Metropolis (band)

Last updated
Metropolis
Genres
Years active1973–1976
LabelsPAN, Ariola, BMG

Metropolis was a German band in the mid-1970s from West Berlin, initiated by former members of other Berlin bands Tom Hildebrand (Mythos) and Manfred Opitz and Michael Westphal (Zarathustra). Michael Duwe joined them after returning from the recording of the album Seven Up with Ash Ra Tempel and Timothy Leary. Guitarist Helmut Binzer, who came from the south of Germany, and singer Ute Kannenberg, at that time better known as Tanja Berg in German hit parades ("Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" – German version), completed the band soon after. [1]

Contents

History

For almost a year the band worked hard in their rehearsal room at the "Wrangel Kaserne", former Prussian barracks that were transformed into numerous rehearsal rooms in West-Berlin's Kreuzberg district, composing and arranging the tracks for their first and, as it turned out, only album.

They signed a contract with the German record company Ariola (BMG), and in winter 1973/74 they started recording in Munich's "Studio 70", which had been pointed out to them by their friends and colleagues Agitation Free. They were supported by a small but brilliant classical ensemble, directed by Hartmut Westphal, well known German arranger and brother of the band’s bass player Michael.

Clearly influenced by the music of bands like early Genesis, Soft Machine or Van Der Graaf Generator, they experimented with 5/4, 7/4 or 11/4 rhythms and created a music that had symphonic, as well as psychedelic parts, jazzy influences combined with total free experimental sounds, driving-aggressive rock voices or folksong style harmony vocals, a pretty unusual mixture at that time.

Their lyrics, written in English, were in general a criticism of the state of civilization and ecology, with occasional romantic influences. (The front cover of their album shows a seemingly intact landscape that gets threatened by a monster that develops out of polluted air). Shortly after album and single were released in early summer 1974 Ute Kannenberg and Helmut Binzer left the band.

But Metropolis went on, playing concerts in Berlin and West-Germany (Germany was still divided) and working on a new programme. Based on the story "Kaleidoscope" of Ray Bradbury's "Illustrated Man" they created a multi media show that had its premiere on Christmas Eve 1975 at Berlin's Kant Kino. The light show was created by Metropolis' roady and technician Alf Heuer with slides, liquid gel projections, film, stroboscope, spot lights and fog machines. A so-called "scent show" with the help of electric cooking plates was added. Along with new compositions they also played their version of Mr. Spaceman, the song already being recorded and meant to be their new single. But after a last open air concert in the summer of 1976 the band finally split. All members started different new projects. [2]

After the re-release of their first album in 2020 by Sony Music, the band finally released their version of "Mr. Spaceman" 48 years after the song had been recorded in the summer of 1975 by producer Udo Arndt (Nena, Rio Reiser, Ton Steine Scherben or Spliff).

Trivia

The album was recorded in the heavy winter 1973/74 while the first oil crisis took place. With their equipment loaded into their Mercedes 319 band bus the band went from Berlin to Munich on a nearly empty highway, because for weekends special permission was needed to be allowed to drive the German Autobahn. Also to print the records vinyl was needed, made of oil, and at some point it was questioned if the record company would get sufficient supplies to actually go on with this project. Fortunately for the band they did. [3]

"Why this German band remains overlooked is beyond my imagination."

— Drago Museveni on "Cun Cun Na Ma"

The 1980s Canadian new wave band Strange Advance originally named themselves Metropolis in 1980 but changed their name due to the existence of this band. [4]

Members

Discography

Albums

Singles

Sampler

Notes

Related Research Articles

Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drumming, languid vocals, synthesizers, and lyrical themes of outer space and science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaus Schulze</span> German composer and musician (1947–2022)

Klaus Schulze was a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried and was a member of the Krautrock bands Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, and the Cosmic Jokers before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across six decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road crew</span> Support personnel who travel with a band on tour

The road crew are the support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This catch-all term covers many people: tour managers, production managers, stage managers, front of house and monitor engineers, lighting directors, lighting designers, lighting techs, guitar techs, bass techs, drum techs, keyboard techs, pyrotechnicians, security/bodyguards, truck drivers, merchandise crew, and caterers, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can (band)</span> German experimental rock band

Can were a German experimental rock band formed in Cologne in 1968 by Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt (keyboards), Michael Karoli (guitar), and Jaki Liebezeit (drums). The group featured several vocalists, including the American Malcolm Mooney (1968–70) and the Japanese Damo Suzuki (1970–73). They have been widely hailed as pioneers of the German krautrock scene.

Krautrock is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electronic music, among other eclectic sources. Common elements included hypnotic rhythms, extended improvisation, musique concrète techniques, and early synthesizers, while the music generally moved away from the rhythm & blues roots and song structure found in traditional Anglo-American rock music. Prominent groups associated with the krautrock label included Neu!, Can, Faust, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Cluster, Ash Ra Tempel, Popol Vuh, Amon Düül II and Harmonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shifty Shellshock</span> American musician

Seth Brooks Binzer, better known by his stage name Shifty Shellshock, is an American musician, best known for being a co-founder and front man of the rap rock band Crazy Town, known for their hit song "Butterfly". He has also had a solo music career and appeared in the reality television series Celebrity Rehab 1 and 2 and Sober House 1 and 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amon Düül II</span> Musical artist

Amon Düül II is a German rock band formed in 1968. The group is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the West German krautrock scene. Their 1970 album Yeti was described by British magazine The Wire as "one of the cornerstones of ... the entire Krautrock movement".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manuel Göttsching</span> German musician and composer (1952–2022)

Manuel Göttsching was a German musician and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agitation Free</span> German krautrock band

Agitation Free is a German experimental krautrock band formed in 1967 by Michael "Fame" Günther, Lutz "Lüül" Ulbrich (guitar), Lutz Ludwig Kramer (guitar) and Christopher Franke (drums).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dieter Moebius</span> Musical artist

Dieter Moebius was a Swiss-born German electronic musician and composer, best known as a member of the influential krautrock bands Cluster and Harmonia.

