What The Hell Happened To... 07.06.09: Front 242 - Front by Front

Posted by CA on 07.06.2009

Why are Europeans always so damn creepy? This week, C.A. Bell takes a look at a looked over body of work from one of the most pivotal electronic groups in history.

So, I'm sitting around wondering what in the world I am going to do for a new column at work. A much younger co-worker of mine starts talking about how she had just discovered how great Trent Reznor was. Now, after a fair amount of browbeating this girl for having lived in a cave for the last nineteen years, it hit me…..industrial. How could I possibly find something more underground than industrial music? This is a genre that was out of the mainstream even when it was in the mainstream. Even the most famous industrial artists seemed to bristle at the idea of being defined within a genre. In one very memorable moment, Ministry's Al Jourgensen said that to be industrial he felt like he ‘should be working with power tools.' What was this music? Was it electro? Was it dance? Was it metal? This is a genre that was defined by its own indefinable nature. But, being able to call a great industrial album unappreciated is difficult at best. Partially because the genre fought so hard to avoid the mainstream, its fans are furiously loyal. Releases from bands like Ministry, Skinny Puppy, and (of course) Nine Inch Nails are absolute events within the circles of collector fans, even if not usually covered by the mainstream media. So, to find an album that's been overlooked in the genre is a fairly tricky procedure…but I think I found my pony. Ladies and gentlemen, join me this week as ‘What the Hell Happened To…' takes a look at one of the greatest pioneers on the industrial scene, Front 242's Front by Front.

Track Listing:
1. Until Death (Us Do Part) - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 4:30
2. Circling Overland - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 4:43
3. Im Rhythmus Bleiben - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 4:14
4. Felines - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 3:34
5. First In/First Out - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 3:52
6. Blend the Strengths - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 3:13
7. Headhunter [Version 3.0] - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 4:45
8. Work 01 - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 3:28
9. Terminal State - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 4:09
10. Welcome to Paradise - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 5:18

The 1992 reissue includes a different mix of "Headhunter" and the band's entire Never Stop EP.

11. Headhunter - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 5:01
12. Never Stop! - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 3:56
13. Work 242 N.Off Is N.Off - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 5:18
14. Agony (Until Death) - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 2:43
15. Never Stop! - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 4:24
16. Work 242 - (Bressanutti, Codenys, de Meyer, Richard 23) 6:29

Label: Epic
Original Release Date: 1988
Genre: Industrial Dance, Electro
Running Time: 41:42
Producer: Front 242

The Players:
Daniel Bessanutti
Patrick Codenys
Jean-Luc de Meyer
Richard Jonckheere (a.k.a. Richard 23)

The Band:
Because I feel that this particular group's entire discography has been crudely overlooked, it's just as important that we take a look at Front 242, as a whole body of work. I'm discussing specifically Front by Front only because I believe it is the band's major work. The group was originally formed in 1981 in Brussels by computer programmers Patrick Codenys and Dirk Bergen. In 1982, the duo was joined by another programmer, Daniel Bressanutti, and a lead vocalist, Jean-Luc de Meyer. Bressanutti and de Meyer would prove to become the heart and soul of Front 242 during their most productive years. In order to perform live, the quartet would add ex-roadie Richard 23 on percussion. You might also know Richard 23 as one of the founding members of the Revolting Cocks. Though the group's early recordings were fairly complacent European electronic affairs (similar to Depeche Mode's early releases), they would gradually move into much darker areas. This shift led Front 242 to be picked up by the holy bible of industrial record companies, Chicago's Wax Trax!, in 1987. Wax Trax! was, at this time, a grouping of harder edged electronic groups. They would, of course, later be responsible for the highly influential Black Box collection. Front 242's first original release for Wax Trax! was Official Version. The album was fantastic, but merely gave a glimmer of the greatness that would come with their 1988 release, Front by Front. More on that in a moment.

While both Official Version and Front by Front were highly influential early industrial recordings, neither would really break anywhere near the mainstream. It wasn't until Front 242 made the jump to major label Epic that they would start to garner any serious attention. The band's first Epic release, Tyranny (For You), would mark the band's highest Billboard success, reaching a jaw-dropping #95 on the charts. The group would continue recording up through the 2000's, but would never exceed the success they found with Tyranny (For You). While other industrial acts would find much more mainstream success, most notably Nine Inch Nails, by exploring the genre's more metal edged areas, Front 242 would continue exploring the more electronic aspects of the music.

The Album:
Front by Front is easily Front 242's most exciting recording. This was the great record that got lost in the middle. Official Version was the band's great introduction to the industrial scene and Tyranny (For You) was their big break. In the middle, Front by Front has proven to be their most enduring product. An original review of the album claimed that, "Kraftwerk has died and gone to hell." This album is a perfect complete work, much in the same vein as Pink Floyd's Meddle or Genesis' Selling England by the Pound. So much so, that trying to pull an individual track away from the entire set seems silly. You can't do justice to the one, without the context of the whole. "Headhunter [version 3.0]" is the only single from the album, and would become the group's anthem, but the whole work is SO good, that the song hardly functions without the tracks around it. That's how good this album is. Bressanutti and Codenys perfect their perfect dark electronic sounds to intertwine with de Meyer's rueful, antagonistic lyrics. With Front by Front, Front 242 actually makes a computer sound like a working class holocaust.

