To Have The Second Crack (Full Album) Germany, 1988

Подробнее о видео

To Have The Second Crack (Full Album) Germany, 1988

Goodbye Enemies! 05:52
Open Minded 04:26
Infernal State 05:25
Experimental Survival 03:10
Church Is Empty 04:44
Systemic Corruption 02:11
Shake The Foundation 02:59
Chemical Senses 05:51
Silent Rooms 03:15

"To Have The Second Crack" (1988) was the debut album of the Hamburg-based electro combo ABORTIVE GASP. The highly experimental tracks were composed by Harry Luehr, while the album was mixed over a year later, in 1989, at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, with lyrics by singer Tim Paal. For this album and the two that followed, physicists at DESY supported the band by providing access to a large auditorium for rehearsals and recordings—rarely used by scientists during the day.

Paal and Luehr consistently denied that the smallest physical particles—some being accelerated in the facility's endless tubes just meters below the band at nearly the speed of light—had any spiritual or electromagnetic influence on their music. But could this be ruled out with absolute certainty? Especially given that ABORTIVE GASP’s recordings, often dub-inspired and improvisational, possessed a strong live character, likely influenced by their immediate surroundings more than if the music had been heavily processed in various recording studios.

With a few exceptions, the songs lean toward a subdued quality, marked by pre-ambient elements and frequent use of reverb effects. This could explain the ironic or slightly self-deprecating note on the iconic motor dummy cover, designed by Paal, which describes "To Have The Second Crack" as not "Electronic Body Music" (EBM) but a "sterile and hypnotic dilemma."

Atmospherically, many of the simply structured songs on Second Crack evoke early recordings by CABARET VOLTAIRE, PORTION CONTROL, or SKINNY PUPPY. While not always reaching their level of genius, ABORTIVE GASP at times matches their originality and stylistic open-mindedness. Tracks such as "Bye Bye, Honey" and "Church Is Empty" stand out, blending early EBM, industrial, and experimental electronic music with a calm touch on the synths and samplers. The very first ABORTIVE GASP song, "Experimental Surviving," impresses with its cyborg-like style, reminiscent of NITZER EBB or DAF, drawing listeners to the dance floor.