Hi, I’m Baron von Luxxury. I’m gonna be like Joan Rivers to Disaster’s Johnny Carson and do the “New Wave Tuesday” column every other week, which will be syndicated on The Workout, MissingToof and BigStereo. Try all three!
Dusseldorf’s Propaganda is probably my favorite band from the 80’s. Sounding a bit like a Nico-fronted Kraftwerk in an Autobahn collision with ABBA, they created a nearly perfect blend of synthpop, disco and
sturm und drang. Their dark, robotic songs were given a larger than life sheen thanks to the lush, wittily bombastic production of dark 80’s pop master Trevor Horn.
Propaganda hit the UK top 40 with their first single “Dr. Mabuse” in early 1984, but it took another year to follow up with their debut album, 1985’s “A Secret Wish.” While at times seemingly Fairlighted within an inch of its life by Horn and his crack team of session musicians (including Japan’s David Sylvian, Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory, and Steve Howe from Yes!), the songs were terrific, the drama heavy, and oh the German-ness! So much German-ness! Singer Claudia Brucken was hot and her vocals were hauntingly beautiful. And the videos? A classic mid-80s stew of WTF and OMFG.
“Secret Wish” was the only album Propaganda made with their original lineup, though there were a slew of remixes and a handful of follow ups with various replacement musicians. What happened? Depends on who you ask, of course, but it seems like the fact that Brucken was shtupping the label head didn’t go over too well with her band mates. But given the dramatic music they made, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The first song, “Frozen Faces”, is my absolute fave Propaganda track. The synths that come in at 1:58 always gives me chills. There’s a 10 minute re-edit called “Echo of Frozen Faces” on the album Outside World (available on Amazon
MP3: Propaganda - Frozen Faces
“P-Machinery” is another gem of a song, and this megamix is nine minutes and 33 seconds of somber, pompous slow disco. There’s even a freakout guitar solo in the middle - someone needs to bring back wankin’ geetars back to the dance floor!
MP3: Propaganda - P-Machinery (Beta Mix)
And appropriately enough given the Nico-ness of it all, Propaganda’s Velvet Underground cover is pretty awesome too.
MP3: Propaganda - Femme Fatale
Propaganda are highly recommended for fans of Depeche Mode, Heaven 17, Yaz and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Buy Propaganda albums at Amazon.com
Propaganda ’space (fan site)
xx + ttfn,
Baron von Luxxury
