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LP
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TR 588LP
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LP version. The Hanoverian post-punk group Der Moderne Man made a splash with the 1980 release of their first album 80 Tage auf See (80 Days at Sea). The album quickly drew attention throughout Germany, later also in the UK and other international territories -- not least thanks to the support of BBC's John Peel. The second LP Unmodern was released in 1982. Tapete Records is now re-issuing the first two studio albums. This is accompanied by Jugend Forscht, a compilation of demos, EPs and singles with some unreleased tracks. All three releases are complemented by detailed liner notes and previously unreleased images.
"Although Unmodern is still the album of a bunch of amateurishly posing musicians demonstrating self-empowerment, alongside the simple arrangements, statements and songs that repeatedly define POP in three capital letters, it jangles and twinkles in every nook and cranny, and not just like that, but well thought out and in the same way that New Wave was defined and produced in the UK. The topics that Unmodern tackles have aged surprisingly well. I have to put it this way because it sounds good, but you could just as well say that they are quite conservative. Or you could tone it down and say that you must understand it in the context of the times. Abwärts were afraid of the computer state, Der Moderne Man criticizes the fact that robots are now making music. With 'Nur Die', it's not entirely clear which language is being referred to. It could be German. 'Anakonda' and 'Blaue Matrosen' provoke with a proximity to the exoticism of the 1940s and 1950s: here, 'the faraway' invariably is a somewhat ridiculous world, and the songs do not clearly distinguish themselves from this part of German non-culture. All of this was justified against the backdrop of the hippie dogmatism of the 1970s, but as I said, it can often only be understood in the context of the times. In any case, Der Moderne Man achieved something here that hardly anyone else in Germany would have managed at the time, except perhaps Fehlfarben. A cutting-edge production of international standard. New Wave without caricaturing New Wave. 'Blaue Matrosen' was released around the same time as 'Enola Gay' without being left behind or anyone turning up their nose and saying something like 'Oh, the Germans are trying their hand at New Wave now too.' Hats off to that." --Frank Spilker
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LP
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TR 587LP
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LP version. Der Moderne Man formed in 1979 and operated mainly in the vicinity of Hanover's No Fun label. Inspired by visits to concerts and record stores in London and New York and bands such as the Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Iggy Pop, and the Clash, the group developed an explosive sound that led to the first album 80 Tage auf See ("80 days at sea") in 1980: German-language post-punk that stood out from Hanover's underground sound and also gained support from BBC's John Peel. Tapete Records now re-issues their first two studio albums. This is accompanied by Jugend Forscht, a compilation of demos, EPs and singles with some unreleased tracks. All three releases are complemented by detailed liner notes and previously unreleased images. 80 Tage auf See captures a historic moment. When the record was released in 1980, the so-called "Neue Deutsche Welle" (German New Wave) was no more than a rumor. It was still far from clear what (post-)punk on West German terms might entail. 80 Tage auf See was recorded over a short time span and hurled onto the market just as swiftly. The 80 days of the album title most likely do not refer to time spent in the studio. This release occupies one of the top spots in the race for the very first German punk album. It is perhaps the first "first German punk LP" that managed to reproduce the force and urgency of the English original, albeit in a way so deferred and strange that the term "Krautpunk" comes to mind. Der Moderne Man was to Damned and Wire what Amon Düül II was to Hawkwind and Vanilla Fudge. No wonder John Peel kept the record in his show's heavy rotation. Shortly after the release of 80 Tage auf See, the basically postnatal New German Wave disbanded into fractions whose initial hostility towards each other gradually turned into indifference. The remains were something like 'Deutschpunk' (not 'Krautpunk') here, avant-garde neo-tonality there and in between some more or less successful attempts to establish contemporary German pop music. On 80 Tage auf See, all of this is still on equal footing: (power) pop, the catchy wave punk which would become the signature sound of Hannover's No Fun label and the rather idiosyncratic idea of experimental music which Michael Jarick (aka Ziggy XY) brought in as a singer.
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2LP
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TR 589LP
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Double LP version. Der Moderne Man emerged from the vicinity of Hanover's No Fun label, an incubator for a scene somewhere in between punk, avant-garde and new wave. In addition to two studio albums, the band recorded various demos, EPs and singles between 1981 and 1983. These songs, which did not appear on the two regular albums, are now being re-issued for the first time as an independent compilation. Jugend Forscht spans an arc from the first EP to early demo recordings and a single that was never released as a regular album to the German-language New Wave of the last mini-LP Neues aus Hong Kong. The tracks collected on Jugend Forscht tell the story and development of Der Moderne Man in an impressive way. The compilation is supplemented by detailed liner notes and some never-before-published images. Der Moderne Man combined a wide range of influences: the punk rock minimalism of guitarist Eckhardt 'EKT' Kurtz, English music magazines, imported records bought during visits to Berlin, the hyperactivity of drummer Claudius Hempelmann and the lyrics of Michael 'Ziggy XY' Jarick with their very own view of everyday life. After touring with five other bands from the No Fun label and new drummer Felix Wolter, Der Moderne Man released a live mini-LP and produced the LP Unmodern with the additional band member Thomas 'Tonio Scorpo' Schnura on saxophone and synthesizer. With the addition of bass player Axel Wicke, 1982 was shaped by numerous tours and positive to euphoric reviews. Soon, major record companies were coming along with offers, but the band (for the most part) rejected the industry's temptations. Der Moderne Man incorporated influences from England and the USA on their 1983 mini-LP Neues aus Hong Kong. This could have meant a career boost, but German audiences were tired out by the glut of cheap German new wave industry output and the band subsequently dropped out in autumn of that year. The songs now compiled on Jugend Forscht show that Hannover was capable of more than just rock music.
