Their
first single was a cover of the Throbbing Gristle track 'Disziplin' which was
blocked from release by the Gristle. It was part of the 1985 set on the TV show
'The Tube', along with Dr Mabuse.Our story starts in the industrial city of Dusseldorf with Ralph Dorper, a post punk industrial synth player who had been involved in a number of little known bands. The 1983 meeting of Ralph with Andreas Thein catalysed the formation of Propaganda, with the inclusion of Suzanne Freytag (a mutual friend) on vocals.
Their
first single was a cover of the Throbbing Gristle track 'Disziplin' which was
blocked from release by the Gristle. It was part of the 1985 set on the TV show
'The Tube', along with Dr Mabuse.
Using the songs and styles of conventional guitar bands, the group turned them into synth tracks. Another track given the synth pop Propaganda treatment was the Joseph K track 'Sorry for Laughing'.
Claudia Brücken joined the band as vocalist following a diverse but commercially unsuccessful career in a number of groups. Michael Mertens was recruited after a chance meeting with Ralph and the sale of a drum machine. Michael became a phantom member of Propaganda in 1985 and also remained active as a percussionist in the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra.
The
group made a conscious decision to leave Germany after an artistic misunderstanding
over the use of German history film for the backdrop of their performance. Paul
Morley of Zang Tumb Tuum had heard the 'Disziplin' single and took the band
on. At the time, all of the energy of ZZT was being used to produce and release
work by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Propaganda and their work took a back
seat. Andreas Thein left, apparently unable to wait for Propaganda's turn for
success, and the band nearly fragmented as a result.
1985 - this was Propaganda's year. 3 classic singles and the acclaimed LP 'A Secret Wish' then...