This could be the short version of what to has been told about this g*dess, but things are more complicated and have more of "A prophet has no honor in his own country."
In West Germany Nina became member of a band called "Nina Hagen Band" and very successful with two records in german language hitting the nerve of the end-of-the-decade punk audience.
A perfect match, so to say, and perfect products.
I've chosen my words well on that: "member of" and "product".
"Nina Hagen Band" essentially were an updated version of a band named "Lokomotive Kreuzberg" with the best female singer available in the well connected "Post Bowie in Berlin" Scene those days or a proto-version of a band named "Spliff", founded after NHB split.
So let's start with the end, the first Spliff-record: "Spliff Radio Show"
and have a hear at some Nina Hagen Band stuff from the "glorious" german language era
We understand: There are some guys who love the Tubes ;)
Don't let me be misunderstood: Nina is great and the band professional, no wonder they were that successful with these two records in german language. Okay: the French loved her from the very first moment on ignoring the language and just listening.
She was THE female icon in Germany then, not only based on her really aggressive song "Unbeschreiblich weiblich" (Unbelievable female). Clearly feminist. And damned offensive ... So (for example) she spontaneously gave masturbation-advices at a live TV-Talkshow.
And then all of a sudden: Sacriledge! "OUR!" Nina sings english lyrics on her first solo-album! "Scandal! How! Dare! She!". The german rock critics threw her in the trash can, I can't remember a copy in the record collections of my friends, the views on her tended to be hostile (ask Marlene Dietrich or Hildegard Knef on that matter ...)
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| viewed by the french "Rock & Folk" magazine |
But then: Hitchhiking with my later first wife on our first backpacking trip to the south of France, Cote d'Azur, we suddenly found ourselves sitting in a bus driven by a guy from Toulouse. He and his friend from New Zealand picked us up and while riding to our camping they played their favourite stuff (i remember also Roxy Music ) and went totally emotional when presenting german (!) music tor us. "Do you know her? She sooooo great. This Voice. And: She' totally crazy! A g*dess!"
It was "Nunsexmonkrock", Nina Hagen's wonderful first album that deserved her name
and represented more her experience with other european artists like Herman Brood or Lene Lovich ie.
So no wonder, the French admired her and so she entered american soil in 1982.
1982-07-31 Detroit, MI (sbd)
01 Habanera Carmen
02 Dread Love
03 Anti World
04 Alright Tonight
05 Future Is Now
06 Alptraum
07 Queen of Audio Video
08 Revolution
09 Taichi Tarot
10 Born In Xixax
11 James Brown
12 Glory Glory Hallelujah
13 UFO
14 Cosma Shiva
15 Rivers Of Babylon
16 African Reggae
17 Smack Jack
18 Satisfaction
02 Dread Love
03 Anti World
04 Alright Tonight
05 Future Is Now
06 Alptraum
07 Queen of Audio Video
08 Revolution
09 Taichi Tarot
10 Born In Xixax
11 James Brown
12 Glory Glory Hallelujah
13 UFO
14 Cosma Shiva
15 Rivers Of Babylon
16 African Reggae
17 Smack Jack
18 Satisfaction
Today Nina in Germany is more known for her obscure TV-appearances in private stations, but maybe this taste of obscurity is more about that she really doesn't fit in that environment. Being crazy in a squarehead "normal" world always has a bit facepalming-moods.
But: The French ...
In 2012 on the front page of my favourite french rock magazine "Rock & Folk" (a long list of covers in my - sorry in german - enthusiastic post hymn on R&F here)
inside: not only a 10 page hymn on the g*dess of punk as the french view
her 'till today and some new photos from the glorious era ... but also 25% of the whole magazine filled up with portraits of the most influencial krautrock bands. One
third on german topics! Never saw that vice versa in german magazines,
so that may explain why i prefer this now almost 70 year old flagship of
french rock-journalism over any german magazine. Or the "Rolling
Stone". Without being in the marketing hype-biz Rock & Folks loves the music
and the bands they write about. A solid Rock ...
So you can bet on an article about Iggy Pop every three months ;)
-----------------------------------------
 |
| from "Rock & Folk" |
Thanks for the Nina.
ReplyDeleteLooking for a Nina Hagen song,
'Knocking on Hermann's Door' [Obviously Herman Brood] Used to play it on Radio back in about 1979- 80. It was on a live [english language] album. doesn't currenty appear on Discogs. Great ironic adaptation of 'Knocking on Heaven's door' and it really rocked too!
Several Versions on Youtube, this is the best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMK7Y-0ajEc
This doco on Nina is amazing
Evolution of Music - Nina Hagen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxVlDICaeq8
Thanks again
First of all: many thanks for the links!
DeleteTo that "herman" thing: There's a double CD "DUETS" from 2012 and so here we go with my best version of the song in @320kbs. enjoy!
It's originally taken from the "Cha Cha" Soundtrack which is more of a Herman Brood album ;)
Fun fact: There's a cover version of "NHB - Herman hieß er" from a band named "bushband" (that later on became "Lusthansa" to whom i wrote some lyrics for both of their Frank Farian produced records) dedicated to me "Pogo Hardy". Even my archive on Lusthansa is well filled, it doesn't offer a version of it.
But those were the days: Over here (not in my hometown or scene) these more jazzrock influenced guys believed Police and NHB being "punks" and all of my attempts to play some Clash or Ruts (ie.) to them ended in vain ;)
Thanks for the links!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately when it comes to music, most people are tribal posers and don't actually listen to the music or care about it.
1977 - London was gaga about the Ramones. When I saw the Dicators - who were a huge influence on the Ramones - play The Roundhouse, the went down like a lead balloon. Why? because they looked wrong. [Unlike that audience, they actually didn't give a &^%$#.] Nobody actually listened to them.
Dictators - Search and Destroy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuKd65C6jvU
Actually if you had a Dictators concert to post, I'm sure the FBSVW audience would appreciate it.
Thanks again.
> a Dictators concert
DeleteSorry, none im my archive. But you're right: a great band, "Go Girl Crazy" is part of Dimereys' famous "1001 records you have to hear before you die" list (my personal picks here), and represented on every competent sampler on the CBGB or US-punk scene.
But: I can't remember a friend having a record of them. No because they didn't "look right", more due to a lack of knowledge then - no internet, no youtube, just the friends record collections and some magzines like in germany "sounds" or in france "rock et folk" to get the information on what's happening.
If we weren't in the South of France, Provence in 1977 we'd surely missed that whole punky reggae party we took at home from there, where we first were confronted with The Clash, Dr Feelgood, Eddie & The Hot Rods (one of my absolute favs, i worked on one of their shows at Unikult) or the whole Max Romeo & The Upsetters or Bob Marley thing. In Germany at that time, the folks at my hometown were more on that ProgRock-vibe in my part of town and the other part more decicated to The Dead & the SF scene. That changed a bit, when we came back from France and bands like XTC, Talking Heads or the Clash went on the common table ;)
If there's maybe another wish from your side, just ask. I'm collecting since the late 70ies and boots were - deadheads in town! - solid part of the cultural traditions in my hometown, sent by american friends, so to say the first analogue "file-sharings" long before the net made things much easier
Cheers
Dictators?..Try this - https://floppybootstomp-ii.blogspot.com/2016/02/dktmc5-live-in-belgium-2005.html
ReplyDeleteIn the name of teamwork (& Everyone knows how much I love teamwork), Try this one on for size:
DeleteDictators 1981-02-11 The Ritz NYC NY
https://mega.nz/#!KHpVhK7K!fAVeF3ciAPHRilXGbS3xFFvIlvdPk_c4v9-FHUFDcZU