Crushed Velvet Apocalypse

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]

The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse
Studio album by
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)

Critical reception

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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

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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

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  • 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

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  • Hanz Myre – engineer

Notes

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  • 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

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  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.