First part of the Weimar series ‘5300 Series’, which will be followed by further releases in the course of 2026 in order to thoroughly document the city’s extensive underground culture up to 1989 and make it accessible to everyone.
The first two punk groups in the city make a grand start, which, having been founded in 1979, were also among the first punk bands in the entire GDR and thus had a decisive influence on the emerging scene in Thuringia. Until now, only one song by Ernst F. All had been released, so the songs heard here are a special premiere.
Recorded around 1982 in the rehearsal room, the legendary PCW 1, these historical recordings with their direct lyrics provide an insight into the rebellious mindset, desires, problems and fears of a newly emerging youth culture beyond the desired state norm and thus offer a glimpse into the early days of a scene that was not supposed to exist in the socialist part of Germany and was fought with all severity by the state . This spirit of resistance is also evident in the recordings by the Madmans published here, which were made in the spring of 1983 at an illegal concert in the community hall of the Jakobskirche in Weimar and also demonstrate how virtuoso the band members already were on their instruments at that time. In addition, there are previously unreleased songs from the rehearsal room around 1982. All tracks on the record were first digitised from the audio tapes and cassettes, then meticulously mastered and restored.
The split LP comes in a thick gatefold cover and with a 56-page, thick full-colour booklet in LP format, in which the history of the Weimar punk scene is recounted in detail from its inception around 1978 to the end of 1983 . Peppered with comments and interview excerpts from numerous protagonists of the time, illustrated with many previously unpublished, restored photos from private archives and background information on the Stasi files on the Weimar scene.
There are also extras such as a Weimar band diagram and liner notes written by some band members on all the printed lyrics. Comes hand-numbered and with a download code.
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