Böhse Onkelz
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| Böhse Onkelz | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| Genres | Punk rock, Oi!, Hard rock, German rock |
| Years active | 1980-2005 |
| Labels | Rock-O-Rama (1984-1986) Metal Enterprises (1987-1990) Bellaphon Records (1991-1994) Virgin Records (1995-2000) rule23 Recordings (2000-2005) |
| Associated acts | Der W, Matt Röhr |
| Website | http://www.onkelz.de |
| Members | |
| Stephan "Der W" Weidner Kevin Russell Peter "Pe" Schorowsky Matthias Röhr |
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Böhse Onkelz (German pronunciation: [ˈbøːzə ˈʔɔŋkəls], derived from the German term "Böse Onkels", roughly translated as "bad uncles" or "evil uncles") was a German rock group that existed from 1980 to 2005. Despite criticism by the mass media over their controversial past, since Viva los tioz in 1998 almost every one of their albums have reached number one on the German album charts. According to record certifications and additional sources, they have sold over 4,845,000 records and 425,000 videos/DVDs.[1] E.I.N.S. is their most successful album with over 510,000 units sold.[1]
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[edit] History
[edit] 1980–1981: Founding
Inspired by bands like the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, Böhse Onkelz started out in November 1980 in Hösbach as a punk rock band. Founding members were Stephan "Der W" Weidner, Kevin Russell and Peter "Pe" Schorowsky. According to the official band biography the bandname came from some younger teenagers of their neighbourhood, when they warned their younger siblings about them with the words:„…Vorsicht, da sind die bösen Onkels!…“ because they would take away their sledges.[2] The name is an intentionally incorrect spelling of "evil uncles" (böse Onkel). Before that they called themselves Beulenpest for two weeks, as seen on the Tour 2000-film. Initially, the band was active mainly in the region of Frankfurt am Main.
The band kept its initial line-up until Matthias Röhr (nicknamed Gonzo after the Ted Nugent album of the same name) joined them in 1981. Musically he was by far the most experienced of the group; he had been playing guitar for six years, and had played in other bands such as Antikörper.[3] Since Weidner played guitar, Matthias started out on bass, but they switched instruments before their first recordings for the punk sampler Soundtracks zum Untergang 2.[4]
[edit] 1981–1985: Skinhead scene
Soundtracks zum Untergang 2 (Soundtracks to the Downfall Vol. 2) was a left-wing oriented punk sampler on which Böhse Onkelz featured in the band's first widely released recording. However, after the until-then apolitical punk movement moved further into anarchism, the band lost interest in this subculture. Football became more important in their lives, and with it, the fights surrounding it.
Initially the band considered themselves part of the (originally nonpolitical) Oi! genre, but they underwent their first drift to the political right in the early 1980s. Their album Der nette Mann was released in 1984 by the label Rock-O-Rama, which left its punk roots behind and concentrated on records by neo-Nazi and far right bands. This album was indexed in September 1986 because of its alleged sexism and glorification of violence. The album also contained the patriotic songs "Stolz" ("Pride") and "Deutschland" ("Germany"), which gave the band cult status in the far right scene. The album was followed by Böse Menschen – Böse Lieder in 1985. Shortly after the release of the Mexico EP in late 1985, the band split with Rock-O-Rama, because the band was defrauded of royalties and because of the growing far right reputation of the label, which did not represent their point of view.[5]
In 1985, Böhse Onkelz played roles in the TV movie Zagarbata from Tabea Blumenschein. The film was a co-production of the ZDF and was directed by Christoph Dreher. It was about the skinhead and punk subcultures in the early 1980s.
[edit] 1986–1992: Indexing and media attention
Apart from the indexing of Der nette Mann in 1986, it became calm around the band after their departure from the skinhead scene. After one charity concert, there were no live performances until 1989. In 1987, they released the album Onkelz wie wir..., which was followed by Kneipenterroristen in 1988. The albums also contained songs about drinking and violence, but were much richer musically and lyrically. Despite substantial problems caused by Russell's alcohol and heroin addictions, the band continued to work together.
