Birth control

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Birth control
Birth Control (2016)
Birth Control (2016)
General information
origin Berlin , Germany
Genre (s) Hard rock , krautrock
founding 1966, 1993, 2014
resolution 1983, 2014
Website birthcontrol.de
Founding members
Bernd Koschmidder (until 1972)
Reinhold Sobotta (until 1969)
Saxophone , vocals
 Rolf Gurra (until 1969)
singing
 Fritz Gröger (until 1969)
Klaus Orso (until 1968)
Reiner Borchert (until 1969)
Hugo Egon Balder (until 1968)
Current occupation
guitar
 Martin "Ludi" Ettrich (since 2011)
Keyboard
 Sascha Kühn (since 2001)
Electric bass
 Hannes Vesper (since 1998)
singing
 Peter Föller (1973–1977, since 2016)
Drums
 Manfred "Manni" von Bohr (1977–1980, since 2016)
former members
Singing, drums, percussion
 Bernd Noske (1968–2014, † 2014)
guitar
 Bruno Frenzel (1969–1983, † 1983)
organ
 Hartmut Scheulgens (1971)
guitar
 Peter Engelhardt (1995-2011)
organ
 Wolfgang Neuser (1972–1973, † 2018)
Electric bass
 Peter Föller (1973–1977)
Organ, electric piano
 Bernd "Zeus" Held (1973–1977)
guitar
 Dirk Steffens (1973–1974)
Electric bass
 Horst Stachelhaus (1977–1980; 1993–1998, † 1999)
Electric bass
 Jürgen Goldschmidt (1980–1982)
Keyboard
 Jörg Becker (1982)
Keyboard
 Xaver Fischer (1993–2000)
Electric guitar
 Rolf "Rocco" Klein (1993, † 2015)

Birth Control ( English for " birth control ") is a German Krautrock band whose greatest success is the 1972 song Gamma Ray . Her music is characterized by long pieces and solo interludes of the individual instruments, especially the percussion solos.

history

Birth Control was formed in August 1966 from two Berlin bands, the Earls and the Gents . The founding members were Bernd Koschmidder, Reinhold Sobotta, Rolf Gurra, Fritz Gröger, Klaus Orso, Reiner Borchert and Hugo Egon Balder . In the late 1960s, birth control was a hotly debated topic because of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae . The band members heard the English expression Birth Control on the radio station AFN and decided to make it their band name.

Birth Control initially made a name for itself as a cover band , mainly with pieces by Julie Driscoll . After the first personnel changes - Balder and Orso left the band, Bernd Noske joined them - the band played a three-month guest performance in a Beirut nightclub in early 1969 . Guitarist Borchert stayed in Lebanon , Bruno Frenzel replaced him. After Fritz Gröger left in the late summer, the band began to record their first pieces. The band then trundled through Germany. The first single was produced in Vienna , at the end of the year Rolf Gurra left and the first LP Birth Control was released. The group was invited as the only German band to the Super Concert 70 in the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, where Jimi Hendrix , Ten Years After and Procol Harum also played. The band also appeared in two films , a vampire comedy and Ich - ein Groupie (1970) with Ingrid Steeger .

Birth Control's first LP came out in an unusual cover: a round box that resembles a box of birth control pills. This was followed by tours in German-speaking countries and in 1971 the second album. The cover featured the Pope with a baby-eating monster. The English cover caused a packaging strike because condoms were depicted on it . At the same time, however, it was publicity, so that Birth Control were invited to concerts in England and thus became the first German band to appear in the London Marquee Club . A concert in Cannes followed England .

1972 was the breakthrough year for Birth Control: The album Hoodoo Man was released by the new record company CBS . Birth Control toured Europe and was the main act at events. The greatest success was Gamma Ray , which also conquered the techno scene in the 1990s . More records and tours followed. At the end of the 1970s, sales fell. Horst Stachelhaus replaced Föller in 1977, Manni von Bohr (like Stachelhaus from the band Message) as the drummer ensured that Noske could take care of the vocals more. In 1983 Bruno Frenzel died of the long-term effects of an electric shock, and the band lost their main composer and lyricist. Noske broke up the band.

In 1993, Noske reunited old and new members and revived Birth Control. In addition to old recordings, which gradually appeared as CDs, the band also produced new albums, but thanks to the old hits, they were very popular again. Xaver "Fischfinger" Fischer (keyboards) contributed most of the songs to the album Jungle Life . After the death of Horst Stachelhaus, the line-up consisted of Bernd Noske (drums, vocals), Peter Engelhardt (from 2011 Martin "Ludi" Ettrich) (guitar), Sascha Kühn (keyboard) and Hannes Vesper (bass) until 2014.

On February 18, 2014, drummer and singer Bernd Noske died unexpectedly of unknown cause, shortly afterwards the band announced their final breakup. The remaining line-up Kühn, Ettrich & Vesper planned to continue to perform after two concerts scheduled in memory of Noske, but then, according to their own statement, under the name Rebirth and probably in cooperation with the former bassist Peter Föller. The group's dissolution was revoked in the course of 2014, with the announcement that the band will now continue to perform under the name Birth Control.

On January 5, 2016, the band announced on their website that they will be active again. In addition to the last line-up, the former members Peter Föller (vocals) and Manfred von Bohr (drums) will be there. The album Here and Now , the last with Bernd Noske, was released on March 4, 2016. At the same time, the group announced new live dates for the first time since Noske's death.

Discography

regular publications

  • 1970: Birth Control
  • 1971: operation
  • 1972: Hoodoo Man
  • 1973: Rebirth
  • 1974: Live
  • 1975: Plastic People
  • 1976: Backdoor Possibilities
  • 1977: Increase
  • 1978: Titanic
  • 1979: Live 79
  • 1980: Count on Dracula
  • 1981: Deal Done at Night
  • 1982: Bang
  • 1994: Condomium (Live)
  • 1995: Two Worlds
  • 1996: Jungle Life
  • 1999: Getting There
  • 2003: Alsatian
  • 2005: 35th Anniversary - Live @ Rockpalast
  • 2016: Here and Now

DVDs

  • Birth Control - History: Krautrock Classics, 2005, 135 min.
  • Birth Control - Live Harmonie Bonn, 2018, 115 min.

Web links

Commons : Birth Control  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The band ... In: birthcontrol-band.de. Retrieved April 14, 2019 .
  2. ↑ The band history. In: birth-control.de. Retrieved December 7, 2019 .
  3. ↑ releases