Whim of nature
| Whim of nature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Die Toten Hosen | ||||
|
Publication |
5th May 2017 |
|||
|
admission |
2017 |
|||
| Label (s) | JKP , Warner Music Group | |||
|
Format (s) |
CD, LP |
|||
|
Title (number) |
CD 1:15, CD 2:27 |
|||
|
running time |
|
|||
| occupation |
|
|||
|
Studio (s) |
|
|||
|
||||
Laune der Natur is the sixteenth studio album by Die Toten Hosen . It was produced by Vincent Sorg and released both as a single and a double album together with the album Learning English Lesson Two on May 5, 2017 on the band's own label JKP . The additional album Learning English Lesson Two contains cover versions in English only and is not available separately.
Laune der Natur contains 15 German-language titles that deal with the death, loss and transience of relationships. As with the previous studio album Ballast der Republik , some of the lyrics are a collaboration between Campino , the band's front man, and the hip-hop musician Marteria . The music track Unter den Wolken was the first single to be released on the album in April 2017.
Design of cover and booklet
The booklet and front cover consist of colorful collages, designed by Dirk Rudolph with photos by Paul Ripke , Carla Meurer and Andreas Meurer .
Emergence
The songs for the new album were created over a period of two years. At the beginning of 2015, Jochen Hülder, managing director of the JKP label and manager of the band since it was founded in 1982, died. This event had an impact on the entire production of the album. Most of the lyrics come from Campino and Marteria, and Jadu Laciny was also the author of the title track Laune der Natur .
As in all previous productions of the band Die Toten Hosen, Campino is responsible for the lead vocals. The electric guitars are occupied by Andreas von Holst and Michael Breitkopf and the electric bass by Andreas Meurer . Vom Ritchie plays the percussion instruments. In addition to Vincent Sorg, with whom the band has been working since 2007, Tobias Kuhn was responsible as co-producer for additional arrangements. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered in the Principal Studios in Senden .
As in previous productions since the album Immortal, the band increasingly used string and wind instruments. Guest musicians were the trumpeters Jörg Brohm and Tobias Weidinger, the saxophonists Susanne Weidinger and Denis Gäbel and the trombonists Thorsten Heitzmann and Wolf Schenk. The string instruments were played by Valentin Alexandru, Iryna Bayeva, Fabian Grimm, Constanze Sannemüller, Thomas Schmitz , Katharina Schulte and Zbigniew Sstarkak. The musicians were conducted by Dietmar Mensinger , who was also responsible for arranging the classical instruments. The strings and winds were recorded in the Easy Sound Studios in Cologne.
Subjects and title list
| Track list whim of nature |
|
|---|---|
|
|
The album begins with the fast punk rock song Big Bang and, like all songs on the album, is written from a first-person perspective . First of all he refers to the turning point caused by the death of Jochen Huilder: “The manager is dead, the coal is being burned, we only feel comfortable with pistol in hand.” And the band longs for the old days again: “We want to go back to the soccer field. ”The line of text:“ No respite, history is made ”is a quote from the music title Ein Jahr (It goes ahead) from the 1980 album Monarchy and Everyday Life by the band Fehlfarben .
Wannsee , played to the reggae rhythm, tells a young love story. First of all, the text says: "Wannsee, Wannsee, when will I finally see you again". But in the end the protagonist wants to take his girl to Düsseldorf.
Unter den Wolken is the answer to Reinhard Mey's song Über den Wolken from 1974. The line of text:
Above the clouds freedom must be limitless.
All fears, all worries, they say, remained
hidden underneath and then
dignity, what seems big and important to us,
suddenly vanished and small.
the sentences:
Freedom is slowly getting difficult under the clouds
When we are all stunned here and now
Under the clouds there is no longer any starting permit
For all the dreams - all of our dreams.
opposite.
The song Pop & Politik lists insults the band was confronted with when speaking out politically.
The ballads Everything happens and Beauty and the Beast are love songs without a happy ending .
The song A Handful of Earth is dedicated to Jochen Hülder.
