Puhdys
Encyclopedia
The Puhdys (ˈpuːdis) are a veteran German
rock band
, formed in Oranienburg
(Brandenburg), in what was then the German Democratic Republic
, in 1969, although they had been performing together, with various lineups, as the Puhdys since 1965. They continue to record and tour. Although they are especially popular in their native eastern Germany, the Puhdys enjoyed significant success outside the GDR, and were one of the first East German bands allowed to tour West Germany
. They are one of the most successful German-language
rock groups.
' "Quartermaster's Stores," after his long attempt to learn the Hank Marvin
guitar solo
; and "Maschine" Birr, once called an "eating machine" by his bandmates for his voracious appetite).
Their first concert took place in Freiberg, Saxony
, on November 21, 1969. Early performances were heavily influenced by British
hard rock
bands such as Deep Purple
and Uriah Heep
, although the band were fond of earlier American
rockers such as Elvis Presley
. At first, they largely performed cover versions of foreign acts. Although there was a great demand for covers in East Germany, largely because the audience was unable to buy western albums, rock music was still viewed with suspicion in the GDR. The artistic climate changed after Erich Honecker
came to power in 1971, and the Puhdys were offered the chance to record for the state-run Amiga label, as long as they performed in the German language
and remained apolitical.
The result was the band's first single, "Türen öffnen sich zur Stadt" (Doors Open To The City), recorded in 1971. At over five minutes in length, it showed the influence of progressive rock
, in particular Uriah Heep's "Gypsy
," and established the Puhdys as one of East Germany's top bands. Its music was composed by Birr, who had emerged as the band's main singer, and the lyrics were written by Wolfgang Tilgner, who would remain one of the band's principal lyricists, along with Burkhard Lasch.
The following year, the Puhdys were offered the chance to appear in the Heiner Carow
film The Legend Of Paul And Paula
. Although the film was quickly withdrawn in the GDR for its not-so-subtle political message, it had already been seen by three million viewers, and the four Puhdys songs in it became big hits. Also in 1973, the band played to its first large audience at the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students
in East Berlin
.
The first Puhdys album, released in early 1974, was very successful, and remains a well-regarded album among the band's fans, despite being in part derivative of western artists; this was due in part to the political impossibility of using the original songs in Paul and Paula, and director Carow's desire for close German-language equivalents. It compiled the band's singles up to that point, including three of the four songs from the film ("Geh zu ihr," Go To Her, based on Slade
's "Look Wot You Dun "; "Wenn ein Mensch lebt," If Someone Lives, which drew heavily on the Bee Gees
' "Spicks and Specks"; and "Zeiten und Weiten," Times And Widths); the fourth ("Manchmal im Schlaf," Sometimes In Sleep) was included on the second album, released in 1975, which was somewhat less well received, although it included "Steine" (Stones) and "Lied für Generationen" (Song For Generations), two of the band's better-known songs, and it arguably established a more distinctive performance style than the first album.
Whatever the weaknesses of their second album, the Puhdys' third, Sturmvogel (Stormbird, 1976) made up for them, and proved to be very popular. Avoiding hard rock, the band recorded a cover version
of "Schlafe ein und fang die Träume" (Fall Asleep And Reach Your Dreams), by the Polish
band 2 plus 1
(which had also recorded the song in German; its original title was "Kołysanka Matki," Mother's Lullaby). Sturmvogel also included fan favorites "Lebenszeit" (Lifetime), "Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Erde" (Journey To The Center Of The Earth), and the title track.
However, the tune that was to become the band's signature song was released as a single. "Alt wie ein Baum" (As Old As A Tree) was released in 1976. Sung by Hertrampf, the tune quickly became a sing-along anthem, and the Puhdys often play it twice or three times at a single concert. It appeared on the band's first greatest hits
album the following year.
Although the Puhdys had performed and toured in other communist countries, beginning with the Soviet Union
in 1973, their biggest following outside the GDR was in West Germany
, where their albums had begun to be released. However, GDR officials were reluctant to allow artists to travel to the west
for fear of defection
. The band were the first East German rock band to do so, in Belgium
and the Netherlands
in 1974; they were finally allowed to perform in West Germany
with a concert in Hamburg
on November 9, 1976, followed by performances in Dortmund
and West Berlin
. Unusually, they were allowed to keep part of their hard currency
royalties
, which in East Germany were normally taken by the state. Following the success of these concerts, the band's albums were released in West Germany in 1977.
