Black Mass – Lucifer
Probably capitalising on the Satanist revival of the early 1970s, inspired by really crap Hammer Films and tales about sexy parties with proto-goth types with beards, big breasts and a penchant for some Latin, the band Lucifer released Black Mass in 1971.
Listening to it, I can imagine people meeting in well to do middle class suburban 1970s homes, whacking this on the old gramaphone, lighting a few red and black candles and trying to reenact scenes from The Devil Rides Out or Omen. Not to summon the goat of Mendez but just to get a bit of a kinky shag and something to talk about down at the social club with the lads.
Despite the name, the band title and the cover, this album has all the devilishness and sinisterness of an episode of Science Today. However, it is possible the likes of Vangelis, Jarre and Oldfield listened to this as there are some interesting comparisons with their later works. Lucifer, it turns out, is actually a solo project by the composer Mort Garson who worked on many other non-satanic things.
A great album if you want to upset the neighbours or make your parents think you’re sacrificing goats for fun.
Stegzy's Music Project 
[…] Researching the genre, it was suggested to me that Bauhaus were the original goth band, releasing in 1979, the single Bella Lugosi’s Dead. Of course, being a hipster, I immediately recognised that this was actually a load of old tosh, with the best goth stuff coming out in the early 1970s, like Lucifer’s Black Mass. […]
[…] isn’t in it. Surprised, yes, disappointed, no. This isn’t Black Mass. It isn’t death growls and tortured souls. It isn’t even worthy of playing backwards […]