Around this time, the band was widely ignored by the media, but this changed with rising album sales of Es ist soweit, Wir ham’ noch lange nicht genug and Heilige Lieder. The band also gained attention after there were several racist attacks in Germany in early 1990, and the media associated Böhse Onkelz songs such as "Deutschland im Herbst" with the far right.
On 16 June 1990, the band's best friend, Andreas "Trimmi" Trimborn, was stabbed to death during an incident in a bar located in Frankfurt's Sachsenhausen district. Only two days, later Böhse Onkelz supporters located the assailant, a "Bundeswehr" soldier whose father held a high military rank. The murderer was tried in court but released without sentence. The judge stated that the Böhse Onkelz band and entourage were known to be violent, and that the stabbing was committed in self-defense. Even today, all witnesses sharply reject this claim that Trimmi threatened the killer and his companion, both of whom allegedly snorted cocaine just minutes before the incident. Russell fell into a severe depression over the loss of his friend and tried to compensate his grief with drugs and alcohol. His substance abuse habits became so destructive that he almost died.[6] The songs Nur die besten sterben jung (Only the best die young) and Der Platz neben mir (The place beside me) were written about, and dedicated to, Trimmi.
[edit] 1992–1997: Commercial success and criticism
In 1992, without any marketing, the album Heilige Lieder rose to no. 5 on the German LP charts. Despite their increasing commercial success, the band was marked with the stigma of being a right-wing band till the end. Following some critical reports, the Onkelz faced substantial criticism, which among other things led to radio stations refusing to play their songs. Many observers simply did not believe that the band had "seen the light" and instead considered their exit from the white power scene as a maneuver to avoid bans and prosecution. The band's reputation suffered due to several poorly researched articles written about them. As a reaction to this, Weidner wrote songs like "Fahrt zur Hölle" ("Go To Hell") on Weiß or "Danke für Nichts" ("Thanks for Nothing") on Hier sind die Onkelz (Here are the Onkelz).
Big department stores such as Media Markt, World of Music (WOM) and Saturn refused to sell their albums. By the end of the 1990s, however, Media Markt and WOM took the albums back into their range of products. Only Saturn refused to sell them until the band's final album Adios in 2005 which, along with others of their later albums, was on top of the charts for several weeks.
From the early 1990s onwards, the Onkelz repeatedly took public positions against extremism of any kind, and referred to themselves as outsiders with no political affiliation. In 1993 on the album Weiß, in reference to the Riot of Rostock-Lichtenhagen, the band made their first song clearly disapproving of right-wing extremism: "Deutschland im Herbst" ("Germany in Autumn"). Singing about of "braune Scheiße" ("brown scum"), referring to the colour of the NSDAP, "ich sehe blinden Hass, blinde Wut feige Morde, Kinderblut" ("I see blind hatred, blind anger cowardly murders, childrens blood") and "blinde Parolen von Idioten und Verlierern" ("blind slogans of idiots and losers"). The song "Ohne mich" ("without me") from the 1998 album Viva los Tioz speaks out against right and left wing extremism. The lyrics of the first verse argue that anti-fascists were, in fighting the band, not seeing their real enemy, and were no better than fascists, at whom the second verse, which consists mostly of swearing, is directed. The band also acknowledges its past in the skinhead scene singing: "Ihr seit dumm geboren, genau wie ich. Doch was ich lernte, lernt ihr nicht." ("You were born dumb just like me. But what I learned, you are not learning")
In 1994, the band moved to the record label Virgin Records and were signed for the first time to a major label, under which they released the album Hier sind die Onkelz one year later. It reached number five on the album charts. The 1996 album E.I.N.S. followed (no. four on the charts), and its title was interpreted by some in the media as Eigentlich immer noch Skins (In fact still Skins). On the album, there was a song called "Enie Tfahcstob rüf Ediona-RAP" that criticized those interpretations and made them look ridiculous. The album E.I.N.S was voted in multiple reader-polls of professional music journals (e.g. Rock Hard, Metal Hammer) into the top 10 of the category of Best Metal Album of All Time, although it was not the most sold album of the band.
Since the mid-1990s, the band referred to their fans as "nephews" and "nieces" to strengthen the communal spirit with them. This is expressed in the song "Danke" from the album „Ein böses Märchen… …aus tausend finsteren Nächten“.
