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Music

The Top 10 music acts of the 70s from Germany

In the 1970s German musicians were at the forefront of the burgeoning electronic music scene. And their success at home was reflected in international singles and album charts, from electronic pioneers to disco classics.

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    Number 10: Scorpions

    In the 1970s, the Scorpions developed their own musical style and sang in English from the start. Their debut album, "Lonesome Crow," was still influenced by experimental psychedelic rock, but they soon turned to their own brand of melodic heavy metal. The Hanover-based band also demonstrated their mastery of rock ballads with hits like "Holiday" from 1978.

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    Number 9: Tangerine Dream

    Tangerine Dream were among the pioneers of electronic music. They were founded in 1967 in West Berlin by Edgar Froese, originally using a mix of classical and rock instruments. As of 1972, however, the synthesizer dominated their sound. Tangerine Dream would record more than 100 albums by the time Froese died in January 2015.

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    Number 8: Eruption

    With their mixture of soul, R&B and disco, Eruption shot into the international charts in 1978. The band was made up of musicians with African and Caribbean backgrounds. On a 1977 tour of Germany, they were discovered by producer Frank Farian, who signed them. With covers like "I Can't Stand the Rain" and "One Way Ticket," Eruption perfectly captured the spirit of the disco era.

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    Number 7: Les Humphries Singers

    The success story of the Les Humphries Singers might possibly be described as "former British soldier forms singing hippie commune." With military discipline and an instinct for great voices, Les Humphries led the vocal group that bore his name from Hamburg to international success. The colorful and diverse group's pop-gospel sound sold more than 54 million records.

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    Number 6: Baccara

    Baccara was Germany's most successful female singing duo of the 1970s. A German production team discovered Spanish singers Mayte Mateos and Maria Mendiola on Fuerteventura in 1977. That same year they released the hit singles "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" and "Sorry, I’m a Lady," as well as the album "Baccara." Their success story came to an end in 1982, when the duo split after a legal battle.

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    Number 5: Kraftwerk

    Like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk owe their global fame to the invention of synthesizers and sequencers. From the mid-1970s onwards, the Dusseldorf outfit generated purely electronic music. Fascinated by technology and future-oriented themes, Kraftwerk developed the man-machine principle - in concert even suiting up as robots. Among their greatest hits are "Autobahn," "The Robots" and "The Model."

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    Number 4: Silver Convention

    In the 1970s, Munich was considered an important center of disco music production, and Silver Convention was one of the flagships of the Munich sound. Linda G. Thompson, who'd previously sung with the Les Humphries Singers, Penny McLean and Ramona Wulf made up the vocal trio. Their single "Fly, Robin, Fly" was the first German record to reach number 1 in the US.

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    Number 3: James Last

    Hans Last from Bremen became an international star under his stage name. The recently deceased musician got the world dancing back in the 1960s and 70s. Melodies he arranged for his big band, ranging from the Beatles to Beethoven, made up what he called his "happy party sound." James Last toured the world, and by 1980 he'd racked up some 150 gold records.

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    Number 2: Boney M.

    In the mid-to-late 1970s it had become relatively normal for dancers to lip-sync to the sounds played by studio musicians. Bobby Farrell was a case in point. The vocals he seemed to be singing were actually those of Frank Farian, the producer who guided the quartet Boney M. to global stardom. To date, the band has sold over 150 million records.

  • default

    Number 1: Donna Summer

    It was in Munich that Boston-born gospel singer Donna Summer was transformed into an internationally acclaimed disco diva - thanks to the electronic wizardry of producer Giorgio Moroder. "Love to Love You Baby" caused a scandal on its release in 1975. Summer's moaning was so suggestive that many radio stations refused to play the single. It nevertheless became a huge hit.


  • default

    Number 10: Scorpions

    In the 1970s, the Scorpions developed their own musical style and sang in English from the start. Their debut album, "Lonesome Crow," was still influenced by experimental psychedelic rock, but they soon turned to their own brand of melodic heavy metal. The Hanover-based band also demonstrated their mastery of rock ballads with hits like "Holiday" from 1978.

  • default

    Number 9: Tangerine Dream

    Tangerine Dream were among the pioneers of electronic music. They were founded in 1967 in West Berlin by Edgar Froese, originally using a mix of classical and rock instruments. As of 1972, however, the synthesizer dominated their sound. Tangerine Dream would record more than 100 albums by the time Froese died in January 2015.

  • default

    Number 8: Eruption

    With their mixture of soul, R&B and disco, Eruption shot into the international charts in 1978. The band was made up of musicians with African and Caribbean backgrounds. On a 1977 tour of Germany, they were discovered by producer Frank Farian, who signed them. With covers like "I Can't Stand the Rain" and "One Way Ticket," Eruption perfectly captured the spirit of the disco era.

  • default

    Number 7: Les Humphries Singers

    The success story of the Les Humphries Singers might possibly be described as "former British soldier forms singing hippie commune." With military discipline and an instinct for great voices, Les Humphries led the vocal group that bore his name from Hamburg to international success. The colorful and diverse group's pop-gospel sound sold more than 54 million records.

  • default

    Number 6: Baccara

    Baccara was Germany's most successful female singing duo of the 1970s. A German production team discovered Spanish singers Mayte Mateos and Maria Mendiola on Fuerteventura in 1977. That same year they released the hit singles "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" and "Sorry, I’m a Lady," as well as the album "Baccara." Their success story came to an end in 1982, when the duo split after a legal battle.

  • default

    Number 5: Kraftwerk

    Like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk owe their global fame to the invention of synthesizers and sequencers. From the mid-1970s onwards, the Dusseldorf outfit generated purely electronic music. Fascinated by technology and future-oriented themes, Kraftwerk developed the man-machine principle - in concert even suiting up as robots. Among their greatest hits are "Autobahn," "The Robots" and "The Model."

  • default

    Number 4: Silver Convention

    In the 1970s, Munich was considered an important center of disco music production, and Silver Convention was one of the flagships of the Munich sound. Linda G. Thompson, who'd previously sung with the Les Humphries Singers, Penny McLean and Ramona Wulf made up the vocal trio. Their single "Fly, Robin, Fly" was the first German record to reach number 1 in the US.

  • default

    Number 3: James Last

    Hans Last from Bremen became an international star under his stage name. The recently deceased musician got the world dancing back in the 1960s and 70s. Melodies he arranged for his big band, ranging from the Beatles to Beethoven, made up what he called his "happy party sound." James Last toured the world, and by 1980 he'd racked up some 150 gold records.

  • default

    Number 2: Boney M.

    In the mid-to-late 1970s it had become relatively normal for dancers to lip-sync to the sounds played by studio musicians. Bobby Farrell was a case in point. The vocals he seemed to be singing were actually those of Frank Farian, the producer who guided the quartet Boney M. to global stardom. To date, the band has sold over 150 million records.

  • default

    Number 1: Donna Summer

    It was in Munich that Boston-born gospel singer Donna Summer was transformed into an internationally acclaimed disco diva - thanks to the electronic wizardry of producer Giorgio Moroder. "Love to Love You Baby" caused a scandal on its release in 1975. Summer's moaning was so suggestive that many radio stations refused to play the single. It nevertheless became a huge hit.


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