Mythos was a German band formed in Berlin by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Stephan Kaske, bassist Harold Weiße and drummer Thomas Hildebrand in 1969. All doing their A level at the same school, the self-taught musicians released their eponymous debut in 1971. Influenced by Pink Floyd, Ash Ra Tempel and Hawkwind the album draws on science fiction and ecological themes particularly noticeable on the closing track "Encyclopedia Terrae". The release saw the band support Family, Colosseum at a festival and Humble Pie at their show in Berlin 1971, however after three years the band split. Kaske then recruited Axel Brauer on drums and Michael Krantz on bass. The band wrote and played live for two years but failed to record and split up. On his own Kaske signed, as Mythos, to Cosmic Chorus, and recorded various TV and film soundtracks before recording DreamLab in 1975. In 1976 Kaske expanded the lineup to include Sven Dohrow on guitars, Eberhard Seidler on bass and Ronnie Schreinzer on drums. The band adopted a heavier sound and released two albums, Strange Guys and Concrete City. Kaske left the band in 1980 in order to concentrate on setting up his own recording studio in Berlin and pursue solo projects, and released the two albums; Quasar and Grand Prix. Dohrow and Schreinzer formed The Twins, changing to a synthpop style and scoring a number of minor hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tequila Sunrise (song)</span> 1973 single by Eagles

"Tequila Sunrise" is a song from 1973, written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, and recorded by the Eagles. It was the first single from the band's second album, Desperado. It peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.

German electronic music is a broad musical genre encompassing specific styles such as Electroclash, trance, krautrock and schranz. It is widely considered to have emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming increasingly popular in subsequent decades. Originally minimalistic style of electronic music developed into psychedelic and prog rock aspects, techno and electronic dance music. Notable artists include Kraftwerk, Can, Tangerine Dream and Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft. German electronic music contributed to a global transition of electronic music from underground art to an international phenomenon, with festivals such as Love Parade, Winterworld and MayDay gaining prominence alongside raves and clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Smoke</span>

Sweet Smoke was an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1968. The group moved to Europe in 1969, living in Germany, and performing in Germany, the Netherlands and France until 1974 when the band split up. Initially, some members stayed in Europe, some went to India, but most of the band returned to the United States. Although originating in the U.S., Sweet Smoke is often referred to as a Krautrock band. Noted for their buoyant rhythms, inventive improvisations and complex musical structures, in interviews, the group says their music was influenced by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, John Coltrane and The Beatles.

<i>Christmas Album</i> (Boney M. album) 1981 studio album by Boney M.

Christmas Album is the sixth studio album by Boney M. It was recorded in the summer of 1981 and released on 23 November 1981. The album, which in certain territories was given the alternate title Christmas with Boney M.

<i>Schwingungen</i> 1972 studio album by Ash Ra Tempel

Schwingungen is the second album by the Krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel. It was released in 1972 on Ohr. It has been re-released four times, most recently in 2011 on MG Art Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harald Grosskopf</span> German musician

Harald Grosskopf is a German electronic musician. He played with several Krautrock and progressive rock bands of the 1970s in Germany, and released solo music.

<i>Seven Up</i> (album) 1973 studio album by Timothy Leary with Ash Ra Tempel

Seven Up is the third studio album by German krautrock band Ash Ra Tempel and their only album recorded in collaboration with American psychologist/drug advocate Timothy Leary. It was first released in 1973.

<i>Our Time Will Come</i> (album) 2014 studio album by KMFDM

Our Time Will Come is the eighteenth album from German industrial rock band KMFDM. It was released on 14 October 2014 on Metropolis/KMFDM Records on both CD and vinyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Duwe</span> Musical artist

Michael Duwe, aka Mickie D, is a composer, producer and musician from Berlin, Germany. He is composing music for German television series, documentaries or film. Besides several solo albums, including his 1978 masterpiece ‚Mickie D’s Unicorn, he has worked with different bands, musicians and producers like Agitation Free, Ash Ra Tempel, Klaus Schulze, Michael Hoenig, Michael Shrieve, Wolfgang Loos (Alphaville) or Conny Plank.

References

  1. ↑ http://surfingtheodyssey.blogspot.de/2015/01/metropolis-1974-metropolis.html Surfingtheodyssey.blogspot.de
  2. ↑ http://rockinberlin.de/index.php?title=Metropolis (German website)
  3. ↑ http://rockinberlin.de/index.php?title=Metropolis (German website)
  4. ↑ McGinnis, Ray (21 August 2019). "Love Becomes Electric by Strange Advance - Vancouver Pop Music" . Retrieved 27 September 2020.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.