Omen (Peter Maffay album)

omen
Studio album by Peter Maffay
Publication (s)	1973
Label (s)	Teldec
Format (s)	2-LP, CD
Genre (s)	Bat
Title (number)	24
running time	71 min, 11 sec
occupation	Vocals, guitar: Peter Maffay Guitar: Paul Vincent Bass: Lothar Meid Drums: Keith Forsey Piano: Fritz Muschler
production	Michael Kunze , Giorgio Moroder
chronology You're like a song (1971) omen It's You I Want to Live With (1973)

Omen is the third studio album by the German hit and rock musician Peter Maffay . It was released in 1973.

History of origin

The relationship between Peter Maffay and his songwriter and producer Michael Kunze was very bad in 1972. Maffay didn't want to make a hit anymore, while Kunze, on the other hand, continued to write hit lyrics. A separation between the two was inevitable, but they were still contractually bound to a joint album. Maffay, whose dissatisfaction was getting outward more and more, began the music for his last album together with Kunze. The album was released in 1973 as a double LP in a gatefold cover. Of the 24 songs, 22 were composed by Peter Maffay himself. Producer Giorgio Moroder wrote the single Wo bist du , which was advertised on the television show disco . Studio guitarist Paul Vincent wrote the song We just need love under the pseudonym "Gunia" . While the music came almost entirely from Maffay, Kunze was the songwriter responsible for almost all of the lyrics. Maffay, who was dissatisfied with the alignment but had little experience as a songwriter himself, used the record cover to explain:

“I lack the ability to express myself with words the way I could with music. I think I can be very lyrical there. But to say something right with words ... that is very difficult. "

- Peter Maffay : Omen record cover

The rather hidden allusion to the emotional crisis as a musician was handwritten on the cover by Peter Maffay and ends with the words "Only that I still have plans, certain tasks that I have set myself." The text, which actually refers to the Love for a woman was basically a statement about his future career, because after the album he separated from Kunze and with the successor Saturday evening in our street (1974) he began to incorporate rock elements into his music.

Track list

LP1

1. Peace ( Peter Maffay ) - 4:25
2. My love, my dreams (Maffay) - 2:59
3. The Song of the Nightingale (Maffay) - 3:23
4. Marion (Maffay) - 3:30
5. I want to be an eagle (Maffay) - 2:43
6. Nobody is alone (Maffay) - 3:10
7. Where are you ( Giorgio Moroder ) - 3:02
8. The pigeon (Maffay) - 2:37
9. What would I be without you (Maffay) - 2:10
10. This song is only yours (Maffay) - 4:07
11. I'm free (Maffay) - 2:50
12. A door closes (Maffay) - 1:53

LP2

1. Angela (Maffay) - 4:17
2. Will you still love me tomorrow (Maffay) - 3:10
3. The Lost Ship (Maffay) - 2:51
4. Stones Can't Talk (Maffay) - 2:14
5. I loved you (Maffay) - 2:44
6. Charly, Buster, Laurel and Hardy (Maffay) - 2:41
7. We just need love ( Gunia ) - 3:29
8. The poor are not poor ( Matth. V ) (Maffay) - 2:16
9. You are human (Maffay) - 2:46
10. Father Heaven, Mother Earth (Maffay) - 3:40
11. The wind can still turn (Maffay) - 2:27
12. Omen (Maffay) - 1:47

Music genre

The record company tried to market Maffay as the German answer to Cat Stevens and Gordon Lightfoot . However, like its two forerunners, the album belongs to the Schlager music style. Although Maffay also uses elements of the blues ( The poor is not poor ) and rock ( Sometimes I want to be an eagle ) on this album, the typical hit lyrics in particular ensured that this genre of music remained. In addition, all three single releases were typical hits. In particular, Where are you , underlaid with synthesizer sounds , should be mentioned here as an example.

success

The double album flopped and initially only sold 3,000 units. After the two successful predecessors, a step backwards for Maffay. However, all three single releases reached the charts: Frieden (Germany # 34), Wo bist du? (Germany # 14) and Angela (Germany # 28).

Web links

• Omen on omdb.info , accessed May 25, 2011

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Edmund Hartsch: Maffay. On the way to myself . C. Bertelsmann, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-570-01029-7 , pp. 77 f .
2. ↑ quoted from Edmund Hartsch: Maffay. On the way to myself . S. 78 .
3. ↑ Chart tracking singles. (No longer available online.) Musicline.de, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved August 20, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.