Proto goth artists/albums

[sinatra]

Are there more names to it than Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Brian Eno and Talking Heads etc from the 60s and 70s?

Names of albums that is proto gothic from this era, i myself is fond of Frank Sinatras suicidial ballads albums like "only the lonely", "In the wee small hours", "No one cares", "Watertown" and more. This is real proto-gothic for me.

[BloodFlow]

Well, pretty much all the goth bands were really influenced by the arty side of glam rock - basically, anyone with a really theatrical, conceptual approach to glam can be pointed to as an influence on goth. A good album is Psychomodo by Cockney Rebel. Also, anything by Jobriath. Roxy Music is another big one.

A major influence on goth is early Alice Cooper before he was heavy metal, and while "Alice Cooper" was considered a band rather than a solo artist. My favorite is Love it to Death, but the biggest ones are really Killer, Billion Dollar Babies and School's Out.

Scott Walker is someone I've never gotten that much into, but his fans/advocates think he's the greatest thing ever, and he's definitely an interesting guy. He had a long career of experimentation, has a rich baritone . . . he's definitely worth looking into.

I also know that Syd Barrett was a big influence on goths. He was songwriter on the first Pink Floyd album, and he recorded some solo records as an outsider artist. He was basically removed from Pink Floyd because he succumbed to mental illness that was exacerbated by LSD use, so he wound up living with his sister for the rest of his life, only leaving his room to garden recreationally. The entire Wish You Were Here album and parts of Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall are actually about the difficulties that the band had watching their close friend go insane.

[Acharis]

Originally Posted by BloodFlow

Psychomodo

Always kind of dug Mr Soft, weird as it was.

Um... Iggy Pop and the Stooges? I know the Banshees covered 'Passenger', but then again they also covered the Beatles and Bob Dylan.


Someone once floated Johnny Cash. The Doors.. Rolling Stones?
Ignore me, I'm sleep deprived and probably off because I'm only naming old things I like.

[November-Coming-Fire]

Leonard Cohen, Neu!, and Nico's early albums were certainly an influence on goth. Even Blue Oyster Cult had some goth-y moments. I would also suggest Goblin and Coven's "Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls." Black Sabbath's debut is worth noting, if we're going to throw in Alice Cooper.

[GothFox]

And David Bowie, rip.

[Jon Wane]

+1 of Blue Öyster Cult and The Doors. The Doors, I believe, were pretty monumentally influential, at least on bands from the west coast. If not on 1980's goth in particular, then certainly on post-punk in general.

[DavidLilly]

Originally Posted by November-Coming-Fire

Leonard Cohen, Neu!, and Nico's early albums were certainly an influence on goth. Even Blue Oyster Cult had some goth-y moments. I would also suggest Goblin and Coven's "Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls." Black Sabbath's debut is worth noting, if we're going to throw in Alice Cooper.

I agree with you. You are right about it.

[Fluffy Mike]

Deffo The Doors and Cohen.

But also the whole Death Song phenomena had a background influence.

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, and a whole swathe of early Country music...

[Shadow Creek]

Black Sabbath that's for sure, a lot of influence.
Gary Numan definitely.