Shaa Khan
Shaa Khan is a rock band from Duisburg .
The band name is derived from the name of the tiger from the film The Jungle Book, which was quite popular at the time the band was founded.
history
The beginning
Shaa Khan was founded in the late 1960s by drummer Walter Kaulhausen and guitarist Roland Soltysiak in Duisburg, Ruhr area. In the beginning, the two covered their favorite bands, such as Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple, with various colleagues . After a few line-ups, the following musicians joined the band one after the other: Jochen Gutermuh (bass), Heiner Waldmann (vocals, guitar), Horst “Schröeder” Schlechtriemen (keyboard, vocals) and Klaus Grandt (vocals, percussion). Now people started to write their own pieces and so the later “musical face” of Shaa Khan was gradually shaped.
The LP phase
In the line-up named above, the troupe recorded 2 LPs that were released by Günter Körber on Sky Records (Hamburg) : “The world will end on Friday” (1977) and “Anything wrong?” (1979). The style of the band on the LPs: Two-part German rock - also called prog rock or krautrock - with English lyrics (often referred to as 'gentle rock'), strongly influenced by bands like Genesis / Yes / ... Later the sound got rockier and louder and tended towards hard rock.
The single phase
In the early 1980s, two singles appeared on the Bellaphon (Frankfurt) label. The first 'Someone's calling' / 'Running' lasted over 12 weeks in the Schlager rallye of WDR 2 and brought the troupe (like the LPs) many appearances in clubs and festivals all over Germany. The second single 'Radio' / 'Rock Mafia' wasn't quite as successful.
The late stage
With Neue Deutsche Welle , the group became quieter and Klaus Grandt left Shaa Khan. A NDW-Verarsche ('Oberförster' / 'Neutronal' etc.) was produced under the pseudo-name SK 2. Then Schröeder said goodbye and was replaced by his predecessor Rolf Noe. A number of songs were still produced in the band's own studio, but only the track 'Ballrooms' made it to a Duisburg rock sampler adopted.
The successor band
In 1993 a follow-up group called 'KissingShark' recorded a live CD. The band consisted of the ex-Khans W. Kaulhausen, J. Gutermuth and H. Waldmann as well as the guitarist Wolfgang Döhr.
The comeback
At the insistence of many old fans and after installing a website - www.shaakhan.de - which was very popular, Shaa Khan decided to try a comeback around 2008. However, veteran Roland S. no longer wanted to be there and was replaced by an old friend from the 'Kissing Shark' times, the guitarist Wolfgang 'Kralle' Döhr. In 2009 there was a comeback concert in Duisburger Pulp, which was recorded live. In the same year the two LPs were re-released on CD by Sireena Records with an improved sound. At the end of 2009 the comeback concert from the Pulp appeared on the same label under the title: "Shaa Khan Live 2009!"
Discography
LPs
- 1978: The world will end on Friday (vinyl on Sky Records ; 2009 as CD on Sireena)
- 1979: Anything wrong? (Vinyl on Sky Records; 2009 CD on Sireena)
- 2009: Shaa Khan Live 2009! (Live CD on Sireena Records)
Singles
- 1980: Someone's calling / Running (single on Bellaphone)
- 1981: Radio / Rock Mafia (single on Bellaphone)