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
I had a copy of their second album (which was never released). So much better than their debut. I wish they’d stuck around.
Why didn’t you post “Dr. Mabuse”? That was always considered one of their best (least that’s what my online heads across the pond tell me).
@ Ivan: It was hard to pick which songs to post, they really do have at least 6 or 7 standout tracks. But I originally was going to have “Mabuse” as a video but changed the link to “Duel” at the last second cuz it’s a little less Goth (and more colorful! So many colors!). But yeah: if you like these songs, check out that one. I also love their cover of “Sorry for Laughing” by Josef K but I figured one cover was plenty.
Which 2nd album do you mean, 1234? I could never get into that, to be honest.
My mistake, I meant the third unreleased album. I found it on Soulseek years back. It was never released, which is terrible because it was their best work yet, in my opinion.
I recommend downloading them, especially “The Beast Within,” and “Who’s The Fool.”
Man, I would love to hear the tracks. I’m a Mac dude so no SS for me…you gotta hook a brotha up!
OMG - I listen to Propaganda nonstop since 1983. I have them on high rotation on my N91.
My band is doing their second album and I have been freaking out again at how well their first album was produced.
Every note and sound is just so freaking awesome!!
Can you imagine if they recorded three or four more albums? Not counting Outside World & Wishful Thinking of course….pure genious…makes me VERY proud of my German heritage.
Now….if only I could get my hands on their Fairlight CMI..
Steve Lipson!! Are you reading this?!!!
OK, now I understand the numerous hits on my youtube-vids…!
I’ve been a Propaganda-addict since the day I had a 7″ and a 12″ of the same song (Duel) in two completely different versions. Eversince then I collected them all, including the never-released third album.
1234 was a big disappointment, since it hadn’t the >edge< that A secret wish (and the unnamed & unreleased album) had.
Trevor and his team did something to songs, and I can’t find out what. I’ve had a study at one of the best conservatories in Europe, I am a musicteacher for 15 years, composer and even a producer once in a while, but the addiction to the sound that ZTT makes is impossible to imagine.
Every time you hear the track (no matter which) you hear something you’ve never heard before. It seems like it is layered with hundreds of tiny sounds that makes you want to listen to it again, over and over.