Heathen Earth

Live album by Throbbing Gristle

Released

1980

Recorded

18 May and 6 July 1978; 16 February 1980

"Sinclair/Brooks"

Throbbing Gristle chronology

20 Jazz Funk Greats
(1979)

Heathen Earth
(1980)

Mission of Dead Souls
(1981)

Heathen Earth is a live album by English industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle, released in 1980 through Industrial Records.

Background

Tracks 1–8 document their performance 16 February 1980 at the Industrial Records studio in front of a small, invited audience. The audience are all credited by name on the album, including Jonas Almquist of the Leather Nun, Monte Cazazza (who shot the video of the performance), Geoff Rushton and Jon Savage. Included on the CD editions are bonus tracks taken from their 1980 7" singles "Adrenalin" and "Subhuman."

Release

Heathen Earth was originally released in 1980 on the band's label Industrial Records. The first pressing was limited to 785 copies on blue vinyl. The second pressing was on black vinyl. The first CD release was in 1981. Along with the rest of their albums, it was remastered by Chris Carter and re-released as a two-CD set in 2011. This edition divided the album into nine tracks instead of eight (track 6 was split in two) and listed official titles for the first time. The second CD consists of live recordings and single tracks.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Pitchfork Media	(8.0/10)^[2]
The Quietus	favourable^[3]

Pitchfork gave it an 8.0/10 grade, commenting that the album "[sounds] slightly stiff relative to the unhinged and abrasive live sound captured on the TG24 boxset, which archives their scalding live gigs before frequently hostile crowds with less fidelity but more heart. [...] But it's a testimony to their precision that, for all their influence, nobody quite sounds like them when they are truly on blast, as they are here."^[2] The Quietus called it "more cohesive and marshalled" than any of Throbbing Gristle's other live records, finishing that "it remains a brilliantly weird album."^[3]

Track listing

All tracks written by Throbbing Gristle (Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Peter Christopherson, Chris Carter).

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	Untitled	26:33

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	Untitled	21:32

1991 CD edition
No.	Title	Length
1.	Untitled	4:38
2.	Untitled	6:39
3.	Untitled	7:17
4.	Untitled	7:46
5.	Untitled	7:44
6.	Untitled	4:56
7.	Untitled	7:33
8.	Untitled	1:05
9.	"Adrenalin"	3:59
10.	"Subhuman"	2:53

2011 CD edition - original album
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cornet"	4:39
2.	"The Old Man Smiled"	6:41
3.	"Improvisation"	7:23
4.	"The World is a War Film"	7:42
5.	"Something Came Over Me"	7:49
6.	"Still Talking"	3:16
7.	"Bass"	1:38
8.	"Don't Do as You're Told, Do as You Think"	7:38
9.	"Painless Childbirth"	1:03

2011 CD edition - bonus disc
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Introduction (Sheffield University, 1980)"	0:35
2.	"Trained Condition of Obedience (SO36 Club, Berlin, 1980)"	3:30
3.	"Heathen Earth (Sheffield University, 1980)"	6:07
4.	"An Old Man Smiled (SO36 Club, Berlin, 1980)"	5:32
5.	"Auschwitz (Rafters, Manchester, 1980)"	5:19
6.	"Devil's Gateway (Rafters, Manchester, 1980)"	3:58
7.	"Punished (Sheffield University, 1980)"	5:53
8.	"Tortured Smiles (Sheffield University, 1980)"	2:51
9.	"We Said No (Sheffield University, 1980)"	5:29
10.	"Subhuman"	2:57
11.	"Adrenalin"	3:55

Personnel

Throbbing Gristle

Genesis P-Orridge – bass guitar
Cosey Fanni Tutti – cornet, lead guitar
Peter Christopherson – cornet, tape
Chris Carter – drum programming, synthesiser

Technical

"Sinclair/Brooks" – production
Stan Bingo – engineering

Charts

Chart (1980)	Peak position
UK Indie Chart^[4]	10

References

↑ Boisen, Myles. "Heathen Earth: The Live Sound of Throbbing Gristle – Throbbing Gristle : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
1 2 Daniel, Drew (7 December 2011). "Throbbing Gristle: Second Annual Report / D.o.A. / 20 Jazz Funk Greats / Heathen Earth / Greatest Hits | Album Reviews | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
1 2 Doran, John (8 December 2011). "The Quietus | Features | Before Cease to Exist: Throbbing Gristle's Reissues Examined". The Quietus. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Retrieved 5 September 2014.

Throbbing Gristle

Genesis P-Orridge Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson Cosey Fanni Tutti Chris Carter

Studio albums	The Second Annual Report D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle 20 Jazz Funk Greats Journey Through a Body CD1 TG Now Part Two: The Endless Not The Third Mind Movements

Live albums	Heathen Earth Mission of Dead Souls Thirty-Second Annual Report

Compilation albums	Greatest Hits The Taste of TG Mutant Throbbing Gristle

Soundtracks	In the Shadow of the Sun

Box sets	Five Albums TG24 TG+ The Desertshore Installation TGV

Singles	"United"/"Zyklon B Zombie "We Hate You (Little Girls)"/"Five Knuckle Shuffle" "Subhuman"/"Something Came Over Me" "Adrenalin"/"Distant Dreams (Part Two)" "Discipline"

Bootlegs	The First Annual Report

Related articles	Discography Live performances Industrial music COUM Transmissions Industrial Records Chris & Cosey/Carter Tutti Coil Psychic TV Puppy Gristle

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