Foyer des Arts
Encyclopedia
Foyer des Arts were a German
experimental pop duo founded in 1981 consisting of Max Goldt
(vocals, lyrics) and Gerd Pasemann (instruments). They released four original albums between 1981 and 1995, but were on hiatus for most of that time. Today, they are primarily remembered for their minor hit Wissenswertes über Erlangen (1982) as well as being the springboard for the career of Max Goldt, who emerged as a successful humorous writer in the 1990s.
in 1978 and formed the core of the band Favorit, which soon renamed itself to Aroma Plus. Influenced by New Wave
and art rock
, they played several gigs on the West Berlin club circuit with changing line-ups and self-released one EP
and a single. In 1981, Goldt and Pasemann decided to continue working strictly as a duo under the name Foyer des Arts, an allusion to an art school in Haiti
(Foyer des Arts Plastiques). They recorded and self-released the album Die seltsame Sekretärin ["The strange secretary"]. A single off this album, Eine Königin mit Rädern untendran ["A queen with wheels attached to her underside"], became a minor hit on the Berlin club scene. At that time, the New German Wave, originally an underground phenomenon influenced by international New Wave music
, was entering the mainstream and major labels were eager to recruit any new talents that could be marketed as New German Wave. This led to Foyer des Arts being signed by Warner Music's German branch, WEA Records, even though they never saw themselves as part of this trend.
Foyer des Arts' first album for WEA was titled Von Bullerbü nach Babylon (1982). The title, containing a reference to Astrid Lindgren
's fictional village, would translate as "From Bullerby to Babylon" or (for American ears) "From Noisy Village to Babylon". It credited Pasemann for "guitars, bass, arrangements", Goldt for "vocals, percussion, prepared acoustic guitar and prepared zither
". The first single from the album was "Wissenswertes über Erlangen" ("Things worth knowing about Erlangen
"). Its lyrics humorously reflected Goldt's experience from working as a tourist guide, recounting the clichés spouted by guides and tourists, with a simple, nursery rhyme-like melody. Wissenswertes spent seven weeks on the official German singles chart, peaking at #36 in October 1982. The single misguided the mainstream audience into thinking that Foyer des Arts was a comedy act or at least represented the lighter side of German New Wave, when in fact much of the album was improvised, experimental and darkish. At the same time, the target group that might actually have appreciated these virtues dismissed them due to the jovial image created by Wissenswertes. Sales of Foyer's first album for WEA failed to meet the label's expectations and was deleted from the catalog within months of its release. WEA refused to publish any further recordings, but neither did they agree to cancel the contract, so the band was effectively on ice. In 1984, Goldt published his first solo album.
It was not until after the WEA deal had expired in 1986 that Foyer des Arts finally released their second album, Die Unfähigkeit zu Frühstücken ["The inability to eat breakfast"] on the independent label Fünfundvierzig. This established them as a respected part of the German independent music scene; as such, John Peel
invited them to his BBC Peel Sessions. It was followed by Ein Kuss in der Irrtumstaverne [roughly: "A kiss in the Tavern of Illusion"] in 1988 . The double live album Was ist super? ["What is super?"] (1989) marked the end of Foyer's second active phase. By that time, Goldt had begun writing a column for the satirical magazine Titanic
which would eventually make him a popular author. In 1995, on Pasemann's request, the band briefly reunited to record a one-off "farewell album" entitled Die Menschen ["The Humans"].
In 2000, a best-of collection entitled Könnten Bienen fliegen ["If bees could fly"] was issued on the Fünfundvierzig label; in 2003, Warner Music Germany finally re-released Von Bullerbü nach Babylon, which had been out of print for almost two decades, as a special edition compact disc. Both the tracklist and cover artwork were changed to bring them closer to the band's original intentions which they felt had been compromised due to WEA's interventions.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
experimental pop duo founded in 1981 consisting of Max Goldt
Max Goldt
Max Goldt is a German satirical author and musician.Some hallmarks of Goldt's style are: a fresh ironic perspective on familiar aspects of everyday life; frequent, seemingly tangential changes of topic, triggered by unexpected associations; creative use of language, often combined with a...
(vocals, lyrics) and Gerd Pasemann (instruments). They released four original albums between 1981 and 1995, but were on hiatus for most of that time. Today, they are primarily remembered for their minor hit Wissenswertes über Erlangen (1982) as well as being the springboard for the career of Max Goldt, who emerged as a successful humorous writer in the 1990s.
