Opus Dei (album)
Encyclopedia
Opus Dei is the fourth album by Laibach
, released in 1987. It features "Geburt einer Nation", a German
cover of Queen
's "One Vision
" and two reworkings of Austrian band Opus'
sole hit single "Live Is Life
". The Opus song became the German language "Leben heißt Leben" and the English language "Opus Dei". "The Great Seal" is national anthem of NSK State
. New arrangement of the song appears on Laibach's album Volk
with title "NSK". On Volk the song is credited to Laibach and Slavko Avsenik, Jr.
There are two further connections with Queen's A Kind of Magic
album. The drum loop in "Trans-National" is near identical to that in Queen's "Don't Lose Your Head", and elements of "How the West Was Won" (specifically the rhythm and harmonised guitars) are inspired by Queen's "Gimme The Prize".
The attention this album received from MTV
and others led to Laibach's first worldwide tour. [State of Art, 2004]
+ On CD editions, 4 tracks from "Baptism
":
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
, released in 1987. It features "Geburt einer Nation", a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
cover of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "One Vision
One Vision
"One Vision" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Queen, first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic...
" and two reworkings of Austrian band Opus'
Opus (band)
Opus is a pop-rock group from Graz, Austria. Formed in 1973, the group remains active today. The band is especially well known for its 1985 single release, "Live Is Life."-History:...
sole hit single "Live Is Life
Live Is Life
"Live Is Life" is a popular song originally recorded in 1984 by Austrian pop-rock group Opus. It was successful and was covered by many artists throughout the years.-Background and writing:...
". The Opus song became the German language "Leben heißt Leben" and the English language "Opus Dei". "The Great Seal" is national anthem of NSK State
Neue Slowenische Kunst
Neue Slowenische Kunst , aka NSK, is a controversial political art collective that announced itself in Slovenia in 1984, when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. NSK's name, being German, is compatible with a theme in NSK works: the complicated relationship Slovenes have had with Germans...
. New arrangement of the song appears on Laibach's album Volk
Volk (album)
Volk is a concept album by Slovenian industrial group Laibach. Originally, Volk is the German word for "people" or "nation" but also Slovenan for "wolf"...
with title "NSK". On Volk the song is credited to Laibach and Slavko Avsenik, Jr.
There are two further connections with Queen's A Kind of Magic
A Kind of Magic
A Kind of Magic is a 1986 album by British rock band Queen. It was the band's twelfth studio album and their first to be recorded digitally, and is based on the soundtrack to the film Highlander, the first in a series directed by Russell Mulcahy....
album. The drum loop in "Trans-National" is near identical to that in Queen's "Don't Lose Your Head", and elements of "How the West Was Won" (specifically the rhythm and harmonised guitars) are inspired by Queen's "Gimme The Prize".
The attention this album received from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and others led to Laibach's first worldwide tour. [State of Art, 2004]
Track listing
- "Leben heißt Leben" (Live is LifeLive Is Life"Live Is Life" is a popular song originally recorded in 1984 by Austrian pop-rock group Opus. It was successful and was covered by many artists throughout the years.-Background and writing:...
) (OpusOpus (band)Opus is a pop-rock group from Graz, Austria. Formed in 1973, the group remains active today. The band is especially well known for its 1985 single release, "Live Is Life."-History:...
) – 5:28 - "Geburt einer Nation" (Birth of a NationOne Vision"One Vision" is a song written and recorded by the rock band Queen, first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic...
) (QueenQueen (band)Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
) – 4:22 - "Leben - Tod" (Life - Death) (Laibach) – 3:58
- "F.I.A.T." (Laibach) – 5:13
- "Opus Dei" (OpusOpus (band)Opus is a pop-rock group from Graz, Austria. Formed in 1973, the group remains active today. The band is especially well known for its 1985 single release, "Live Is Life."-History:...
) – 5:04 - "Trans-National" (Laibach) – 4:28
- "How the West Was Won" (Laibach) – 4:26
- "The Great Seal" (Laibach) – 4:16
+ On CD editions, 4 tracks from "Baptism
Baptism (Laibach album)
Baptism was the third album by Laibach. It is the soundtrack to the Neue Slowenische Kunst production of the same name...
":
- "Herz-Felde" (HeartfieldJohn HeartfieldJohn Heartfield is the anglicized name of the German photomontage artist Helmut Herzfeld...
) (Laibach) – 4:46 - "Jägerspiel" (Hunters' Game) (Laibach) – 7:23
- "Koža" (Skin) (Laibach) – 3:51
- "Krst" (Baptism) (Laibach) – 5:39