The Foreign Correspondent - Stories About German Rock Music # 23

Arrived last night back in Germany after a long travel but with enough power to go back to office next week again. I had a relaxed time and now it will be business as usual. This means that I will post regular and my series will continue. Today I will feature a band from the glory days of post punk. Abwärts was formed in the late 70s in Hamburg by Frank Z. and FM Einheit (later member of Einstürzende Neubauten). Their first record Amok-Koma is still a milestone in German punk music. Their songs are dominated by a leading guitar in the tradition of Wire. Short songs with many influences (even Turkish elements) made them great. I saw them in a small club in Stuttgart in 1980 as a support act from The Cure. Their physical presence on stage was very impressive and Robert Smith had to give it's best to beat them. The concert ended with a session by members of both bands playing standards from the early punk era. Never will forget this fantastic concert. Listening to this songs again inspire me to grab out more of this old stuff and listen again. Maybe it's sentimental but anyway - it is still worth to look back at this time and the music we listened to.

Abwärts - Computerstaat
Abwärts - Maschinenland
Abwärts - Monday On My Mind
Abwärts - Bel Ami
Abwärts - Türkenblues