First and Last and Always [LP] (1985)

With the band itself falling to bits shortly after the March 1985 debut of First and Last and Always, the album's place in the skewed history of the rise of goth rock would, on one hand, be permanently linked with that discord but, on the other, not impacted in the slightest, leaving the fractious set's success and structure to become a blueprint for an entire generation of up-and-comers. With static drumbeats and jangle-angled guitars backing Andrew Eldritch's atonic, graveyard vocals, the songs on First and Last and ... Read More

With the band itself falling to bits shortly after the March 1985 debut of First and Last and Always, the album's place in the skewed history of the rise of goth rock would, on one hand, be permanently linked with that discord but, on the other, not impacted in the slightest, leaving the fractious set's success and structure to become a blueprint for an entire generation of up-and-comers. With static drumbeats and jangle-angled guitars backing Andrew Eldritch's atonic, graveyard vocals, the songs on First and Last and Always paid to play alongside the ghosts of myriad forgotten post-punkers as well as the band's own goth forebears. From the opening air-fire claustrophobia of "Black Planet" to the melancholy "No Time to Cry," Eldritch continually assured listeners that "everything's gonna be alright" -- but, really, coming out of that mouth, did anyone actually believe him? Even on the occasional wobbly patches imbedded in the now classic "Marian" and the title track, where the song threatens to dissolve into irrelevance despite Eldritch's chirky vocal, they pull up wonderfully on the bass-driven, bee-stung guitar gem "Possession" and the closing "Some Kind of Stranger," an untouchable epic that, clocking in at over seven minutes, is the best of its kind from any time -- period. "Some Kind of Stranger" not only became a love song for the doom and gloom crowd, but was also an anthemic, anemic declaration of intent laid bare in a haze of sonic smoke and mirrors. Copied to death, its brilliance has never been replicated. Indeed, the entire album remains unequaled in the genre, permanently granted top place on a pedestal from which it cannot be toppled. [First and Last and Always was re-released on LP in 2011.] ~ Amy Hanson, Rovi Read Less

• All from $56.72
• New Music from $56.72
• Collectible from $56.72

• All Copies (2)
• Vinyl (1)
• CD (1)
• Choose Release (1)

• Music Details
• Seller
• Sort U.K./EUR Sellers Price: Low to High Price: High to Low Condition Condition: Reverse Release Date Release Date: Rev Sellers Near Me

• CD, New 2011, Mobile Fidelity UPC: 821797100069 See Item Details ▾

  newtownvideo HIGH huntingdon valley, PA, USA

  $56.72 Add to Basket

  	Edition: 2011, Mobile Fidelity CD, New Available Copies: 10+	Details: UPC: 821797100069 Discs: 1 Label: Mobile Fidelity Released: 04/04/2011 Alibris ID: 18144022182	Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.46 Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
  Seller's Description: New. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
  ► Contact This Seller
  Hide Details ▴

2011, UPC: 821797100069 LP See All from $40.66