Klaus Nomi - Klaus Nomi (1981) ☠

*This is a repress of the original 1981 LP release on CD. 

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: Germany

Language: English

Genre: Art Pop, New Wave

Label Number: ND74420

.FLAC via Florenfile

.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile

☠: Selected by Lass

© 1981 RCA/BMG/Spindizzy

Klaus Nomi Review by Sean Carruthers

It only takes a quick look at the cover to get a reasonably decent idea that this isn't your typical pop album: Decked out in a grossly oversized suit and heavy theatrical makeup, Klaus Nomi is not your typical pop singer, either. Both the cover and the music within lean heavily to the dramatic -- Nomi's delivery is all in a very operatic falsetto, though most of the music itself is more of the early-'80s European dance school (indeed, one of his collaborators here was Man Parrish, probably best-known for his later work with Man 2 Man). Only one of the tracks here was self-penned; rather, Nomi gets down to work here as an interpreter, turning in suitably skewed versions of "Lightning Strikes" and Chubby Checker's "The Twist." The real highlights here are his take on Kristian Hoffman's song "Total Eclipse," and a rather straight (ahem) reading of the aria from Saint-Saens' classical work Samson and Delilah. It's pretty hard to imagine your typical classical music buff embracing this song, let alone the entire album, but fans of off-kilter pop music will certainly find a lot to love about this album.

 tags: klaus nomi, klaus nomi album, 1981, flac,