Rock for peace
Rock for Peace was a music festival in East Berlin's Palace of the Republic , which took place from 1982 to 1987 and was declared by the organizers as the annual highlight of the GDR's rock scene . The organizers were the Central Council of the FDJ , the Committee for Entertainment Arts of the GDR and the Palace of the Republic.
description
The festivals took place annually in January and lasted three or four days each.
Officially, the festival was an instrument of the GDR's peace policy. Beyond a propaganda effect, it was a festival popular with rock fans because of the numerous popular bands performing.
In the six years in which the event was held, almost all top bands of the GDR rock and blues scene, as well as some amateur bands, presented themselves. The best-known performing bands and musicians were the Puhdys , Karat , City , Silly , Express , Pankow , Stefan Diestelmann , Bernd Kleinow , Jürgen Kerth and Engerling , while the amateur bands included Scheselong and Bromm Oss . The festival was also the birthplace and platform for band projects such as the Amiga Blues Band (1983) and the Gitarreros (1986). The response from the media and the public was correspondingly great. In January 1984 alone, 15,000 viewers saw 39 bands over two days. In 1987 there were 20,000 spectators and 65 bands.
In addition to groups from the GDR, bands and musicians from abroad also played at the festival. These included Latin Quarter and Tom Robinson , who played with the GDR band NO 55 . Foreign musicians such as jazz drummer Louis Moholo , who were outside of the rock genre, also took part.
The West German band BAP refused in 1984 to remove their title Deshalv spill mer he from the program and left the evening before the event. In 1985 and 1986 no western bands were invited.
Some of the titles made famous by the festival are The Warrior from Group Three , The Book of the Puhdys, The Blue Planet by Karat and No Bomb by Berluc . The GDR record label Amiga released numerous records under the title Rock for Peace with songs that were played at the festival.
In 1987 Tamara Danz refused to sing the song Die Glocke 2000 with the group Karat. The guitar eros also refused to perform. In 1988 the less political festival Jugend im Palast was held. In 1989 the attempt to offer a program “Rock for Peace” again within this festival failed.
Discography
Singles / EPs
- 1982: Peace should be (Amiga)
- 1983: Remember (Amiga)
- 1984: Remember (Amiga)
- 1986: Rock for Peace '86 (Amiga)
LPs
- 1982: Rock for Peace '82 (Amiga)
- 1983: Rock for Peace '83 (Amiga)
- 1984: Rock for Peace '84 - Live (Amiga)
- 1985: Your and my planet - 5 years of rock for peace (Amiga)
See also
literature
- Roswitha Baumert, In: Melodie und Rhythmus , Berlin (East), Issue 3/1985.
- Undine Hofmann, In: Melodie und Rhythmus, Berlin (Ost), issue 3/1987.
- Jürgen Balitzki: Rock for Peace. Documents and Notes . In: Ernst Günther, Heinz P. Hofmann, Walter Rösler (eds.): Cassette. Rock, pop, hit songs, revue, circus, cabaret, magic - an almanac (= cassette ). No. 7 . Henschelverlag Art and Society, Berlin 1984, p. 185-193 .
- Jürgen Balitzki: Rock at first hand . Song of Time , Berlin 1985.
- Götz Hintze: Rock Lexicon of the GDR. 2nd Edition. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-89602-303-9 , pp. 248-249.