Propaganda (band)

Propaganda were a synthpop group formed in Germany in the early 1980s by Andreas Thein and Ralf Dörper, later adding third member Michael Mertens. Following a limited-release single in Germany, they were spotted by Trevor Horn and signed to his ZTT label.

Related Topics:
Synthpop - Germany - 1980s - Andreas Thein - Ralf Dörper - Michael Mertens - Trevor Horn - ZTT

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Having relocated to the UK, the group added vocalists Susanne Freytag and Claudia Brücken, and released the single "Dr. Mabuse" which reached the UK Top 30. The group, now minus Thein, set about recording their debut album A Secret Wish. Due to the huge success Trevor Horn was having with Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ZTT's plan to have Trevor Horn produce Propaganda's debut had to be abandoned. Stephen Lipson was brought in to take his place. When finally released, preceded by the hit single "Duel", the album did receive considerable critical acclaim and unexpected commercial success, but the group members had lost faith in ZTT, and 1986's remix album Wishful Thinking was compiled by producers Stephen Lipson and Bob Kraushaar without input from the group. Friction between Propaganda and ZTT had arisen when the band realized that their recording contract with ZTT would leave them without any remuneration for their work. A source close to the band confirmed that the first recording royalty the group members received for their 1985 album A Secret Wish was given to them by ZTT in 2001 and amounted to £182 per band member.

Related Topics:
Susanne Freytag - Claudia Brücken - A Secret Wish - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - 1986

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Claudia Brücken stayed with ZTT, having married the label's publicist Paul Morley. She joined with Thomas Leer to form Act, who in 1988 released their only album Laughter, Tears and Rage.

Related Topics:
Paul Morley - Thomas Leer - Act - 1988 - Laughter, Tears and Rage

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In 1990, Mertens returned with a new line-up which included vocalist Betsi Miller and Scottish bassist Derek Forbes, and a new LP 1234 on which Freytag and Dörper made guest appearances. Despite a radio-friendly debut single "Heaven Give Me Words", the new Propaganda were not a huge success.

Related Topics:
1990 - Betsi Miller - Derek Forbes

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In 1998, Mertens, Brücken and Freytag reunited, signed to Eastwest Records, and began working on new Propaganda material. Several tracks were completed, including one produced by Tim Simenon and featuring Martin Gore on guitar. A video for one song, "No Return", directed by "Keyser Soze" (likely a pseudonym), was produced in Morocco in December 1998. Two-minute clips of it, along with photos of the shoot, were released via the band's official website in early 2000. However, no album materialized, and in January 2002, Brücken announced, "The reunion was worth a try, but did not work out." Later that year, an untitled nine-track CD was leaked via file-sharing networks on the Internet. Track titles were "Cloud 9", "Ignorance", "Who's The Fool", "Beast Within", "No Return", "To The Future", "Turn To The Sun", "Dream Within A Dream", and "Anonymous".

Related Topics:
1998 - Eastwest Records - Tim Simenon - Martin Gore - Keyser Soze - Morocco - 2000 - 2002

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In early 2005, Propaganda, now Susanne Freytag and Michael Mertens, started to release new material on the German Independent Label Amontillado-Music. http://www.amontillado-music.com/

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