Klaus Nomi - The Essential

Fun eighties album I bought used at a fine price. Nomi crafted a cool futuristic yet campy persona. Some creative covers, traditional songs, plus a few originals. It has the bulk of Nomi’s two albums. All of the classic first album, only one track is switched with a live version. A great buy if you can find an appropriately priced copy.

I’m just beginning to discover this gem, Mr. Klaus Nomi. The best way I can describe him is a mesh of David Bowie, Pee-Wee Herman, and a classically trained opera singer. He falls into the category of original performers from the early 80s, such as Grace Jones or Laurie Anderson. Sadly, he has passed but I can only imagine the content he would have created had he lived throughout the 80s. Highly, highly recommended.

Klaus Nomi was a rare and special being. He made the world a little less drab. This CD is a strange and happy mix of songs from all sides of Nomi. This is important in understanding Nomi - a strange and happy artist. Nomi was equally comfortable in many styles and equally proficient at all of them. He was at home in pop, opera, and new wave. He shows off his classical side in a Saint-Saens aria, Der Nussbaum, and the Cold Song, among others. He surprises with acover of 'Can't Help Falling in Love' that wisely resisted the temptation to go soprano. Any collection of Nomi is incomplete without the 'Nomi Song,' 'Total Eclipse,' and 'After the Fall,' and these are here, along with the Rush-Limbaugh-Favorite 'You Don't Own Me.'This does not have any of the 'hard-to-find' tracks, but it's an excellent introduction to Klaus Nomi. Incidental note - liner notes are in french. Hopefully, with the movie out, people will begin to look at Nomi again, and we may even see a revival of interest in his music. It may be cliche, but it's true: Nomi was an artist who lived before his time.

The artist of the future is in the past. Much of this music was like nothing I had heard before and I missed it as a child of the 80s. So if you're getting bored of the music today grab a copy of this. And, if you're not sure check out his music on YouTube.

The story of this artist is filled with pain and tragedy, but you'd never know it from his music. I recommend The Essential Klaus Nomi to anyone searching for a bit of supplemental education in the field of late 70s/early 80s New York Avant Garde performance art and New Wave music. He was going to be a superstar, but his life was cut short in '82, and the world is lesser for his absence. Buy it, play it, love it.

Superb sound and clarity. I was recently introduced to the genius of Klaus Nomi. Though he is no longer with us, I am glad a new generation of music lovers are also appreciating his contribution. This is the perfect collection for the newly introduced.

I have know of him for years but I had not Idea what he sound like (well kind of) until this CD

I like Klaus Nomi. I wish he had lived it would have been cool to see what he did over the years.

If you don't know much about Klaus Nomi then you are missing out. Tragically dying at the young age of 39 in 1983, Klaus left us with very few recordings, but oh what recordings they are!Klaus uses his counter-tenor voice to wonderful effect on both classical and pop songs. Ever the showman, Nomi brings esoteric Bauhaus like art into his music as well as his look.Highlights on the disc are the great cover of Henry Purcell's 'Cold Song', Rubberband Lazer, Simple Man and the best track on the album by far 'After the Fall.'Had AIDS not tragedly taken him, he would have surely played a huge part in the new wave/futurist movements as they were morphing into early 80's sounds we know and love. Mixing many musical styles, Nomi's powerful counter-tenor voice glues them together well.If you fancy something different, then with 20 tracks you can't do much wrong with this disc.Highly recommended from a true artist and legend even though we never had him for very long.

This is an aptly named CD as it is the one Klaus Nomi album you need. Nomi only made two studio albums before his tragically early death and this contains all but three or four of the tracks on those two CDs, and certainly includes all his best known work including the haunting, classical Sampson and Delilah Aria, the catchy Nomi Song, and Ding Dong, which I think is a hilarious and very tongue in cheek track. Other compilation albums - and there are a few - are smaller selections from these 20 tracks and do not add anything different so this is the one to get.Listening to this CD you can only wonder at the range of Nomi's voice from a fairly deep tenor, all the way up to a high pitched and quite feminine falsetto. You have to wonder at how his career would have progressed had he lived. People either love his singing or hate it, and there are enough who are fascinated with it for him to have been a superstar in time with world wide recognition. So sit back and enjoy - definitely ranks as 5 Star in my opinion.

If you like Klaus, it's a full collection.

The best thing since sliced bread.

LOVE THIS ALBUM got deliverd really fast i love it <3