Hello, today the 160th post of Goldy Rhox, classic pop rock in the darklight, Johann (Hans) Hölzel (19 February 1957 – 6 February 1998), better known by his stage name, he was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Rock Me Amadeus", "Der Kommissar", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home (Jeanny Part 2)" and posthumously, "Out of the Dark". "Rock Me Amadeus" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts, making him the only artist whose principal language was German to score a vocal number-one hit in the United States ") . His estate claims he has sold 20 million albums and 15 million singles, which makes him the best selling Austrian singer of all time.
Today's mystery artist began to show signs of unusual musical talent very early. As a toddler, he was able to keep time with the drumbeat in songs he heard on the radio. He was given a baby grand piano for his fourth birthday; a year later, his birthday gift was a record player which he used to play music by Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, and the Beatles. At age five, he auditioned for the Vienna Music Academy, where it was confirmed that he had perfect pitch. In 1963, Hölzel began his schooling at a Roman Catholic private school; four years later, at age ten, he switched to the Rainer Gymnasium in Vienna. Shortly thereafter his father left the family. From then on, he was raised by his mother and grandmother and remained very close to them all his life.
He entered the Vienna Music Conservatory in 1977, but left after one semester to "become a real musician". For a short time, he lived in West Berlin while singing in a jazz-rock band and exploring the club scene. When he returned to Vienna he presented the artist name under which he would become known. En route to becoming an international rock star in his own right, he was bass player in the Austrian hard rock-punk rock band Drahdiwaberl (from 1978 until 1983). With Drahdiwaberl he wrote and performed the song "Ganz Wien" ("All Vienna"), which he would also include on his debut solo album, Einzelhaft (Solitary Confinement ). He also played bass with the space disco band Ganymed in 1981
His first hit was "Der Kommissar" ("The Commissioner") from the 1982 album Einzelhaft. A German language song about drug consumption that combines rap verses with a sung chorus, this record was a number-one success in many countries but failed to break big in the US. The song, however, would prove to have a life of its own in two English-language versions. A second album, Junge Römer (Young Romans) failed to provide a repeat to his debut single's success (outside of Austria and Germany, where the album did top the charts). Falco recorded "Rock Me Amadeus" inspired in part by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, and the song became a worldwide hit in 1986. This time, his record reached No. 1 in the US and UK, bringing him the success that had eluded him in that major market a few years earlier.
After 1986 there were a number of European hits, but he was rarely heard in the US and the UK. His 1992 comeback attempt, the album Nachtflug (Night Flight) including the song "Titanic", was successful in the German speaking territories but failed to chart internationally. He died of severe injuries received on 6 February 1998, just a few days before his 41st birthday, when his Mitsubishi Pajero collided with a bus in the Dominican Republic. It was later determined that the bus driver was speeding, for which the driver served three years in prison. I note here that in the movie Verdammt, wir leben noch! about his life it is suggested he was responsible as he was depressed once more. It's an interesting biopic about his drugfuelled life. It was released in Austria on 7 February 2008, ten years and one day after his death.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Most of the albums i 'll post made many millions for the music industry and a lot of what i intend to post still gets repackaged and remastered decades later, squeezing the last drop of profit out of bands that for the most part have ceased to exist long ago, although sometimes they get lured out of the mothballs to do a big bucks gig or tour. Now i'm not as naive to post this kinda music for all to see and have deleted, these will be a black box posts, i'm sorry for those on limited bandwidth but for most of you a gamble will get you a quality rip don't like it, deleting is just 2 clicks...That said i will try to accommodate somewhat and produce some cryptic info on the artist and or album.
Today's mystery album is the third album by today's artist, released 11 September 1985. In the U.S. it peaked at number 3 in the Billboard 200 albums charts and at #18 in their Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.It was his first album to be produced by Bolland & Bolland from The Netherlands.
Following an Academy Award-winning movie about Mozart, the Americanized mix of "Rock Me Amadeus" capitalized on and continued a resurgence of interest in the Viennese composer, and was an instant hit in the U.S., spending three weeks at number on the Hot 100 and peaking at number four on the dance charts and number six on the R&B singles charts. "Vienna Calling" continued the geographic and stylistic theme, and followed its predecessor as far as the U.S. Top 20. A third single, a power ballad called "Jeanny" sung from the point of view of a rapist and possible murderer, proved a controversial hit in Europe; banned by some radio programmers there, it nevertheless improved on the chart peak of its predecessor, though it was virtually ignored in the U.S. The album also included a reworked German-language version of The Cars song "Looking for Love", entitled "Munich Girls", as well as a lounge lizard cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue".
