At the end of this short series, I must mention a club where I experienced some of my most memorable concerts. The Wagenburg Tunnel connects two districts in the north of Stuttgart. In 1985, a club called “Die Röhre” (The Tube) opened in a side arm of the tunnel. It was a long tube with a large bar on the left-hand side. Initially, it was used almost exclusively for parties at the weekend and occasional concerts. It was not until the late 1980s that concerts began to be held there regularly.
A defining experience was a double concert in 1989, when Spacemen 3 and The Wedding Present performed. The latter impressed with their indie guitar sound, but were able to keep up with the psychedelic-tinged guitar feedback, as a bootleg shows.
This club has always been a good venue for indie bands and new independent bands, even if they haven't always been to my taste. I still remember many gigs by bands I had never heard of before and who later went on to have great careers. One example would be Rammstein, who were still unknown at the time but already used massive guitars and pyrotechnics back then. In a sentimental retrospective, I think back to concerts by Meat Puppets, fIREHOSE, The Mekons, Chumbawumba and Mark Lanegan. Unfortunately, the club had to close its doors 10 years ago as part of the massive renovation of Stuttgart Central Station.
In recent days, Kombynat Robotron from Kiel, Germany, released their seventh album. I must admit that I have always enjoyed their music, which consists mainly of improvised psychedelic jams with motoric beats and heavy guitars.
For this album they signed to London's Fuzz Club label and developed their sound. They left the jams behind and gave the songs more structure. The sound moved away from krautrock a la Can to more riff oriented guitars and influences of stoner rock. There are still enough psychedelic elements in their songs and they remind me on Hawkwind. In their weakest moments, however, they sound like Rammstein for the poor. I'm not sure if I still want to follow their music. Maybe I should just listen to it again.
Last autumn me and a couple of co-workers stood together for a few pints. After all we bet for who's winning the next game of our club. I felt good enough to bet for a win and we discussed about the insert. I said if I will win you will join me to a concert with punky new music - otherwise I will join you to a concert with Heino. He is a German schlager singer since more than 50 years and he was the main figure that we all hated when we were young. Unfortunately, I have lost the bet and had to stand to myself the concert the last Friday, After all it was horrible but we had a great time and I asked myself why 1.500 people reached for this concert watching an 80 year old singer singing new songs in his very old style. He can still sing so popular German songs - he will never get played at my home.
If we should move us already in the depressions of the German Schlagres I still mention that Peter Kraus has celebrated his 80th birthday two days ago. He was the teenager idol in the beginning of the 60s because he has interpreted rock'n'roll songs in German. At the height of his career he has produced a small scandal, while he has lighted a cigarette with 100 DM bank note to himself during a concert. Maybe one first shit-storms in the history - at least in Germany. This is the German version of Cliff Richard's Lucky Lips:
20 years ago a band was formed in Berlin that must be counted to the most controversial groups of the last years. Rammstein is counted musically to the new German hardness. Their sign is one as "a primitively" described music style which the band members themselves call "dance metal", as well as often controversially discussed lyrics. Mainly inspired by the sound collages of the Yugoslavian avant-garde band Laibach Rammstein made their own industrial sound. In my opinion they combined classical Hard Rock with Alternative Metal and elements of Krautrock and Techno as well. The lyricx of Rammstein and above all their talk by singer Till Lindemann are an essential element of the music and stamp the perception by fans and a broader public clearly., Among the rest, this is due to the fact that often very controversial, put under taboo and pubic-occupied subjects are chosen like BDSM, homosexuality, incest, sexual abuse, sex tourism, pyromania, cannibalism, asylum-seeker, the play with religious pictures and effect of violence during the sexual act or an unusual perception on this. And as the featured in a video parts of Leni Riefenstahl's movies they were put into the neo-fascism corner. And not completely wrongfully - if one hears like be the singer pronounces the rolling 'R' allows to roll recollections of the megalomaniac leader already arise. For god's sake, many of you are not able to understand the lyrics (with which I agree in no manner and from which I dissociate myself). Therefore, simply listen to the music - then it has it in itself. Detached by all allusions which I hold only for a clever marketing strategy, there are in Germany less band which are able to play that aggresiv and heavy sound.
