Propaganda: S&D

I remember mostly about 1234 was I bought it on cassette for a long car drive I was about to make. And I hardly ever bought pre- recorded cassettes too. I didn't listen to it until I set off and well, it was rubbish. What is Derek Forbes up to now?

I secretly like "Heaven Give Me Words," but wouldn't recommend _1 2 3 4_ to anyone with a straight face.

BTW, I saw them live back in the Fall of 1985 here in Portugal. Not very good; live drums, live bass and lots of keyboards and pre-programmed stuff, it all sounded a bit cheesy and very similar to the album.

The moment in P-Machinery where all the synths fizz out into the distance and Claudia holds the silence for maybe 0.3 of a second longer than in previous verses, before coming in with a breathy 'Installed By The Machine' gets me every time. The way that her voice comes up close and quiet, right in your ear for 'Hunting for a bygone picture' (The Chase)..., the whole of Duel...,the best keyboard sounds ever... oh God - genius!

Why does it hurt when my heart misses a beat?

Propaganda had quite a lot of radio support from the likes of Gary Davies, Peter Powell and Annie Nightingale on radio 1.

Propaganda and Claudia Bracken: Both Back in the Studio !

Lexicon Magazine report:

Propaganda's original members Ralf Dörper, Michael Mertens and Suzanne Freytag are currently working on a new Propaganda record, the other original vocalist Cladia Brucken is concurrently at work on a solo album which reportedly includes her version of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill".

Yeah, I knew that the tried to reform within the past 2 years but things did not work out.

[Prehaps my heading was confusing they are back in the studio working but separately !]

[the Lexicon news was updated this week !]

but .. make sure you have some spare cash leftover so you can get the 3cd boxset of Poppy's ZTT material.

The Quietus on the two disc reissue of A Secret Wish

not sure if it was linked on another related thread but terrific reading

http://www.ztt.com/archive/dialogue/paul_morley_discusses_a_secret_wish_with_andrew_harrison.html

surely tis time to reissue a remastered edition of the remix album

Great link, blueski. Thanks!

Yeah, good interview. Cheers. Now I'm listening to Wishful Thinking.

Sad news -- ZTT has announced Andreas Thein has passed on.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=546323332073726&l=fb08610569

Almost everything from 1984-1985 is. And no it wasn't.
― Tom, Tuesday, July 23, 2002 12:00 AM (13 years ago)

i have 10 versions of mabuse (at least), and i still could listen to more ..

I recently picked up the expanded anniversary editions of "Secret Wish" and "Wishful Thinking". Love the extra stuff, on the fence about the "Noise & Girls" comp though.

Photos on their official Facebook page show Brücken, Freytag and Dörper in the studio together, presumably working on new Propaganda product.

No Horn (or Lipson), No Justice.

first show in London is sold out, another was announced this week. wonder if they'll tour.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRF1XAEW4AcmD-K.jpg

Claudia and Susanne and your granny on bongos.

PROPAGANDA SAY NEVER LOOK BACK

About to be knocked out of Tom's poll by ROXETTE

Division 3 Group 6: Got no cure for misery

The Primitives! https://t.co/I8WCXKdriv
Propaganda! https://t.co/RYMcztIeQb
Roxette! https://t.co/3WKR9sQ0by
Swing Out Sister! https://t.co/sOi4wrHF1A

— Tom Ewing (@tomewing) May 10, 2020

I voted Swing Out Sister and instantly regretted it when I saw the standings

Little tip: put your phone into airplane mode and click on any of the options to see the current standings without actually voting.

ooooooooh

Roxette crisis averted - thanks all

haha I was just posting this

brutal brutal poll (quite fond of Joyride now along with a lot of other rapidly disappearing off the horizon pop of that time I didn't initially much care for)

while we're here I noticed this compilation on Spotify from 2014 of ZTT tracks seemingly reworked by Blank & Jones of all people possibly using masters of the originals. 12 minute edit of 'Duel' because there weren't already enough mixes - longest one to date? the 'Do Well' EP(?) from 1985 has in turn appeared on there too

but the 'Noise And Girls...' deluxe compilation from a few years back has been taken off >:[

New-ish record by Claudia Brucken/Jerome Froese (Edgar's son) isn't bad on first listen. Her voice is always welcome in my house.

(by "new-ish" I, of course, mean 2018)

Just came across this recent YouTube addition, a nice quality recording of a 1985 benefit for Greenpeace. Looks like they were great live, contrary to what someone said upthread (19 years ago).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S1tNNqC3ok

This is so excellent.

(re: the live YT link xposted)

Woah, no kidding. I'd also heard the myth they were not good live but this totally belies that. Maybe sounding close to your very good sounding 1985 album doesn't seem like a bad thing in 2022. There's certainly some playback but plenty of live playing and the vocals are on point.

I did actually see Propaganda live in 1985 and I don't remember it being particularly good, but you're right this footage is great. Think that's Derek Forbes of Simple Minds on bass guitar, btw.

i saw them in '85 too, 4 weeks after this, and recall it being quite disappointing but this does seem way better. it is Derek Forbes which i don't think i knew at the time, nor did i appreciate was an incredible bassist he is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwRwuZ54UGA

what.

killer

they went large on the cowbell for "p:machinery"

I've never seen live footage of them before or even contemplated that they might play live. I'm surprised by the enthusiastic 1980s dancing. The Simple Minds bass player thing is making me contemplate what I think of cool/arty and not. Were Simple Minds those things at some point? I should add that wine has happened.

never has a band been so easily divided between use and uselessness

Think that's Derek Forbes of Simple Minds on bass guitar, btw.

Brian McGee on drums too, also from Simple Minds

i did not know that either, or i did and have long forgotten.

simple minds were once cool and arty. x post.

Claudia looking like Goth Emma Thompson strutting along to P. Machinery there at the end.

Announcement; It’s time to announce that xPropaganda release their new @ZTTRecords album ‘The Heart is Strange’, which is both a debut and a continuation, on May 24th. Pre-order Compact Disc, Long Player and various exclusive variations here https://t.co/J0UPs2wF9l pic.twitter.com/TQKu9koao6

— xPropaganda (@_xPropaganda) February 15, 2022

First single is dull. No sense of the old grandeur. It literally sounds phoned in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6KEp_Z5cLg

Have I missed it or is there no mention on here of my personal favourite Frozen Faces, or even better the extended “The Echo of” version? One of my great privileges in life is having been in the position several times in my life of playing this in a DJ set to a packed room :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWoL_JkWVi8

Old film of Mabuse live with Steve Jansen (of Japan) on drums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZP41pyO51k

We were a different side of the 80s. Not the Duran Duran 80s.

Guardian interview with Susanne Freytag and Claudia Brücken to promote the new Propaganda album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VrU3IEkKms

Oh my.

the 'a secret wish' insights are fab!

The layered parts! Heaven.

The Grace Jones/Slave to the rhythm episode in this series is also essential.

The Relax one is also v. good.

Thanks. Also RIYL ZTT production dives - JJ was on the Sound On Sound podcast recently.