Why Have They Been Forgotten?

Reason 1: But Dude, Like, Where is the Guitar?
As dark as they were, make no mistake, Front 242 could never be mistaken for heavy metal. Unfortunately for them, that was the path that industrial music took to the mainstream. It was bands like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, which took a more guitar driven, Slayer-influenced path toward the genre that touched the core of the genre's audience. While there was a period during the late 1980s that, along with Ministry and Skinny Puppy, Front 242 was one of the genre's premier bands, by 1992 their ‘softer' electronic influences had made them seem antiquated to the young industrial audiences. So, a good portion of the band's legacy has been lost because they just didn't have enough angst to pick up a guitar and ‘shred man'.

Reason 2: The Great Recording Industry Shuffle
You are going to see me use this A LOT in this column. There is no way I can possibly describe how great a role the record label has played in the history of popular music. In the last several years the accessibility of technology has lessened this role to a great degree (thankfully, I would argue). But not even ten years ago, people that had nothing to do with the average music fan were making decisions that would irreparably influence the path of popular music. Front 242 was just such a case. Front by Front has been released three times, by three different record companies. First, Wax Stax! released the album in 1988. While Wax Stax! has been widely influential, the company had few resources and it was easy for Front 242 to be lost amongst the bevy of other (mostly European) industrial groups on the label. Next up was Epic, which largely re-released the album as a promotional vehicle for Tyranny (For You). They didn't pay for the album's production, so they had little economic incentive to actually promote the record. Third was Sony…same game, different day.

Why We Should Remember It:
Front by Front is an absolutely key work in the history of electronic music. Its influences can be heard in modern works as varied as Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero and Ian Brown's Solarized. Front 242 has been listed as an influence to acts like Mike Patton's Fantomas, Autechre, Hate Dept., Lords of Acid, KMFDM, Combichrist, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Coil. To put it simply, Front 242 was the first successful attempt at putting a dark face on electronic music. They showed that it could be done.

Buying Guide:
Not only is Front by Front the first Front 242 album you should buy, I would argue that it is right up there with Nine Inch Nails' Broken, Pigface's Fook, and Ministry's Psalm 69 as one of the first industrial albums you should buy. But, after you have bought Front by Front, here are some other great releases from Front 242 that you'll also need:
1987 – Official Version
1991 – Tyranny (For You)
1993 – 05:22:09:12 Off
1998 – Re-Boot: Live ‘98
2003 – Pulse

Fun with iTunes' Genius:


Because I am absolutely addicted to playing with this little tool, let's see what else Genius thinks you'll like in my collection if you want to hear Front 242's "Headhunter [version 3.0]".
1. "Sugar" by Ladytron – Witching Hour
2. "Big Time Sensuality" by Björk – Debut
3. "Thrills" by LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem
4. "Hallelujah" by Happy Mondays – Bummed
5. "Dance on Vaseline" by David Byrne – Feelings
6. "Kelly Watch the Stars" by Air – Moon Safari
7. "Moving Like a Train" by Herbert – Scales
8. "Untrust Us" by Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
9. "Nobody Lost, Nobody Found" by Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
10. "This World" by Zero 7 – Simple Things
11. "Blind" by Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
12. "If We're In Love" by Róisín Murphy – Ruby Blue
13. "Moody (Spaced Out)" by ESG – Come Away with ESG
14. "Shoulder Holster" by Morcheeba – Big Calm
15. "So Easy" by Royksopp – Melody A.M.
16. "Wandering Star" by Portishead – Dummy
17. "As If You've Never Been Away" by Ulrich Schnauss – Far Away Trains Passing By
18. "'75 aka Stay With You" by Lemon Jelly – '64-‘95
19. "Homme" by Brazilian Girls – Brazilian Girls
20. "One" by Ohm G & Bruno – Hotel Costes: Vol. 9
21. "Natural High" by Tosca – Natural High
22. "How I Feel" by Wax Tailor – Tales of the Forgotten Melodies
23. "Utopia" by Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain
24. "Prelusion" by St. Germain – Paris Under a Groove
25. "More Then Ever People" by Levitation – Chillout Classics Ibiza

Hmmmmmm…..I guess Steve Jobs isn't much of a Skinny Puppy fan.

Well, that's another week in ‘What the Hell Happened To…'. Thanks for the read. Next week, I'm looking at a group that took the Beatles, Queen, and the Beach Boys into a new era to make one of the best albums of the ‘90s…if only a few more people had been listening.

A Final Thought:
So, I've been battling this thought in my head about how all of this uproar about the death of Michael Jackson seems a bit disingenuous (at least from some sources). Yesterday I saw something that pushed me over the edge. I'm walking in Manhattan on the fourth of July and see a street vendor selling a shirt that has a picture of Michael Jackson standing in front of a giant American flag. THIS IS WHY PEOPLE HAVE BRAIN ANEURYSMS!!!!

I'm wondering how many of those shirts would have sold if the picture of Michael had been of him dangling a baby. Hero worship is a funny thing.

Michael Jackson is Dead, by Jon LaJoie - Watch more Funny Videos