Phooey. Can you say "exploitation"?
Frater L.P. | SF Bay Area, CA United States | 06/20/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I have been a Faust fan since the mid '80s when my brother played Faust's immortal first album for me. After years of inobtainability, they all came out on CD and I picked them up one by one. Virtually every one of Faust's recordings from '71 to '75 are ones I would whole-heartedly recommend to ANYONE with a flair for the unusual in music.Faust regrouped in the mid '90s, following the path taken by many other '70s era Progressive groups. I found the results of Faust's '90s efforts to be mixed, but at least with Jean-Herve Peron in the group there was still something interesting--they still had a small amount of Faust's original spirit left in them. It couldn't compare to the old stuff obviously, but it was still Faust and it was nice to hear the old boys again after such a long absence.When Peron left the group a few years ago, that old spirit dissolved. The albums "Faust Wakes Nosferatu" and "Ravvivando" were masses of buzzsaw guitar and/or synth noise that were wanting in creativity and originality. Now this repackaged "Faust" has dropped to a new low with "Patchwork"."Patchwork" takes bits and pieces of songs which were already existing on the old Faust albums and remixes them together with modern tracks and sometimes overdubbed lyrics. There are also some songs and versions of songs from the '70s and '80 that were never released before. After listening to them, you know why they were never released--they are substandard and not very interesting. It sounds like this new "Faust" was trying to make a "Faust Tapes II" with neither quality material nor proper creative skill.I'm not looking for the Faust of old here. If I wanted "good old Faust", I'd stick to the old records. I want "good new Faust". Magma, Pere Ubu, and Slapp Happy have all come out with great new stuff recently that still has their character. Patchwork does not follow in this trend.Frankly, as a Faust fan, I feel exploited. Let me make this perfectly clear-- THIS IS _NOT_ FAUST. It may say Faust on it, it may have one of the old members of Faust (Irmler) involved in it's production, but it's actually a lot of [copied] material with none of the creativity or stunning originality of the old Faust. I don't care how much they remix the old stuff or scrape the bottom of the barrel looking for scraps of material--this is exploitation and a way to get us real Faust fans to part with our money. Don't fall for it."
Faust - 'Patchwork' (Staubgold)
Mike Reed | USA | 11/07/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"With a total of twenty tracks here,each averaging two minutes in length,'Patchwork' is most cartainly NOT for Faust newcomers.In fact,some long-time fans may have a problem with it.Tunes here are previously unreleased snippets and actual finished songs that would originate anywhere from 1971 to 2002.After reading the liner notes,I guess we can be glad that original members organist Hans Joachim Irmler and drummer Werner Diermaier were personally involved in this project.The songs are mostly upbeat,a couple that I thought somewhat stood out were "A Seventies Event","Jassie" and "Sretch Out".Super-nice job on the digipack cover and the 16-page booklet.Fussy krautrock fans may not go nuts over this CD,but patient listeners should get some enjoyment out of it.Audiophiles could easily have a field day with 'Patchwork'.Worth checking out."
Great Album!!!!
boy | scotland. | 05/17/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album combines classic era Faust with new Faust and modern technology. Like the title suggests it is a patchwork - unreleased material, classic material, samples, drones, German voiceovers and newer stuff all mixed together into an amazing sonic soundscape. If you've heard Faust's classic early 70s album "The Faust Tapes" and liked it, then you are in for a treat; this album has been described as Faust tapes 2.The sheer inventivness of this piece is cause enough for repeated listening. A surreal, feedback drenched,acoustic, funky, aggressive, naive, cool listen if ever there was one. As good a place as any to become aquainted with the treasures of one of the 20th century's finest, most consistently grounbreaking music experiences. Faust have NO peers! Also, check out their latest release - a collaboration with New Jersey dark wave hip-hoppers Dalek; a bleak, industrial nightmare journey through the deepest reaches of the human psyche. Magnificent!!!"
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1