Klaus Nomi (2020 Vinyl)＜完全生産限定盤＞

クラウス・ノミのファースト・アルバム『Klaus Nomi』(邦題:オペラ・ロック)をアナログ盤で発売

クラウス・ノミの1981年に発売された記念すべきファースト・アルバム『クラウス・ノミ』(邦題:オペラ・ロック)をアナログ盤で発売。代表曲「トータル・イクリプス」、スネークマンショーにも収録された、バロック音楽の作曲家ヘンリー・パーセルの歌曲「コールド・ソング」など全10曲を収録。

It only takes a quick look at the cover to get a reasonably decent idea that this isn't your typical pop album: Decked out in a grossly oversized suit and heavy theatrical makeup, Klaus Nomi is not your typical pop singer, either. Both the cover and the music within lean heavily to the dramatic -- Nomi's delivery is all in a very operatic falsetto, though most of the music itself is more of the early-'80s European dance school (indeed, one of his collaborators here was Man Parrish, probably best-known for his later work with Man 2 Man). Only one of the tracks here was self-penned; rather, Nomi gets down to work here as an interpreter, turning in suitably skewed versions of "Lightning Strikes" and Chubby Checker's "The Twist." The real highlights here are his take on Kristian Hoffman's song "Total Eclipse," and a rather straight (ahem) reading of the aria from Saint-Saens' classical work Samson and Delilah. It's pretty hard to imagine your typical classical music buff embracing this song, let alone the entire album, but fans of off-kilter pop music will certainly find a lot to love about this album. ~ Sean Carruthers