Propaganda was a German New Wave group from Düsseldorf which was formed in 1982. During 1984 and 1985 they released three singles and one album. Beside Kraftwerk, Aplhaville and Nena they are one of the few German New Wave groups that have gained commercial success outside Germany.
Propaganda was formed in Düsseldorf in the early 80’s by a former Krupps member Ralf Dörper. He decided to go on with new musical ventures and left his group. Ralf’s new project also involved new musical partners, Andreas Thein, a part- time DJ and their mutual friend Suzanne Freytag who was recruited as a vocalist. Propaganda was born and as a trio they began recording music. Their first musical venture was the cover of a song “Disziplin” which was originally performed by Throbbing Gristle which also gave them a TV airing. “Disciplin”, tough was never released as a single because Gristle refused to allow it.
Following the whole “Disziplin” project the band took new members, musician and composer Michael Mertnes and 19 year old vocalist Claudia Brücken. The band moved to UK and it was signed to ZTT records label. The new Propaganda line up was marketed as a twisted hellish version of Abba leaving Mertens in the background as the invisible fifth member. "Dr.Mabuse" was released in 1984 and short time after Thein left the group not satisfied with the record company which delayed the release of the Propaganda material.
1985 saw the release of Propaganda’s most successful single “Duel” which reached no 21 in the UK charts as well as the release of their debut album “A Secret Wish”. After their second appearance on ‘The Tube’ things went quiet for Propaganda, Claudia Brücken left the group in 1986 and the remaining members of the group took ZTT to court to release them from their contract.
In 1988 a new Propaganda line up gathered and began recording new material. Alongside Michael Mertens were the new line-up vocalist Betsi Miller, bassist Derek Forbes and drummer Brian McGee. The result was a new contract with Virgin and a new album release. The album ‘1234’was released in 1990 as well as the single “Heaven Give Me Words” which actually sounded more like Wilson Phillips than the old Propaganda material. It did not get much airplay either.
The original line-up of Propaganda met once more in 1998 with a new deal to record a new album which was never released until some songs from the album leaked via file sharing networks. In 2005 Mertens and Freytag resurrected the name Propaganda again while Claudia Brücken teamed up with Paul Humphreys of OMD for the Onetwo musical project.
November Group was a synth-pop group from Boston which was previously known as Wunderkind. The band was confronted by two women, the husky voiced guitarist Ann Prim and keyboardist Kearney Kirby. The name of the band was taken from a group of German expressionist artists from early 20th century.
Even though dance oriented as many groups of that time, the November Group found their own formula of a new dance which was influenced by early dark dance groups like New Order and A Certain Ratio. It was powerful rhythm section which provided a great militant sound which was for both dancing and marching and it was probably coming from a factory hall. The central figures of the band were the lead singer Ann Prim and Kearny Kirby on synthesizers. Ann Prim’s vocal were modern and slick while her image showed 30’s and 40’s imagery.
Between 1982 and 1985 they released three albums on three different record labels: their s/t debut album in 1982 on Modern Method Records, ‘Persistent Memories’ in 1983 which also featured the song “Put Your Back To It”for which the video was made and "Work That Dream" which was released in 1985 on A&M Records. Their songs also appeared on several compilations and there is also an unofficial release of ‘Working That Dream’ which features songs from all three LPs.
Carol Holness, better known by her stage name Nancy Nova, is a singer songwriter from London, UK, largely active from 1978 to 1983. She is the daughter of Bob Holness and sister of Ros Holness of Toto Coelo. She was a founder member of Toto Coelo, but left before they achieved popularity due to her signing a worldwide contract with EMI.
Nancy started her career at the age of fourteen playing guitar and singing in clubs in North London. She then studied for three years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.She initially found success as a songwriter for Jesse Green, writing the single "Flip". She was a featured artist on Italian TV Show "Non Stop" for six weeks and her single "Akiri Non Stop" was used as the theme tune. She also wrote songs and sang on albums for other artists including Lena Zavaroni and Cleo Laine.
After working in theatre and television for a while Nancy committed herself full time to her recording career, signing to Ritz Records. She made a name for herself in Europe fronting a TV show for two months in Italy and appearing on Radio and TV promoting her album. Back in the UK she received massive radio play for her single, "The Force", which became a huge disco hit. More hits followed including "Made in Japan" and "No No No" before it became quiet for Nancy.
