The Fourth Reich
Encyclopedia
The Fourth Reich was an EP
released by the Iceland
ic New Wave
group Þeyr
through Mjöt in 12" vinyl format.
For this work Þeyr recurred to a stronger use of percussion and rhythmic efforts than previous works, where the songs "Metamorphosis" and "Blood" outstands due to their deep percussive orientation.
This single was released in the UK
through Shout.
through label Shout but its original front cover was banned and replaced by a new one with black-colored background and just the title in red gothic characters. The name The Fourth Reich could lead to confusion because the title seems to suggest a continuation of the Third Reich. Actually, the image cover depicts Austria
n psychiatrist
and psychoanalysis
Wilhelm Reich
with a red armband
similar to that used by the nazis
, but in this case, the armband had the symbol of the orgone
physics, which represented duality
and its origins in unity, referred by Reich as functionalism.
As a matter of fact, this release was a tribute to Reich, since Þeyr members were interested in his works. The back cover of this record also featured an image of Reich being escorted from the courthouse in Portland
, Maine
when he was arrested in 1956.
This image is accompanied by a German
inscription which reads the following:
Gemäss der Verordung des Reichspräsidenten vom 28. Februar 1933 ist die Verteilung aller ausländischen Veröffentlichungen der politisch-psychologischen Reiche der Verleger für Sexualpolitik (Verlag für Sexualpolitik, Kopenhagen, Dänemark, ebenso, Prag, Tchechoslowakei und Zürich, Schweiz) im Reich bis auf weiteres verboten.*
Translation: According to the order by the Reich’s president on February 28, 1933 the distribution of all foreigners publications pertaining the polito-psychological topics (Publishers for sexual politics, Copenhagen, Denmark, the same as Prague, Czechoslovakia and Zurich, Switzerland) has been forbidden from now on in the Reich.
The fragment clearly refers to Reich’s book Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933), in which he claimed that fascism
was the result of sexual repression. This book was banned soon after its publication the same year Nazis took power.
This video clip was widely unavailable until it was uploaded in MPEG2 format on the Internet in 2005.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
released by the Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic 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...
group Þeyr
Þeyr
Þeyr was a renowned Icelandic New Wave band from the early 1980s. Shrouded under a veil of mystery, their three-year existence was characterized by a deep interest in ancient wisdom...
through Mjöt in 12" vinyl format.
For this work Þeyr recurred to a stronger use of percussion and rhythmic efforts than previous works, where the songs "Metamorphosis" and "Blood" outstands due to their deep percussive orientation.
This single was released in the UK
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...
through Shout.
Banning in the UK
This EP was released in the UKUnited 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...
through label Shout but its original front cover was banned and replaced by a new one with black-colored background and just the title in red gothic characters. The name The Fourth Reich could lead to confusion because the title seems to suggest a continuation of the Third Reich. Actually, the image cover depicts Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry...
with a red armband
Armband
An armband is a piece of material worn around the arm over the sleeve of other clothing if present. they may be worn for pure ornamentation to mark the wearer as belonging to group, having a certain rank or role, or being in a particular state or condition...
similar to that used by the nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, but in this case, the armband had the symbol of the orgone
Orgone
Orgone energy is a theory originally proposed in the 1930s by Wilhelm Reich. Reich, originally part of Sigmund Freud's Vienna circle, extrapolated the Freudian concept of libido first as a biophysical and later as a universal life force...
physics, which represented duality
Dualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
and its origins in unity, referred by Reich as functionalism.
As a matter of fact, this release was a tribute to Reich, since Þeyr members were interested in his works. The back cover of this record also featured an image of Reich being escorted from the courthouse in Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
when he was arrested in 1956.
This image is accompanied by a German
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....
inscription which reads the following:
Gemäss der Verordung des Reichspräsidenten vom 28. Februar 1933 ist die Verteilung aller ausländischen Veröffentlichungen der politisch-psychologischen Reiche der Verleger für Sexualpolitik (Verlag für Sexualpolitik, Kopenhagen, Dänemark, ebenso, Prag, Tchechoslowakei und Zürich, Schweiz) im Reich bis auf weiteres verboten.*
Translation: According to the order by the Reich’s president on February 28, 1933 the distribution of all foreigners publications pertaining the polito-psychological topics (Publishers for sexual politics, Copenhagen, Denmark, the same as Prague, Czechoslovakia and Zurich, Switzerland) has been forbidden from now on in the Reich.
The fragment clearly refers to Reich’s book Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933), in which he claimed that fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
was the result of sexual repression. This book was banned soon after its publication the same year Nazis took power.
Track listing
| Track | Title | Length | Lyrics | Audio clips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Public | 03:25 | - | - |
| 02 | Metamorphosis | 03:43 | - | - |
| 03 | Zen | 03:42 | - | - |
| 04 | Blood | 03:00 | - | - |
Credits
Performers:- Vocalist: Magnús Guðmundsson
- Guitars: Guðlaugur Kristinn ÓttarssonGuðlaugur Kristinn ÓttarssonGuðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson , guitar player and engineer. He is a mathematician, an inventor, a practising polytechnic engineer, lecturer and the author of several scientific papers....
and Þorsteinn Magnússon - Bass: Hilmar Örn Agnarsson
- Drums: Sigtryggur BaldurssonSigtryggur BaldurssonSigtryggur Baldursson is an Icelandic drummer and singer.Sigtryggur was born in Norway to Icelandic parents. He was a founding member of the Sugarcubes and has been a longtime fixture on the Icelandic punk and alternative music scene. Other bands he has played in have included Þeyr, KUKL,...
- Lyrics:
- Track 1: lyrics by Magnús Guðmundsson
- Tracks 2, 3 and 4: lyrics by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Hilmar Örn Aganarsson
- Music: all songs by Þeyr.
Video clip of "Blood"
In 1982 Þeyr did a TV performance that has been considered as their first and unique clip. This hilarious video shows the band playing on the set accompanied by red-colored war footage that is intended to highlight the lyrics of the song. Magnús Guðmundsson, the vocalist appeared wearing make up and a cap, while bassist Hilmar Ö. Agnarsson is twisting around out of control. Guitarist Guðlaugur K. Óttarsson was frenziedly dancing at left of screen wearing a nightgown, while the other guitarist, Þorsteinn Magnússon was absent and replaced with a dummy. Drummer Sigtryggur Baldursson appeared in the back.This video clip was widely unavailable until it was uploaded in MPEG2 format on the Internet in 2005.
External links
- Page about Þeyr
- Website about the history and discography of Þeyr
- Tónlist.is – Page about Þeyr. It features mp3 samples (in Icelandic).
- Intravenous.de – Page about Icelandic music. It includes a section for Þeyr.
- Video clip of "Blood" on TouTube.com
- Video clip of "Blood" (download)
- Official site of Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson
- Page about G. K. Óttarsson at Isound.com
- Page of G. K. Óttarsson at MySpace.com
- Page of Þorsteinn Magnússon at Isound.com
- Page of Þorsteinn Magnússon at MySpace.com
- Official site of Sigtryggur Baldursson