The Write Off

Wow, how embarrassing...I'm late to my own write off. Oh well. The idea behind the write off (which I put together with help of some other advisors, namely Jennjoy) was to pair people off and have each partner choose a CD for the other person to review, the kicker being that it shouldn't be something in that person's "normal" listening or reviewing habits. My partner is the ever formidable phixed. I chose Pearl Jam's No Code for him, after deciding that if I couldn't write a review of a Miles Davis album, I shouldn't make someone else. So how does he repay me? He repays me with Eclipsed:The Best of Klaus Nomi.

I have to admit I was intrigued by his decision, as I had never heard of Nomi. What I got was one of the oddest recordings I've ever heard of in my life.

Who the f*ck is Klaus Nomi?

OK, so I won't lie to you any longer. That was my first true reaction when phixed told me what he was giving me. But I keep an open mind on things, and I figured if I'd never heard of him, this wasn't such a bad thing, as most commercial music is awful.

First of all, one of the main reasons I had never heard of Nomi was that he died in 1983 of AIDS, after only two albums. This compilation was released in 1999 on Razor Tie records.

Born Klaus Sperber, Nomi came to New York in the 70s, where after a couple years, he made contact with vocal coach Ira Siff. It wasn't until 1978 where he created the Nomi "persona" so to speak. He made a few appearances throughout New York City, where he made an impression on David Bowie, an artist Nomi would come to idolize. He even sang backup to Bowie's December 1979 performance on Saturday Night Live. Through Bowie's connections, Nomi was able to release his first album, The Klaus Nomi LP on French RCA in 1981.

In November 1982, he released his second, and final, album, Simple Man. Within two months of that album's release, Nomi became seriously ill. He succumbed to AIDS in early August 1983.

The Music

Klaus Nomi's music is very difficult to describe with any degree of accuracy. It is unlike anything I've ever heard, and honestly, my first reaction to it was that it was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard as well. I almost wanted to email phixed and say to him "alright man, good joke, now what do you REALLY want me to review?"

However, over time, the album grew on me. Don't get me wrong, this album still freaks me out like no other, but there are some true gems on here. The first of which is what is widely considered Nomi's true masterpiece, Keys of Life. On this song, the synthesizers and blips so often overused on some of Nomi's other works are nearly muted, only used for backing effect. Meanwhile, Nomi speaks in a poetic like voice that echoes. The lyrics resonate as well, and it doesn't take long to figure out why this is considered his "masterpiece." The lines "Exploring new dimensions...New lifestyle my intention," in many ways reflect exactly what Nomi was trying to do with music. Exploring new dimensions and making new lifestyles for himself as an artist, which is noteworthy even nearly 20 years after it's release.

The most pop sounding song is the silly Rubberband Lazer, which I guess you could say isn't so surprising given the title. Nomi manages to even invoke a bit of country into this song, with the fiddle solo very prominent in the mix. He also restrains himself from going into full opera mode, which is somewhat of a welcome change.

As I listened to the CD, when I heard a new wave/opera version of Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead (from The Wizard of Oz), I started laughing uncontrollably. This was so ridiculous, so unnecessary. But it was hilarious. It was obviously done with tongue firmly planted in cheek, making this somewhat novelty song even more of a novelty.

Nomi lets out his inner Freddie Mercury (another one of his obvious idols) on his cover of Elvis' Can't Help Falling In Love. His voice soars with confidence and tenderness, a truly beautiful rendition. In fact, his voice reminds one of Mercury's own on Bohemian Rhapsody.

Sadly though, this CD is so varied it is in many ways a schizophrenic mess. In many ways (and I don't mean to offend anyone with this comment in all honesty), it's like Bowie and Mercury had a kid and out popped Klaus. He wears his Bowie influence on his sleeve, but at times he then tries so hard to have the dramatic power of Mercury's band (Queen for those of you who are musically challenged).

In the end, if you want something completely different from today's musical landscape, then this is probably right up your alley. However, more than a few of the songs can be jarring on your ears, especially on the first listen. Another song sounds like the pre-cursor to Right Said Fred and I'm Too Sexy. Given that though, this is an interesting and remarkable piece of work that will certainly never be duplicated. I give it 4 stars for it's breadth of material and diversity, it's theater like tone throughout, and because I think this shows off that Klaus could've taken his form of new wave and opera to the masses with a few minor changes and with the evolution of his unique sound over time. It really is sad he lost his life before this sound was able to fully evolve.

The full list of participants for the writeoff is as follows:
keithpruitt, kristinafh, buffoonery, ad-dollars, repulsemonkey, aggiebrett, shilmafone, kidhendrix, brotherman, e_burrell, kcfoxy, thevoid99, danielrf, adjensen, sleestakk, obiwanjabroni, saxguy, fm_hunter, chezon, pezking, matta75, phixed, dchefsours, annexation, monssfisch, kuuleimomi, flamepillar, dantesguide, sordid-1, magenta321, jennifernorth, jennjoy, gamblinfamily, vemartin, sparkospunky, kris-kochanski, given2flymike, roheblius, divad23 and monnie1976

all of them are excellent writers, you should definitely check out their articles as well



Recommended: Yes