Ledernacken

First Album (Reviewed by wavemeister):

Ledernacken 'First Album', released in 1986 on Strike Back Records, Rock / Dance
Tracklist:

Side A:
Amok (Original 7" Classic Version)
Galle (Full Version)
Wie Ein Hund (Previously Unreleased Version)
Money (Long Version)

Side B:
Shimmy & Shake (German Version)
Ich Will Dich Essen (Long Version)
Tauchsieder (Full Version)
Rhythmus Rausch (Full Version)
Real Treat (Full Version)
Amok (Country Edit)

Long before Rammstein invented their style of Crossover called 'Tanzmetal', Ledernacken were the first to blend elements of Hardrock with Dancefloor, adding some African Ethno to it.

They were also the pioneers of 'German lyrics with bad taste', tracks like 'Amok', 'Galle' or 'Ich Will Dich Essen' proved this...and prevented any chance of airplay, not to mention a possible chart entry. The main themes of this LP were Sex and Violence - in the 90s, it may have sold way better, but the 80s were much stricter on the lyric content.
Nonetheless, 'Amok' became a minor underground club hit in Germany, and the Ledernacken also gained a certain reputation in the independent scene.

As mentioned above, the music was very interesting with the (at that time) contrary styles blended. If only the lyrics were a bit more 'civilized'...
The Ledernacken released a few records more which were oriented on Hardrock with some Sleaze elements, and those were noticed positively by the critics. It doesn´t helped much - they never saw any commercial success, and by the beginning of the 90s, the Ledernacken went into oblivion.

This record can only be recommended to people with a sense of twisted humour and some knowledge of the German language, but if you´re looking for something out of the ordinary even today, you should give a try if you find the 'First Album' somewhere.

Response to this review by Bogie: Aaah. If only we'd known what they were saying. Amok was a big club hit here. Almost everybody had the 12" but I don't think I've heard a whole album. Will you do the translations for us Meister? Great review.

Response to this review by wavemeister: I could translate them, but only in the Love Lounge and under a different identity - to put it mildly, some of the lyrics are kinda gross.

Response to this review by Flix: That's what I feared. I haven't seen a CD of this anywhere, but I was hoping that it was out on some obscure German label. Oh well!