[edit] 1997–2004: Number 1 in the charts
The band has a huge fan community and is one of the most successful German music groups. In 1998, they sold about 300,000 copies of the album Viva los tioz within the first 48 hours after release. In 2000 they released Ein böses Märchen the first album under their new record label rule23 Recordings and produced their first music video for the single Dunkler Ort, which was broadcastet on MTV. Later an MTV Masters special about the Onkelz was made. When the Onkelz saw the final version, they felt mistreated and presented in a wrong way, which lead to a small feud. In 2002 the Onkelz released the diss track "Keine Amnestie für MTV" ("No Amnesty for MTV"), indicating that they will never work together in the future again. In 2002 the Onkelz released the album Dopamin, which was entirely recorded on the Spanish island Ibiza and mastered in the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.[7]
On 8 August 2003, despite negative headlines, the Böhse Onkelz were chosen as supporting act to the Rolling Stones for their concert in the Open Air Arena in the Hanover fairground.[8] In the same year they played a Club tour in Germany under their alias "Los Tioz", which is Spanish for "Die Onkelz".
[edit] 2004–2005: Career end
When the band's five year contract with Virgin ended in 2003, they found a new distributor in SPV GmbH for their final album, Adios. On 24 May 2004 the Onkelz officially announced their retreat from the active music business. After the release of the album, a gig on the Wacken Open Air in August 2004[9] and the sold-out tour La Ultima, the farewell show took place on 17 and 18 June 2005 at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz (in Lusatia, Brandenburg) under the name Vaya Con Tioz, in front of approximately 120,000. It was the biggest open air show by a German band ever.[10] Supporting bands included Motörhead, Machine Head, J.B.O., In Extremo, Psychopunch, Children of Bodom, Pro-Pain,[11] several other bands and Onkelz-coverbands like the Enkelz or the Kneipenterroristen.
[edit] 2005-present: Aftermath
On February 16. 2007 the last concert was released on four DVDs under the name Vaya Con Tioz which is Spanish for "go with the Onkelz" referring to "Vaya con dios" which means "Go with god". In 2008 it was certified with an Echo (music award) in the category „Musik-DVD-Produktion (national)“. In November 2007 the Onkelz released a re-recording of their album Onkelz wie wir... because it was the only possibility to regain the musical rights for the songs, that still belonged to their former label "Metal Enterprises". Each Stephan Weidner und Matthias Röhr have since released two solo albums and one Live album.
On New Year's Eve 2009 Russells car collided with another car and, he committed hit and run under the influence of drugs. Two young men were seriously injured in the accident. On October 4, 2010, Russell was sentenced to two years and three months prison by the court of Frankfurt am Main.[12]
Multiple events around the topic "Böhse Onkelz" are organised in Germany, such ase G.O.N.D. (Größte Onkelz Nacht Deutschlands) (Greatest Onkelz night of Germany) which has been held since 2006. In 2009, around 18,000 people attended.
[edit] Musical style and lyrical content
Their musical style has changed several times. Originally they played punk rock, starting with the demo album. They were heavily inspired by punk bands such as Sex Pistols and the Ramones, as well as Oi! bands like Sham 69, Cock Sparrer and Angelic Upstarts. Their music was stylistically similar to Oi! in the early and mid 1980s, and later to heavy metal and hard rock. Russell's brutal vocals have also been a very distinctive part of the band's style.
On later albums, the band experimented with different musical styles. The song "1000 Fragen" ("1000 questions") is a tribute to The Doors, with metaphysical lyrics and organ music. On the album Viva los tioz they combined hard rock rhythms with electronic music. An Indian sitar was used in the song "Einmal" from the album Adios. The nickname of the guitarist Gonzo is derived from the album title Double Live Gonzo from Ted Nugent, whose music he listened to regularly. Gonzo and Stephan were also fans of the American blues rock musician Stevie Ray Vaughan, whom they dedicated the instrumental song "Tribute to Stevie" on the 1993 album Weiß.[13]
At the beginning of most of their albums, the first song is a kind of a welcome, in which the Böhse Onkelz present themselves as the greatest in an ironic way. Many of their songs are directed against their critics, especially journalists. For example "Danke für nichts", "Zeig mir den Weg", "Jaja", "Keine Amnestie für MTV". Furthermore, in earlier years the Onkelz sang various drunkard hymns like "Heute trinken wir richtig", "Alkohol" and "Freibier".