In 2004 Nova released a compilation of her 80s songs on CD as 'The Force'. A year later an album of new material in the Jazz style called 'Nancy Sings Jazz'. The latest album "Blowout" is currently only available through iTunes. Now, after a long break from public appearances largely spent on her farm in Devon, Nancy continues to sing and still writes prolifically. She has a huge catalogue of self-penned songs and is recording a new album.
"Lost and Late" is the latest release by the French group Martin Dupont who were formed in the early 80's and released several albums and singles during the decade. The album contains a selection of songs which were released between 1981 and 1985. The release is a limited edition pressed on 180 gram vinyl, accompanied by an insert printed with old band photographs by Michel Bresson.
One of my favorite New wave bands is turning 30 this year. Back in 1978, they had their debut performance at Eric's club in Liverpool. Since then they have had numerous hits at both sides of Atlantic, they were innovative, futuristic, experimental, they have been formed and reformed and in October they celebrate their 30th anniversary. These are the most significant moments and facts in the OMD's musical history.
1. Liverpool
In 2001 the Guinness Book of Records declared Liverpool 'City of Pop' due to the many number one records to have emerged from the city. The most famous band to have come from Liverpool is The Beatles, who played many of their early gigs at the Cavern Club. During the late 70's and early 80's many great bands emerged including OMD who were formed in the second half of the 70's out of the ashes of few local bands who used to experiment with electronic and guitar driven music.
2. German Electronics
The founders of the group Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys both shared their love for early electronic music produced by Kraftwerk and Neu!. These two bands made a great impact on their early records. Even their side project was named after a valve from the diagram on the back cover of Kraftwerk's Radio- Activity album.
3. Eric's Club
Eric's club was a music club in Liverpool which opened in 1976 in a building basement on Mathew Street. It became notable for hosting early performances by many punk and post-punk bands including Elvis Costello, Buzzcocks, The Clash, Joy Division, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Slits, The Stranglers, Ultravox, Wire, XTC and many other contemporary acts of that time. OMD had their debut performance in this club in October 1978.
4. "Enola Gay"
"Enola Gay" was one of the best selling singles released by OMD in the European countries. It reached number one in France, Portugal and Spain. The song appeared on OMD's second album 'Organisation' which was released for Virgin in 1980. The song also caused some contraversary as it was named after a plane which dropped the first atomic bomb in an act of War on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 to bring an end to the Second World War.The song was also released during a major controversy surrounding then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's decision to allow US nuclear missiles to be stationed in Britain.
5. Artwork
The key figure of the artwork design of OMD's record sleeves was Peter Saville. The legendary cover of the New Order single "Blue Monday" (1983) and for example, the sleeve of the Joy Division album 'Unknown Pleasures' (1979) were to bring the Manchester graphic designer worldwide renown. Using a reduced, Modernist style Peter Saville has made key innovations in the field of visual communications, and in recent times he has had a profound effect on the interplay between art, design and advertising. He created the visual design for all OMD's record releases.
6. The Architecture of Sound
In 1981 OMD released their third album entitled 'Architecture and Morality'. It's considered as the group's landmark album which sold over 3 million copies and reached No.3 in the UK and No.1 in Belgium and Holland. The album is gloomy, synth-driven and it struggles with new techniques in sound. Two of OMD's best selling singles were taken from the album including their most successful single in the UK "Souvenir", the first song to feature Paul Humphreys on vocals, as well as "Maid of Orleans" which was their biggest hit in Germany.
The album was reissued last year in May(2007) and it includes a remastered CD and DVD.
7. OMD's Musique Concrete
1983 saw the release of OMD's fourth album 'Dazzle Ships' whose title and cover art alluded to a painting by vorticist artist Edward Wadsworth based on dazzle camouflage. Dazzle Ships was OMD's musical experiment which took them to a whole new level of musical creation. The album contains sound collages, shortwave radio recordings, the sound effects of ships and submarines, speaking clocks and eastern bloc themes. "Genetic Engineering" and "Telegraph" are the only songs that were released as singles.
The album was reissued on 3rd March 2008. The new release featured remastered tracks, bonus tracks and sleeve notes along with new sleeve art which recreates the original 1983 vinyl sleeve.
8. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Pink
In 1984 OMD released their fifth album 'Junk Culture' which marked their return to a poppier sound. They adopted of a classic verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure again and their songs were returning to the charts in UK and they had their first hits in America. The single "So In Love" entered the American Top 40 establishing the group success in the US. In 1985 the band wrote the song "If You Leave" for the John Hughes movie 'Pretty in Pink'. The song was featured on the soundtrack and was a major hit, notably in the US and Canada where it reached the Top 5.