The band followed up Sturmvogel with an album of 1950s and early 1960s rock'n'roll songs, Rock ’n’ Roll Music, which was one of the band's top sellers in East Germany, in part due to the unavailability of the records by the original artists; it sold less well in the west. The band asked Chuck Berry
himself for the lyrics to "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"; he replied that he had forgotten them. It was followed by the harder rocking Perlenfischer (Pearl Diver, 1977) and 10 Wilde Jahre (10 Crazy Years, 1978), the latter of which included "Doch die Gitter schweigen" (Still The Prison Bars Are Silent, later recorded in English as "Prison Walls Are Silent"), an epic tune that was commissioned for celebrations of the GDR's 30th anniversary in 1979; its topic, a prisoner's longing to escape, slipped past the censors.
Following Wilde Jahre, the band produced a well regarded live double album recorded at Berlin's Friedrichstadpalast theater. Tired of touring, Wosylus left the band; he later opened the GDR's first private recording studio
and hosted a radio show with Birr before leaving the country for Hamburg
in 1984. He was replaced by former Prinzip drummer Klaus Scharfschwerdt.
The first album with Scharfschwerdt was Heiß wie Schnee (Hot As Snow), released in 1980. By this time, the band's popularity outside the GDR was at its peak (other East German bands, notably Karat and City
were also being noticed abroad), and they were being cited as an influence on the burgeoning Neue Deutsche Welle
, as German-language rock was booming in West Germany
; the follow-up Schattenreiter (Shadow Rider), recorded in West Germany, was even more successful. It included the band's tribute to John Lennon
, "He, John" (Hey John), which they have performed in concert ever since, often interspersed with portions of Lennon's "Imagine
," upon which it was based; it was the biggest-selling single in the GDR in 1981. At around this time, an official fan club
was formed in the West German city of Paderborn
. In acknowledgement of their popularity, they were awarded the National Prize of East Germany
for artistic achievement in 1982.
Seeking to expand their following outside Germany, the Puhdys recorded an English-language album, Far From Home in London with lyrical help provided by West German singer Wolfgang Michels
. Consisting of re-recorded versions of some of their German hits, it failed to be the international breakthrough they were hoping for, although it gave the band a chance to perform one-off concerts in several countries including the United States
to try to generate interest. Like City
's English album Dreamland, recorded the previous year, it was hampered by Birr's and Hertrampf's thickly accented English, though it won greater acceptance in Germany. Interestingly, the Fern, fern, fern backing vocals on the title track, originally Fern von Zuhause, were left in the original language.
Never ones to ignore a musical trend, and apparently influenced by the significantly younger Scharfschwerdt, the Puhdys adopted elements of New Wave
and synth pop on Computer-Karriere, their 1983 effort. A loose concept album
about technology, it contained the dance hit "TV-Show," with vocals by Scharfschwerdt. It closed with a German cover of Dave Morgan
's "Hiroshima
", which had already been a hit in Germany in 1978 for the British band Wishful Thinking. Tilgner translated the lyrics.
synthesizer
s also figured prominently on the 1984 follow-up, Das Buch, which courted trouble with the censors on the song "Ich will nicht vergessen" (I Don't Want To Forget), and its references to "Deutschland," a taboo in the GDR, which the band explained as a reference to Heinrich Heine
, although the more immediate referent was divided Germany (Denk' ich an die Leute, drüben und hier, I think of the people over there and here). The title track, essentially a monologue set to music about a book on another planet describing a post-nuclear-war Earth, featured a Free German Youth
choir. The band, who except for Scharfschwerdt were now in their 40s, declared they would play until their "Rockerrente" (Rocker's Pension) in the prophetic song of that name.
The band followed up Das Buch with a second live double album, Live in Sachsen (Live In Saxony), recorded in Karl-Marx-Stadt, which was marred only by a clearly playback version of "Das Buch"; it contained the "Medley 15 Jahre Puhdys," which the band would continue to play live, unaltered, for another 15 years. After this, and the 1986 album Ohne Schminke (Without Make-Up), the band's schedule slowed down; they were by now recognized as the GDR's senior rockers, and had inspired younger groups such as Rockhaus and Pankow. Birr recorded his solo album Intim (Intimate) in 1986 with Meyer and future Puhdy Peter Rasym; the following year, Hertrampf released his, Liebe pur (Pure Love), assisted by Scharfschwerdt and Jeske. In 1988, a Teldec pressing of Das Buch in West Germany was the first Puhdys album to be released on compact disc
.
