The Principle Of Reason... (A Secret Wish - Propaganda)

Member Name: sam1942

Product:	A Secret Wish - Propaganda
Date:	11/01/07 (476 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The extraordinary debut album of the German synth band (1985)

Disadvantages: They faded out as quickly as they arrived

Controversially taking their band name from the word given to a message or slogan directed to mislead and influence the understanding or the opinion of the masses, perhaps it gives even more food for thought when we remember them as being a group originating from Germany. However, it would appear since their demise that it may well have been their inappropriate choice of band name that led to their disappearance from the electro-new wave dance scene.

Strangely, they had no connections with religious terrorism and moral panic on a hysterical scale, but they did give us a better idea of German musical talent other than rock Gods, The Scorpions and wired up, way out, techno nerds, Kraftwerk. Yet their presence was undoubtedly brilliantly timed. Stretching out quite comfortably, they felt the easiness of smooching up to fellow synth giants, Human League, New Order and Simple Minds (the latter became an even bigger connection in future recordings.) What we have today in front of us was possibly their best work. It was fresh, exciting and very much of the moment. ‘A Secret Wish,’ was Propaganda’s debut album release in September 1985 in the height of spiky hair, lip gloss and baggy ‘Medieval poet’ shirts…

First accepting a giant step up the ladder by friend and Avant-garde enthusiast, David Sylvian, they managed to score well in the U.K charts in the Spring of 1984 with ‘Dr Mabuse,’ this leap to number 27 gave them a taste of the desires of the stubborn British pop indulgent public. With it’s sullen spoken words of ‘Why does it hurt when my heart sips a beat..?’ the charge felt through this track is almost one of troubled, miserable girls almost spitting at the microphone. Laced with layers of delicately patterned synth sounds, it appearance of not unlike Fuzzbox in one of there quieter moments. It doesn’t show any heart felt emotion on the same scale as the touching and wistful ‘Duel,’ that dances quickly into middle of the road safety. If those of you out there are familiar with twinkling, fluffy duo, Strawberry Switchblade of the same era, you will be following me with guilt at remembering their record, (see there is no ‘s’ on the end of that,) yet there is something pleasing and easy going about this track. The girls seem almost bright and cheerful - the nearest that Prop ever got to a love song, and another single. The second and last from this album, a number twenty one feature for them in May 1985. There was, however, another release which appears on this album, ‘P-Machinery,’ sound like a tour around the technical works of the band’s instruments, yet this piece failed to achieve anything near the top forty. Appearing to our ears like the sound one used to get from accidentally putting in a computer game cassette into the stereo, it makes sense now, why this track didn’t as well. Altered Images perhaps could have had a better go, although the wonder if Howard Jones didn’t mind them pinching his drum machine does cast a shadow over my mind…

The statutory two girl/two boy line up appeared to be a reliable concept, thus taking on squeaky vocals, the leash was off for the male keyboard nuts to adjust to mastering the wide range of synth sounds from behind. Pouting, moody and full of all the charismatic charm of Terry Hall (The Specials), they proved to be a worthy investment to the public for a while, however, tantrums between band and record label (it would never be rock and roll without bust ups) led to the rather back handed gesture of the label mixing a fairly poor album behind the backs of the band just to make a quick Deutschmark. This was the last straw and the band quit the music scene for the foreseeable future.

In ‘A Secret Wish,’ it was all there. Although stood firmly as a German band and never once dared to try to be anything else (The Scorpions came across more U.S than Bon Jovi,) they donned a British mask of experimentalism naturally. The influences of the day are easy to detect. Pet Shop Boys, Howard Jones, OMD, Thomas Dolby; the list was endless. Such was the tight fit, artistically between bands that it was difficult to tell exactly who was influencing who. As a matter of fact, the chicken and the egg theory was cracked with perfection and a rather tasty omelette was made..

Enlisting the help of the biggest names around; David Sylvian, Trevor Horn and Stuart Coppland. Their first album gathered together a room full of the most diverse, experimental and scene changing influences of the mid Eighties. This album still today, sounds just as fresh and new as it did over twenty years ago. The sounds are transforming and not, actually in the least bit date. There was a particular feeling of being surrounded by sounds throughout this album. The Herb Alpert jazz influenced ‘Dream Within A Dream,’ gives the feeling of climbing a mountain and taking in the wide openness along the way. A crescendo of sound, volume and imagination lifts this album on a higher plane before it’s really even started. In fact, I do believe that’s it’s one of those tracks that world known magicians have used as a back drop for the great disappearing acts or at the very point that David Copperfield walked through The Chinese Wall.

It perhaps, a wonder why this band sunk into the depths of non existence so easily as they did. Their particular brand of extraordinary progressive synth building is mesmerising and imaginative. What is particularly worth noting is that old saying of ‘why don’t they make music like this anymore?..’ Embarking on listing to this album is an adventure in itself - a journey back in time when bands were allowed to be creative, inspired and exciting. As much as we knock and put down a lot of what happened to music during the Eighties, it was the first half of the decade that push through the final barriers of what was realistic and conformist. It was bands like Propaganda that edged past the norm and lead the way along the final path of freedom within music.

The final track transformed their cold, synth sound into warmth and mystery when dipping into the feeling that adding violins can conjure up. ‘Strength To Dream,’ will have the listener drifting off to do just that. All in all, it’s an album can only be unleashed onto ears that remember these sounds from the first time around. It’s not many youngsters than will appreciate the strangeness of this album, only perhaps if they already have heard of Siouxie and The Banshees. Yet, this album, even if you can’t stand the repetition of synth pop, especially if it comes in Euro form, it still deserves to be recognised as a specific moment in pop history, particularly, the history of synthesizers, keyboards and layered knits, the art of wearing pastels and sharing blue eye shadow; the day that the world went bonkers and boys became girls; when style was in and genders were out.

Propaganda, the band, marked a point in British new romantic history - the day that Europe joined in…





Propaganda re formed in 2005 at Wembley for a concert marking the career of Trevor Horn.

In December 2005, the band released ‘Valley Of The Machine Gods,’ (single)

A compilation album was released in 2002 titled, ‘Outside World.’


Propaganda were;

Michael Mertens - keyboards
Suzanne Freytag - vocals
Claudia Brucken - vocals
Ralf Dorper - keyboards

(so there, Spell Check!)


‘A Secret Wish,’ bought at Fopp music stores £5.
ZTT records. First released in 1985.
www.ZTT.com
ebay - prices range from £5.50 and lower (99p on vinyl!)

©sam1942 2006.

Summary: Experimental Eighties Euro synth band who nestled easily along side British peers