During 1988 the band appeared poised to consolidate their US success. But despite a support slot at Pasadena Rose Bowl with Depeche Mode, a top 20 US hit with "Dreaming" and a successful "Best of" album, OMD split.
9.The New 90's Line Up
While Humphreys, Cooper, and Holmes left OMD to form The Listening Pool, McCluskey recruited Liverpool musicians Lloyd Massett and Stuart Kershaw and continued under the OMD moniker. Initially successful with hits like "Sailing on the Seven Seas" and "Pandora's Box" from their critically acclaimed 'Sugar Tax' LP in 1991, the new line up would release Liberator (1993), Universal (1996), before splitting up in 1996, due to lack of public interest. After the definite split in 1996 the band members were involved in different music projects including songwriting, management and recording with other bands.
10. Reformation
On January 1 2006, Andy McCluskey announced plans to reform OMD with the McCluskey, Humphreys, Holmes and Cooper line up. The original plan was to tour the album 'Architecture & Morality' and other pre-1983 material, then record a new album.
The band released the remastered 'Architecture and Morality' CD with a DVD featuring the Drury Lane concert from 1981 that had previously been available on VHS and 'Dazzle Ships' album's 25th anniversary was celebrated.
The original line up is currently on tour celebrating 30 years of Orchestral Manoevrues in The Dark.
Šizike (Shizike)was a female trio, a band from Begrade, Serbia which was formed in the early 80's. In 1984 they released their only album 'In The Wonderland' from which the single"Don't Stop" was taken. The album was released on PGP RTB and it was produced by Zoran Jeftic. Their sound was combination of early Bananarama and Tom Tom Club, minimal synth with breakbeats, scratching and vocoder inputs.The songs were mostly sung in Serbian
Voice Farm was a San Francisco electronic music band in the Synthpunk genre formed in 1981. The duo consisted of vocalists/keyboard players Myke Reilly and Charly Brown. They released two independent singles and 3 albums. The group earned national attention in 1990 as the opening act on Depeche Mode's U.S. concert tour.
The history of Voice Farm can be traced back to the chance meeting of Charly Brown, an artist and musician from Portland, Ore and Myke Reilly who served a three month prison sentence in Berlin for experimenting with pirate television there. The circle was complete when former baseball player Ken Weller was added. Their first singles "Double Garage" and “Modern Things” were released in 1981, one year before the release of their debut album ‘The World We Live In’. The album was released on Optional/Systematic label and it was produced by David Kahne. The record featured mostly synthesizer driven sound with some ominous bass tones.
As a duo they released their self titled album ‘Voice Farm’ in 1987 which was radically different than the previous one. They added guitars and backing vocals to their danceable sound and combined dance beats with synthesized effects, found sounds. In 1991, they added Ken Weller to the group and released "Bigger Cooler Weirder" on Morgan Creek Records. They had some dance chart success with the songs "Free Love"& "Seeing Is Believing"but the label didn't take advantage of the momentum and let the band die even after landing a spot opening for Depeche Mode during their "Violator" tour and playing at Madison Square Garden and the Cow Palace. One of the last releases from the band was an independent release in 1995 called "The Love Experiment". Myke and Charly later found success in the music business: they produce music for television commercials.
John Foxx is the stage name of an English musician Dennis Leigh. Originally he was the lead singer of the first Ultravox lineup, before starting a solo career in 1979. Primarily associated with synthesizer music, he also pursued a parallel career in graphic design and education.
John Foxx began early to experiment with tape recorders and synthesizers. In 1973 he formed a band that would eventually be called Tiger Lily. The band played frequently around London in the mid seventies. After few name changes Tiger Lily was transformed in Ultravox! with an exclamation mark. Ultravox released three albums with Foxx as the lead singer including 'System of Romance', often regarded as the first synth pop album. In the beginning of 1979 Ultravox was dropped by their record label and the band came to parting of the ways during their tour. John announced his plan to go solo.
