Ton Steine Scherben was one of the first and most influential
German languageGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
rockRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
bands of the 1970s and early 1980s. Well-known for the highly political and emotional lyrics of vocalist
Rio ReiserRio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
, they became a musical mouthpiece of
new left movementsThe term new social movements is a theory of social movements that attempts to explain the plethora of new movements that have come up in various western societies roughly since the mid-1960s which are claimed to depart significantly from the conventional social movement paradigm.There are two...
, such as the
squatting movementSquatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use. Squatting is significantly more common in urban areas than rural areas, especially when urban decay occurs...
, during that time in Germany and their hometown of
West BerlinWest Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. It was in many ways integrated with, although legally not a part of, West Germany...
in particular. Today, after the band's demise in 1985, and the death of Rio Reiser in 1996, Ton Steine Scherben have remained a
cult followingA cult following is used to refer to a small or large group of fans that are either somewhat or highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture.-Cult media:...
and popularity in the related
scenesIn sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong...
.
Recently, the remaining members have given reunion concerts under the name "Ton Steine Scherben Family".
Etymology
Ton Steine Scherben's literal
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
translation is "Clay Stones Shards"; in German, "Ton" can mean "sound" as well, so the band's name may be considered to be an amphibology. Singer
Rio ReiserRio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
usually told journalists the name was taken from a description by pioneer archeologist
Heinrich SchliemannHeinrich Schliemann Heinrich Schliemann Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an important...
of what he saw when he first came to the site of ancient
TroyTroy is a legendary city and center of the Trojan War, as described in the Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer...
. Other members of the band claim in the biography "Keine Macht für Niemand - Die Geschichte der Ton Steine Scherben" (No power for nobody - the story of Clay Stone Shards") that it is a play on the name of the West German labor union Bau-Steine-Erden (Construction-Stones-Earths).
The band name is also a tribute to
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup...
and to "Die roten Steine" (The red stones), a trainee theatre group from Berlin.
History
Formed in 1970 by vocalist and guitarist
Rio ReiserRio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
, guitarist R.P.S. Lanrue, Kai Sichtermann on bass guitar, and drummer Wolfgang Seidel when the members were all around 20 years of age, they are nowadays considered to have been one of the first genuine German-language rock band, together with
Udo LindenbergUdo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Early years:During Lindenberg’s childhood he developed a feel for rhythm. Taking every opportunity to drum, Lindenberg used petrol cans in lieu of a drum kit. Later he obtained his first real drum kit and in 1962 he began a period of...
. Their first big-stage appearance was at an Open-Air on 6 September 1970 on the
FehmarnFehmarn is an island and - since 2003 - a town on this island in the Baltic Sea, off the eastern coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and ca. 18 kilometers south of the Danish island of Lolland. It belongs to the district of Ostholstein. The area is 185 km² and the coastline is 78 km...
stage where
Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter...
had had his last appearance directly before. A house right next to the stage went up in flames while they were still playing; it has been alleged that it had been set on fire by the security personnel who had just received news that the event's organizers had disappeared with all the revenues. Still many people believed that Ton Steine Scherben had set the stage on fire, which gave them tremendous credibility in the radical scene.
Die Scherben released their material through their own label. The "David-Volksmund-Produktion" (David from "David and Goliath"; Volksmund = the people's voice) released not only the LPs of the Scherben but also of "Caramboulage", a "girl band" which consisted of Angela Olbrich, Elfie- Ester Steitz (R.P.S.'s sister) and Britta Neander; also they were engaged in the German gay-movement, so they released two LPs of "Brühwarm" and a Boy-Group namend "Stricher" ["hustler" or "the moneyboys"]; the last record of the David-Volsmund-Poduktion is the LP "Sternschnuppen" of the singer-song-writer Misha Schoeneberg. Later DVP became Schneeball-Produktion ("Snowball Productions") before becoming Indigo-Records in 1990. In 2003 the DVP was brought back to life as an independent division of Indigo- Records and is run by Nickel Pallat.
In the middle of the 1970s the pressure on the Scherben from their anarchistic fanbase grew. The Band felt more and more like a "music-box", playing for the radical scene on cue. While the band attempted a shift toward more personal lyrics, the radical scene insisted that they remain as political as before. Under this pressure the band escaped from Berlin to Fresenhagen, a little town in
NordfrieslandNordfriesland, English "Northern Friesland" or "North Frisia", is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia along with adjacent areas to the east and south and is bounded by the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Dithmarschen, the North Sea and...
, where they bought an old farm, which the numerous bandmembers, about 16 in all, repaired. There they tried to make their dream of "working & living together" come true.
After a period of being managed by
Claudia RothClaudia Benedikta Roth is a German Green Party politician and one of the two current party chairs, together with Cem Özdemir.- Biography :...
(later to become co-chairwoman of the German
Green PartyThe Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany which originated from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
), they disbanded in 1985 when the band's debt became unbearable.
Singer
Rio ReiserRio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
then embarked on a solo career until his death in 1996. At that time the rest of "Ton Steine Scherben" reunited one more time for a farewell concert. As of 2000, some members of the formerly Ton Steine Scherben touring since 2005 as Ton Steine Scherben Family, performing the band's classics.
