not new music tuesdays

Sorry this was late today folks, my bad-- SR

Faust - So Far (1972, Polydor) 

I'll start off by saying that the opening song on this album, 'It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl,' is one of the best opening songs ever. Put it up there with Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia," AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," the Stones' 'Rocks Off," or Budgie's "Breadfan." Damn, I may make a compilation of best first songs on records...

Faust actually got their start as an experiment conducted by german producer Uwe Nettelback for Polydor Records. He hand-picked the musicians, built a studio and started rolling tape. Never satisfied with conventional rock, Nettelback and Faust constantly pushed themselves to be innovative in both their recording and songwriting techniques. Nettelback once said of the group "The idea was not to copy anything going on in the Anglo-Saxon rock scene – and it worked..."

'So Far' was their second and final release for Polydor, who were kinda pissed that they refused to make any commercially viable music. Nettelback then signed the group with an upstart British label, Virgin Records, where their debut (the Faust Tapes) sold over 100,000 copies (at a price of only 49p!) in just a few weeks in the UK. The group also recorded the critically acclaimed 'Faust IV' for Virgin before calling it quits in 1976. They did get back together in the mid 90s and have toured and released several albums since then, including one in 2007 with Nurse with Wound.