Front 242 – Hamburg 87 / Official Version (Album – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: EBM.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: The title of this album doesn’t need that much details to know what it’s all about. Back in 1987 the Belgian masters of EBM, Front 242, unleashed their third full length album “Official Version”. The album was released three years after the successful “No Comment”. This live recording brings us back to that year and the band’s concert in Hamburg (Germany).
Content: Back in time “Official Version” confirmed the leading status of the band. The new work revealed new hits like “Quite Unusual”, “WYHIWYG” and “Masterhit”. The live performance features all songs of the album except “Angst”. Former successful tracks such as “Body To Body”, “No Shuffle”, “Don’t Crash”, “Lovely Day”, “Funkahdafi” and the “Commando Mix” as last track of this album were played as well.
+ + + : It’s maybe a bit strange to get a live album from a concert 34 years later, but on the other hand it also gets us back to the legendary 80s. And Front 242 have been one of the major artisans of this magic decade. Cold Electronics carried by strong choruses plus some provocative samplings (think about “Funkahdafi”) and danceable rhythms were the trademark of the band. I’m just missing the important live image of Front 242: a military take, which was ultra-controversial back in time. I think it’s important mentioning the sound quality of this very old concert is absolutely remarkable.
– – – : It’s quite strange today to see they didn’t play one single song from their debut album “Geography”.
Conclusion: This album is a must have for the Front 242 army of fans! EBM from the golden age!
Best songs: “No Shuffle”, “Lovely Day”, “Quite Unusual”, “Masterhit”, “Don’t Crash”, “Body To Body”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.facebook.com/Front.242
Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix
About Front 242
Front 242 were formed in 1981 in Aarschot, Belgium, by Daniel Bressanutti and Dirk Bergen, joined in 1982 by Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc De Meyer, and in 1983 by Richard Jonckheere (Richard 23). The band self-released its debut album “Geography” in 1982, followed by “No Comment” (1984), “Official Version” (1987), “Front By Front” (1988), “Tyranny (For You)” (1991), “06:21:03:11 Up Evil” and “05:22:09:12 Off” (both 1993), and “Pulse” (2003). Front 242 is credited with coining the term electronic body music on the liner notes of “No Comment”. The band announced its farewell “Black Out” tour in 2024 and played its final shows at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels in January 2025. This live recording of the 1987 Hamburg concert documents the band during the touring cycle for “Official Version”.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
