DIE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
Live In Deutscher Sprache:
Original German Cast (1980)

*LP*
1980, Ariola Records, 202 146-315

*CASSETTE*
1980, Ariola Records, 402 146-352

CAST:
Dr. Frank N. Furter: Decoven C. Washington
Janet Weiss: Rotraut Rieger
Brad Majors: Detlev Greisner
Magenta: Jutta Bryde
Riff-Raff: Fritz Brieserheister
Columbia: Sue Huerzeler
Dr. Everett Scott: Manfred Hilbig
Rocky Horror: Till Krabbe
Eddie: Yoyo Petit
Erzaehler (The Narrator): Siegfried Wittig
The Usherette: Helmut Fuelberth
choir and backing vocals: Ulrike Eschenbruch, Frank Malz, Dieter Scholz

RUNNING TIME: 44:42

DIE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is a very unique cast album, and it is unlike any other TRHS album ever released. The album was recorded live on 20 January 1980 (my sixth birthday!!) with plenty of screaming fans which are quite audible in the background. (At times, they are quite annoying and distracting.)

One odd thing about this recording is that it begins with an edited snip (played live, I assume) of the song "One Step Beyond" by the group Madness. The album itself plays a lot like the TRHS: The Whole Gory Story album in that it includes a lot of spoken dialogue (in German, of course). Because so much time is devoted to dialogue throughout the recording, a lot of the music is left out. Most of the show's songs are included on the album, but very few of them are presented in their entirety. Some songs feature one verse and the chorus and that's it. Why the producers decided to include so much dialogue instead of music is unknown. (Especially for a cast album of a *musical*!)

Judging from the album's sleeve, one can guess that this production was very unique and one-of-a-kind. The costumes are completely original and resemble Sue Blane's original designs in no way whatsoever. Also, the part of the Usherette is here sung by a male vocalist. Also, Eddie and Dr. Scott are played by two different actors, which is rarely done in RHS productions.

In any case, the lack of musical performances in some parts may be all for the best. Some of the performances are just too campy for my taste. The Janet is terrible, and the Frank is just too silly-sounding. At times, the performers take their parts very seriously (and these are the times when the album sounds the best.) The rest of the time the performers are either over-acting, or being comical. Not that such acting choices are bad--I'm sure they make the performance much more exciting (especially in TRHS, of all shows), but it is NOT something to try and do with a cast album. Since we cannot see the show, it's very difficult to find their antics entertaining. (Plus, for some of us who don't speak German, it makes it VERY hard to enjoy. But not all foreign RHS cast albums are like this. Take a listen to the RHS: Norsk Versjon cast, and you'll see what I mean. Even though it's in Norwegian, it is a sheer pleasure to listen to.)

Overall, DIE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is a cast album for the serious, hard-core RH audio junkies only. If you aren't familiar with any RHS albums, I wouldn't recommend starting with this one. (Even if you're very fluent in German.)

DIE ROCKY HORROR SHOW was only released in Germany in 1980, but I don't know how long it was available before going out-of-print. I DO know that it has since become a very difficult album to find, even in Germany. The back of the LP lists a cassette release as wel, although I don't know of any collectors who have ever found a cassette release.

The album comes in a sleeve with the complete German lyrics and dialogue.

MISSING TRACKS: 'Charles Atlas Song' and 'Once In A While' (Many of the featured tracks are incomplete portions of the songs.)

*****AVAILABILITY*****
This album was only released on LP and is extremely difficult to find. It has been out-of-print for many years, and has yet to be re-issued. The best one can do would be to obtain a cassette copy from a fellow RH fan/collector.

--kev j.b.
7 April 1997, 1 February 1999

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