Rock-O-Rama Records
Encyclopedia
Rock-O-Rama was a German
record label
started in 1980
by Herbert Egoldt. The label folded in 1994 after a police raid.
Egoldt bootlegged
1950s rockabilly
recordings in the early 1970s before starting the Rock-O-Rama mail order
service, which was the first significant source for English
and American
punk records in Germany. The label was originally an outlet for (more or less left wing) German punk bands such as the Vomit Visions and the Razors. These early bands sang in English, which led to the following comment by John Peel
, who wrote to Egoldt in May 1980: "One thing about the records. Why do German singers sing in English? Is it because it is fashionable? Or is it a marketing consideration? Whichever it is, I think they should sing in German anyway."
In the mid 1980s, Rock-O-Rama was best known for white power rock bands like Böhse Onkelz
and Skrewdriver
. By then, the label had left its punk roots behind and concentrated on records by neo-Nazi
and far right
bands. Egoldt had developed a reputation for questionable business practices before he began to release records by right wing bands. The label has been accused of defrauding bands of royalties, and of issuing or reissuing records without the consent of the bands. Most of the bands had signed away their rights. Böhse Onkelz, one of the most successful German rock bands of the 1990s — who had enough money to pay for good lawyers — couldn’t prove any legal wrongdoing.
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...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
started in 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
by Herbert Egoldt. The label folded in 1994 after a police raid.
Egoldt bootlegged
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
1950s rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
recordings in the early 1970s before starting the Rock-O-Rama mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
service, which was the first significant source for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk records in Germany. The label was originally an outlet for (more or less left wing) German punk bands such as the Vomit Visions and the Razors. These early bands sang in English, which led to the following comment by 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...
, who wrote to Egoldt in May 1980: "One thing about the records. Why do German singers sing in English? Is it because it is fashionable? Or is it a marketing consideration? Whichever it is, I think they should sing in German anyway."
In the mid 1980s, Rock-O-Rama was best known for white power rock bands like Böhse Onkelz
Böhse Onkelz
The Böhse Onkelz were a German rock group that existed from 1980 to 2005. Although being ignored by the mass media for their controversial past, since Viva los tioz in 1998 almost every album reached number one on the German album charts. According to record certifications and additional sources...
and Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver
Skrewdriver was an English punk rock band formed by Ian Stuart Donaldson in Poulton-le-Fylde in 1976. They later evolved into one of the first neo-Nazi rock bands, playing a leading role in the Rock Against Communism movement and becoming known as the most prominent white power skinhead...
. By then, the label had left its punk roots behind and concentrated on records by neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
and far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
bands. Egoldt had developed a reputation for questionable business practices before he began to release records by right wing bands. The label has been accused of defrauding bands of royalties, and of issuing or reissuing records without the consent of the bands. Most of the bands had signed away their rights. Böhse Onkelz, one of the most successful German rock bands of the 1990s — who had enough money to pay for good lawyers — couldn’t prove any legal wrongdoing.