Label: Tapete
Reissued 2023, Originally released 1982
German Import
LP version. The Wirtschaftswunder are European post-punk history. Formed in Limburg in 1980, the multinational band consisted of Czech-born guitarist Tom Dokoupil, Canadian keyboardist Mark Pfurtscheller, German drummer Jürgen Beuth (also in Die Radierer), and Italian singer Angelo Galizia. After their DIY milestone Salmobray, the band was signed to Polydor. Contrary to the aims of the record company, who planned to make a huge NDW act out of the band, the new (and more expensive) ways of record production just showed how special this band really was. A financial flop and artistically one of the strangest and most wonderful major debuts of all times. "The eponymous title of the sophomore album by The Wirtschaftswunder sounds as if it should have been their debut disc. Nevertheless, the name is a good fit, this being the record which sees the band come to terms with their own distinctive sound, one which is completely different to the sum of their parts, as was the case on its predecessor Salmobray. Here, they have morphed into a funk band, albeit one without any intention of playing funk. This record was also their first on a major label, although Polydor do not appear to have weighed in on the creative process. The LP spawned just the one single -- 'Der große Mafioso' -- and zero NDW* hits. Whereas other label acts such as Hubert Kah or Fräulein Menke were busy crafting chart material with a New German Wave flavor, The Wirtschaftswunder (possibly aware of their stablemates' efforts) appeared unencumbered by the pressure to deliver conventional success. The major label influence was at least evident in the departure from the dim haziness of contemporary DIY studios for a production of dazzling sharpness. Cast in this light, The Wirtschaftswunder sound even stranger than in the more familiar environs of their insouciant debut. This might very well be the German music industry's boldest record ever, Ernste Musik (serious music) aside. Released in early 1982, with few words offered to contextualize matters, the record felt like a statement, an artistic representation of pop music laced with a range of alienating effects which lent it a remarkable precision. Perspective, expressiveness -- these are concepts that sit well with 'The Wirtschaftswunder'. The characteristic style, the air and, above all, the 'sonic mission' are reminiscent of the Junge Wilden or, to be more exact, the Mühlheimer Freiheit group of artists associated with them." --Frank Apunkt Schneider
Track listing:
- Mutter & Vater
- Kopfgeldjäger
- Mach Dir Das leben Schön
- Rate Mal
- Tapete Magico
- La Belle Et La Bete
- Erste Hilfe
- Der Grosse Mafioso
- Madame X
- Junge Leute
- Wildes Tier
- Die Parade
- Das Weisse Pferd
- Big Men
- Zuviel