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'Alphaville' is a German synthpop/-rock music group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name ''Hartwig Schierbaum'', born May 26, 1954 in Herford), Bernhard Lloyd (real name ''Bernhard Gößling'', born June 6, 1960 in Enger, Bielefeld) and Frank Mertens (real name ''Frank Sorgatz'', born October 26, 1961 in Enger, Bielefeld). The band was at first named 'Forever Young'. Alphaville are best known for their two biggest hits, "Big in Japan" and "Forever Young."

Contents

Beginnings

Afternoons in Utopia

Projects

Discography

Trivia

References

External links

Beginnings

In 1984 the re-named Alphaville released their debut single "Big in Japan", followed by "Sounds Like a Melody" and "Forever Young", quickly followed by the album ''Forever Young''. Despite its success Frank Mertens left the band in the same year and was replaced by Ricky Echolette (born Wolfgang Neuhaus, in Cologne, August 6, 1960) in January 1985 - already credited in "Forever Young" album.
"Big In Japan" was their biggest US and UK success, shooting to #'1' on Billboard's Dance chart, number 8 on the official UK chart and #'1' on the German Charts, in Switzerland and in Sweden, #2 in Italy and in the Netherlands, #3 in Norway, #4 in Austria and Ireland, #5 in South Africa and #13 in France. While they never again achieved a UK Top 20 hit, in the US several of their releases went Top 40 on the American Dance charts. They were less successful at mainstream US radio, reflected by their showing on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts, where "Big" only reached #66. The next single "Sounds like a Melody" reached the top 10 in Austria, Turkey, Germany, Italy, France, South Africa, Norway, Sweden (#'1') and Switzerland where Alphaville had a huge success. The first US release of the following single "Forever Young" failed to scale the charts, even it was again a Top 10 hit in Germany, Turkey, Italy, South Africa, Norway, Sweden (#'1') and Switzerland in 1984/1985. A fourth single, "The Jet Set", from their debut album gave them another German, Swiss and Swedish charts hit.
In that year, amid reports pop star Laura Branigan was featuring the song on her next album, ''Hold Me'', Alphaville's "Forever Young" was re-released as a single in the US, and again floundered in the lower recesses of the chart. Branigan's version, though promoted on stickers adorning the album, subsequently remained an album cut in the US, though it was released to radio in South America. She would go on to perform the song as an encore at nearly every concert she performed, from her 1985 tour until her death in 2004. The Alphaville version was released a third time in the US in 1988, to promote ''Alphaville: The Singles Collection'', and peaked this time at #65. Their highest US Singles chart showing, it was also their last. International re-releases of Alphaville's "Forever Young" followed in 1989, 1996, and 2001. Several covers have been recorded and remixed, featuring male or female vocalists often erroneously attributed to be Alphaville's Marian Gold, or Laura Branigan. "Forever Young" was performed by Kiki and Herb as part of their show ''Alive From Broadway''.^[1]

Afternoons in Utopia

In 1986 the second album ''Afternoons in Utopia'' was successfully released and its first single "Dance with me" was a big international Top 20 hit (#4 in Norway, #4 in South Africa, #5 in Sweden, #9 in Switzerland, #11 in Germany, #14 in France, etc.). The album spawned two more minor hits in Germany and Switzerland, "Universal Daddy" and "Jerusalem". This LP was followed in 1989 by ''The Breathtaking Blue'', including the highly acclaimed singles (if not so successful chart hits) "Romeos" and "Mysteries of Love". The album was released as a CD+G, including black & white stills with original lyrics and German translation. As an alternative to individual music videos, the band enlisted nine producers, among them Godfrey Reggio (''Koyaanisqatsi''), to create a film entitled ''Songlines'' based on the album's tracks.
The next album, ''Prostitute'', was not released until 1994. In 1996 Ricky Echolette left the band. ''Salvation'', a back-to-the-root opus, followed in 1997. ''Stark Naked and Absolutely Live'' was released in 2000, followed by the remix album ''Forever Pop'' in 2001. A DVD - ''Little America'' - was released in 2001 documenting two concerts performed in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two box-sets have also been released ; rather than being collections of previously released album tracks they are actually 12 unique albums, several live, several rarities and outtakes, and several newly recorded. The first box, of eight discs, was released in 1999 (called ''Dreamscapes'') and the second in 2003 (called ''CrazyShow'' or ''Dreamscapes 9-12''). Part of the material of ''CrazyShow'' was previously released to the internet via the Alphaville Official website. In 2006 the band released "Dreamscapes Revisited", available by download only, which was welcomed particularly by those fans who had been unable to obtain a copy of the original "Dreamscapes" which had had a limited production run.

Projects

Bernhard Lloyd did not contribute to the ''CrazyShow'' album, and shortly after its release, on March 18, 2003 he officially left the group. The current core stage members of Alphaville are Marian Gold (vocals), Martin Lister (keyboards), David Goodes (guitars) and Pierson Grange (drums).
Marian Gold has released two solo albums (''So Long Celeste'', 1992 and ''United'', 1996) alongside his work in the band, both mixing personal creations and covers.
Bernhard Lloyd also worked on a project named ''Atlantic Popes'' with singer Max Holler, a 13-track CD. In 1996 Frank Mertens started on a musical project called ''Maelstrom'' which was a combination of ambient-style music, impressionistic and colorful art in the form of paintings and sculptures, and etheric poetry. This project seems now to have been abandoned, though, as Mertens has not been visibly active with it.
In the first part of 2006, Australian guitar band Youth Group took their remake of ''Forever Young'' to #1 in the Official Australian Charts, thanks in part to exposure the track had received from being on popular US TV series The O.C.'s fifth TV soundtrack CD.
At present the band keeps on touring and working on new material, has just re-signed with WEA, and could release its next album in 2007. Song titles for the next release include "Gallery," "Around the Universe," "My Very Blood," and "Sweet Dreams."