The correspondent is again back with a new story about a German rock band. One of the internationally most successful however also most controversial groups of the last decade from Germany came were with certainty Rammstein. Successful because of the wall of sound they made. Heavy guitars, some great riffs and a singer with a voice that might came out straight from hell. From their early days - and sometimes today as well - they had to deal wit the reproach of the right-wing extremism. On account of the ambiguous texts and the hard style the volume was often accused in the early days on the part of the media of following radically right-wing trends. The criticism increased, after in 1998 the video to the cover song Stripped – the original is from Depeche Mode – appeared, the film material of the Summer Olympics in 1936 from Leni Riefenstahl included. In spite of the distance of anti-constitutional symbols from the video material the volume the spreading of fascistic body of thought and the unthinking idealisation of national-socialist aesthetics was accused. A ban of the radiation of the music video for transmitting times before 22 o'clock was the result. Singer Till Lindemann explained later, one has crossed a border with this provocation what he would do not once again.
The tape members of Rammstein call their music style "dance metal"; other ones call it New German Hardness. Typically for the music the volume it are of guitar reef which are played by distorted E guitars, and easy percussion rhythms. Often the pieces are built up on easy, continuous patterns. Music differs Rammstein from classical Heavy Metal type, as for example Iron Maiden, by the massive application of electronic sounds – as for example electronically to simulated piano or violins voices with quiet ballads, or techno sound– as well as by the rarer application of percussion breaks. Though also guitars and keyboard sound seem, however, are rarer and as a rule are held easier.
I followed the discussion about Rammstein in their early days and sometimes I stood alone when I told some folks that I like theirs sound and their songs. Many have rejected the group, even if it was a matter for them only of being politically correct and music in connection with the third empire could be basically to decline. I'm really not much into Heavy Metal but I love sometimes the bombastic sound of Rammstein. A few years ago I saw them live in Stuttgart and first it was a phenomenal performance with all the pyrotechnics and second it was maybe the most powerful Heavy Metal concert I've seen (except Motörhead). It's great when you sit in the train to work and you can hear the full loud sound of this music.
This series has today a small anniversary. In the past months has I tried show up the spread of German rock music. I omitted consciously a section, which was enormously popular always in Germany: the German hit.
As hits are generally easily recognizable vocal pieces as pop music accompanied by instruments with often less demanding German-speaking often also called sentimental texts. Based on popular operetta melodies made since the 1920s the influence of jazz rhythms and harmonies and pop music since the 1960s. Since the 1950s, hits were difficultly to describe. I would like to use this term:A short form for easy catchy dance music. It's characterised by the simplest musical structures and trivial texts to the harmony and the listener's feeling of happiness.The limits to popular and folk music were most fluently.
I didn't grew up with the 50s hits because I am a child of the late 50s but I remember that very well that in my youngest times the radio was still often played the songs of Vico Torriani, Peter Alexander und Caterina Valente. Many of the songs were designed to listener distract from the harsh post-war times.
The 60s were the years of the so called Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle). The Germans started to go on vacation mostly over the alps to Italy. And this longing for sun and the sea has been addressed in many hits. The other longing was shipping. Freddy Quinn a former artist from the circus picked up this longing in some very successful hits.
On behalf of the hits of the early 1960s here is the 1962 by Mina sung Hot Sand whose text is inherently ambiguous and yet - or precisely for this reason - the taste of the youth this time: Black Tino your Nina was when Rocco already in the word. / Because Rocco you now found Black Tino you need to go / hot sand and a lost country and a life in danger /hot sand and the reminder that it once was / Black Tino your Nina dances in the harbor with the boys only the waves sing quiet what of Tino everyone knows / Hot sand ...
These era was influenced by the music of the American soldiers which was stationed in Germany. It is shown in some songs that was arranged in a jazz-band style. Other former GI's made it great in Germany as solo artist. For example Bill Ramsey who had some chart success thes days. I saw him once in the late 90s playing jazz standards - and was surprised how good he was after all these years.
The popular music in the 60s was divided into two camps in the German-speaking area: in the of the classic paddle and the German pop music. The largest contrast to pop music. The new experimental approaches in language and music was tried that remained of the paddle and already established German sung rhythms and melodies. Indeed the student movement to the critical questioning of the listening. The beat music of the Rock and the Pop conquered the German hit market. The music industry was afraid of the loss of their target group and tried to establish carefully French, English, Scandinavian and Italian artists who was already successful in their home countries singing their songs in German. I remember artists like Gus Backus, Alexandra, Wencke Myrhe, Rita Pavone, Mireille Mathieu, Nana Mouskouri, Siw Malmquist, Peggy March, Salvatore Adamo and many others trying to sing German. Some of their songs are evergreens which I can listen to sometimes in a sentimental mood.
