View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (24 ratings)
- Date Released: May 15, 2007
- Genre: Electronic
- Label: The Omni Recording Corporation / IODA
Famed children's songwriter makes his grown-up album — with self-modified instruments.
-
We Say...
Canadian Bruce Haack (1931-1988) was one of electronic rock's unacknowledged pioneers. Although he had no formal training in electronics, he built his own modified synthesisers and gave them names such as the “People-odion” and the “Dermatron.” As he says in a radio interview accompanying this album, he was inspired by Raymond Scott, the American electronic composer who wrote commercial jingles using customised electronic instruments and musique concrète techniques. Made in 1970, Electric Lucifer sits unwittingly alongside White Noise's An Electric Storm and Faust's first album, made around the same time, two other albums which offer fascinating, rough blueprints for an electronic future that wasn't quite to be.
Unlike Kraftwerk, Haack doesn't reconfigure the very nature of the pop song — the likes of “Electric Turn to Me” and “National Anthem to the Moon” are traditional in format but with a fuzzy coating of analogue devices. There's an “Age Of Aquarius” feel to tracks like “Chant of the Unborn” and “Requiem,” sanguine, rather than terrified by the man-machine '70s to come (“Power love is what we are”). But it's the naivety, the bristling, electro-static, wide-eyed optimism, the technical curiosity of Electric Lucifer which make it so infectious and inspiring to listen to in the 21st century we actually ended up in, evoking a nostalgic pang for lost tomorrows. -
They Say...
After hearing late-'60s rock & roll from his friend Chris Kachulis, Bruce Haack added acid rock to his already diverse sonic palette. The result was 1970s Electric Lucifer, a psychedelic, anti-war song cycle about the battle between heaven and hell. The underlying concept of this concept album is "Powerlove," a divine force that not only unites humanity but forgives Lucifer his transgressions as well. But though this album extols the healing powers of peace and love, Electric Lucifer uses often menacing music and lyrics to get its point across. "War" depicts the battle royale between good and evil with a martial beat and salvos from dueling synthesizers; a child's voice murmurs "I don't want to play anymore, " and a funereal synth melody replaces the electronic battle march. Haack's marriage of rock rhythms and his unique electronics creates a sound unlike either his previous work or the era's psychedelic rock, but songs like "Incantation" and "Word Game," with their percolating beats, buzzing synths and vocoders, are much trippier than most acid rock. The strangely forlorn "Song of the Death Machine" sounds a bit like a short-circuiting HAL singing "My Darling Clementine," while "Word Game" features cool, dark electro-rock and brain-teasing lyrics like "Ray of sun/Reason/Knowledge/No legends." Kachulis sings on both of these tracks, and his deadpan vocals complement the weirdness going on around him nicely. His involvement with Electric Lucifer also includes aiding the album's release on Columbia Records; though it was Haack's only major-label release, Electric Lucifer remains musically innovative and subversive. [The 2007 Omni Recording Corp reissue includes bonus tracks.]
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 24 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 24 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Electric To Me Turn |
1:50 |
|
| 02. |
The World (Narration) |
0:32 |
|
|
| 03. | |
Cherubic Hymn |
2:19 |
|
| 04. | |
Program Me |
4:39 |
|
| 05. | |
War |
3:45 |
|
| 06. | |
National Anthem To the Moon |
2:40 |
|
| 07. | |
Chant of the Unborn |
1:24 |
|
| 08. | |
Incantation |
3:17 |
|
| 09. | |
Angel Child |
1:04 |
|
| 10. | |
Word Game |
3:50 |
|
| 11. | |
Song of the Death Machine |
3:03 |
|
| 12. | |
Super Nova |
5:23 |
|
| 13. | |
Requiem |
3:22 |
|
| 14. | |
Being Silent |
5:00 |
|
| 15. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
6:37 |
|
| 16. |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
0:32 |
|
|
| 17. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
2:17 |
|
| 18. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
5:58 |
|
| 19. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
2:37 |
|
| 20. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
5:59 |
|
| 21. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
5:22 |
|
| 22. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
3:21 |
|
| 23. | |
Bruce Haack Interviewed on Canadian Radio CKUA (1970) |
0:48 |
|
| 24. | |
Electric To Me Turn (Alternate Version) |
1:48 |
|
24 Total Tracks, 77:27 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Bruce Haack, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Leroy Parkins - Original Recording Producer // Farad - Vocals // Peter Granet - Engineer // Bruce Haack - Bass // Bruce Haack - Vocals // Bruce Haack - Electronic Sounds // Bruce Haack - Multi Instruments // Bruce Haack - Narrator // Bruce Haack - Liner Notes // Chris Kachulis - Vocals // Chris Kachulis - Vocal Effect // Chris Kachulis - Interviewee // Andrew Kazdin - Programming // Arthur Kendy - Engineer // Ray Moore - Engineer // Tony Taylor - Vocals // Simon Polinski - Remastering // Simon Polinski - Restoration // Jimmy Knox - Liner Notes // Karen Lee Grant - Back Cover // Ted Pandel - Liner Notes // Ted Pandel - Photo Courtesy // William H. Englander - Management // Charles Peirce - Liner Notes // Charles Peirce - Interviewer // Isadore Seltzer - Cover Art // Jon St. John - Vocals
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC