Wolfgang Michels
| Wolfgang Michels | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Hamburg, Germany |
| Occupations | singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1967-present |
| Labels | ferryhouse/Warner |
| Website | Homepage |
Wolfgang Michels (July 15, 1951, in Delmenhorst, Germany) is a German singer-songwriter.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Discovered
In May 1968 a very young musician named Wolfgang Michels with the pseudonym "One Plus None" landed a No 2 hit with "Desert Walker", a song produced by himself, topped only by the Rolling Stones at No 1. The blues musician Alexis Korner invited Michels to London and took him under his wing.
[edit] Percewood's Onagram
Michels, as singer and guitarist and a part of the psychedelic rock band Percewood's Onagram, caused a sensation in the early 1970s as the first German indie band; he produced four albums, with lyrics and music all by Michels. After the band split up, Michels returned to London where he appeared at the Marquee Club, among others.
[edit] Award
He moved to San Francisco, where he, as the first German musician in California/USA, recorded two solo albums in collaboration with Neil Young and producer and engineer John Nowland. For the album "Full Moon California Sunset" Michels was awarded the "Deutscher Schallplattenpreis", the "German Record Price", the predecessor of the Echo (music award), in 1978.
[edit] German Chart Hit
In the mid-eighties Michels released three solo albums with German lyrics, produced in collaboration with the German artist Rio Reiser. Various singles followed, including the 1990 hit "Dancing On The Edge Of Life". The song held a position in the German charts for weeks in the nineties. Several albums by Michels and Percewood's Onagram appeared as CDs.
1993 Michels was invited by Joan Baez to a common concert in the "Philharmonie" in Munich (Germany).
[edit] Covered
In 2003 Warner Strategic Marketing/Warner Music Germany released the complete Michels/Percewood's Onagram album collection as digitally remastered CDs, with previously unreleased bonus tracks. Two 'Best Of' albums were also released. In the same year the German hip hop band Fettes Brot (Fat Bread) scored a chart hit with the Michels–Reiser track ich bin müde ("I'm tired"). The national daily newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung praised it as one of the best songs of the year.
[edit] Comeback
The studio album Zuhause (At Home) was released in April 2008. 14 new songs were recorded at the Hamburg Home Studio of Franz Plasa. Udo Lindenberg tipped his hat, commenting: "World class", Musikexpress claimed the release to be a surprise comeback for Michels: "A dozen songs for eternity". He performed as a Special Guest for the Neil Young concert in Hamburg in August 2008. He also played with the American musicians Beth Hart and Joan Armatrading. In 2009 his many concert and television activities continued, touring with Neil Young in June all over Germany.
[edit] Discography
[edit] LPs
- 1975 Kunstkopf live – Hamburger Folk-Rock Session
- 1976 New Wave Dropouts, Pastels
- 1977 Full Moon California Sunset, Telefunken
- 1979 Crazy Enough, Pastels, Bellaphon
- 1981 Irgendwas stimmt hier nicht, Metronome
- 1983 Keine Probleme, Teldec
- 1985 Bei Mondschein..., Teldec
[edit] Vinyl Sampler
- 1981 Rock in Deutschland Vol. 8 – Strand, Teldec
- 1982 Rock in Deutschland Vol. 3 – Neue deutsche Unterhaltungsmusik, Teldec
[edit] Singles (7") as One Plus None
- 1968 Virgin
A: You're Looking So Good / Please Be Faithful B: Drive Me Somewhere (1st Version) / Religion And Love / Death Of Mr.G.
[edit] Singles (7") as Michels
- 1978 Telefunken
A: Do You Still Dig It / B: Ramona From Roma
- 1979 Bellaphon
A: Now I Know You / B: Crazy Enough
- 1981 Metronome / Nature
A: Bitte Sehr (Wenn die dunklen Wolken…) / B: Unten im Keller
- 1981 Metronome / Nature
A: Tanz auf dem Vulkan / B: Irgendwas stimmt hier nicht
- 1983 Teldec
A: Kleiner Träumer / B: Zukunft der Vergangenheit
- 1984 Teldec
A: Dies könnte unsre Heimat sein / B: Keine Probleme
- 1985 Teldec
A: Bei Mondschein… / B: Brechen kannst Du mich nie
- 1986 Teldec
A: Love Letters To The Moon / B: Herzverloren
[edit] Singles (7") as Percewood
- 1990 Mercury
A: Dancin’ On The Edge Of Life / B: Lover And Friend
(Charts: #45 D – Media Control)
[edit] Maxi-CDs as Michels
- 1994 BMG (Do-CD Promo Digipack)
Lebenslange Reisen / Bring Me Water / Bring Me Water (Acoustic Version)
- 1995 BMG 1995
Bring Me Water / Take Me Back Into Your Arms / 100 Beats Per Minute / Bring Me Water (Acoustic Version)
- 2003 Warner Music (Promo)
Deal Together
[edit] CDs as Michels
- 1990 Full Moon California Sunset, Castle Communications & BMG 1994 & 2003 Warner Music+
- 1994 + 2003 Crazy Enough, BMG & Warner Music +
- 2003 Irgendwas stimmt hier nicht, Warner Music +
- 1994 + 2003 Keine Probleme, BMG & Warner +
- 1994 + 2003 Bei Mondschein…, BMG & Warner Music +
- 1994 Orange Kindergarten, BMG
- 2003 Das Beste – Zukunft der Vergangenheit, Warner Music +
- 2003 The Essential Collection – Pictures Of The Past, Warner Music +
- 2008 Zuhause, ferryhouse, Warner Music
+ Digital remastered, with unreleased bonus-tracks and alternativ-versions
[edit] As producer
- Percewood's Onagram
- John Hartford
- 1980 Das dritte Ohr Zahltag, Teldec
- 1987 Short Romans Short Romans, Upfront / Teldec