“The band thing is a phase – like being in a gang. You can’t really be part of a gang all your life; it begins to feel undignified and it stunts your growth, unless you want to be a teenager forever. Some do. Some don’t. The benefits were the Gestalt - where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, a very powerful experience - and working in a closed society with people who have the same aim”.Foxx for barcodezine.com
After signing to Virgin Records Foxx achieved minor chart success with his first solo single “Underpass”.This single was the third track on Foxx' all-synthetic sounding debut album 'Metamatic', released in the same year. The next LP 'Garden' followed in 1981 and this recording saw a departure of the electronic sound we were used to listen to on 'Metamatic'. 'Garden' was bearing a greater resemblance to Foxx' swansong with Ultravox' 'System of Romance'. The Garden's starting point was in fact a song called "Systems of Romance", written by Foxx for the earlier album but not released at the time. His third solo album 'In Mysterious Ways' was released in 1985 and it did not bring any commercial success and neither did it bring any progression in the music of John Foxx. Compared to the career of the new Ultravox, Foxx' career always remained in shadows. After 'In Mysterious Ways', Foxx gave up his public career in pop music. He sold his recording studio and returned to his earlier work as graphic artist, working under his original name.
In the early 90's Foxx made some brief appearances in the music scene by doing some collaborations and writing music for computer games. In 1997 Foxx made a return to the music scene with the simultaneous release of two albums, 'Shifting City' and 'Cathedral Oceans'. 'Shifting City' was a collaboration with Manchester's Louis Gordon, an updated stylistic return to Foxx' Metamatic synth pop sound that also displayed the influence of 1990s underground dance music and the 'triphop' style. 'Cathedral Oceans', on the other hand, was a solo John Foxx record, an ambient return to his Catholic youth and his love of the cathedrals of England and Europe. Its roots included traditional evensong, Gregorian Chant, Brian Eno, Harold Budd, and German band Cluster.
In April 2005 Foxx guested on Finnish DJ Jori Hulkkonen's album 'Dualizm', where he provided vocals for "Dislocated" which Hulkkonen had written especially for him. Two years later, in December 2007, Foxx exhibited some of his photographic works in an exhibition called Cinemascope at the Coningsby Gallery in West London. The works were part of three collections, "Grey Suit Music", "Tiny Colour Movies" and "Cathedral Oceans".
The Comateens were originally a New Wave duo formed in 1978 in New York City by bassist/vocalist Nic North and guitarist Ramona Jan. Soon after, Lyn Byrd joined on vocals and synthesizer, and the duo became a trio. When Jan departed in 1980, North's brother Oliver joined on guitar, completing the final lineup. The band was one of the first in the world to record solely with a drum machine, joining the ranks of the burgeoning electro-pop avantgarde along with bands such as Suicide, Kraftwerk and Soft Cell.
This New York trio played a bouncy brand of dance rock rooted in chintzy '60s Farfisa organ pop and spooky horror movie soundtrack music. The group first gained recognition in 1979 with a homemade single that featured a stripped- down version of Bowie's "TVC 15," which they re-recorded for their first LP. They contributed two tracks to the influential Marty Thau Presents 2x5 compilation and their debut album, the self-titled Comateens, (1980) featured the band's bizarrely original compositions alongside covers of "Summer in the City" (The Lovin' Spoonful), "TVC 15" (David Bowie), and the theme song from TV's The Munsters.
After they were signed to Virgin Records they released the second album, 'Pictures On A String' which diverges into rock quirkiness and danceable commercialism, pushing a powerful disco beat on "Get off My Case" "Cinnamon" and other numbers. In 1984 the band released their final album, 'Deal with It', which featured live drums played by Chuck Sabo. The band also rode the New Wave by appearing on the then new and innovative MTV in several videos, and in interviews with pioneer VJs Mark Goodman and Martha Quinn.
The band split up in 1985. Oliver North died in 1987 of asthma-related heart failure. In 1988 Nic North (now Nicholas West) and Lyn Byrd recorded an album, West & Byrd, together. In 1990 the duo, again under the name Comateens, recorded the song "A Place For Me" which became a European hit. Virgin Records released a retrospective compilation of their music in 1991 called "One By One: Best Of Comateens" which has become a rare and much sought-after record among collectors of New Wave music.
Microdisney was an Irish group which began recording in their native town of Cork, Ireland, producing a muted, heavily melodic, atmospheric sound. The group consisted of: Cathal Coughlan, vocals/keyboard, Sean O'Hagan, guitar, Jon Fell, bass and Dave Galvin, drums. They released several albums and singles during the mid and late 80's.
Their first few singles, including 1983's "Pink Skinned Man"were produced by Dave Feeley and released on small indie labels like Kabuki. After relocating to London, they signed to Rough Trade and tapped John Porter (producer of The Smiths) to produce their debut album, 'Everybody's Fantastic'. At this time the band became acquainted with John Peel, who championed their music and gave them the first of several Peel Sessions which also gave Microdisney a wider audience.