Discography

CD	CD Album
CDS	CD Single
CA	Cassette Album
CS	Cassette Single
DVD	DVD
LD	Laser Disc
LP	12" Album
VHS	Video tape
MP3	Download single

Singles in ''italics'', Albums and compilations in 'bold'


★ 1984

★
★ ''Big in Japan'' (7", 12")

★
★ ''Sounds Like a Melody'' (7", 12")

★
★ ''Forever Young'' (7", 12")

★
★ 'Forever Young' (CA, CD, LP) #'1' Norway, #'1' Sweden, #3 Germany, #4 Switzerland, #16 Austria

★ 1985

★
★ ''Jet Set'' (7", 12")

★ 1986

★
★ ''Dance With Me'' (7", 12")

★
★ ''Universal Daddy'' (7", 12")

★
★ 'Afternoons in Utopia' (CA, CD, LP) #7 Sweden, #8 Norway, #12 Switzerland, #13 Germany

★
★ ''Jerusalem'' (7", 12")

★
★ ''Sensations'' (7", 12")

★ 1987

★
★ ''Red Rose'' (7", 12")

★ 1988

★
★ 'Amiga Compilation' (LP, CA)

★
★ ''Forever Young 1988'' (7", 12", CDS)

★
★ '' (CA, CD, LP)

★ 1989

★
★ ''Forever Young / Big in Japan'' (7", CDS)

★
★ ''Romeos'' (7", 12", CDS, CS)

★
★ 'The Breathtaking Blue' (CA, CD, LP) #49 Germany

★
★ ''Summer Rain'' (7", 12", CDS)

★ 1990

★
★ ''Mysteries of Love'' (7", 12", CDS, CS)

★
★ 'Songlines' (VHS, LD)

★ 1992

★
★ ''Big in Japan 1992 A.D.'' (7", 12", CDS)

★
★ ''Big in Japan - Swemix Remix'' (12", CDS)

★
★ 'First Harvest 1984-92' (CA, CD, LP)

★ 1993

★
★ 'MoonOffice Compilation' (VHS)

★
★ 'History' (CA)

★ 1994

★
★ ''Fools'' (12", CDS)

★
★ 'Prostitute' (CA, CD)

★
★ ''The Impossible Dream'' (CDS)

★ 1996

★
★ ''Forever Young promo'' (CDS)

★ 1997

★
★ ''Wishful Thinking'' (12", CDS)

★
★ ''Flame'' - promo release (CDS)

★
★ 'Salvation' (CD) #74 Germany

★ 1999

★
★ 'Dreamscapes' (CD)

★
★ ''Flame'' (CDS)

★
★ 'Salvation' US release (CD)

★
★ 'Visions of Dreamscapes' (CD)

★
★ ''Soul Messiah'' (CDS)

★ 2000

★
★ 'Stark Naked and Absolutely Live' (CD)

★
★ ''Scum of the Earth'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Moongirl'' (MP3)

★ 2001

★
★ ''Moonboy'' (MP3)

★
★ ''See Me Thru'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Those Wonderful Things'' (MP3)

★
★ ''And as for Love'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Upside Down'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Parallel Girlz (Cloud Nine)'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Shadows She Said (Omerta)'' (MP3)

★
★ ''First Monday (in the year 3000)'' (MP3)

★
★ ''(Waiting for the) New Light'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Miracle Healing'' (MP3)

★
★ ''Dance With Me 2001'' (CDS)

★
★ ''Forever Young 2001'' (CDS)

★
★ ''Zoo'' (MP3)

★
★ 'Forever Pop' (CA, CD) #59 Germany

★
★ 'Little America' (DVD)

★
★ ''On the Beach'' (MP3)

★ 2003

★
★ ''Elegy'' - limited release (CDS)

★
★ 'CrazyShow' (CD)

★
★ 'CrazyShow Excerpts' - promo only (CD)

★ 2005

★
★ 'Dreamscapes Revisited' (MP3)

★ 2006

★
★ ''Forever Young - the remix'' (CDS)

Trivia

Alphaville's song 'Forever Young' was featured on the popular hit movie Napoleon Dynamite, 2004, as well as the episode '' of the sitcom ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''.

Swedish Melodic Metal Band 'Embraced' did a cover of Big In Japan on their 1998 Album 'Amorous Anathema'.

References

1.

External links

★ Moonbase (official website)

★ Alphaville Scandinavian Fanclub - New Horizons

★ The Dreamroom - Alphaville Forum

★ Brazilian page (full of videos)

★ French website

★ German website "Golden Feeling"

★ Alphaville-Fans

★ APOLLO - Clube de Fã Português

★ New lighT - Ukrainian Alphaville Community

★ Cosmic Meadows: The Alphaville Encyclopaedia

★ Atlantic Popes, Bernhard Lloyd's solo project

★ Maelstrom, Frank Mertens' solo project

★