Revelations (Killing Joke album)

Revelations
Studio album by Killing Joke
Released	May 1982
Recorded	Cologne, Germany
Genre	Post-punk gothic rock[1]
Length	37:24
Label	E.G.
Producer	Conny Plank
Killing Joke chronology
What's THIS For...! (1981) Revelations (1982) Fire Dances (1983)
Singles from Revelations
"Empire Song" Released: April 1982 "Chop-Chop" Released: June 1982

Revelations is the third studio album by English rock band Killing Joke, released in May 1982 by record label E.G.

Recording

Revelations was recorded in Cologne, Germany. It is the first Killing Joke album not to be produced by the band themselves; Conny Plank took over production duties.

Release

Revelations was released in July 1982 by record label E.G.. It reached number 12 in the UK Albums Chart.^[2]

Two singles were released from the album: "Empire Song" and "Chop-Chop". "Empire Song" was performed on Top of the Pops, but without singer Jaz Coleman, who had recent departed for Iceland fearing nuclear holocaust.

A remastered version with one bonus track was released in 2005.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Austin Chronicle	[4]
Drowned in Sound	5/5[5]

Revelations has received a mixed-to-favourable reception by critics.

In his retrospective review, Alex Ogg of AllMusic cited the album as "the epitome of the 'difficult third album syndrome'" which "manifests itself in [a] lack of cohesion and direction".^[3] Trouser Press wrote that the album "suffers from an uninvolving lethargy".^[6] Nick Lancaster of Drowned in Sound praised the album, calling it "a less individual work – record company pressures and an outside producer necessarily toning down the band's nihilistic excesses – but it's all the better for it."^[5] Christopher Gray of Austin Chronicle called it "faster" and "sleeker" than previous albums.^[4] Fact put the album at no. 11 on their list titled "20 Best: Goth Records Ever Made".^[1]

Track listing

All tracks written by Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Martin "Youth" Glover and Kevin "Geordie" Walker. 

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Hum"	4:58
2.	"Empire Song"	3:19
3.	"We Have Joy"	2:56
4.	"Chop-Chop"	4:19
5.	"The Pandys Are Coming"	4:27

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Chapter III"	3:13
2.	"Have a Nice Day"	3:13
3.	"Land of Milk and Honey"	2:38
4.	"Good Samaritan"	3:28
5.	"Dregs"	4:57

2005 CD reissue bonus track
Track listing
No.	Title	Length
11.	"We Have Joy (Alternate Mix)"	4:21

Personnel

Killing Joke

• Jaz Coleman – vocals, synthesizer
• Kevin "Geordie" Walker – guitar
• Martin "Youth" Glover – bass guitar
• Paul Ferguson – drums, vocals

Technical

• Conny Plank – production

Charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart	12[2]
France	33[7]

References

1. Sande, Kiran. "20 Best: Goth Records Ever Made". Fact. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
2. "Killing Joke -UK Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
3. Ogg, Alex. "Revelations review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
4. Gray, Christopher (16 December 2005). "Review: Killing Joke, What's THIS For ...?, Revelations, Ha! – Music – The Austin Chronicle". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
5. Lancaster, Nick (11 July 2005). "Album Review: Killing Joke – Reissues / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
6. Grant, Steven; Sheridan, David; Fasolino, Greg; Robbins, Ira. "TrouserPress.com :: Killing Joke". Trouser Press. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
7. "Discographie Killing Joke". lescharts.com. Retrieved on 2010-07-05.

External links

• Revelations at Discogs (list of releases)