Pankow are a German rock band, founded in East Berlin in 1981. Their name came from the Berlin district of Pankow, which was once home to most of the officials of the East German government. The band's original lineup consisted of Jürgen Ehle, André Herzberg, Rainer Kirchmann, Jäcki Reznicek and Frank Hille. Other members were Stefan Dohanetz, Ingo York and Jens Jensen.
As their lyrics often contained criticism of the East German regime, they frequently encountered problems releasing their music. "Like many writers, they were among the established names of aesthetic subversion," the journalist Christoph Dieckmann wrote in a 1999 article published in Rolling Stone.Christoph Dieckmann: Nun machs gut, Inge Pawelczik, du Wilde! Die „Stones des Ostens“ treten nun ab. In: Rolling Stone. ISSN 1612-9563 (1999), Issue 2, P. 14
With the fall of the Iron Curtain and the associated open access to media outside Germany Pankow also moved briefly into the focus of the Anglo-American journalism. The U.S. historian Timothy W. Ryback, known for his 1990 published book Rock around the bloc: a history of rock music in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, characterized Pankow as one of two most prestigious and most professional groups of East Berlin's rock music scene, writing that they "originally showed the influence of the Rolling Stones, but has developed into a dynamic band that combines the energy of the Clash with the innovation of the Talking Heads."
In the song "Langeweile" ("Boredom"), the criticism was expressed in the words "Seen the same country too long, heard the same language too often, waited too long, hoped too much, bowed down to the old men too often". The song "Paule Panke" was banned by the state-run Amiga record label, while "Langeweile" was banned from radio airplay; however, the band performed both at every concert.
Pankow has occasionally been compared with the Rolling Stones Michael Rauhut: Rock in der DDR. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Bonn 2002, , S. 103 and have implemented many musical styles and theatrical projects in their history.
On November 3, 2011, Pankow commenced a 30-year anniversary tour.
Discography
Albums 1983: Kille Kille ..... 1985: Hans im Glück. 1986: Keine Stars 1988: Aufruhr in den Augen 1989: Paule Panke – Ein Tag aus dem Leben eines Lehrlings. Live 1982 1991: 10 Jahre Pankow (Best of) 1994: Vierer Pack 1995: Wetten, Du willst – die Hits (Best of) 1996: Paparazzia 1997: Am Rande vom Wahnsinn 1999: Rock'n'Roll im Stadtpark (Best of) 1999: Pankow 1983–1989 (Promo-Doppel-CD) 2004: Die Original AMIGA-Alben (5er CD-Box) 2004: Wieder auf der Straße (Live-Doppel-CD) 2005: Komm, Karlineken, komm ..... (Best of) 2006: Nur aus Spaß 2011: In Aufruhr (Amiga) 2011: Neuer Tag in Pankow (Buschfunk) 2017: Aufruhr in den Augen Reloaded (Live)
Singles 1982: Inge Pawelczik / Egal 1983: Die wundersame Geschichte von Gabi / Rock 'n' Roll im Stadtpark 1985: Er will anders sein / Wetten du willst 1985: Isolde / Gut Nacht 1986: Wetten du willst / Er will anders sein 1988: Langeweile / Aufruhr in den Augen 1996: Am Rande vom Wahnsinn / Rita
Soundtrack for film and TV 2006: Rock 'N Roll Im Stadtpark in The Lives of Others 2025: Die wundersame Geschichte von Gabi in Whispers of Freedom 2025: Gib mir'n Zeichen in Leipzig Homicide
Video 1992: 10 Jahre Pankow
DVD 2004: Die wundersame Geschichte von Pankow
Bibliography
References
External links
André Herzberg - Website Jürgen Ehle - Website Jäcki Reznicek - Website Rainer Kirchmann - Website