Beyond that, lyrics of later albums are occupied with the question of the meaning of life, as a passage in the text of "Finde die Wahrheit" shows: „Denn die Wege sind lang, und selbst der Tod ist nicht ihr Ende, wach endlich auf!" ("For the paths are long, and even death isn't their end, wake up already!"). Other songs with this topic are "Wieder mal 'nen Tag verschenkt", "Stand der Dinge", "Das Problem bist Du" and "Dunkler Ort". These questions probably arose during and through the trial of the murderer of Andreas "Trimmi" Trimborn, mentioned above. This event was mentioned in several songs ("Nur die Besten sterben jung", "So geht's Dir (Deine Hölle)", "Das Messer und die Wunde", "Ganz egal", and "Der Platz neben mir").
Other topics addressed by the band's lyrics are individualism, self-finding and self-love. In the song "Wenn Du wirklich willst" are the lyrics „Sei du selbst, steh zu dir, die Wahrheit wird gelebt und nicht doziert. Du bist was du warst und du wirst sein was Du tust, beginne dich zu lieben, und du findest, was du suchst" ("Be yourself, stand for you, the truth is lived and is not taught. You are what you were and you will be what you do, begin to love yourself and you will find what you are searching for."). Songs like "Das Wunder der Persönlichkeit", "Mutier mit mir", "Ich mache was ich will" and "Ich bin wie ich bin" refer strongly to that topic.
In later albums, the past is addressed again and again, whereby it often concerns the wild experiences of the band members. One example is the song "Erinnerungen". In the text passage: „Ich erinner' mich gern an diese Zeit, eine Zeit die man nie vergißt. Doch ich muss mein Leben leben, meinen Weg alleine gehn, mach's gut, Du schöne Zeit, auf Wiederseh'n" ("I gladly remember that time, a time that you never forget. But I have to live my life, have to go my way alone. Farewell, beautiful time, good bye"), the topic is the band's exit from the skinhead scene. The songs "Ein langer Weg", "Scheiße passiert", "Nie wieder", "Flammen", "Deutschland im Herbst", "Buch der Erinnerungen" and "Ohne mich" also concern themselves occupied with this topic.
[edit] Accusations of right-wing extremism
Even today, the band is accused — despite many attempts at dissociation — of having extreme right-wing tendencies. Often the band's 1981 song Türken raus is mentioned as an example. This song was written during their punk phase, and the band says it was written as a reaction to a specific gang of Turks which often fought against them. Critics claim that the song does not refer to a specific group, but demands that "all Turks have to go". This generalization must, according to the band, be taken in the context of their primitive way of thinking at that time. The song Deutschland den Deutschen (Germany to the Germans), is also often mentioned. The band says that this song was also written in reaction to their experiences on the street.
Another song from 1981, "SS-Staat" ("SS state"), on the single Kill the Hippies - Oi!, is, according to the band, to be understood as "a glaringly provocation and anti-Nazi-song." Due to the bad recording quality, the line "SS-Staat im Staate, wir wollen's nicht erleben" ("SS-state in the state, we don't want to experience it") can be misheard as "SS-Staat im Staate, wir wollen's mit erleben" ("SS-state in the state, we want to experience").
"Türken raus" and "Deutschland den Deutschen" were never officially released. These songs were spread by copying and passing on the demotapes. Weidner said: "The text was a big stupidity and of course there was never a release of this song, and of course there will be never such a release."
The band has denied all right-wing tendencies since 1985, and have written several songs against extremism, totalitarism and racism. Later political songs promote independent opinion and oppose hate.[14]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
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Since 2001 the albums released under Bellaphon are distributed by the label SPV/regel23. The albums from the Metal Enterprises era: „Kneipenterroristen“, „Es ist soweit“ and the EP „Lügenmarsch“ are distributed with an altered cover by SPV/regel23 since March 2005. The album „Onkelz wie wir…“ was re-recorded and released on November 2, 2007. On December 4, 2009 a new mastered version of the original recordings of "Onkelz Wie Wir" was released as "Onkelz Wie Wir (Black Edition)" by Reflex Distribution & Media (Intergroove), which had bought the rights from Metal Enterprises.
