Search - Klaus Nomi :: Collection

NOMI- New Wave Champaign

07/12/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first piece of advice: If you already own "Klaus Nomi" and "Simple Man" and perhaps "Encore" (although I've never seen it on CD), then you won't need "Collection"; the only songs not on his first two more available CD's are "Der Nussbaum" and "Can't Help Falling In Love". However, if you've never listened to the strains of Henry Purcell sung by the best falsetto since Farinelli, you need this one bad. Like many of the 80's New Wave acts, Klaus Nomi is an aquired taste. While most bands of the day were still trying to learn to play their synthesizers, Klaus was singing arias from "Dido & Aneas". My point being that here was finally an individual who really understood music, and he combined masterfully two of its most potent forces: Rock 'n Roll and Opera. Unfortunately for us all, he succumbed to AIDS on the very verge of fame. I remember listening to his version of "Death", from Purcell's "O Belinda..." shortly after I heard of his passing and wondering if he somehow had seen his own life drawing to a close. Of course some of Klaus's work is much more "up" and some of it, "Ding Dong" for example (yes, from the 'Wizard of Oz'), is downright camp. And, considering that his venue was the early 80's New York club scene, allot of his songs reflect that danceable beat. Whatever style he sings, though, there is the artistry of a well trained voice, which is more than I can say for most current acts. He was much more than his image. He is still missed -- and mourned -- by many, but we shall always have his voice, and that is an exquisite legacy."

Operatic Synth-Pop

Pieter | Johannesburg | 01/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection contains tracks from Nomi's debut and the follow-up, Simple Man. As such, the material is an interesting blend of catchy synth-pop, like Just One Look and Falling In Love Again (sung partly in German) and serious choral pieces like Death and From Beyond. Rubberband Lazer, an addictive pop song with weird country infusions and brilliant bursts of synth, and the theatrical Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead with its singalong chorus are my favourites here. It's a pity one of his most magnificent numbers, Saint Saens' famous aria Samson And Delilah, has not been included. Apart from that glaring omission, his most famous tracks like Cold Song - an impressive operatic number and Total Eclipse, a magical marriage of rock and classical from the first album, plus the abovementioned highlights from the second album are all here. Klaus Nomi was part of the late 70s/early 80s synth explosion, but his operatic angle was unique. His music remains highly original and inspiring."

Operatic Rock-n-Roll from soprano falsetto

Richard Rockwell | Huntington Woods, MI USA | 08/04/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the Klaus Nomi LP over ten years ago just for the cover art - Klaus dressed in black and white garb ala Felix the Cat meets Mickey Mouse outfit. It's framed and hanging on my wall above the computer. I had seen Klaus's performance piece "Total Eclipse" in the film "Urgh! A Music War" featuring a lot of punk groups of the early 80's including The Police with Sting. Klaus's music is theatrical and fun to listen to. My wife and I taped his best songs (After the Fall, Rubberband Laser, Nomi Song, Ding Dong, Icurok, Simple Man) for a car trip from Detroit to Toronto and played it over and over all the way there. Our five year old daughter loved Klaus's voice, its trills, his Germanic accent and the popish instrumentation. This artist was a hoot. He rocked and sung with operatic pretensions; there's simply no one like him. If you enjoy passionate, strange, outlandish and completely original artists - check out Klaus - he was unique. And while you're at it.! ..visit his web page. Believe me, his music is just as mesmerizing as his image. (added 8/12/01) A documentary film about Klaus is in the works, now in production by the director of East Side Story."