In the 70s the young folks left the hits behind and turned more and more into another kind of music. But for the older one hits was still popular. More and more TV-sets were sold and in nearly every household you could find one. A lot of women listened still to German hits sung by handsome singers. I remember my parents watching the monthly chart show with acts like Roy Black, Michael Holm, Bernd Clüver, Peter Maffay and Udo Jürgens. Most of them were one-hit wonders others like Peter Maffay were still successful (of course he turned into rock music).
In the 80s the so called New German Wave was characteristic for German sung music but a lot of them turned into the nirvana of the New German hits (for god's sake).
In the 1990s it was hip to look back into the 70s. By a bigger retro wave the old fashion (clothes, accessories and music as well) were popular again and brought us acts like Guildo Horn and Dieter Thomas Kuhn for a short time. In this time classical traditional German music became the taste of many people. I don't want to talk about Wildecker Herzbuben or other ones that appear with typical countryside clothes and singing of a life that is real in no moment (but take a look and decide by yourself).
In the last years female singers like Andrea Berg and Helene Fischer were very successful. If I am honest I don't know any song of the two above-mentioned singers. But I know that they are are extremely popular in Germany by people between 20 and 70. The newest trend is that old hit-artist appear on Heavy Metal Festivals like Heino played with Rammstein and Roberto Blanco played with Sodom.
Another unspectacular year in my life. Working in my job, watching the kids grow up and living my life as I was used to. Went to Italy camping again like last year and it seemed to be perfect. But what would life be if it no surprises would hold ready? Nothing! To my surprise Kerstin got homesick. More and more we discussed about changing our life an move to her hometown. I could not understand why she's got that feeling. She found a lot of friends at the place we lived, she had a good job and was satisfied with it but there must be something I could not understand. So we agreed that a decision must be fallen, until our daughter is sent to school next year. It is strange, but I can exactly remember where I have been when I got the news of moving events. We visited my parents in law and had breakfast when my sister in law came in and told us that Diana, Princess of Wales, died in an car accident in Paris. No one could believe it and we switched on the TV. Breaking news on every channel told us that it is true. Not that I am a fan of the Royals but her death has moved me. For me she was a person which was unhappy in her engagement. And at the time she got rid of all the stuff and found a new love she died. There is nothing more to say and the best good by was sung by Elton John.
This was a good year for records. Here a some that impressed me:
Daft Punk - Homework: Perfect club music
Prefab Sprout - Andromeda Heights: One more great record from them
Robert Wyatt - Shleep: The old man returns with a very good album
Radiohead - OK Computer: Fantastic songs made this record worth listen to
Paul Weller - Heavy Soul: Not his best but a very good album
Dwight Yoakam - Under The Covers: Well known songs transfered into new country music
Rammstein - Sehnsucht: Horrible lyrics but a real powerful sound
Buena Vista Social Club: German people discover Latin sound by a Wim Wenders movie
Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind: He returned into my view with this record
The Verve - Urban Hymns: Timeless songs
Led Zeppelin - The BBC Sessions: Their old songs stripped to the bones - awesome
Erykah Badu - Live: Just a great voice
Pat Metheney Group - Imaginary Day: His first approach to modern music
And also some songs that are worth to be played again:
Seems like I went often to cinema this year:
Titanic: No chance to ignore this movie
The Full Monty: Fantastic. This could happen this way
Men In Black: Simply funny entertainment
As Good As It Gets: Jack Nicholson at his best
L.A. Confidential: A perfect tribute to this genre
Good Will Hunting: A real good drama with fantastic actors
Con Air: I could watch this movie every time
Face/Off: One of the best thrillers ever
The Game: It is a good game
Seven Years In Tibet: Fantastic pictures based on a true story
A few things that happened in 1997:
Finally divorce becomes legal in the Republic of Ireland // Bill Clinton bans federal funding for any research of human cloning // The Comet Hale-Bopp makes its closest approach to Earth // 39 Heaven's Gate cultists commit mass suicide at their compound in San Diego // Labour Party return to power after 18 years and Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister // The Star Alliance is formed between Air Canada, SAS, Lufthansa, Thai International Airlines and United Airlines // The great flood begins in southern Poland // Steve Jobs returns to Apple Computer Inc. // Massacres in Algeria all over the year // Princess Diana dies in an car accident in Paris // Mother Teresa dies // The Kyoto protocol is adopted by the United Nations committee and nearly nothing happened since this time.
The third record by Spiritualized is a masterpiece - no doubt. I found a review of this record by Jason Ankeny on allmusic. And there is nothing more to say. I love their music and I still play them often. I don't know much more bands that come and fetch me to other spheres.
