A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box

Disc 1
1	Dead Souls / Joy Division 4:55
2	Charlotte Sometimes / The Cure 4:12
3	She's in Parties / Bauhaus 5:44
4	Temple of Love / The Sisters of Mercy 7:41
5	Christian Says / Tones on Tail 3:42
6	Mutiny in Heaven / The Birthday Party 4:15
7	Spellbound / Siouxsie and the Banshees 3:17
8	Fatman / Southern Death Cult 3:45
9	Mirror People / Love and Rockets 4:05
10	Power / Fields of the Nephilim 4:42
11	Now I'm Feeling Zombified / Alien Sex Fiend 9:16
12	Snake Dance / March Violets 4:08
13	Walking on Your Hands / Red Lorry Yellow Lorry 2:38
14	Kiss Kiss Bang Bang / Specimen 4:19
15	Wasteland / The Mission UK 4:46
16	The Grip of Love / Ghost Dance 3:07
17	His Box / Dali's Car 4:39
Disc 2
1	The Weeping Song / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 4:23
2	Exterminating Angel / The Creatures 5:49
3	God's Zoo / Death Cult 3:25
4	Heartache / Gene Loves Jezebel 4:22
5	I Go Crazy / Flesh for Lulu 3:50
6	Cuts You Up / Peter Murphy 5:27
7	Open Your Eyes / The Lords of the New Church 3:28
8	Heaven Is Waiting / Danse Society 3:44
9	All My Colours / Echo & the Bunnymen 4:02
10	Don't Fall / The Chameleons UK 4:04
11	Dreamland / Rose of Avalanche 3:58
12	Fall / The Jesus and Mary Chain 2:28
13	Coming Down Fast / Daniel Ash 2:55
14	Muscoviet Musquito / Clan of Xymox 4:31
15	Incubus Succubus II / Xmal Deutschland 4:47
16	Starblood / Cranes 3:37
17	Ardera Siempre / Miranda Sex Garden 4:51
18	Blood Bitch / Cocteau Twins 4:36
19	The Arcane / Dead Can Dance 3:46
Disc 3
1	Rain / The Cult 3:57
2	Away / The Bolshoi 4:55
3	Watch Without Pain / Rubicon 4:39
4	Pagan Lovesong / Virgin Prunes 3:28
5	Morning Dew / Einstürzende Neubauten 4:53
6	Hamburger Lady / Throbbing Gristle 4:09
7	To Blame / Kommunity FK 5:22
8	Melody Lee / The Damned 2:07
9	Romeo's Distress / Christian Death 3:16
10	Party Time / Grave 3:17
11	Kiss / London After Midnight 6:22
12	Dieche / Sex Gang Children 4:30
13	Assimilate / Skinny Puppy 6:57
14	Halloween / The Misfits 1:47
15	Tomorrow's World / Killing Joke 5:27
16	So What / Ministry 8:13
17	The Hanging Garden / AFI 4:22
Disc 4
1	Lullaby / The Cure DVD
2	Bela Lugosi's Dead / Bauhaus DVD
3	Lucretia My Reflection / The Sisters of Mercy DVD
4	Moonchild / Fields of the Nephilim DVD
5	Deliverance / The Mission UK DVD
6	Ball of Confusion / Love and Rockets DVD
7	Head On / The Jesus and Mary Chain DVD
8	The Killing Moon / Echo & the Bunnymen DVD
9	Where the Wild Roses Grow / Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds DVD
10	Stigmata / Ministry DVD
11	Spiritwalker / The Cult Live / DVD
12	Cities in Dust / Siouxsie and the Banshees DVD

Barnes & Noble

"Gothic rock" -- the eyeliner-obsessed offshoot of early '80s post-punk -- has been critically maligned even as it's taken root all over the world. Well, on the strength of this three-CD-plus-DVD box set, it may be time to revise the canon with a kinder eye toward the subculture, which boasts a rich musical history and an ongoing line of bands and enthusiasts. Some of the bigger names included here, such as post-punk stalwarts Joy Division, the Cure, and Echo & the Bunnymen, aren't recognized as exclusively "Goth" bands, but stylistically they donned the same garb, and their sound formed the bulwark upon which subsequent bands would build. With gloomy synths and jarring guitars, leather-filled wardrobes, and chilly lyrics obsessing on death, shattered hearts, and Romantic and religious imagery, early Goth bands truly captured a mood -- yet one that was curiously danceable, thanks to the emergence of drum machines and drummers who aped them. A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box collects tracks from some of the most recognizable names of Goth -- Bauhaus (and its many, many offshoots), the Sisters of Mercy, the Birthday Party, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance -- most of whom have previously been reluctant to participate in anthologies like this one, making this box particularly accurate and comprehensive. Surprising to some might be the musical breadth represented here, from the art-rock leanings of Dali's Car (a duo of Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy and Japan bassist Mick Karn) to the '60s pop idolization of the Jesus & Mary Chain and Flesh for Lulu, to the punk-inspired fury of the Misfits and the Damned. Another interesting tangent traced here is the morphing of Ian Astbury's Southern Death Cult (the primitive-sounding "Fatman") to the Death Cult (the comparatively chiming "God's Zoo") to the Cult (the throbbing mid-'80s hit "Rain"). But the standout tracks don't come solely from the known quantities; you'll also hear memorable tracks by groups last heard on vinyl: "Christian Says" from Bauhaus offshoot Tones on Tail; "Walking on Your Hands" by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry; "Heaven Is Waiting" by Danse Society; and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" by Specimen. Capping off the musical offerings is a true-to-the original cover of the Cure's "The Hanging Garden" by contemporary flag-bearers AFI. The set's DVD gathers a dozen essential video clips from the biggest names of the genre -- any fan worth his pancake makeup simply must own the scene anthem "Bela Lugosi's Dead." The accompanying 60-page booklet features essays, testimonials from the artists, extensive track notes, photographs, and -- as if to show the compilers' own Gothic funny bone -- tips on "How to Dance Gothic" and "10 Essentials for Putting on a Proper Goth Night." Marrying Goth touchstone tracks with plenty of surprises (which stand up surprisingly well), A Life Less Lived captures the heart and soul of the genre. Despite its best intentions, Goth lives on. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

