Halber Mensch

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]

For the film by Sogo Ishii with Einstürzende Neubauten, see Halber Mensch (film).
Halber Mensch
Studio album by
Einstürzende Neubauten
Released2 September 1985
Recorded1983–1985
GenreIndustrial, experimental
Length35:32
LabelSome Bizarre
ProducerGareth Jones, Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten chronology
Zeichnungen des Patienten O. T.
(1983)		 Halber Mensch
(1985)		 Fünf Auf der Nach Oben Offenen Richterskala
(1987)

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)".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Einstürzende Neubauten, except as noted.

Side A
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Halber Mensch" ("Half Person")Blixa BargeldAlexander Hacke, Bargeld, F.M. Einheit, Mark Chung, N.U. Unruh, Nikkolai Weidemann4:13
2."Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)" ("Yü-Gung (Feed My Ego)")  7:14
3."Trinklied" ("Drinking Song")  1:15
4."Z.N.S." ("C.N.S.")  5:40
Side B
No.TitleLength
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.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Sand" (Lee Hazlewood cover)Lee Hazlewood3:30
10."Yü-Gung (Adrian Sherwood Remix)" (remix by Adrian Sherwood) 7:28
11."Das Schaben" ("The Rasping") 9:22

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Trouser Press described Halber Mensch as "[Einstürzende Neubauten's] strongest record" and "truly remarkable."[3] 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.[4]

Reissue

In 2002, after a continuous conflict with Some Bizzare Records, the band released a remastered reissue of the album through their own label Potomak, with a slight variation of the cover image.[5]

Personnel

References
  1. "Einstürzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. Bush, John. "Halber Mensch – Einstürzende Neubauten : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  3. Sheridan, David; Fasolino, Greg; Robbins, Ira. "trouserpress.com :: Einstürzende Neubauten". trouserpress.com. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  4. best industrial
  5. "Einstürzende Neubauten - 1/2 Mensch". Discogs. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

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