Another German Artist

Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician, author and painter. He begun his career as a drummer with City Preachers and jazz musician Peter Herbolzheimer in the late 1960's and concentrated in the 1970's to sing in German language. He was one of those who helped to install singing rock songs in German language and made this mass compatible. Of course he was not the one who had a rock voice and for people outside my country can't understand why he got so much success with this flimsy voice. But you ought to see it in the context of the time when a lot of people told us it is impossible to sing rock songs in German language. A few years later the punk and New Wave scene told us that it was possible at all. In 1978 he released his album Lindenberg's Rock Revue and it was a tribute to songs from the 60's and 70's everyone knew but in German language. Most of the songs were originally translated into German language and it was the first time a lot of people understood that the lyrics stood for in the originals. Surely not the greatest versions of the songs but in context to German musical history groundbreaking. Chapeau to him for trying to make a cover by Ronettes Leaader of the Pack.

Udo Lindenberg - Der Boss von der Gang (Leader of the pack
Udo Lindenberg - Sympathie für den Teufel (Sympathy for the devil)

The Foreign Correspondent - Stories About German Rock Music # 16

The last week I have a contribution in this series posted which has concerned psychedelic music in the farthest sense. Today I am back on earth again with a musician that I love all over the years. He started with an album full of reggae track and explicit political lyrics to turn a few years later into the funk and soul scene. Jan Delay is a German singer, songwriter and producer whose stylistic range includes mainly hip hop, reggae, dub and funk. He started with a band called Absolute Beginner. I first recognized him with his first record by his own name in 2001. His record Searching for the Jan soul rebels was tribute to Dexy's Midnight Runners first record with a similar title. When I have heard the album the first time I was simply overpowered, because I would not have thought that a German musician can have such a feeling for reggae and dub. Not only that he created his own style in music he wrote some lyrics that impressed me as well. I could agree to this left-wing influenced statements until now.

Jan Delay - Irgenwo, Irgenwie, Irgenwann
Jan Delay - Ich möchte nicht, dass ihr meine Lieder singt
Jan Delay - Vergifted

After this record it was very quiet about him, although he played several big open air festivals in Germany throughout the years. He came back with a totally different style. Also singing through his nose the way Bob Dylan used to do it his whole life he returned with a new sound. Changing from reggae and dub into funk and soul. With his record Mercedes Dance he entered the charts again and it was a high recommended record in this kind of music. But if you would ask me, which kind of Jan Delay I like most you would get the answer: I like more his reggae style than  his funky style.

Enjoy and have a good weekend where ever you are.