Very High Frequencies Ep 184: Ministry Live '86 vs '89

VHF-184 (Ministry - Live ‘86 vs ‘89) pits the four piece lineup of Ministry touring behind the release of their second full length album, Twitch, with the three ring circus that toured the band’s fourth album, The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste. 

The Ministry 1986 era Twitch lineup was very influenced by European Synth Pop. There’s no guitarist at all; keyboards, samplers, synths and programmed drums meshed with live drums along with Paul Barker’s bass being the only stringed instrument. Uncle Al was still singing much of his vocals in a faux English accent. Nonetheless the music had grown much darker and less dance oriented than the first album, With Sympathy, and the various club singles such as Everyday Is Halloween.

In 1988 Ministry put out their third album, The Land Of Rape And Honey. A major shift in musical styles had occurred. Gone was the faux accent as well as the obvious synth pop influences. Electric guitar featured prominently. Movie soundbites punctuated the percussion. The increasing fanbase largely embraced the more radical new music, which sounded unique, fresh and exciting. Industrial and goth fans alike found the sound and image to be highly influential. 

As Uncle Al had became something of a recording studio fixture, so much music was being created that multiple side projects became necessary to differentiate the various bands and their guest players.

By 1989’s The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste, Ministry was a large gang of musicians. A wall of electric guitars blasted over two dueling drummers. A rotating six pack of singers took turns at the mic. Keyboards carried the melody while programmed percussion pounded out the groove. Chaos seemed to be right around the corner at every moment the band performed. Volume was as high as any Motörhead concert. Surely no band could keep up with this level of musical madness! VHF-184 (Ministry - Live ‘86 vs ‘89) demonstrates the relatively quick evolution of one of Alternative Music’s groundbreaking groups. As a testament to the band’s gravitas, longevity and tenacity Not Dead Yet Mike is thrilled that the band has a brand new album coming out very soon and has two different North American tours scheduled. Interestingly, Ministry has some big festival dates coming up in which the group will be focusing primarily on their early synth pop era! The circle has been completed…