By the gods, here it is, the much vaunted "definitive" Gothic rock compendium from the packaging and licensing elves at Rhino Records. A Life Less Lived will certainly be a candidate for the best packaging award at the Grammy Awards for 2006. As unlikely and as unsettling it is -- for those who live by the black rose of Goth and wish to remain underneath their sad rock in the dark garden of marginality -- without even considering the music or video inside it, this box set stands out as something that perhaps might be sold at your local S&M pleasure palace emporium. Why? Well, for one, it's all assembled inside a black vinyl corset. Only the sticker reveals its contents as it boasts those band names sure to offend every parent who shops at the local mega mart that insists on labeling a CD's contents; names such as Alien Sex Fiend, Christian Death, Fields of the Nephilim, and more adorn the red, black and white sticker. Pasted, of course, in prominent view.

Musically, this is a mixed bag. Liz Goodman produced this set and for the most part, she did an excellent job. There are some problematic selections, and of course the stuff that's not here is just as troubling, but then that's what themed various artist box sets are about. Disc one kicks off with Joy Division's "Dead Souls." While it's true that the overwhelming majority would look to JD as one of the penultimate Goth progenitors, it's still an argumentative choice. What about Bauhaus? (Yep -- but with a caveat later). The Sisters of Mercy? Uh huh. March Violets? Of course. Danse Society? You bet. Virgin Prunes? OK, but that's only part of what they were about as a band. The point is, so many of these selections may have been embraced by those who love Goth music, but weren't bands that necessarily tried -- or even wanted to -- appeal to that gloom and doom rock & roll subculture. Another instance: the Misfits "Halloween" is here, but nothing from former frontman Glenn Danzig's Black Aria project -- which is overtly Gothic music. The Misfits, the Damned, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo & the Bunnymen, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the Birthday Party, Ministry, and the Chameleons U.K. just don't belong here. The Cure is deeply arguable as well. And then there's the sheer volume of post-Bauhaus projects included here. You get the original, but was it necessary to include Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Dali's Car, or Peter Murphy's (or "Blitz" as he was known to the late John Peel) and Daniel Ash's solo properties? There are some genius choices here too, though, such as Kommunity FK's "To Blame," .45 Grave's "Party Time," the Cranes' "Starblood," and Rose of Avalanche's "Dreamland," are just a few. There are some rather interesting choices in London After Midnight's "Kiss," Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's "Walking on Your Hands," and Ghost Dance's "The Grip of Love." Much of the standard fare is here as well: "Bela Lugosi's Dead" is here on DVD, as is "She's in Parties," "Snake Dance" by the March Violets, the Cocteau Twins' "Blood Bitch," and tracks by Flesh for Lulu, Gene Loves Jezebel, Xmal Deustschland, Sex Gang Children, and Southern Death Cult. It's great as far as it goes. But what about all the bands on the Projekt label, the longest running, willfully Goth project out there for almost two decades? These are the most obvious omissions, but there certainly are others. Where is Mass and the other half-a-dozen 4AD bands who most certainly were Goth? It appears that Goodman was too selective in places and not subjective in others. The DVD is killer, however, with its video selection, even if some of them don't necessarily belong in Goth terrain. Seeing Fields of the Nephilim here with Moonchild, the Sisters of Mercy's "Lucretia My Reflection," and the Mission U.K.'s "Deliverance" all in a row is brilliant. Love and Rockets' "Ball of Confusion," and the Jesus and Mary Chain's "Head On" are great even if they don't belong here. The Cult's live "Spiritwalker" (before the band became some kind of headbanging biker "Steppenwolf Jr" or something) is also a nice pick. Ending with Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Cities in Dust" is another great choice. The Nick Cave video is great, but again, it just doesn't belong here and the same goes for Ministry's "Stigmata."

The booklet in this package is a thing to behold in and of itself. It's gorgeous in terms of design and presentation -- it's stitched, not just glued. There are essays by Goodman, Goth maniac Mick Mercer, Dave Thompson did the track by track, Alternative Press' Jason Pettigrew has a very entertaining essay called "The 'G' Word: Artists Address the 'Goth' Tag," and Sue Lott and former Big Chief guitarist Phil Durr wrote a very fine "Hiss and Hearse: Two Tales from the Goth Side. There is also a section entitled "The Lighter Side of Goth," with essays on "How to Dance Gothic" and "Ten Essentials for Running a Proper Goth Night." There is an arguable discography at the back, as well. A Life Less Lived is most likely of interest for those fans who already have all this music anyway, but are interested in (A): seeing it one place in a lush and very handsome package, and (B): feel that they've finally been vindicated by the mainstream. As for being a cultural document of stature, history will decide that, but this is the first thing of its kind that's actually been worth the fuss. Thom Jurek