By the end of the 1980s, the Puhdys decided to disband. Their 1988 album Neue Helden (New Heroes), recorded with an orchestra, was intended to be their last; its faintly political lyrics were written by singer-songwriter Kurt Demmler
under a pseudonym. The album's original cover, which pictured two babies wearing diapers (nappies) in the flags of the Soviet Union
and United States
, was banned in the GDR; legend has it this was due to the presence of the American flag, not to the context. The cover was replaced for the domestic release with a simple green cover (the international release on Koch Records
was unaltered). The band went on a 20th-anniversary "Farewell Tour," accompanied by Czechoslovak
band Turbo and West German veterans The Lords.
However, the opening of the Berlin Wall
in November 1989 and the subsequent moves toward German reunification
meant that interest in East German artists plummeted, as GDR citizens were now easily able to buy music by international artists; the political climate meant also that many major stars came to Berlin to perform, often for free, in late 1989 and 1990. Birr's new band Maschine und Männer, with Scharfschwerdt, had trouble attracting audiences.
The Puhdys reunited for a one-off concert at the Brandenburg Gate
in 1991, and, received enthusiastically, decided to continue; the situation in East Germany had changed, and there were signs of both Ostalgie
— nostalgia for the GDR — and an emergent regional identity as Ossi
s. The band released the album Wie ein Engel (Like An Angel) the following year. While the title track (about the then-current dangers of "S-Bahn
surfing," youths climbing on the roof of moving Berlin commuter trains) was a minor hit, accompanied by a low-budget music video
, the album is best known for the anthem "Was bleibt" (What's Left), inspired by a book by East German writer Christa Wolf
, which asked obliquely what would remain from the GDR. Sales figures showed that Wie ein Engel had initially sold around 24,000 copies; while this was hardly a blockbuster in Germany, as almost all the sales were in the east it was a regional top seller. Re-releases of the Puhdys catalog on compact disc
in 1993 also sold respectably, and numerous compilations were released.
The Puhdys celebrated their 25th anniversary with a concert at the Huxleys Neue Welt theater in former West Berlin
. Confounding expectations, the show sold out, as did two further shows added on subsequent nights. They used these shows to release the album Zeiten ändern sich (Times Change), which dealt more directly with the problems of German unification, such as in the Scharfswerdt composition "Deutschland Deutschland"; its cover bore drawings of the Brandenburg Gate, a handshake reminiscent of the symbol of the former SED
, and barbed wire
. The album was also notable for being the vocal debut of bassist Harry Jeske, who sang, or at least talked, the autobiographical tune "Halbzeit" (Halftime).
Once again a major concert draw, at least in eastern Germany, the Puhdys toured frequently, releasing In flagranti, another live album, in 1996; however, despite a couple of non-album singles (including the official anthems for the Eisbären Berlin
ice hockey
and Hansa Rostock football teams) it was another three years before the next studio album, Frei wie die Geier (Free Like Vultures 1997). After this, the 59-year-old Jeske called it quits, citing ill health, and left the band at a concert on his 60th birthday. He subsequently moved to the Philippines
, the homeland of his young wife.
Harry Jeske was quickly replaced by Peter "Bimbo" Rasym (as in bimbo, "kid" in Italian
, not the English meaning
). The new lineup recorded Wilder Frieden (Crazy Peace) in 1999, which showed the influence of new, hard-edged German bands, particularly Rammstein
(themselves Puhdys fans); the song Wut will nicht sterben featured Rammstein singer Till Lindemann
and a solo by Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe. The Puhdys sold out the 23,000-seat Waldbühne in (western) Berlin for their 3000th concert, which was also their 30th anniversary concert, and was released as a DVD
. Birr, Meyer, and Hertrampf made an appearance in the TV film Comeback für Freddy Baker starring Mario Adorf
. The band played at a millennium
concert on Berlin's Alexanderplatz
.
Another new album, Zufrieden? (Satisfied?) was released in 2001; it owed its cover, a photo of a lingerie-clad model, to a contest in the tabloid Bild-Zeitung
. Despite the presence of the first Rasym/Schafschwerdt composition, the album cemented Birr's dominant position in the band, as he wrote the lyrics, composing the music with Meyer; in contrast, Hertrampf had had his last major lead vocal part on "Die Wärme der Nacht" (The Warmth Of The Night) on Das Buch. A secular Christmas album, Dezembertage (December Days) followed late in the year, to coincide with what had become regular Christmas
time concert series.
