Needle Time

  La Düsseldorf - Individuellos [6.24524 AP DEU 1980 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Ever so slightly out of sync and possibly fitting with the musical style ( Viva will follow next week), here is the third album by the Dinger Brothers ably assisted as always by Hans Lampe.  Individuellos fills the bizarre & twisted void between Deutsche-punk and schlager music. Slightly less accessible that the first two records, this album but in keeping with the brothers' direction, after all, when you find a formula which works, stick at it - The third La-D. album continues where the first two left off with more manic beats, catchy hooks and gibberish vox. I've ripped this from an original German pressing on Teldec, whilst the production value lacks those of the first two records - they missed Connie Plank in the studio, this is an entertaining listen for those who know how the Dingers work. We were now in the new wave era (this album was first released in 1980) and a euro-kitsch in...

  La Düsseldorf - La Düsseldorf [6.22 550-01 DEU 1976 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] When Neu! split in 1975, Klaus Dinger teamed up with brother Klaus and Hans Lampe to form La Düsseldorf. Where the Neu! albums had influenced the post-punk generation, it was the albums by La Düsseldorf which influenced the earliest British synthpop bands from the eighties.  This was their self-titled first album which opens with raw seventies jet noise from Düsseldorf airport (hence the sleeve image) and football crowd chants from the local team Fortuna Düsseldorf. Time now for a tenuous punk link as Fortuna were once saved from financial oblivion years later by a campaign championed by quirky German punks, Die Toten Hosen. Back to the story, Klaus Dinger didn't quite have the same eclectic skills with the guitar as Michael Rother (now working with Eno & Cluster, plus his solo work), however his trashy chord style did fit with the new punk sounds coming out of the UK. The...