City vs. Censorship

This album from 1987 is something like the culmination of the late East German rock music. Time-critical texts, written partly under a pseudonym, which mainly tell stories from the East Berlin of the GDR-final stage and sometimes worried about violent controversy with the cultural authorities.

So should the words "because was the first love from spring until August" in "z. Ex. Susann" originally roughly "because this year went to the spring until August" have been called, which of course a very clear Recalling the Niederwalzung the Prague Spring by Soviet troops in August 1968 was. Unthinkable for censorship mighty, especially singer Toni Krahl as after a former courageous protest detained and imprisoned artists already a red flag represented in this matter.

The title track, one of the biggest hits of Ostrockgeschichte, also has an interesting origin background. Written by actor Henry Hübchen, voice sequences used in the song were from the eponymous film classic ausgerechntet using the "enemy station no. 1," the RIAS, recorded in West Berlin. Fritz Puppel and Toni Krahl asked enables them to establish local editor Olaf Leitner to be but to assist them in obtaining such direct sound. This then played in one of his post under any pretext such passages, which were then taken up by the City-Men on the radio to tape and shipped to the studio.

Its strengths have this album clearly in his lyrics because the music being too artificial (especially the drums) and from today's perspective sounds hopelessly outdated arranged, a shortcoming that does not have, for example Silly albums from the same period.

Highly recommended "Peppermint Heaven", which deals with the wanderlust of the prisoners in their own country GDR citizens to melancholy way, the already mentioned at "z. Ex. Susann", a touching piece about the post-war history of Berlin and at the same time a straightes piece of rock music, the beautiful love song "Semi-Detached" and "half and half" which stirred amazing offensive on taboo of hushed German division.

Certainly one of the best DDR albums, although it was not quite enough for the highest rating.