Halber Mensch

Halber Mensch
Halber Mensch
Studio album by Einstürzende Neubauten
Released	2 September 1985
Recorded	1983–1985
Genre	Industrial; industrial rock; experimental rock;
Length	35:32
Label	Some Bizarre
Producer	Gareth Jones, Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten chronology

Halber Mensch (or ⁠1/2⁠ Mensch; English: Half Person) is the third studio album by German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, released on 2 September 1985 by Some Bizzare Records in the U.K. and by What's So Funny About GmbH in Germany. In the U.S., the album was distributed by Rough Trade Records.^[1]

Background

Halber Mensch shows a wider artistic range for the group, incorporating elements of electronic dance music in "Yü-Gung (Fütter mein Ego)" and performing the title track nearly a cappella. The group also expands their dynamic range; Blixa Bargeld's voice in "Seele Brennt" suddenly switches from a barely audible whisper to a high-pitched scream, while quiet bass guitar overtones float over relatively restrained percussion in "Letztes Biest (am Himmel)".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Alternative Rock	8/10^[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[4]
The Great Alternative & Indie Discography	5/10^[5]
Laut.de	^[6]
MusicHound Rock	^[7]
OndaRock	8.5/10^[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10^[9]

Trouser Press described Halber Mensch as Einstürzende Neubauten's "strongest record" and "truly remarkable."^[10] AllMusic called it "an excellent feat of industrial music."^[2] In a 2019 feature, Pitchfork named it the second-best industrial album of all time.^[11]

Reissue

In 2002, after a continuous conflict with Some Bizzare Records,^{[citation needed]} the band released a remastered reissue of the album through their own label Potomak, with a slight variation of the cover image.^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Einstürzende Neubauten, except as noted

Side A
No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Halber Mensch" ("Half Person")	Blixa Bargeld	Alexander Hacke, Bargeld, F.M. Einheit, Mark Chung, N.U. Unruh, Nikkolai Weidemann	4:13
2.	"Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)" ("Yugong (Feed My Ego)")			7:14
3.	"Trinklied" ("Drinking Song")			1:15
4.	"Z.N.S." ("C.N.S.")			5:40

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Seele Brennt" ("Soul Is Burning")	4:05
2.	"Sehnsucht (Zitternd)" ("Desire (Trembling)")	2:55
3.	"Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy" ("Death Is a Dandy")	6:41
4.	"Letztes Biest (Am Himmel)" ("Last Beast (In the Sky)")	3:28

CD bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"Sand" (Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra cover)	Hazlewood	3:30
10.	"Yü-Gung (Adrian Sherwood Remix)"		7:28
11.	"Das Schaben" ("The Rasping")		9:22

Personnel

Einstürzende Neubauten

Blixa Bargeld – production
Mark Chung – production
Alexander Hacke – production
N.U. Unruh – production
F.M. Einheit – production

Additional personnel

Ma Gita – vocals
Monika – vocals
Sabrine – vocals
Verena – vocals

Technical

Gareth Jones – production, recording and mixing on all tracks except "Seele Brent"
Nainz Watts – engineering
Thomas Stern – engineering
Michael Zimmerling – recording and mixing on "Seele Brennt"
Tim Young – mastering
Animal House – sleeve design
Vincent Huang – sleeve photography

References

^ "Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b Bush, John. "Halber Mensch – Einstürzende Neubauten : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
^ Thompson, Dave (12 April 2000). "Alternative rock". Miller Freeman Books – via Internet Archive.
^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Einstürzende Neubauten". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
^ Strong, Martin Charles (1999). The great alternative & indie discography. ISBN 9780862419134.
^ Kubanke, Ulf. "Ein Mantel wie Sandpapier für zeitlose Zeilen". Laut.de.
^ Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. p. 380. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
^ Mauro Roma. "Einstürzende Neubauten". OndaRock. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Einstürzende Neubauten". Spin Alternative Record Guide (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
^ Sheridan, David; Fasolino, Greg; Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Einstürzende Neubauten". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
^ best industrial
^ "Einstürzende Neubauten - 1/2 Mensch". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

External links

Halber Mensch at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] "Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch". Discogs. 1985. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

[AllMusic-2] Bush, John. "Halber Mensch – Einstürzende Neubauten : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 March 2013.

[3] Thompson, Dave (12 April 2000). "Alternative rock". Miller Freeman Books – via Internet Archive.

[4] Larkin, Colin (2011). "Einstürzende Neubauten". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.

[5] Strong, Martin Charles (1999). The great alternative & indie discography. ISBN 9780862419134.

[6] Kubanke, Ulf. "Ein Mantel wie Sandpapier für zeitlose Zeilen". Laut.de.

[7] Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. p. 380. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.

[8] Mauro Roma. "Einstürzende Neubauten". OndaRock. Retrieved 13 April 2022.

[9] Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "Einstürzende Neubauten". Spin Alternative Record Guide (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.

[10] Sheridan, David; Fasolino, Greg; Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Einstürzende Neubauten". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 2 March 2013.

[11] st industrial

[12] "Einstürzende Neubauten - 1/2 Mensch". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

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