Nova Akropola / LAIBACH
In Laibach’s early days, including this album, their military image matched their heavy sound, making them an impressive band.
Their image, conveyed through album covers, posters, photographs, and more, was consistent and their image strategy was very sophisticated.
This album’s sense of sound and album cover art are both impressive.
Initially, they released albums on the cassette label of the cutting-edge Dutch label Staalplaat, and later on labels with ties to SPK, like Walter Ulbricht Schallfolien and Side Effects, making them one of the industrial bands of the time.
For some reason, this album was released on the Cherry Red label, and they later joined Mute.
After moving to Mute, their tastes changed, and they began covering rock and techno, which probably alienated many of their original fans.
I haven’t listened to them much since moving to Mute, but they’ve been covering Foreigner and The Beatles, among others, and creating albums with some pretty unusual combinations.
I saw Laibach live at London’s Union Chapel in 1994, but it had been quite a while since they moved to Mute, so much of the early industrial atmosphere had faded, but it felt like a little of the vibe was still there.
I really wanted to see their early live performances in person.
There are videos of their early live performances uploaded on YouTube, but I think these performances were more worthwhile.