In 2003, the group recorded Undercover, an album of cover versions of East German rock songs, at the suggestion of their manager Rolf Henning. It was the first time the Puhdys had attempted to cover an Ostrock tune since their version of Lift
's "Wasser und Wein" (Water and Wine) on Schattenreiter 22 years previously. Although the album garnered stronger than usual media coverage in western Germany, some fans were critical of what they saw as unadventurous song choices; most of the tracks (such as Karat's "Über sieben Brücken" and Silly
's "Battaillon d'Amour") were each artist's biggest hit.
The same year, Birr became seriously ill after contracting Lyme disease
from a tick
bite; after he recovered, the Puhdys resumed their heavy touring schedule. He composed all of the tracks for the band's 2005 CD, Alles hat seine Zeit (Everything Has Its Time); it was claimed that the cover picture, which depicted Birr at the center with the other bandmembers with their backs to the camera, had caused friction within the band.
Not all available compilation album
s are listed.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, formed in Oranienburg
Oranienburg
Oranienburg is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel.- Geography :Oranienburg is a town located on the banks of the Havel river, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin.- Division of the town :...
(Brandenburg), in what was then the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, in 1969, although they had been performing together, with various lineups, as the Puhdys since 1965. They continue to record and tour. Although they are especially popular in their native eastern Germany, the Puhdys enjoyed significant success outside the GDR, and were one of the first East German bands allowed to tour West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. They are one of the most successful German-language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
rock groups.
Band history
The Puhdys developed out of the Udo-Wendel-Combo, founded in 1965. When guitarist and singer Wendel left the band late in the year, it needed a new name. The four members took the letters from their first names — keyboardist Peter Meyer, drummer Udo Jacob, bassist (and sometimes manager) Harry Jeske, and lead guitarist and singer Dieter Hertrampf (who had replaced Wendel) — to become the Puhdys (the name otherwise has no specific meaning). The band went through further personnel changes until 1969, when they were given a professional performance license, which was all-important in East Germany. By then, Jacob had been replaced by Gunter Wosylus and vocalist-guitarist Dieter Birr had joined, cementing the band's lineup for the next ten years; the band dates this, rather than 1965, as its foundation. (The two Dieters are differentiated by their nicknames: "Quaster" Hertrampf, from a corruption of the title of The ShadowsThe Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
' "Quartermaster's Stores," after his long attempt to learn the Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
; and "Maschine" Birr, once called an "eating machine" by his bandmates for his voracious appetite).
Their first concert took place in Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a city in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, administrative center of the Mittelsachsen district.-History:The city was founded in 1186, and has been a center of the mining industry in the Ore Mountains for centuries...
, on November 21, 1969. Early performances were heavily influenced by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
bands such as Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
and Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
, although the band were fond of earlier American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockers such as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. At first, they largely performed cover versions of foreign acts. Although there was a great demand for covers in East Germany, largely because the audience was unable to buy western albums, rock music was still viewed with suspicion in the GDR. The artistic climate changed after Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker
Erich Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1971 until 1989, serving as Head of State as well from Willi Stoph's relinquishment of that post in 1976....
came to power in 1971, and the Puhdys were offered the chance to record for the state-run Amiga label, as long as they performed in the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and remained apolitical.
The result was the band's first single, "Türen öffnen sich zur Stadt" (Doors Open To The City), recorded in 1971. At over five minutes in length, it showed the influence of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, in particular Uriah Heep's "Gypsy
Very 'eavy... Very 'umble
Very 'eavy... Very 'umble is the debut album of British hard rock band Uriah Heep.It was released in the United States as Uriah Heep with alternate sleeve artwork, and with "Bird of Prey" in place of "Lucy Blues." The album is notable for being rooted more in raunchy blues rock than the band's...
," and established the Puhdys as one of East Germany's top bands. Its music was composed by Birr, who had emerged as the band's main singer, and the lyrics were written by Wolfgang Tilgner, who would remain one of the band's principal lyricists, along with Burkhard Lasch.
The following year, the Puhdys were offered the chance to appear in the Heiner Carow
Heiner Carow
Heiner Carow was a German film director and screenwriter. His 1986 film So Many Dreams was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival. The following year, he was a member of the jury at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival...
film The Legend Of Paul And Paula
The Legend of Paul and Paula
Die Legende von Paul und Paula is a 1973 tragicomic East German film directed by Heiner Carow. It was based on the novel of the same name by Ulrich Plenzdorf....
. Although the film was quickly withdrawn in the GDR for its not-so-subtle political message, it had already been seen by three million viewers, and the four Puhdys songs in it became big hits. Also in 1973, the band played to its first large audience at the 10th World Festival of Youth and Students
World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event, organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth , a left-wing youth organization, jointly with the International Union of Students since 1947....
in East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
.