[edit] Singles
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[edit] Awards & record certifications
[edit] Awards
| Year | Presenter | Awards | Result |
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| 1999 | Echo | Rock/Pop: group of the year national | Nominated[15] |
| 2001 | Echo | Rock/Pop: group of the year national | Nominated[16] |
| 2003 | Echo | Rock/Pop: group of the year national | Nominated[17] |
| 2005 | Echo | Rock/Pop: group of the year national | Nominated[18] |
| 2006 | Echo | Music-DVD-Production national: La Ultima / Live in Berlin | Nominated[19] |
| 2008 | Echo | Music-DVD-Production national: Vaya Con Tioz | Won[20] |
[edit] Record certifications
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Platinum Certification[21]
2x Platinum Certification[21]
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[edit] Further reading
- Edmund Hartsch, Böhse Onkelz, Danke für nichts, ISBN 3-00-001743-7.
- Klaus Farin, Buch der Erinnerungen, ISBN 3-933773-13-X.
- Cornelius Peltz, Hesse trifft Hesse – Eine Reise ins Universum der Persönlichkeit mit Hermann Hesse und Stephan Weidner, buy at Archiv der Jugendkulturen.
- Matthias Gonzo Röhr, Ralph Larmann: Meine letzten 48 Stunden mit den Böhsen Onkelz I.P. Verlag Jeske/Mader „2006“, ISBN 3-931624-36-6.
[edit] Sources and references
- ^ a b Chartquellen: DE AT CH
- ^ Edmund Hartsch: In: Böhse Onkelz, Danke für nichts. First Edition, 1997, p. 28.
- ^ Edmund Hartsch: In: Böhse Onkelz, Danke für nichts. First Edition, 1997, p. 39.
- ^ Edmund Hartsch: In: Böhse Onkelz, Danke für nichts. First Edition, 1997, p. 58.
- ^ Die Geschichte der Böhsen Onkelz
- ^ Kevin - B Ö H S E O N K E L Z
- ^ B Ö H S E O N K E L Z
- ^ Stones-Konzert in Hannover: Mick Jagger vertraut den Böhsen Onkelz - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Kultur
- ^ Wacken 2004 - Statement bezüglich der Böhsen Onkelz! - News - - metal.de
- ^ Böhse-Onkelz-Veteran Weidner: Wut im Kopf - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Kultur
- ^ Böhse Onkelz - Vaya con tioz (4 DVDs): Amazon.de: Böhse Onkelz: DVD & Blu-ray
- ^ Böhse Onkelz: Über zwei Jahre Haft für Kevin Russell – laut.de – News
- ^ Official biography, "Danke für nichts"
- ^ Böhse Onkelz: Benefiz-Konzert gegen rechte Gewalt – laut.de – News
- ^ Böhse Onkelz für immer | wer-kennt-wen.de
- ^ MusikWoche | News|Die ersten Nominierungen des Echo 2001
- ^ MusikWoche | News|Alle Nominierten für den Echo 2003
- ^ mediabiz.de | News|Kategorie: Rock/Pop
- ^ Echo 2006: Die Nominierten - Tokio Hotel & Azad News
- ^ Echo 2008: Erster Preis für Böhse Onkelz – laut.de – News
- ^ a b c d Auszeichnungen für Musikverkäufe: DE AT
[edit] External links
- http://www.onkelz.com - The Official Website (English)
- http://www.onkelz.de - The Official Website (German)
- http://www.sinfin-rox.de - Peter „Pe“ Schorowsky
- http://www.gonzomusic.com - Matthias „Gonzo“ Röhr
- http://www.der-w.de - Stephan Weidner
- http://www.3Tioz.de - Supporters Fanzine (German)
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080518061106/http://www.dunklerort.net/index.php - Band archive
- Böhse Onkelz discography at Discogs
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