There are some awesome songs to be discovered. 'Never Asked For Nothing' and 'Self Annoyed' are some of my favorites, reminding me a lot of my favorite Ministry full-length 'The Land Of Rape And Honey'. 'Love Change' does something strange with synth pop, almost mutating it. Like some others, the song comes from a 1982 live recording, showing a whole different sound than we're used to, but I guess that's the general idea.
In those early days, Ministry didn't sound so angry and harsh. He seemed more interested in the gloomy side of the electronic scene. 'Game Is Over' brings on the guitars, but in a way many of our favorite gothic rock bands do. Even A Flock Of Seagulls come to mind here. 'Let's Be Happy' and 'Wait' will probably make you doubt yourself and look at the cover to make sure it's actually Ministry. Then again, even The Cure was a synth pop act at one moment in time.
'I See Red' starts sounding like the Ministry on 'The Land', perhaps mixed with Nitzer Ebb and Front 242. The whole gets heavier, gains intensity. '(Let’s Get) Physical (Banned Version)' finally blasts the overwhelming early industrial metal in our faces. This thing grinds Olivia Newton John's song into a massive piece of industrial to grab you by the throat. This is probably the angriest piece of music on this compilation.
By the end, you get four tracks from cooperations, starting with PTP (classic EBM), Pailhead (harsh industrial), Revolting Cocks and 1000 Homo DJs. In total, there are seventeen tracks, providing an excellent overview of those early days. As one fan to another, regardless of the era, I recommend the hell out of this. Your collection simply wouldn't be complete without the compilation.
Serge