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CD
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TR 587CD
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Der Moderne Man formed in 1979 and operated mainly in the vicinity of Hanover's No Fun label. Inspired by visits to concerts and record stores in London and New York and bands such as the Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Iggy Pop, and the Clash, the group developed an explosive sound that led to the first album 80 Tage auf See ("80 days at sea") in 1980: German-language post-punk that stood out from Hanover's underground sound and also gained support from BBC's John Peel. Tapete Records now re-issues their first two studio albums. This is accompanied by Jugend Forscht, a compilation of demos, EPs and singles with some unreleased tracks. All three releases are complemented by detailed liner notes and previously unreleased images. 80 Tage auf See captures a historic moment. When the record was released in 1980, the so-called "Neue Deutsche Welle" (German New Wave) was no more than a rumor. It was still far from clear what (post-)punk on West German terms might entail. 80 Tage auf See was recorded over a short time span and hurled onto the market just as swiftly. The 80 days of the album title most likely do not refer to time spent in the studio. This release occupies one of the top spots in the race for the very first German punk album. It is perhaps the first "first German punk LP" that managed to reproduce the force and urgency of the English original, albeit in a way so deferred and strange that the term "Krautpunk" comes to mind. Der Moderne Man was to Damned and Wire what Amon Düül II was to Hawkwind and Vanilla Fudge. No wonder John Peel kept the record in his show's heavy rotation. Shortly after the release of 80 Tage auf See, the basically postnatal New German Wave disbanded into fractions whose initial hostility towards each other gradually turned into indifference. The remains were something like 'Deutschpunk' (not 'Krautpunk') here, avant-garde neo-tonality there and in between some more or less successful attempts to establish contemporary German pop music. On 80 Tage auf See, all of this is still on equal footing: (power) pop, the catchy wave punk which would become the signature sound of Hannover's No Fun label and the rather idiosyncratic idea of experimental music which Michael Jarick (aka Ziggy XY) brought in as a singer.
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Artist |
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Catalog # |
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CD
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TR 589CD
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Der Moderne Man emerged from the vicinity of Hanover's No Fun label, an incubator for a scene somewhere in between punk, avant-garde and new wave. In addition to two studio albums, the band recorded various demos, EPs and singles between 1981 and 1983. These songs, which did not appear on the two regular albums, are now being re-issued for the first time as an independent compilation. Jugend Forscht spans an arc from the first EP to early demo recordings and a single that was never released as a regular album to the German-language New Wave of the last mini-LP Neues aus Hong Kong. The tracks collected on Jugend Forscht tell the story and development of Der Moderne Man in an impressive way. The compilation is supplemented by detailed liner notes and some never-before-published images. Der Moderne Man combined a wide range of influences: the punk rock minimalism of guitarist Eckhardt 'EKT' Kurtz, English music magazines, imported records bought during visits to Berlin, the hyperactivity of drummer Claudius Hempelmann and the lyrics of Michael 'Ziggy XY' Jarick with their very own view of everyday life. After touring with five other bands from the No Fun label and new drummer Felix Wolter, Der Moderne Man released a live mini-LP and produced the LP Unmodern with the additional band member Thomas 'Tonio Scorpo' Schnura on saxophone and synthesizer. With the addition of bass player Axel Wicke, 1982 was shaped by numerous tours and positive to euphoric reviews. Soon, major record companies were coming along with offers, but the band (for the most part) rejected the industry's temptations. Der Moderne Man incorporated influences from England and the USA on their 1983 mini-LP Neues aus Hong Kong. This could have meant a career boost, but German audiences were tired out by the glut of cheap German new wave industry output and the band subsequently dropped out in autumn of that year. The songs now compiled on Jugend Forscht show that Hannover was capable of more than just rock music.
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Artist |
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Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
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CD
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TR 588CD
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The Hanoverian post-punk group Der Moderne Man made a splash with the 1980 release of their first album 80 Tage auf See (80 Days at Sea). The album quickly drew attention throughout Germany, later also in the UK and other international territories -- not least thanks to the support of BBC's John Peel. The second LP Unmodern was released in 1982. Tapete Records is now re-issuing the first two studio albums. This is accompanied by Jugend Forscht, a compilation of demos, EPs and singles with some unreleased tracks. All three releases are complemented by detailed liner notes and previously unreleased images.
"Although Unmodern is still the album of a bunch of amateurishly posing musicians demonstrating self-empowerment, alongside the simple arrangements, statements and songs that repeatedly define POP in three capital letters, it jangles and twinkles in every nook and cranny, and not just like that, but well thought out and in the same way that New Wave was defined and produced in the UK. The topics that Unmodern tackles have aged surprisingly well. I have to put it this way because it sounds good, but you could just as well say that they are quite conservative. Or you could tone it down and say that you must understand it in the context of the times. Abwärts were afraid of the computer state, Der Moderne Man criticizes the fact that robots are now making music. With 'Nur Die', it's not entirely clear which language is being referred to. It could be German. 'Anakonda' and 'Blaue Matrosen' provoke with a proximity to the exoticism of the 1940s and 1950s: here, 'the faraway' invariably is a somewhat ridiculous world, and the songs do not clearly distinguish themselves from this part of German non-culture. All of this was justified against the backdrop of the hippie dogmatism of the 1970s, but as I said, it can often only be understood in the context of the times. In any case, Der Moderne Man achieved something here that hardly anyone else in Germany would have managed at the time, except perhaps Fehlfarben. A cutting-edge production of international standard. New Wave without caricaturing New Wave. 'Blaue Matrosen' was released around the same time as 'Enola Gay' without being left behind or anyone turning up their nose and saying something like 'Oh, the Germans are trying their hand at New Wave now too.' Hats off to that." --Frank Spilker
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