Despite all the songs boasting special mixes on the cover (e.g. "The Heart Mix"), these are all the normal album versions. Originally today's artist wanted to include an 11th song (the self-written "Without You") on the album but due to contract reasons and the fact that the melody-based song didn't fit in with the other, Bolland & Bolland written songs, the song was omitted. The one up for grabs here is the 25th Anniversary Edition, released on October 22, 2010, which adds 6 bonus tracks to the original (and remastered) album.
Goldy Rhox 160 (flac 568mb)
Goldy Rhox 160 (ogg 197mb)
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Today's mystery artist began to show signs of unusual musical talent very early. As a toddler, he was able to keep time with the drumbeat in songs he heard on the radio. He was given a baby grand piano for his fourth birthday; a year later, his birthday gift was a record player which he used to play music by Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, and the Beatles. At age five, he auditioned for the Vienna Music Academy, where it was confirmed that he had perfect pitch. In 1963, Hölzel began his schooling at a Roman Catholic private school; four years later, at age ten, he switched to the Rainer Gymnasium in Vienna. Shortly thereafter his father left the family. From then on, he was raised by his mother and grandmother and remained very close to them all his life.
He entered the Vienna Music Conservatory in 1977, but left after one semester to "become a real musician". For a short time, he lived in West Berlin while singing in a jazz-rock band and exploring the club scene. When he returned to Vienna he presented the artist name under which he would become known. En route to becoming an international rock star in his own right, he was bass player in the Austrian hard rock-punk rock band Drahdiwaberl (from 1978 until 1983). With Drahdiwaberl he wrote and performed the song "Ganz Wien" ("All Vienna"), which he would also include on his debut solo album, Einzelhaft (Solitary Confinement ). He also played bass with the space disco band Ganymed in 1981
His first hit was "Der Kommissar" ("The Commissioner") from the 1982 album Einzelhaft. A German language song about drug consumption that combines rap verses with a sung chorus, this record was a number-one success in many countries but failed to break big in the US. The song, however, would prove to have a life of its own in two English-language versions. A second album, Junge Römer (Young Romans) failed to provide a repeat to his debut single's success (outside of Austria and Germany, where the album did top the charts). Falco recorded "Rock Me Amadeus" inspired in part by the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, and the song became a worldwide hit in 1986. This time, his record reached No. 1 in the US and UK, bringing him the success that had eluded him in that major market a few years earlier.
After 1986 there were a number of European hits, but he was rarely heard in the US and the UK. His 1992 comeback attempt, the album Nachtflug (Night Flight) including the song "Titanic", was successful in the German speaking territories but failed to chart internationally. He died of severe injuries received on 6 February 1998, just a few days before his 41st birthday, when his Mitsubishi Pajero collided with a bus in the Dominican Republic. It was later determined that the bus driver was speeding, for which the driver served three years in prison. I note here that in the movie Verdammt, wir leben noch! about his life it is suggested he was responsible as he was depressed once more. It's an interesting biopic about his drugfuelled life. It was released in Austria on 7 February 2008, ten years and one day after his death.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Today's mystery album is the third album by today's artist, released 11 September 1985. In the U.S. it peaked at number 3 in the Billboard 200 albums charts and at #18 in their Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.It was his first album to be produced by Bolland & Bolland from The Netherlands.
Following an Academy Award-winning movie about Mozart, the Americanized mix of "Rock Me Amadeus" capitalized on and continued a resurgence of interest in the Viennese composer, and was an instant hit in the U.S., spending three weeks at number on the Hot 100 and peaking at number four on the dance charts and number six on the R&B singles charts. "Vienna Calling" continued the geographic and stylistic theme, and followed its predecessor as far as the U.S. Top 20. A third single, a power ballad called "Jeanny" sung from the point of view of a rapist and possible murderer, proved a controversial hit in Europe; banned by some radio programmers there, it nevertheless improved on the chart peak of its predecessor, though it was virtually ignored in the U.S. The album also included a reworked German-language version of The Cars song "Looking for Love", entitled "Munich Girls", as well as a lounge lizard cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue".
Despite all the songs boasting special mixes on the cover (e.g. "The Heart Mix"), these are all the normal album versions. Originally today's artist wanted to include an 11th song (the self-written "Without You") on the album but due to contract reasons and the fact that the melody-based song didn't fit in with the other, Bolland & Bolland written songs, the song was omitted. The one up for grabs here is the 25th Anniversary Edition, released on October 22, 2010, which adds 6 bonus tracks to the original (and remastered) album.
Goldy Rhox 160 (flac 568mb)
Goldy Rhox 160 (ogg 197mb)
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Thank you, awesome blog, ¿can you repeat or refresh the Paisley Underground series?, rhank you
ReplyDelete