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
's "Look Wot You Dun "; "Wenn ein Mensch lebt," If Someone Lives, which drew heavily on the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
' "Spicks and Specks"; and "Zeiten und Weiten," Times And Widths); the fourth ("Manchmal im Schlaf," Sometimes In Sleep) was included on the second album, released in 1975, which was somewhat less well received, although it included "Steine" (Stones) and "Lied für Generationen" (Song For Generations), two of the band's better-known songs, and it arguably established a more distinctive performance style than the first album.
Whatever the weaknesses of their second album, the Puhdys' third, Sturmvogel (Stormbird, 1976) made up for them, and proved to be very popular. Avoiding hard rock, the band recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Schlafe ein und fang die Träume" (Fall Asleep And Reach Your Dreams), by the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
band 2 plus 1
2 plus 1
2 Plus 1 was a Polish band performing pop and folk music and in the later period of its activity also synthpop and rock. It was founded in 1971 in Warsaw by Janusz Kruk and Elżbieta Dmoch. The band has recorded ten studio albums, won a number of prizes and performed in many countries...
(which had also recorded the song in German; its original title was "Kołysanka Matki," Mother's Lullaby). Sturmvogel also included fan favorites "Lebenszeit" (Lifetime), "Reise zum Mittelpunkt der Erde" (Journey To The Center Of The Earth), and the title track.
However, the tune that was to become the band's signature song was released as a single. "Alt wie ein Baum" (As Old As A Tree) was released in 1976. Sung by Hertrampf, the tune quickly became a sing-along anthem, and the Puhdys often play it twice or three times at a single concert. It appeared on the band's first greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album the following year.
Although the Puhdys had performed and toured in other communist countries, beginning with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1973, their biggest following outside the GDR was in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, where their albums had begun to be released. However, GDR officials were reluctant to allow artists to travel to the west
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
for fear of defection
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
. The band were the first East German rock band to do so, in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1974; they were finally allowed to perform in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
with a concert in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
on November 9, 1976, followed by performances in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
and West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Unusually, they were allowed to keep part of their hard currency
Hard currency
Hard currency , in economics, refers to a globally traded currency that is expected to serve as a reliable and stable store of value...
royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
, which in East Germany were normally taken by the state. Following the success of these concerts, the band's albums were released in West Germany in 1977.
The band followed up Sturmvogel with an album of 1950s and early 1960s rock'n'roll songs, Rock ’n’ Roll Music, which was one of the band's top sellers in East Germany, in part due to the unavailability of the records by the original artists; it sold less well in the west. The band asked Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
himself for the lyrics to "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"; he replied that he had forgotten them. It was followed by the harder rocking Perlenfischer (Pearl Diver, 1977) and 10 Wilde Jahre (10 Crazy Years, 1978), the latter of which included "Doch die Gitter schweigen" (Still The Prison Bars Are Silent, later recorded in English as "Prison Walls Are Silent"), an epic tune that was commissioned for celebrations of the GDR's 30th anniversary in 1979; its topic, a prisoner's longing to escape, slipped past the censors.
Following Wilde Jahre, the band produced a well regarded live double album recorded at Berlin's Friedrichstadpalast theater. Tired of touring, Wosylus left the band; he later opened the GDR's first private recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
and hosted a radio show with Birr before leaving the country for Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
in 1984. He was replaced by former Prinzip drummer Klaus Scharfschwerdt.
The first album with Scharfschwerdt was Heiß wie Schnee (Hot As Snow), released in 1980. By this time, the band's popularity outside the GDR was at its peak (other East German bands, notably Karat and City
City (band)
City is a German rock band, formed in East Berlin in 1972, best known for the song "Am Fenster" from its 1978 first album....
were also being noticed abroad), and they were being cited as an influence on the burgeoning Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle
Neue Deutsche Welle is a genre of German music originally derived from punk rock and New Wave music...
, as German-language rock was booming in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
; the follow-up Schattenreiter (Shadow Rider), recorded in West Germany, was even more successful. It included the band's tribute to John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, "He, John" (Hey John), which they have performed in concert ever since, often interspersed with portions of Lennon's "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
," upon which it was based; it was the biggest-selling single in the GDR in 1981. At around this time, an official fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
was formed in the West German city of Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
. In acknowledgement of their popularity, they were awarded the National Prize of East Germany
National Prize of East Germany
The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic was an award of the German Democratic Republic given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement...
for artistic achievement in 1982.
