Crushed Velvet Apocalypse

The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse
Studio album by
The Legendary Pink Dots
Released1990
Genre
Length68:06 (CD)
46:41 (LP and cassette)
LabelPlay It Again Sam/Wax Trax!, Caroline (Belgium, US)
Cacciocavallo/Soleilmoon (US)
SPV (Poland)
ProducerThe Legendary Pink Dots
The Legendary Pink Dots chronology
Four Days
(1990) 		The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse
(1990) 		The Maria Dimension
(1991)

The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse is an album by the Anglo-Dutch band the Legendary Pink Dots, released in 1990.[1][2][3] The album is a cult fan favorite.[4] Niels van Hoorn contributed on flute, saxophones, and clarinet.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Chicago Tribune[7]

The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Using instrumentation that includes electronics, guitar, sitar, flute and oboe, the longtime-cult-favorite Pink Dots craft a sometimes-stark, sometimes-elegant, sometimes-dreamy outing of neo-psychedelia and alternative pop that's imbued with a pronounced eccentricity of vision and a captivating originality of execution."[7] Trouser Press noted that "Green Gang" "runs sitar/tabla meanderings into twittering flutes and winds up building a quietly disturbing skein of motorway noise."[8]

In 2016, LA Weekly included Crushed Velvet Apocalypse on its list of classic goth albums.[9] Salt Lake City Weekly called the music "lush, luxurious and sensual, yet also dark and sinister, with a sense of mysticism that is foreboding more than comforting."[10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."I Love You In Your Tragic Beauty"4:40
2."Green Gang"7:38
3."Hellsville"5:42
4."Hellowe'en"1:17
5."The Safe Way"4:31
6."Just a Lifetime"7:40
7."The Death of Jack the Ripper"5:20
8."New Tomorrow"9:53
9."Princess Coldheart" (*)6:40
10."The Pleasure Palace" (*)8:10
11."The Collector" (*)5:20
12."C.V.A." (+)1:15
Total length:1:08:06

(*) Not included on LP and cassette editions – taken from the Princess Coldheart 12".

(+) Unreleased CD bonus track.

Personnel

  • Qa'Sepel (Edward Ka-Spel) – voices, keyboards
  • The Silver Man (Phil Knight) – keyboards, samples, devices, percussion
  • Bob Pistoor – guitars, sitar, bass
  • Niels van Hoorn – flute, saxophones, bass clarinet
  • Hanz Myer – electronics, oboe, tymphanis

Additional personnel

  • Hanz Myre – engineer

Notes

  • The SPV edition contains different artwork than that of the other editions.
  • The album title references the Velvet Revolution of Czechoslovakia in 1989.
  • The Safe Way references a grocery store on the west coast of the United States.

References

  1. ^ Stubbs, David (27 January 1990). "The Legendary Pink Dots". Melody Maker. 66 (4): 27.
  2. ^ DeWalt, Rob (12 November 2010). "Dots the Way I Like It". The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. PA63.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman Books. p. 458.
  4. ^ "Pink Dots at Hard Rock Cafe". The Warsaw Voice. 17 October 2007.
  5. ^ The Rough Guide to Rock (2nd ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. 2003. p. 589.
  6. ^ AllMusic review
  7. ^ a b Popson, Tom (27 July 1990). "An intriguing dash of Dots eccentricity". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. R.
  8. ^ "Legendary Pink Dots". Trouser Press. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  9. ^ Ohanesian, Liz (15 February 2016). "10 Classic Goth Albums for People Who Don't Know Shit About Goth Music". Music. LA Weekly.
  10. ^ Staker, Brian (14 September 2016). "Dots Come Full Circle". Salt Lake City Weekly.