Major Influance during short-lived "German New Wave" period

The Spider Murphy Gang were at the very head of the "Neue Deutsche Welle" music movement of 1982-85. The German music scene had briefly drifted away from the ever-popular "Hitparaden-Musik" to a much "snappier" sound, which embraced the younger generation rather than the "over 30 crowd". With "Wo bist du?" the Bavarian rockers scored a major hit, followed by the double-entendre "Ich schau dich an" (a thinly vailed account of a man admiring a "peep-show" performer). This is definitely a "new sound". Too bad it only lasted a couple of years. Soon "Schunkel-Lieder" re-claimed their status as most popular German music. -- This CD will take you back to the Germany of the 1980s and the failed music revolution it started. Many people around the world remember Nena and her "99 Luftballons". If you do remember Nena, then you should give The Spider Murphy Gang a chance, the sound of "Neue Deutsche Welle" is certainly a winner!

Simply Rock `n Roll

First of all: Excuse me, I'm German (so much about my bad English). Furhtermore I think I don`t agree with my predecessor in the first review: The Spider Murphy Gang (SMG) has nothing in common with all other bands of the Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW, translatet it is something like New German Wave).

It is true that SMG had their greatest hits during the time of NDW. But that was simply coincident. They come from Munich and were local heroes even before NDW got popular. The release of their first album "Rock 'n Roll Schuah" (Rock `n Roll Shoe) showed what they really are: Nothing but a Rock `n Roll Band.

Unfortunately their greatest hits "Skandal Im Sperrbezirk" and "Schickeria" topped the charts right in the peak of NDW and in the same way their popularity rose with NDW their fame faded with NDW disapearing.

However, the rest of greatest hits ist simply Rock `n Roll. And it`s good! There are covered songs like "Sch-Bum ('S Leb'n Is Wiar A Traum" and "Autostop" and their own tracks like "Rock'n Roll Schuah", "Mir San A Bayrische Band" (We Are A Bavarian Band) and "Pfueati Gott Elisabeth" (Bye Bye Elisabeth). These are their real hits everyone is waiting for in their famous concerts. So I have a final advice: Buy it, enjoy it and ask bavarians if you really want to know what their texts do mean.

SMG is as close to pure Rock 'n Roll as you get

While I have not purchased this album I am familiar with most of its songs. I agree, SMG (taken from a line of Elvis Presley's song "Jailhouse Rock") is a Rock 'n Roll band. Their sound is nothing like New Wave. I remember listening to them when I worked in Germany over 20 years ago (yikes, it has been that long) and remember their cover of the classic Rock 'n Roll song from the 50's, "School Days", which I believe was titled in Bayerisch as "Schui Tog". This song showed that they were indeed a Rock 'n Roll band. I look forward to my purchase of this album as it is indeed close to what I would have included in a "Best Of" album.