Seeking to expand their following outside Germany, the Puhdys recorded an English-language album, Far From Home in London with lyrical help provided by West German singer Wolfgang Michels
Wolfgang Michels
Wolfgang Michels is a German singer-songwriter.-Discovered:In May 1968 a very young musician named Wolfgang Michels with the pseudonym "One Plus None" landed a No 2 hit with "Desert Walker", a song produced by himself, topped only by the Rolling Stones at No 1...
. Consisting of re-recorded versions of some of their German hits, it failed to be the international breakthrough they were hoping for, although it gave the band a chance to perform one-off concerts in several countries including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to try to generate interest. Like City
City (band)
City is a German rock band, formed in East Berlin in 1972, best known for the song "Am Fenster" from its 1978 first album....
's English album Dreamland, recorded the previous year, it was hampered by Birr's and Hertrampf's thickly accented English, though it won greater acceptance in Germany. Interestingly, the Fern, fern, fern backing vocals on the title track, originally Fern von Zuhause, were left in the original language.
Never ones to ignore a musical trend, and apparently influenced by the significantly younger Scharfschwerdt, the Puhdys adopted elements of New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and synth pop on Computer-Karriere, their 1983 effort. A loose concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about technology, it contained the dance hit "TV-Show," with vocals by Scharfschwerdt. It closed with a German cover of Dave Morgan
Dave Morgan (musician)
David 'Dave' Morgan is an English songwriter and musician.-Career:He was a member of well-regarded Birmingham 60's group The Uglys with Steve Gibbons between 1967 and 1969, where Morgan was the bassist and vocalist...
's "Hiroshima
Hiroshima (song)
"Hiroshima" is a pop song written by David Morgan and first recorded by Wishful Thinking in 1969. In 1978 their single entered the German Top 20 with peak at #8 and stayed there for several months....
", which had already been a hit in Germany in 1978 for the British band Wishful Thinking. Tilgner translated the lyrics.
synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s also figured prominently on the 1984 follow-up, Das Buch, which courted trouble with the censors on the song "Ich will nicht vergessen" (I Don't Want To Forget), and its references to "Deutschland," a taboo in the GDR, which the band explained as a reference to Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
, although the more immediate referent was divided Germany (Denk' ich an die Leute, drüben und hier, I think of the people over there and here). The title track, essentially a monologue set to music about a book on another planet describing a post-nuclear-war Earth, featured a Free German Youth
Free German Youth
The Free German Youth, also known as the FDJ , was the official socialist youth movement of the German Democratic Republic and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany....
choir. The band, who except for Scharfschwerdt were now in their 40s, declared they would play until their "Rockerrente" (Rocker's Pension) in the prophetic song of that name.
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
.
By the end of the 1980s, the Puhdys decided to disband. Their 1988 album Neue Helden (New Heroes), recorded with an orchestra, was intended to be their last; its faintly political lyrics were written by singer-songwriter Kurt Demmler
Kurt Demmler
Kurt Demmler, born Kurt Abramowitz was a German songwriter. He was a noted lyricist and songwriter for many German rock bands....
under a pseudonym. The album's original cover, which pictured two babies wearing diapers (nappies) in the flags of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was banned in the GDR; legend has it this was due to the presence of the American flag, not to the context. The cover was replaced for the domestic release with a simple green cover (the international release on Koch Records
Koch Records
E1 Music , the primary subsidiary of E1 Entertainment LP, is the largest independent record label in the United States. It is also distributed by the Universal Music Group in Europe under the name E1 Universal...
was unaltered). The band went on a 20th-anniversary "Farewell Tour," accompanied by Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
band Turbo and West German veterans The Lords.
However, the opening of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in November 1989 and the subsequent moves toward German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
meant that interest in East German artists plummeted, as GDR citizens were now easily able to buy music by international artists; the political climate meant also that many major stars came to Berlin to perform, often for free, in late 1989 and 1990. Birr's new band Maschine und Männer, with Scharfschwerdt, had trouble attracting audiences.
The Puhdys reunited for a one-off concert at the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
in 1991, and, received enthusiastically, decided to continue; the situation in East Germany had changed, and there were signs of both Ostalgie
Ostalgie
Ostalgie is a German term referring to nostalgia for aspects of life in East Germany. It is derived from the German words Ost and Nostalgie ....