Musical traits, lyrical themes and influence
Ton Steine Scherben were pioneers in German music culture. Their style has been described as
rockRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
with a "
renegadeRenegade is a synonym for turncoat. Another definition from the Middle Ages is a fallen Christian or a knight without allegiance, from the Spanish renegado, from the medieval Latin word renegatus, the perfect participle of renego, meaning "deny"....
stance, what in later years would be dubbed '
punkPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
'."
Their lyrics were at the beginning
anti-capitalistAnti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
and anarchist. They didn't think the socialism of the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
was anywhere near real socialism, and had connections to the squatter scene (e.g.
Rauch-Haus-SongThe Rauch-Haus-Song of the West Berlin band Ton Steine Scherben thematizes thesquatting of the former Bethanien-Krankenhaus from the sight of the squatters. The title reflects on the circumstance, that the squatters renamed the house „Georg-von-Rauch-Haus“ after Georg von Rauch who was shot by the...
) and the German
Red Army FactionThe Red Army Faction , shortened to RAF and in its early stages commonly known as Baader-Meinhof Group or Gang, was one of postwar West Germany's most violent and prominent groups who advocated communist-inspired terrorism...
terrorists during the time before the latter turned to violent crime and murder. Later Ton Steine Scherben toned down on political issues and explored more personal themes like freedom, love, drugs, and sadness. Most of their songs can be described as slightly mad, sometimes in a funny way, sometimes in a rather scary way. Later songs were about more complex issues such as
unemploymentUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and seeking work but currently without work. The prevalence of unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate, which is defined as the percentage of those in the labor force who are unemployed...
(
Mole Hill Rockers) or
homosexualityHomosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an individual’s...
(
Mama war so). They also contributed to two full-length concept album about homosexuality which were issued under the name
Brühwarm (literally: boiling warm) in cooperation with a gay-revue group.
All their albums were self-published and promoted. Revenues from the albums were slim which contributed to the band's dissolution. Only few singles were released, which rarely received commercial attention.
Founding members
- R.P.S. Lanrue -- guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
(1970–1985)
- Rio Reiser
Rio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
-- vocals, guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
(1970–1985)
- Wolfgang Seidel -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s (1970–1971)
- Kai Schichtermann -- bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
(1970–1985, except 1974–1975)
Last line-up
- R.P.S. Lanrue -- guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
(1970–1985)
- Rio Reiser
Rio Reiser , was a German rock musician and singer of the famous rock group Ton Steine Scherben. He was born Ralph Christian Möbius in Berlin and died at the age of 46 in the little German town of Fresenhagen. Rio Reiser was politically active during his whole life...
-- vocals(1970–1985)
- Funky K. Götzner -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s (1974–1985)
- Kai Schichtermann -- bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
(1970–1985, except 1974–1975)
- Martin Paul -- keyboards
A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(1981–1985)
- Misha Schoeneberg -- management
Management in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
, stageIn theatre, the stage is a designated space for the performance of theatrical productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience. As an architectural feature, the stage may consist of a platform or series of platforms...
- and lightdesign (1981–1985)
- Claudia Roth
Claudia Benedikta Roth is a German Green Party politician and one of the two current party chairs, together with Cem Özdemir.- Biography :...
-- managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
(1982–1985)
- Dirk Schlömer -- guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
(1983–1985)
Former members
- Nikel Pallat -- vocals, saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
, managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
(1970–1978)
- Jörg Schlotterer -- organising, flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
- Sven Jordan -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s (1971)
- Oliver Lietzau -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s (1972)
- Angela Olbrich -- chorus
A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
, percussions (1972–1981, except 1976–1977)
- Captain Hynding -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s, guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
(1972)
- Helmut Stöger -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s (1973)
- Werner "Gino" Götz -- bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
(1974–1975)
- Britta Neander -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s, chorusA choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
(1974–1982)
- Elfie- Ester Steitz -- chorus
A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
, cateringCatering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events , workplaces, and downtown business districts.-Event catering:Event ranges...
(1979–1982)
- Elser Maxwell -- management
Management in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
(1981–1982)
- Marius del Mestre -- choir/chorus, guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
(1981–1982)
Current members of Ton Steine Scherben Family
- Funky K. Götzner -- drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of music instruments, technically classified as a membranophone.. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with parts of a player's body, or with some sort of...
s
- Kai Schichtermann -- bass guitar
The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
- Martin Paul -- keyboards
A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Marco Schmedje -- (lead guitar)
- Angela Olbrich -- chorus
A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
, percussions
- Nikel Pallat -- vocals, saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841...
, managementManagement in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
- Marius del Mestre -- vocals, guitar
The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
- Elser Maxwell -- management
Management in all business and human organization activity is simply the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading, directing, facilitating and controlling or manipulating an organization or effort for...
Discography
- 1971 - Warum geht es mir so dreckig (Why am I so miserable)
- 1972 - Keine Macht für Niemand (No power for nobody)
- 1974 - Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten (When it's darkest night)
- 1980 - IV
- 1981 - Auswahl I
- 1983 - Scherben(Shards)
- 1984 - In Berlin (live)
- 1985 - Live I
The following albums were issued after the band ceased recording:
- 1996 - Live II
- 2006 - Live III
External links
Official website www.scherbenfamily.de - the official website dedicated to current news (reunion appearances, etc.)