How many years (Hasta la Muerte) with the hymn-like vocal harmonies in the chorus: “How many years can this go on? How many years, how much time is left for us? We have been on the road for half a lifetime 'Hasta La Muerte', we have scratched that into our skin ”. and ICE to Düsseldorf expresses the wish to be buried in Düsseldorf.
Geisterhaus is the continuation of the song Unser Haus from the album Immortal from 1999. It is about Campino's thoughts while looking at the house in which he spent his childhood: “Here there were parents, children and screams, dreams and family quarrels. And love once lived here. There were once plans to go for two. Belief in eternity. But all that went away with the furniture. ” Lass los is about the end of a relationship, saying goodbye and asking for forgiveness.
The end of the album is the song No reason to sad . It is a cover version , originally written by Wolfgang Rohde and Cäptn 'Suurbier, published by “Wölli und der Band” of the year on the album Das ist nicht alles from 2001. The track with Rohde's vocals was taken from the original recordings taken over, the music and the background vocals from the band Die Toten Hosen re-recorded. Wolfgang Rohde was the drummer in the band Die Toten Hosen from 1986 to 1999 and was a close friend of the musicians until his death in April 2016.
Singles and music videos
The single Unter den Wolken was released on April 7, 2017 and contains additional music tracks:
- Headwind of Time - 4:06 (Music: Breitkopf / Text: Campino, Marteria)
- Dead Sea - 3:27 (Meurer / Campino)
The songs are intended as a political statement by the band on refugee policy . The band first presented the songs in Dresden on March 27, 2017 at a demonstration against the Pegida . As surprise guests of the “Nope” alliance, the musicians gave a two-and-a-half-hour concert on the back of a truck under the motto “Whoever is silent, agrees”.
Wannsee was released as the second single to the album and released on July 7th 2017 and contains the additional tracks:
- God forgives - 3:02 (music and text: Campino)
- Hell of the Lioness - 3:08 (from Holst / Campino, Marteria)
The music video for the single Wannsee was shot under the direction of Johannes Grebert in Biesenthal at the lido at the Großer Wukensee. In the film has Rodrigo González of the Berlin band The doctors a brief cameo.
The third single was released on October 23, 2017 Alles happened . The B-side appeared the cover versions:
- I Wanna be Sedated - 2:23 Cover by Ramones
- (I'm) Stranded - 2:39 Cover of The Saints
The music video for Everything happened was also directed by Johannes Grebert .
At the beginning of May 2018, the single Laune der Natur was released with the accompanying music video by Antonin B. Pevny . The sound carrier contains two further music titles:
- What you tell - 3:25 (music and text: Campino)
- Cold Feelings - 3:31 cover by Social Distortion
resonance
The album immediately reached number one in the charts in Germany, number one in Austria and the top of the Swiss charts. The vinyl record also reached the top position in the German vinyl charts for one month and was number one in the annual vinyl charts at the end of the year , which makes Laune der Natur the best-selling vinyl record of 2017.
Markus Brandstetter from Laut.de thinks Laune der Natur is a "self-referential, sometimes introspective album that looks back on a long road, taps the status quo with humor, fun and a broken heart, and knows that the road will not go on forever." Die Toten Hosen delivered "a surprisingly consistent and great album in 2017."
Tobias Keßler from the Saarbrücker Zeitung is less enthusiastic : “In the weaker moments, the pants offer little more than competent city festival rock, to corner your fist, good routine with 'heyheyhey' or 'hohoho' refrains. The low point is the ballad-like 'Everything happens', shallow and almost rock hit. "
Jenny Tobien from the German Press Agency comes to the conclusion: "Overall, one can say: The pants manage to deliver a very fast-paced and life-affirming work with the whims of nature - even if death, mourning and separation are very central themes."
Additional album Learning English Lesson Two
Learning English Lesson Two is the continuation of the album Learning English Lesson One from 1991. It consists of 21 cover versions, most of which were recorded in autumn 2016 in London. At least one member of the band that recorded the original was involved in the recording of every piece of music. The album is structured like a language course and divided into five sections (steps).
