The Rope is the debut album by the darkwave band Black Tape for a Blue Girl. It was released on vinyl in 1986 by Projekt Records. Later cassette and CD versions were released.
In 2026, Uncut ranked The Rope at number 169 in their list of "The 200 Greatest Goth Albums", writing how the electronic-based band "spun a unique thread of ambient darkwave, neoclassical exoticism and dark cabaret on their relatively bare-boned and lo-fi debut album."
Track listing
"Memory, Uncaring Friend" – (Sam Rosenthal, Allan Kraut) - 3:40
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
Allan Kraut - guitar, bass, drums
"Hide in Yourself" – (Sam Rosenthal, Allan Kraut) - 3:58
Kim Prior - vocals
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Sam Rosenthal - electronics, drum programming
Allan Kraut - guitar, bass, drum machine
"Within These Walls" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 3:47
Kim Prior - vocals
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Adam Buhler - guitar
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
Allan Kraut - bass
"The Holy Terrors" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 2:03
Kim Prior - vocals
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
Allan Kraut - drums
"End" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 2:22
Kim Prior - vocals
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Candy Sherlock - violin
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
"Seven Days Till Sunrise" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 2:16
Richard Watson - clarinet
Cauleen Smith - cello
Greg Wilson - guitar
"The Rope" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 3:12
Kim Prior - vocals
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Richard Watson - clarinet
Candy Sherlock - violin
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
"The Few Remaining Threads" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 3:24
Candy Sherlock - violin
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
Allan Kraut - drums
"The Lingering Flicker" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 5:54
Lara Radford - violin
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
"Slow Blur" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 5:09
Lara Radford - violin
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
"The Floor Was Hard but Home" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 3:34
Kim Prior - vocals
Greg Wilson - guitar
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
"We Return" – (Sam Rosenthal) - 4:13
Kim Prior - vocals
Oscar Herrera - vocals
Sean Whitehead - vocals
Candy Sherlock - violin
Sam Rosenthal - electronics
Robin Russell - voice