Sunday, August 22, 2010

Peter Murphy - Deep (Beggars Banquet, 1989)

I owe a lot of my early musical influences to my two older brothers. One of the first artists that I remember we all dug was Peter Murphy. I guess I sort of did it backwards, not knowing who Bauhaus was until after I knew of Peter Murphy, but I was also 11 years old. My musical maturity and knowledge of relevant and influential 80's bands, although off to an earlier start than most, was still a ways off.

Revisiting Deep makes me realize how ahead of the times Murphy was, almost pulling what would be the next sound to him instead of waiting for the 90's to start. The whole album is filled with radio ready tracks and I think most of them made it to the airwaves at some point. Cuts You Up might be the one you recognize and stands to be the most finished in my ears among some very well crafted songs. Crystal Wrists is a song that seems to have influenced a lot of the early 90's stuff I would get into.


The liner notes leave a lot to be desired but get right to the point - pictures of the backing band (the hundred men), song titles, black typed lyrics on a white background, credits and that's it. Not even a Thanks to anyone... it was all business I guess at that point. I do like the image of Murphy both on the cover and on the cd itself stretching, contorting and bowing in all black. I distinctly remember walking to the Richardson Blockbuster Music at Plano and Spring Valley and asking the store manager if anyone had claimed the promotional poster they had of this album in the window, but was too late. I heard Murphy was a beanpole in real life which made you wonder where his deeeeep voice came from.

"I twist a shade to my right and spit at beezlebug on sight and go on loving all I see for here I live on patiently." Crystal Wrists

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