KARUSSELL – „50 Jahre Karussell“

What an attitude to life, the “seventies” !!! Colourful ornamental wallpaper, parkas, hot pants and platform shoes. Setting yourself apart was the order of the day, even in the former GDR. It was precisely at this time, in 1976, that Wolf Rüdiger Raschke founded the band Karussell in Leipzig together with Reinhard (Oschek) Huth, the frontman from the very beginning. They were joined by two musicians from the legendary Renft Combo, which was silenced by a professional ban imposed by the GDR state authorities. Peter “Cäsar” Gläser and Jochen Hohl joined Karussell and brought old and new songs with them. Karussell developed into one of the most successful rock bands alongside the Puhdys and Karat.

Unmistakable and independent, the band set itself apart and was characterised by musical and lyrical profundity. Setting themselves apart was a balancing act that lyricist Kurt Demmler managed particularly well. His poetry, a mixture of emotional profundity and social criticism, was cleverly packaged and was often not accessible to those who thought superficially. Some of the lyrics slipped through the censor and revealed themselves to fans who had learnt to read between the lines. The songs reached their hearts and gave them courage.

The critical and exciting albums Entweder Oder, Das Einzige Leben, Schlaraffenberg and Was kann ich tun were released between 1979 and 1984. The radio producer Luise Mirsch was a constant companion. Critical, inspiring and upright, she walked the fine line of existing possibilities with Karussell all those years.

Seated concert