Soon after, bassist Jon Fell and drummer Tom Fenner were added as a permanent rhythm section, Microdisney's sound gradually became more commercial and chart oriented, as heard on their 1985 release, 'The Clock Comes Down the Stairs', and its corresponding single "Birthday Girl". Despite this stylistic shift, Coughlan's lyrics grew increasingly sardonic and scathing. They wrote about people- the people who let it all happen. They peered deep into the human soul and found fear, insecurity, ignorance, greed, apathy. Sometimes they still even had time to laugh. They wrote about love, about sex, about lifestyle, about politics and usually it took just one 3 minute song to cram it all in. A song about nuclear war "Town to Town" was a rock-along sing song about yuppies attempting to live normal lives amid a nuclear holocaust. Their 1987 single "Singer's Hampstead Home" is often described as an attack on Boy George (of Culture Club fame) and the media circus that surrounded his post Culture Club years.
In 1988, with chart success and mainstream acceptance having continually eluded them, Microdisney disbanded. After they disbanded Coughlan formed The Fatima Mansions and O'Hagan formed The High Llamas, retaining Jon Fell. Post break up two further compilations were issued of previously released material - 'Big Sleeping House' a Collection of Microdisney's Finest Moments, and the 'Peel Sessions' which has most of their collected BBC John Peel sessions apart from the last one.
The Reels were formed in the late 70’s after few name changes. The major figures of the group were David Mason (lead vocals, keyboards), Craig Hooper (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Colin 'Polly' Newham (keyboards), John Bliss (drums), Paul Abrahams (bass) Karen Ansell (keyboards, vocals), Stefan Fidock (drums). They released four albums, two EP’s and several singles between 1979 and 1991.
The Reels went under few name changes in their early career and when they signed the first record contract with Australian branch of Mercury records, they then changed their name into The Reels and released their debut single “Love Will Find A Way”. Another single followed and their self-titled album was released the same year, in 1979.
In 1980 the Reels added a second keyboardist and released their third single “After The News”. This song marked a transition in their music both in the songwriting as well as in the sound. They began using synthesizers as the main instrument. In May 1981 the Reels released ‘Quasimodo Dream’ which is considered as their best album today.
After few line up changes the Reels signed a new record contract with RCA Records in 1982 and they scored their first international hit with a cover of the song “The Guys In Love With You”
In mid-1980 the group undertook the innovative "Reels By Rail" tour, which saw them using rail transport to travel to all the destinations on their tour. At the end of the year, returning to their roots as a covers band, they released a five track Christmas EP, Five Great Gift Ideas From The Reels, produced by Bruce Brown and Russell Dunlop, which included versions of Jim Reeves' "According To My Heart", and Freda Payne's "Band Of Gold". "According To My Heart"was very successful and featured a folksy music video filmed at the ranch of Australian country music star Smokey Dawson. In 1986 the Reels were signed with Regular records and continued to record cover songs. Even their 1987 tour was called ‘Reels by Request’ and audience called out for the songs they wanted to hear.
In 1989 Mason appeared in the acclaimed Australian feature film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead, in which he co-starred with Nick Cave. In September 1991 the Reels issued their first original single in five years, "I Don't Love You Anymore", followed by what proved to be their last single, a remix by Filthy Lucre of "Bad Moon Rising" . The group officially disbanded to coincide with the release of the compilation CD Requiem.
In May ‘07, Dave Mason released his first album in more than 15 years, ‘Reelsville’, an acoustic celebration of The Reels hits re-recorded by the original artist. In August ‘07 ‘Reel To Reel’ was also released - a compilation of The Reels classic tracks with new liner notes as written by Dave.Dave Mason, John Bliss and Colin ‘Polly’ Newham have resurrected themselves in their former guise ‘The Reels’ and plan to play shows in May 2008.
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Formed in 1977 by Leeds University students Jon King (vocals), Andy Gill (guitar), Dave Allen (bass), and Hugo Burnham (drums). Along with the Fall, Mekons, and Liliput they produced some of the most exhilarating and lasting music of the early English post-punk era of 1978-1983. They re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill. In 2004, the original line-up reunited.
