Music Review | Propaganda: Outside World (2 Disc Set) 
Written by: Kage Alan

        Album Rating: A

It's hard to know what keeps the flames of Propaganda alive anymore.  Is it
the fans, the rumors of a reunion album or the record company?  Whichever it
is, there doesn't seem to be any lack of enthusiasm with the release of this
latest collection of remixes and b-sides.  For a group that only came out
with two albums of original material, there are now two albums of mixes to
accompany them and it sounds like a third may be in the making.  It makes me
wonder if a Greatest Hits will be in the future as well.

Propaganda first broke into the music scene with the release of the LP "A
Secret Wish".  With its blend of electronics, sound effects, incredible
rhythms and beats, melodic vocals and odd lyrics, critics didn't know what to
make of it, which meant, of course, that the masses ate them up with an eager
ear.  Not only were there some fantastic singles released from it, "Dr.
Mabuse," "P-Machinery" and "Duel," but even the accompanying tracks were
extremely captivating.  Unfortunately for US buyers, the release here
contained a different track listing than the back of the CD listed, an
extremely annoying error that (last time I checked anyway) has never been
rectified.

After the release of "A Secret Wish", rumors began to surface that there was
internal feuding going on in the group and that a breakup was imminent.  To
counter the murmurings, the record company stated that Propaganda was working on a remix album.  When "Wishful Thinking" finally made it out on the
shelves, the production credits suggested that the group had little to do
with the album at all.  Despite this, "Wishful Thinking" is an incredible
collection of mixes, one of which found itself into the title sequence of the
John Hughes teen hit "Some Kind Of Wonderful".

A five-year absence and loss of 3 out of 4 original members yielded an
extremely underrated sophomore release titled "1234."  While the vocalist,
Betsy Miller, remained a solid choice, the writing was so vastly different
that it was the fans who didn't know what to make of it this time.  The album
failed to chart well, even with a couple of singles, but it grew on those who
listened to it (I fell in love with it the moment I heard it) until finally
achieving a similar following that "A Secret Wish" did.  Well, almost.

Now ZTT Records has released "Outside World," another group of mixes and in a couple of different versions, namely a German and British one.  The
difference, besides the cover, is a single track.  Also, there is a special
edition of the album (limited to 1000 copies, one of which is what I'm
reviewing) that contains a second disc, a DVD with 5 videos and 2 TV
commercials.  While some of these mixes and b-sides have been available on
vinyl, CD singles or other various formats and the videos have never been
available in one place before period, the quality of this release makes it a
must have for fans.

The tracks are as follows: 1) Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (13th Life Mix),
2) Lied, 3) p.Machinery (Beta Mix), 4) Duel (Bitter Sweet), 5) The Lesson, 6)
Frozen Faces (12" Version), 7) Jewel, 8) Complete Machinery, 9) Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (DJ promo version), 10) Femme Fatale (The Woman With The Orchid) and 11) Echo Of Frozen Faces.  As for the DVD, which is NOT playable on Region 1 players, it contains the following: 1) Dr. Mabuse (Version 1) Video, 2) Dr. Mabuse (Version 2) Video, 3) Duel (Version 1) Video, 4) Duel (Version 2) Video, 5) p.Machinery Video, 6) Dr. Mabuse (TV Commercial) and 7) Duel (TV Commercial).

Response to "Outside World" has been exceeding expectations and it looks as
if ZTT might consider putting something together for mixes from "1234" or
even the original members' solo recordings if legal issues can be resolved.  
Even though the second original album didn't do as well, I'm betting that
there would be enough interest to make it worth the record company's while.  
Until then or until another original albums comes forward, we have an
opportunity to revisit some old songs that have been reinvented and captured
on one disc for our listening pleasure.  Believe me, this is a journey into
sound you won't want to miss!