Search - Normal :: Warm Leatherette / T.V.O.D.

A trendsetting rerelease from a true trendsetter

DAC Crowell | 06/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Normal = one Daniel Miller, the eventual head of Mute Records. From this initial single sprang one of the most important labels in modern, trendsetting music from the late 1970s onward, one which gave us Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Einsturzende Neubauten, and very much so on. This is a raw piece of work, bedroom-recorded, and very much a part of the industrial outgrowths of the UK punk scene, like similar efforts by Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Robert Rental, Thomas Leer, and others. Imagine a garage-band Kraftwerk, and you'll get the idea. The sad thing about this meager single, though, is that there's more to the Daniel Miller oeuvre than this, and it's nigh-impossible to get, such as an intense and exposed-nerve-raw live set by Miller (as The Normal) and Robert Rental which was released on Rough Trade c. 1980. So, this gets five stars, both for content and historical import, but a full compilation of The Normal et al would likely get a theoretical six."

Splendidly Morbid

Arachnia Jyacinthe Black | Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada | 08/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, for a while I thought my family were the only weirdos who had ever heard this piece. Very original. I grew up with it as my older brother used to listen to bands such as this and Throbbing Grissle, Dali's Car, The Residents, and many more. I can imagine Tim Burton listening to this kind of stuff. At any rate a top notch piece of music for any gothic/electronic/weird fan."

Nothing Quite Like It Then, And Nothing Like It Now.....

Laserazor | L.I.,NY USA | 03/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember when I heard it for the 1st time on college radio in 1978...It blew me away....It sounded so fresh and different. Unlike anything I had ever heard before. And almost 30 yrs. later It would still stand out,and be relevent if it was released today..That says alot. Theres not many songs I could say that about....A true groundbreaking masterpiece...Its a shame that there are only 2 songs by the Normal (aka D.M.) There probably could have been alot more.....AHH What A Great Era In Music. I miss it!!!"