Flatsch
Flatsch (own spelling Flatsch! ) - named after the noise a cake makes when it lands in a face - was a Hessian band founded in Offenbach am Main , which performed rock music with German lyrics, partly in the Hessian dialect, and in the Rhine -Main area was successful with its mix of Hessian comedy and rock. Gerd Knebel , the singer of the band, became known nationwide, especially as one half of the comedy duo Badesalz . The band existed from 1979 to 1988.
General
Above all, the band offered a unique stage show, which largely contained absurd skits with quick costume changes and had little in common with classic rock concerts. Before the first long-playing record was released (in self-distribution), some “classics” (department store, Badekapp) were already being made.
Flatsch got nationwide attention! in the wake of the success of the befriended Rodgau Monotones and their 1984 “Volle Lotte” LP (with the hit single “Die Hessekommen ”, in which Gerd Knebel co-wrote and sang). In the summer of 1984, all of the third ARD TV programs ran the program “Rhein-Main strikes back”, which also included Flatsch! occurred. The highlight: the legendary “Pampa Power” festival on Bornheimer Hang (in the stadium of FSV Frankfurt ) in front of 25,000 spectators.
Extensive tours and appearances followed, including in 1987 at Rock am Ring and at the Loreley.
Despite the good song material, the combo was never able to fully conserve the stage energy on record. After a few line-up changes they went with the album "favored one body" (in reference to grace the body of Andre Heller ) from 1986 new ways, committed Micki Meuser as producers, Jim Rakete as photographers and advanced the musical spectrum (in which one a keyboard player new to recorded the band and used more wind instruments).
Most of Gerd Knebel written texts were marked by satirical undertones, such as office (a cover version of Tina Turner We do not need another hero ). When the Rambo admirer, who wonders why he is locked in jail after scalping someone (“Everyone applauds loudly at Rambo”), the Chancellor after the meltdown in Biblis on television broadcast from Hawaii “Heal, heal goose … ”Sings or is warned about a lump of minced meat (“ that could be the brains of an enemy of the state ”), the listener can get a laugh from time to time.
After another LP (“Gib Flatsch a Chance”, 1988, with a cover based on the Gib Aids keine Chance campaign), a first video clip (for “Drinking up”) and other concerts all over Hessen (and beyond) the decision was made in 1988 to say goodbye at the climax. Their last concert in the sold out Offenbacher Stadthalle ended with an epic long version of "Gute Alte Zeit". After the breakup, the double LP “Endlich Live!” Was released, some of which was recorded at the farewell concert.
Singer Gerd Knebel founded the Duo Badesalz together with Henni Nachtsheim in the mid-80s and has now almost completely shifted the focus to comedy, not without relapsing musically from time to time with Badesalz. From then on Olaf Mill played with the "Eisberg-Duo", among others, Seppl Niemeyer devoted himself to the local band scene in Frankfurt and Hans Riffer has been working as a music teacher in Bad Vilbel since 1991.
In 2003 the Rodgau Monotones were able to bring old companions together on stage once again in the course of their 25th anniversary ("silver wedding"). In addition to the now (also) dissolved Hob Goblin and the reformed band Die Crackers , Flatsch! on both evenings in the sold out Offenbacher Stadthalle for a unique reunion.
These two concerts (excerpts from CD and DVD) must have whetted the appetite for more, because from 2005 the former Flatsch! Members Knebel, Mill and Niemeyer performed with Peter Runcl (guitar, † 2018) and Willy Wagner (bass, formerly among others at Rio Reiser and Xavier Naidoo ) under the name Die Groben Junggesellen . With the stipulation of not wanting to bring back the past, the lyrics on the only LP “Schöne Frauen kotzen Blumen” (2005) resembled the earlier Flatsch! Lyrics, but the musical pace had become harder. A few Flatsch! Titles were still played at the concerts.
However, after two active years, Die Groben Bachelors also disbanded. On December 1st 2007 the farewell concert took place in Aschaffenburg's “ Colos-Saal ”. For the short farewell tour, some of the Flatsch! Classics were added to the program.
The two main actors Gerd Knebel and Olaf Mill started a new acoustic music duo called Nette Rabenväter in 2009 , which is lyrically, but not musically, to Flatsch! connects.
Band members
- Gerd Knebel (vocals)
- Olaf Mill (vocals, guitar)
- Seppl Niemeyer (drums) from 1982
- Hans Riffer (bass, vocals) from 1984
- Helmut (Hello) Unverzagt (keyboards) from 1986
- Bobby Sattler (saxophone) from 1986
- Bernd Neumann (bass, vocals) until 1984
- Andreas Schardt (drums) until 1982
- Andreas Scheinhütte (guitar, vocals) until 1985
On the farewell tour in 1988 and with it the LP Flatsch! - Finally live! (1989):
- Mimi Poulakis (keyboards, guitar)
At the reunion for the "silver wedding" of the Rodgau Monotones (2003) played:
- Gerd Knebel (vocals)
- Olaf Mill (guitar, vocals)
- Seppl Niemeyer (drums)
- Willy Wagner (bass)
and as guest Henni Nachtsheim (saxophone)
Discography
Singles
- Badekapp (Rockport Records, Offenbach), 1983
- I would love to be Michael Jackson (Rockport Records, Offenbach), 1985
- Eberhard (Rockport Records, Offenbach), 1985
- Totally wrong (Jeton, Stuttgart), Die Crackers und Flatsch !, 1986
- The good old days (Intercord-Tongesellschaft, Stuttgart), 1986
- Rambo (Intercord-Tongesellschaft, Stuttgart), 1987
- Drink up (Ciao), 1988
- Keske tü fä (Ciao), 1988
LPs
- What mer hat mer got (Bieber Tonstudios), 1980
- Flatsch! Zwo (Rockport Records, Offenbach), 1982
- Flatsch! Drei (Net stumbe!) (Rockport Records, Offenbach), 1983
- Flatsch! Vier (Be mal'n bissi lieb) (Rockport Records, Offenbach), 1985
- Pardoned body (Intercord-Tongesellschaft, Stuttgart), 1987
- Give Flatsch a Chance (Ciao Musik- und Filmprod., Frankfurt am Main), 1988
- Flatsch! Finally live! (Bellaphon Records, Frankfurt am Main), 1989
- Flatsch - Greatest hits (Rockport Records, Gelnhausen), 1990
also as guests with 5 titles on:
- Rodgau Monotones: Silver Wedding - Live (Rockport Records, Gründau), 2003 (with Hob Goblin and the Crackers)
DVD
- Rodgau Monotones: Silver Wedding - Live (Flatsch! With 5 tracks), 2003
The rough bachelors
- Beautiful women throw up flowers (self-distribution), 2005
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Riffer, electric guitar, electric bass, keyboard and bands ( Memento from February 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ).
- ↑ Death announcements for Peter Runcl. In: vrm-trauer.de. July 21, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.