— nostalgia for the GDR — and an emergent regional identity as Ossi
Ossi
-Organisations:*OSSI-Safenet Security Services - a private military company and a joint venture between US-based Overseas Security & Strategy Information, Inc...
s. The band released the album Wie ein Engel (Like An Angel) the following year. While the title track (about the then-current dangers of "S-Bahn
S-Bahn
S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
surfing," youths climbing on the roof of moving Berlin commuter trains) was a minor hit, accompanied by a low-budget music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, the album is best known for the anthem "Was bleibt" (What's Left), inspired by a book by East German writer Christa Wolf
Christa Wolf
Christa Wolf was a German literary critic, novelist, and essayist. She is one of the best-known writers to have emerged from the former East Germany.-Biography:...
, which asked obliquely what would remain from the GDR. Sales figures showed that Wie ein Engel had initially sold around 24,000 copies; while this was hardly a blockbuster in Germany, as almost all the sales were in the east it was a regional top seller. Re-releases of the Puhdys catalog on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1993 also sold respectably, and numerous compilations were released.
The Puhdys celebrated their 25th anniversary with a concert at the Huxleys Neue Welt theater in former West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Confounding expectations, the show sold out, as did two further shows added on subsequent nights. They used these shows to release the album Zeiten ändern sich (Times Change), which dealt more directly with the problems of German unification, such as in the Scharfswerdt composition "Deutschland Deutschland"; its cover bore drawings of the Brandenburg Gate, a handshake reminiscent of the symbol of the former SED
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
, and barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
. The album was also notable for being the vocal debut of bassist Harry Jeske, who sang, or at least talked, the autobiographical tune "Halbzeit" (Halftime).
Once again a major concert draw, at least in eastern Germany, the Puhdys toured frequently, releasing In flagranti, another live album, in 1996; however, despite a couple of non-album singles (including the official anthems for the Eisbären Berlin
Eisbären Berlin
' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and Hansa Rostock football teams) it was another three years before the next studio album, Frei wie die Geier (Free Like Vultures 1997). After this, the 59-year-old Jeske called it quits, citing ill health, and left the band at a concert on his 60th birthday. He subsequently moved to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the homeland of his young wife.
Harry Jeske was quickly replaced by Peter "Bimbo" Rasym (as in bimbo, "kid" in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, not the English meaning
Bimbo
Bimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
). The new lineup recorded Wilder Frieden (Crazy Peace) in 1999, which showed the influence of new, hard-edged German bands, particularly Rammstein
Rammstein
Rammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
(themselves Puhdys fans); the song Wut will nicht sterben featured Rammstein singer Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann is a German musician, actor and poet who is the frontman for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.-Biography:...
and a solo by Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe. The Puhdys sold out the 23,000-seat Waldbühne in (western) Berlin for their 3000th concert, which was also their 30th anniversary concert, and was released as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. Birr, Meyer, and Hertrampf made an appearance in the TV film Comeback für Freddy Baker starring Mario Adorf
Mario Adorf
Mario Adorf is a German film and stage actor, best known for his lead role in the 1978 film The Tin Drum.-Biography:...
. The band played at a millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
concert on Berlin's Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
.
Another new album, Zufrieden? (Satisfied?) was released in 2001; it owed its cover, a photo of a lingerie-clad model, to a contest in the tabloid Bild-Zeitung
Bild-Zeitung
The Bild is a German tabloid published by Axel Springer AG. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday, while on Sundays, Bild am Sonntag is published instead, which has a different style and its own editors...
. Despite the presence of the first Rasym/Schafschwerdt composition, the album cemented Birr's dominant position in the band, as he wrote the lyrics, composing the music with Meyer; in contrast, Hertrampf had had his last major lead vocal part on "Die Wärme der Nacht" (The Warmth Of The Night) on Das Buch. A secular Christmas album, Dezembertage (December Days) followed late in the year, to coincide with what had become regular Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time concert series.
In 2003, the group recorded Undercover, an album of cover versions of East German rock songs, at the suggestion of their manager Rolf Henning. It was the first time the Puhdys had attempted to cover an Ostrock tune since their version of Lift
Lift (band)
Lift is a rock band formed in Dresden. The group was founded in 1973 and is still active today.-History:The group was founded in 1973 following the dissolution of the group Dresden Sextett. Their first concert was given on January 28, 1973...
's "Wasser und Wein" (Water and Wine) on Schattenreiter 22 years previously. Although the album garnered stronger than usual media coverage in western Germany, some fans were critical of what they saw as unadventurous song choices; most of the tracks (such as Karat's "Über sieben Brücken" and Silly
Silly (band)
Silly is a German rock band. Founded in East Germany in the year 1978, Silly was one of the country's most popular music acts, and was well known for its charismatic lead singer Tamara Danz. Her death in 1996 ended the band's recording career for 14 years...
's "Battaillon d'Amour") were each artist's biggest hit.
