The definitive reissue of influential German post-punk electronic pop band Palais Schaumburg: in addition to the actual album, this reissue includes a second LP containing all the pieces that the band recorded prior to their debut album, and a previously-unreleased recording of a concert in Holland. A lavish booklet includes rare photographs and liner notes by Chris Bohn, editor of The Wire. In 1980, two students met at the Hamburg Art Academy: Thomas Fehlmann, who appreciated art and music and wanted to connect them, and the musician Holger Hiller, who had escaped the fractious Hamburg alternative scene, preferring the art school's Conservatory of Music. The spirit of the early New German Wave blew through the country, the first independent labels vied for innovative artists, and the West German post-punk scene began to take shape. Hiller and Fehlmann brought in FM Einheit (from the band Abwarts) on drums and the Californian Chris Lunch on bass. But only shortly after the first single, with Timo Blunck's bass riffs and the adept drumming of Ralf Hertwig, did the band establish its classic line-up. Palais Schaumburg played numerous gigs in this line-up and recorded a second single -- then on the indie label Zick Zack. The recording of the album was enhanced by the British producer David Cunningham (Flying Lizards). Soon the music giant Phonogram came along waving a contract. Though it was predictable that the album would not exactly be a commercial success, its special position in German pop music soon became clear. The attention the album received was considerable, given the "awkwardness" of the music. These days, alongside the central works of the famous Krautrock bands, it is one of the most sought-after albums of German avant-garde music internationally. The limited edition 180 gram vinyl double LP comes with a CD version of the album and contains a 7" single with four tracks from a concert in Hamburg where people from the audience -- among them Andreas Dorau -- perform their own versions accompanied by the band.
