Propaganda – ‘The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse’ cassette single (ZTT, CTIS101, 1984)

An incarnation of Propaganda recently reactivated and performed ‘A Secret Wish’ in full at a couple of sold out shows at ‘The Garage’ in London, under the monicker of xPropaganda. I never thought I would get a chance to hear this album performed live, so it was quite the event, one that simply had to be attended if at all possible. Many highlights, inevitably, ‘Dr Mabuse’ chief amongst them. What better way to celebrate the re-emergence than to take a look back at the ‘singlette’ edition (as ZTT were wont to call their cassettes) of their debut single…

Propaganda - The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse - cassette single inlay and case - front
^ Propaganda – The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse – cassette single inlay and case – front

The inlay card for the cassette noted “Three of Dr Mabuse’s nine lives appear on this cassette. Learn about his black crimes in Dr Mabuse. Hear about his strange lover – the woman with the orchid in Femme Fatale. Then marvel at his unlikely return in The Ninth Life” and went on to list the tracks as follows;

  1. Dr. Mabuse
  2. Femme Fatale (The Woman With The Orchid)
  3. The Ninth Life

However, that is not what appeared on the cassette. No, that would be far too straightforward for a ZTT release, wouldn’t it?!

Propaganda - The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse - cassette single inlay and shell - rear
^ Propaganda – The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse – cassette single inlay and shell – rear

In fact, the correct tracklisting is as follows;

  1. Das Testament Des Mabuse
  2. Dr. Mabuse (A Paranoid Fantasy)

The truly splendid, 10 minute long work that is’ Das Testament Des Mabuse’ made good use of the extended cassette duration, with the more familiar 7″ inch mix ‘Dr. Mabuse (A Paranoid Fantasy)’ alongside. No place then for the woman with the orchid, sadly. The tracklist repeats the same programme both sides of the singlette.

Propaganda - The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse - cassette single shell and case - front
^ Propaganda – The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse – cassette single shell and case – front

Why the tracklisting was incorrect, I don’t know.

The outside of the inlay also states “An ‘incident’ cassette that contains sections from number two of zang tumb tuum’s noble action series. As an ‘incident’, and despite its catalogue number, this cassette becomes number 12 in ZTT’s wondering incidental series.”, in familiar ZTT style. The cassette shell is a fairly standard moulded design, nowhere near as elegant as the later ‘Complete Machinery’ singlette would come housed in.

Propaganda - The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse - cassette single inlay and shell
^ Propaganda – The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse – cassette single inlay and shell

2 Replies to “Propaganda – ‘The Nine Lives of Dr Mabuse’ cassette single (ZTT, CTIS101, 1984)”

  1. So you managed to snag a ticket, eh? Which night… first or second? That makes two people I know of who managed to get tickets and go. So… the singlette had the ten minute version of the track then? Would this be similar to the initial 10:14 UK CD version of the album? Or the Japanese CD-3 version on Polystar in 1988? Surely the finest 12″ remix of the 1980s as expounded on here

  2. I attended the first night… occasional feedback squeals and all. I don’t have the Japanese CD, so not sure which one is on there but I think it is one and the same as the version on the cassette and one of the original UK 12″ singles: https://www.discogs.com/Propaganda-Presents-The-Nine-Lives-Of-Dr-Mabuse/release/26790 – which is different to the version on the initial UK CD version of a ‘A Secret Wish’. The original album CD version mixed the more orchestral ‘The Last Word / Strength To Dream’ into the mix round about the 9 minute 30 secs mark, whereas the original 12″ is much more synth-based on its closing. The 12″/singlette mix is quite possibly my favourite mix – it also appears on the ‘Noise and Girls Come Out To Play’ compilation?

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