The same year, Birr became seriously ill after contracting Lyme disease
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii cause most...
from a tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
bite; after he recovered, the Puhdys resumed their heavy touring schedule. He composed all of the tracks for the band's 2005 CD, Alles hat seine Zeit (Everything Has Its Time); it was claimed that the cover picture, which depicted Birr at the center with the other bandmembers with their backs to the camera, had caused friction within the band.
Members
Current members
- Dieter "Maschine" Birr (born KöslinKoszalinKoszalin ; is the largest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
March 18, 1944) — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Dieter "Quaster" Hertrampf (born BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, November 29, 1944) — guitar, vocals - Peter "Eingehängt" Meyer (born HohenmölsenHohenmölsen' is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approx. 10 km southeast of Weißenfels, and 27 km southwest of Leipzig....
, January 5, 1940) — keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, backing vocals - Klaus Scharfschwerdt (born February 27, 1955) — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(since 1979) - Peter "Bimbo" Rasym (born BitterfeldBitterfeldBitterfeld is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it has been part of the town Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approx. 25 km south of Dessau, and 30 km northeast of Halle...
, July 7, 1953) — bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (since 1997)
Former members
- Harry Jeske (born October 6, 1937) — bass (1969—1997)
- Gunther Wosylus (born December 23, 1945) — drums (1969—1979)
Discography
Following the practice of other East German recording artists, most Puhdys albums until Neue Helden bear a release number as well as a title; these are omitted here, except for the band's first two self-titled albums. The album numbers vary slightly on some West German releases, so that Schattenreiter was Puhdys 9 in West Germany, but Puhdys 10 in East Germany; as the cover artwork was created in the West, the East German release has a large "10" device on the cover to conceal the number 9.Not all available compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s are listed.
- 1974 Die Puhdys (1)
- 1975 Puhdys (2)
- 1976 Sturmvogel (Stormbird)
- 1977 Rock'n'Roll Music — an album of cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of 1950s rock songs - 1977 Die großen Erfolge (The Great Successes) — Greatest hitsGreatest hitsA greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album - 1978 Perlenfischer (Pearl Fisher)
- 1979 10 wilde Jahre ... 1969 - 1978 (Ten Crazy Years)
- 1979 Puhdys live (some later releases add the title Live im Friedrichstadtpalast, referring to the Berlin theater where it was recorded)
- 1980 Heiß wie Schnee (Hot As Snow)
- 1981 Far From Home — English-language album
- 1982 Schattenreiter (Shadow Rider)
- 1983 Computerkarriere (Computer Career)
- 1984 Das Buch (The Book)
- 1984 Live in Sachsen (Live In Saxony)
- 1986 Ohne Schminke (Without Makeup)
- 1989 Neue Helden (New Heroes)
- 1989 Jubiläumsalbum (Anniversary Album) — album of cover versionCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of 1950s and 1960s rock songs along with cover versions of Puhdys songs by other artists - 1992 Rock aus Deutschland Vol. 19: Puhdys — Series of compilations of East German artists
- 1992 Wie ein Engel (Like An Angel)
- 1994 Zeiten ändern sich (Times Change)
- 1994 Raritäten (Rarities)
- 1996 Die schönsten Balladen (The Most Beautiful Ballads) — Compilation
- 1996 Live: In flagranti
- 1997 Frei wie die Geier (As Free As Vultures)
- 1999 Wilder Frieden (Crazy Peace)
- 1999 20 Hits aus dreißig Jahren (20 Hits From 30 Years) — Compilation
- 2000 Was bleibt (What Remains) — Compilation
- 2001 Zufrieden? (Satisfied?)
- 2001 Dezembertage (December Days) — Christmas album
- 2003 Undercover — Covers albumCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
- 2004 Raritäten Volume 2 (Rarities Volume 2) — Includes Puhdys songs by other artists originally on Jubiläumsalbum
- 2004 Alles hat seine Zeit (Everything Has Its Time)
- 2005 36 Lieder aus 36 Jahren (36 Songs From 36 Years) — Compilation
- 2006 Dezembernächte (December Nights) - Second Christmas album
- 2009 Abenteuer (Adventure)
See also
- Bell, Book & CandleBell, Book & Candle (band)Bell, Book & Candle is a German musical group consisting of Jana Gross , Andy Birr and Hendrik Röder .Their first album to be released was Read My Sign in 1998...
— Band formed by Andy Birr, son of Dieter Birr, and Hendrik Röder, son of Peter Meyer, best known for the 1998 hit "Rescue Me"