Halber Mensch
1985 studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten
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Halber Mensch (or 1/2 Mensch; English: Half Person) is the third studio album by German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, released on 2 September 1985 by Some Bizzare Records in the U.K. and by What's So Funny About GmbH in Germany. In the U.S., the album was distributed by Rough Trade Records.[1]
| Halber Mensch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 September 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:32 | |||
| Label | Some Bizarre | |||
| Producer | Gareth Jones, Einstürzende Neubauten | |||
| Einstürzende Neubauten chronology | ||||
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Background
Halber Mensch shows a wider artistic range for the group, incorporating elements of electronic dance music in "Yü-Gung (Fütter mein Ego)" and performing the title track nearly a cappella. The group also expands their dynamic range; Blixa Bargeld's voice in "Seele Brennt" suddenly switches from a barely audible whisper to a high-pitched scream, while quiet bass guitar overtones float over relatively restrained percussion in "Letztes Biest (am Himmel)".
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Alternative Rock | 8/10[3] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [4] |
| The Great Alternative & Indie Discography | 5/10[5] |
| Laut.de | [6] |
| MusicHound Rock | [7] |
| OndaRock | 8.5/10[8] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[9] |
Trouser Press described Halber Mensch as Einstürzende Neubauten's "strongest record" and "truly remarkable".[10] AllMusic called it "an excellent feat of industrial music".[2] In a 2019 feature, Pitchfork named it the second-best industrial album of all time.[11]
Reissue
In 2002, after a continuous conflict with Some Bizzare Records,[citation needed] the band released a remastered reissue of the album through their own label Potomak, with a slight variation of the cover image.[12]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Einstürzende Neubauten, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Halber Mensch" ("Half Person") | Blixa Bargeld | Alexander Hacke, Bargeld, F.M. Einheit, Mark Chung, N.U. Unruh, Nikkolai Weidemann | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)" ("Yugong (Feed My Ego)") | 7:14 | ||
| 3. | "Trinklied" ("Drinking Song") | 1:15 | ||
| 4. | "Z.N.S." ("C.N.S.") | 5:40 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seele Brennt" ("Soul Is Burning") | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Sehnsucht (Zitternd)" ("Desire (Trembling)") | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy" ("Death Is a Dandy") | 6:41 |
| 4. | "Letztes Biest (Am Himmel)" ("Last Beast (In the Sky)") | 3:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Sand" (Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra cover) | Hazlewood | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Yü-Gung (Adrian Sherwood Remix)" | 7:28 | |
| 11. | "Das Schaben" ("The Rasping") | 9:22 |
Personnel
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