Title and guest list
| guest list | |
|---|---|
|
|
- Step One: Welcome to Learning English, Lesson 2 - 0:40
- The Sound of the Suburbs - 3:16 (The Members)
- Where are They Now - 2:55 ( Cock Sparrer )
- California Above Everything - 3:21 ( Dead Kennedys )
- Step Two: Revolution - 0:20
- Viva la Revolution - 2:53 ( The Adicts )
- Nobody's Hero - 3:57 ( Stiff Little Fingers )
- Teenage Kicks - 2:18 ( The Undertones )
- Flying Saucer Attack! - 2:48 ( The Rezillos )
- Step three: how about a knuckle sandwich? - 0:30
- Where Have all the Boot Boys Gone? - 3:05 (Slaughter and the Dogs)
- Sonic Reducer - 2:40 ( Dead Boys )
- Lookin 'After No. 1 - 3:03 ( The Boomtown Rats )
- The Jinx - 2:57 ( Peter and the Test Tube Babies )
- Your Generation - 3:10 ( Generation X )
- Step Four: Family Plannings - 0:23
- Darling, Let's Have Another Baby - 2:58 ( Johnny Moped )
- Where's Captain Kirk? - 2:17 ( Spizzenergi )
- Harmony in my Head - 3:08 ( Buzzcocks )
- This Perfect Day - 2:03 ( The Saints )
- Step Five: Do you speak German? - 0:30
- Wonderful - 2:44 ( Tenpole Tudor )
- I'm an Upstart - 2:16 ( Angelic Upstarts )
- (Get a) Grip (On Yourself) - 2:56 ( The Stranglers )
- Fight to be Yourself - 2:40 (Pasty Faces)
- Staring at the Rude Boys - 2:15 ( The Ruts )
- Janet and John Say Goodbye - 0:55
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b tsch: An interview with the Toten Hosen singer Campino: “ When I am over 50, I don't want to be Hans Dampf anymore”. Nordbuzz, May 5, 2017, accessed May 11, 2017 .
- ↑ luc: Die Toten Hosen - New single "Unter den Wolken". laut.de , April 10, 2017, accessed on May 14, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d Booklet for the album Laune der Natur and Learning English Lesson Two .
- ↑ Philipp Oehmke : The man who made the pants big. Der Spiegel, January 16, 2015, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d Volker Isfort: Laune der Natur - AZ interview with Campino about the new Toten Hosen album. Abendzeitung , April 30, 2017, accessed May 5, 2017 .
- ↑ Reinhard Mey is happy about the new song of the dead pants. Rheinische Post , April 17, 2017, accessed on May 14, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen : Big Bang. Die Toten Hosen, accessed July 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen : Wannsee. Die Toten Hosen, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Markus Brandstetter: Everything here revolves around memories - including wild party nights. laut.de, May 5, 2017, accessed June 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Reinhard Mey : Above the clouds. Reinhard Mey, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen: Under the Clouds. Die Toten Hosen, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen: Pop & Politics. Die Toten Hosen, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Jenny Tobien, dpa : Die Toten Hosen between grief and euphoria. Freie Presse , May 3, 2017, accessed July 7, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen: How many years (Hasta la Muerte). Die Toten Hosen, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen: Haunted House. Die Toten Hosen, accessed June 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Fabian Soethof: Two events that define the Toten Hosen 2017. Musikexpress , March 29, 2017, accessed July 7, 2017 .
- ↑ "Die Toten Hosen" A little bit of Wannsee am Wukensee - video shoot. Bernau - Live, June 22, 2017, accessed July 7, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen - New video for "Alles Passiert". laut.de, October 23, 2017, accessed January 20, 2018 .
- ↑ Michael Schmich: Vinyl annual charts 2017: Retro formats on the rise. radioszene.de, January 8, 2018, accessed February 2, 2019 .
- ↑ Tobias Keßler: The Dead Pants and Transience. Saarbrücker Zeitung , May 8, 2017, accessed on May 11, 2017 .
- ↑ Die Toten Hosen: Track listing + special guests from 'Learning English Lesson 2'. Rolling Stone , May 4, 2017, accessed July 8, 2017 .