[youtube]http://youtu.be/TsvyBiFA-fI[/youtube]

Before Ministry became a late ’80s and ’90s industrial metal hybrid juggernaut, a guy named Alain Jourgensen started a synthpop band. Jourgensen isn’t too fond of that era of the band, which spawned the 1983 album With Sympathy. It wasn’t until 1988’s The Land of Rape and Honey until the band really broke through by turning from synthpop to industrial, but he’s got an album he’s not proud of and a Shasta commercial he really shouldn’t be proud of. However, until today, Ministry’s first-ever video, which came out before he was even signed to Arista, has never been available on record. “Same Old Madness,” is included on the expanded edition of Ministry’s Twelve Inch Singles 1981-1984, which came out on Cleopatra. It’s, well, exactly what you’d expect from an early version of Ministry. It’s synthy, it’s poppy, and it sounds like something that should be on Depeche Mode album. The video, which was shot in part on a merry go round and features a very fey looking Jourgensen, is nothing to write home about though. Unless you’re violently opposed to synthpop, it’s worth a look, even though Al’s likely still embarrassed by it.

[via Dangerous Minds]