In fact the term "Gang of Four" refers to the "big four" Structuralist theorists: Claude Lévi-Strauss, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, and Jacques Lacan, not to be confused with the Maoist Gang of Four in China. They play a stripped-down mix of punk rock, with strong elements of funk music, minimalism and dub reggae and an emphasis on the social and political ills in society. Song titles sounded like the titles of radical political essays: "At Home He's a Tourist", "Damaged Goods", "It's Her Factory", "Love Like Anthrax," "To Hell With Poverty," all of it openly challenging the audience's preconceived notions about rock music, performance, the cult of celebrity, and the nature of politics.
Their musical work was heavily influenced by a university-funded trip to New York, where they saw Television and the Ramones at CBGB. The Gang's debut single, "Damaged Goods" b/w "Love Like Anthrax" and "Armalite Rifle", was recorded in June 1978 and released on 10 December 1978, on Edinburgh's Fast Product label. It was produced by the Gang and Fast Product honcho Bob Last. It was a #1 indie chart hit and John Peel radio show favourite. Later, they were then signed by EMI records. The group's debut single with this label, "At Home He's a Tourist", charted in the British Top 40 in 1979.After three consecutive sensational albums, as well as a handful of EPs and singles including "I Love a Man in Uniform" and "Call Me Up" , Allen left in 1982 to form the more danceable and less overtly political Shriekback, while Gill, King, and Burnham recorded the misguided "radical soul/R&B" record Hard with veteran American producers Ron and Howard Albert.
Gang of Four experienced a mini-renaissance in the early '90s with the release of two excellent collections (A Brief History of the Twentieth Century and The Peel Sessions Album). King and Gill put together a new Gang of Four and released the tepid but not disgraceful Mall in 1991. The original lineup reconvened in 2004 to tour extensively and release 2005's Return the Gift, featuring re-recordings of their early material. They have always remained, to the ears of those opened wide by punk rock, an extremely important band.
Great news is that the guys are working on a new album which is scheduled to be released in June this year. They will also be playing few gigs in Europe. Belgrade and Zagreb are already confirmed for the 9.-10. of May 2008.
Miro Miroe, pronounced "ME-ROE ME-ROE" was born in Cricklewood, England in the early when Ian Ritchie met Miss Bee. Ian has a chemistry degree from Liverpool University, and Miss Bee started her entertainment career with Thames Television as a lavatory cleaner. Miss Bee was doing Blonde impersonations with "the most mediocre band in the world" and Ian was looking for a singer/lyricist. Evidently they met one night in a pub where Ian was performing jazz with a Texas guitarist, and Bee requested Wagner's "Ring Cycle." Bee sang "Die Walkure" while Ian played "Ornithology" in accompaniment.
Miro Miroe were signed on CBS and released three singles including “Nights Of Arabia”, the first single which did do fairly well. Unfortunately this was a massive surprise to CBS, who did not have enough copies made to properly service the record. The sales and chart position faded away as there was no re-stocking of the single in the shops. No promotional video was ever made. Two more singles were released. “Islands” from the Colin Thurston sessions and “Ready, Steady”which was produced by Steve Levine. Again, limited copies were pressed, insuring no possibility of chart success.
Later Ritchie went on to produce Pete Wylie, Roger Waters, Hugh Cornwell and Laurie Anderson amongst others.
in 2014, after more than thirty years, all their recording material has been released on CD under the title 'The Face'. This record is available on CD Baby.
"Ghost of Love" was the second release for the British group Fiction Factory. This single was released in 1983 on CBS and appeared as both 7" and 12" record. The band didn't last long and disbanded soon after the album release in 1985.
Propaganda was formed in Düsseldorf in the early 80’s by a former Krupps member Ralf Dörper. He decided to go on with new musical ventures and left his group. Ralf’s new project also involved new musical partners, Andreas Thein, a part- time DJ and their mutual friend Suzanne Freytag who was recruited as a vocalist. Propaganda was born and as a trio they began recording music. Their first musical venture was the cover of a song “Disziplin” which was originally performed by Throbbing Gristle which also gave them a TV airing. “Disciplin”, tough was never released as a single because Gristle refused to allow it.
1985 saw the release of Propaganda’s most successful single “Duel” which reached no 21 in the UK charts as well as the release of their debut album “A Secret Wish”. After their second appearance on ‘The Tube’ things went quiet for Propaganda, Claudia Brücken left the group in 1986 and the remaining members of the group took ZTT to court to release them from their contract.
The original line-up of Propaganda met once more in 1998 with a new deal to record a new album which was never released until some songs from the album leaked via file sharing networks. In 2005 Mertens and Freytag resurrected the name Propaganda again while Claudia Brücken teamed up with Paul Humphreys of OMD for the Onetwo musical project.
