Alphaville

Alphaville

Genres: synthpop, new wave, 80s, pop, synth pop

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About Alphaville

Alphaville is a German synth-pop band formed in 1982 in Münster. The group was founded by singer Marian Gold together with musicians Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens, and rose to prominence during the 1980s with singles including "Forever Young", "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", "The Jet Set", and "Dance with Me". Gold remains the only continuous original member. The band’s name was taken from the 1965 film "Alphaville". The group emerged after Gold and Lloyd met in West Berlin in 1981 and began collaborating on electronic music influenced by contemporary British acts such as Tubeway Army, Gary Numan, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Gold had written "Big in Japan" in 1979 after encountering the work of the band Big in Japan. Initially performing under the name Forever Young, the trio adopted the name Alphaville and recorded demo material including "Forever Young". Their first concert took place on 31 December 1982 in Enger, Westphalia. In 1984 Alphaville released their debut single "Big in Japan", followed by their first album "Forever Young" later that year. The single reached number one in several countries including West Germany and achieved additional chart success in Europe and elsewhere. Subsequent singles from the album, including "Sounds Like a Melody" and "Forever Young", also charted widely. The group undertook limited touring during this period, and Frank Mertens left the band in December 1984; he was replaced by Ricky Echolette in January 1985. The second album "Afternoons in Utopia" was issued in 1986 and produced several singles, including "Dance with Me", "Universal Daddy", "Jerusalem", "Sensations", and "Red Rose". In 1989 Alphaville released their third album "The Breathtaking Blue", which included the singles "Romeos" and "Mysteries of Love". The album was accompanied by the film project "Songlines", for which multiple directors created visual interpretations of its tracks. After a gap of several years, the album "Prostitute" appeared in 1994 with singles "Fools" and "The Impossible Dream". During its tour Robbie France briefly joined as drummer. Ricky Echolette departed in 1997 prior to the release of the next album, "Salvation". Subsequent releases and projects included the box set "Dreamscapes" (1999), the live album "Stark Naked and Absolutely Live" (2000), the remix album "Forever Pop" (2001), and the box set "CrazyShow" (2003). Bernhard Lloyd left the group in 2003, after which Gold continued with a lineup including Martin Lister, David Goodes, and Jakob Kiersch. The album "Catching Rays on Giant" was released in 2010, entering the German album charts, and was followed by singles including "I Die for You Today" and "Song for No One". Touring musicians were incorporated into the official lineup during this period. Martin Lister provided lead vocals on "Call Me Down" and bassist Maja Kim joined in 2011. Lister died in 2014 and was replaced by Carsten Brocker; Kim departed in 2016 and was succeeded by Alexandra Merl. In 2017 the band issued the album "Strange Attractor", accompanied by the single "Heartbreak City", and undertook a tour in the United States. To mark the group’s 35th anniversary in 2018, Alphaville performed concerts at the Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles, recordings of which were later released as a limited box set. Collaborative activity included a 2021 recording with Schiller of "Summer in Berlin". In 2022 Alphaville released the symphonic album "Eternally Yours", featuring orchestral re-recordings of earlier material along with a new composition of the same title. Singles issued in advance included symphonic versions of "Big in Japan", "Sounds Like a Melody", and "Dance with Me". A compilation album, "Forever! Best of 40 Years", followed in 2024 to commemorate four decades since the group’s commercial breakthrough. Outside the band, Marian Gold released solo albums including "So Long Celeste" (1992) and "United" (1996). Bernhard Lloyd participated in the project Atlantic Popes, issuing recordings with singer Max Holler. Alphaville also appeared at the event "Night of the Proms" in 2002, performing "Big in Japan" and "Forever Young". The song "Forever Young" has appeared in various media, including the films "Listen to Me", "Napoleon Dynamite", and "1987", as well as an episode of the television series "Regular Show". A cover version by Youth Group reached number one on the Australian singles chart in 2006. Elements of the composition were incorporated into "Young Forever", a single by Jay-Z featuring Mr Hudson from the album "The Blueprint 3". Renewed attention to the original recording in 2024, driven by circulation on the social media platform TikTok, contributed to the song reaching number one on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart forty years after its release. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphaville_(band) Studio albums Forever Young (1984) Afternoons in Utopia (1986) The Breathtaking Blue (1989) Prostitute (1994) Salvation (1997) Catching Rays on Giant (2010) Strange Attractor (2017) Eternally Yours (2022)

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