Band history
Goldt and Pasemann met in West BerlinWest Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
in 1978 and formed the core of the band Favorit, which soon renamed itself to Aroma Plus. Influenced by New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
, they played several gigs on the West Berlin club circuit with changing line-ups and self-released one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and a single. In 1981, Goldt and Pasemann decided to continue working strictly as a duo under the name Foyer des Arts, an allusion to an art school in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
(Foyer des Arts Plastiques). They recorded and self-released the album Die seltsame Sekretärin ["The strange secretary"]. A single off this album, Eine Königin mit Rädern untendran ["A queen with wheels attached to her underside"], became a minor hit on the Berlin club scene. At that time, the New German Wave, originally an underground phenomenon influenced by international New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, was entering the mainstream and major labels were eager to recruit any new talents that could be marketed as New German Wave. This led to Foyer des Arts being signed by Warner Music's German branch, WEA Records, even though they never saw themselves as part of this trend.
Foyer des Arts' first album for WEA was titled Von Bullerbü nach Babylon (1982). The title, containing a reference to Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
's fictional village, would translate as "From Bullerby to Babylon" or (for American ears) "From Noisy Village to Babylon". It credited Pasemann for "guitars, bass, arrangements", Goldt for "vocals, percussion, prepared acoustic guitar and prepared zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
". The first single from the album was "Wissenswertes über Erlangen" ("Things worth knowing about Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
"). Its lyrics humorously reflected Goldt's experience from working as a tourist guide, recounting the clichés spouted by guides and tourists, with a simple, nursery rhyme-like melody. Wissenswertes spent seven weeks on the official German singles chart, peaking at #36 in October 1982. The single misguided the mainstream audience into thinking that Foyer des Arts was a comedy act or at least represented the lighter side of German New Wave, when in fact much of the album was improvised, experimental and darkish. At the same time, the target group that might actually have appreciated these virtues dismissed them due to the jovial image created by Wissenswertes. Sales of Foyer's first album for WEA failed to meet the label's expectations and was deleted from the catalog within months of its release. WEA refused to publish any further recordings, but neither did they agree to cancel the contract, so the band was effectively on ice. In 1984, Goldt published his first solo album.
It was not until after the WEA deal had expired in 1986 that Foyer des Arts finally released their second album, Die Unfähigkeit zu Frühstücken ["The inability to eat breakfast"] on the independent label Fünfundvierzig. This established them as a respected part of the German independent music scene; as such, John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
invited them to his BBC Peel Sessions. It was followed by Ein Kuss in der Irrtumstaverne [roughly: "A kiss in the Tavern of Illusion"] in 1988 . The double live album Was ist super? ["What is super?"] (1989) marked the end of Foyer's second active phase. By that time, Goldt had begun writing a column for the satirical magazine Titanic
Titanic (magazine)
Titanic is a German monthly satirical magazine based in Frankfurt. It has a circulation of approximately 100,000.- History :Titanic was founded in 1979 by former contributors and editors of Pardon, a satirical monthly, which the group had left after conflicts with its publisher...
which would eventually make him a popular author. In 1995, on Pasemann's request, the band briefly reunited to record a one-off "farewell album" entitled Die Menschen ["The Humans"].
In 2000, a best-of collection entitled Könnten Bienen fliegen ["If bees could fly"] was issued on the Fünfundvierzig label; in 2003, Warner Music Germany finally re-released Von Bullerbü nach Babylon, which had been out of print for almost two decades, as a special edition compact disc. Both the tracklist and cover artwork were changed to bring them closer to the band's original intentions which they felt had been compromised due to WEA's interventions.
Albums
- 1981: Die seltsame Sekretärin
- 1982: Von Bullerbü nach BabylonVon Bullerbü nach BabylonVon Bullerbü nach Babylon is the second album of the German pop duo Foyer des Arts. The title is derived from Bullerbü, the German name for the village in The Six Bullerby Children)....
- 1986: Die Unfähigkeit zu Frühstücken
- 1988: Ein Kuß in der Irrtumstaverne
- 1989: Was ist super?
- 1995: Die Menschen
- 2000: Könnten Bienen fliegen – Das Beste von Foyer des Arts
Singles
- 1981: Eine Königin mit Rädern untendran
- 1982: Wissenswertes über Erlangen
- 1982: Trends
- 1984: Ein Haus aus den Knochen von Cary Grant
- 1985: Schimmliges Brot
- 1986: Gleichzeitig? Das kann ich nicht
- 1988: Penis → Vagina