through their site. In 2023 Beggars Arkive will release standard black reissues of each of these albums PLUS two additional bonus titles. They have all been remastered by Sean McGee at Abbey Road Studios. The first two releases are available to pre-order now.
Pre-order here.
- Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven – dark cyan
- Express – red
- Earth, Sun, Moon – white
- Love And Rockets – black and white quad
- Hot Trip To Heaven – blue vinyl w/black marble + grey splatter *This is a double black LP with a gatefold sleeve – out of print for 25+ years, and expanded with three extra tracks! (see below for track details)
- Sweet F.A. – smoky marble *-This is a double LP with a gatefold sleeve – first time on vinyl! Expanded with four extra previously unreleased tracks! (see below for track details)
Full track listing here.
JANUARY 13: Seventh Dream Of Teenage Heaven & Express
The band’s 1985 debut album Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, was an unashamedly psychedelic adventure, far removed from the dark, angular soundscapes of Bauhaus. Yet they had to fight hard to avoid being branded ‘goth,’ citing Syd Barrett, Marc Bolan, and the later period Beatles as primary influences. This is a single black LP with a gatefold sleeve.
Pre-order here.
Express is a unique, mystical, and transcendental travelogue of sorts. The original press release for the album said that “the balance of light and dark, positive and negative, yin and yang, is a recurring theme.” In 2020, NPR, referring to the album, stated that their “psychedelic train ride laid the foundation for alt-rock.” This is a single black LP with a standard sleeve.
Pre-order here.
APRIL 28 – Earth, Sun, Moon & Love And Rockets
In 1987, the band’s third album, the acoustic leaning Earth, Sun, Moon, was released and spawned the college radio hit “No New Tale To Tell.” It was described as “at once gutsy and rootsy yet also rhapsodic and uplifting.”
-This is a single black LP with a standard sleeve
Everything changed for the band in 1989 when they released their self-titled breakthrough fourth album Love And Rockets. The song “So Alive” was a massive worldwide #1 hit and Billboard wrote that it was the “best T. Rex tune that Marc Bolan never wrote.”
-This is a single black LP with a standard sleeve
JUNE 9 – Hot Trip To Heaven & Sweet F. A.
The band’s fifth album, Hot Trip To Heaven, was strikingly different from anything previous, and has a diverse range of influences from twisted lounge jazz to ambient trance. With additional vocals by the celebrated Egyptian-Belgian singer Natacha Atlas, the album’s world music influences are evident. New York Magazine said it was “hypnotic, glistening, dark and crashing.” The album was ahead of its time, pre-dating the electronic music revolution by a few years.
-This is a double black LP with a gatefold sleeve – out of print for 25+ years.
Expanded with three extra tracks:
- D1. Firewater * is an early version of This Heaven (unreleased)
- D2. This Heaven (Experience Remix: Flying Vocal Mix) *unreleased mix
- D3. Coyote * from the Body and Soul US 12″ vinyl and CD single
Having signed to Rick Rubin’s American Recordings label, the band was guided by the legendary producer in a return to more guitar-based songs for 1996’s Sweet F.A. The album cover features a striking photo of a burnt guitar which was retrieved from the debris after a fire broke out at Rubin’s mansion, where the band were living while working on songs for the album. They lost all of their gear, some of their demo recordings, and nearly their lives as well. The resulting album was inspired by some of their earliest influences – The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, The Doors, and Can. It spins tales of passion and loss, carried on a fluid, moody throb. Undulating, hypnotic rhythms twine around melancholy lyrics which examine life at a primal level, as ethereal electronic effects play counterpoint to earthquake-reverberating guitars. The track “Sweet Lover Hangover” was an alternative radio hit.
-This is a double black LP with a gatefold sleeve – first time on vinyl!
Expanded with four extra tracks:
- D1. My Dark Twin * previously unreleased
- D2. Butterfly * previously unreleased
- D3. Venus Child * previously unreleased
- D4. Pick Yourself Up * previously unreleased
OCTOBER
Two more releases will be announced in early 2023, details to come.
