Customer Reviews

Error in the System/Fehler Im System

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I became a fan of Peter Schilling like most people in America-through his hit single "Major Tom (Coming Home)." My mom was complaining that she couldn't get the English version of that song on itunes, so after looking it up on youtube, I instantly became hooked to that song. I found the Different Story album very cheap on Amazon and got it. I never heard any other song by Peter and was floored about how awesome the disc was. Looking up more about the album I came across Error in the System. Much to my disappointment the album was never issued on CD. About a year went by, and I decided to look up Peter Schilling on Amazon for no real reason. Much to my suprise, Wounded Bird Records re-issued the original Error in the System album on CD with the original German version, Fehler im System. I scrounged up some cash and bought the CD right away. Just like the Different Story album, Error in the System was amazing and the re-mastering was top notch. Every song was just as good, from the familiar beats and sounds of "Major Tom" and "The Noah Plan" to new favorites such as "I Have No Desire" and "Only Dreams," this album is a must own for any fan of 80's pop music or good music in general. The German versions of some of my favorite songs was very intriguing to hear, though I usually don't listen to those. The only flaw I could think of the re-issue was the extremely bland and boring cover art. I've made better covers then this. But no matter, it's the music that matters right? I just hope Wounded Bird follows up with a Things to Come/120 Grad reissue soon.

EDIT: Well, it's been a year (ish) now. I don't think Wounded Bird or anybody will reissue Things to Come on CD. Which is a shame, because it is another great album, and if you like this CD, you would probably like Things to Come as well. Luckily most of the tracks can be had on the Different Story album. Also Warner should get off their butts and release this (along with Things to Come and The Different Story) on iTunes and other digital retailers. I had little hope for CD reissues of the later Wall of Voodoo albums, but they showed up on iTunes, which is fine enough for me. It's not like one has to spend big bucks to put out a digital album, but I digress...

The cover art for this CD still sucks BTW.

I bough this album on cassette back in 1983. It was one of my favorite albums, I will play it over and over. So much that I can now sing some of the german version of the songs. I spent over 20 years looking for a CD version of this album to no avail, I was wondering if this album was ever to be release. Finally after a long wait someone decided to release it.

While Major Tom was the most popular song here in the states, this album has other great tunes,I have no Desire and Lifetime Guarantee been my two favorites. It is a shame that with all the crap that's has come out lately such a great album could be forgotten.

I believe that Peter Schilling was one of the most underrated singers in the 80's.

The moderately famous single "Major Tom (Coming Home)" led me to this disc, and the rest of the playlist didn't disappoint. If you're stylistically opposed to upbeat '80s new-age synth rock, there isn't really much here for you, but genre notwithstanding many tracks are quite addictive in English or German. Within the synthesizers and power-set drums, there is a bit of variation in style, from the well-executed middle-of-the-road fast-rock of Noah Plan to pointedly bright and simplistic U.S.A., to an unusual take on experimental reggae in Lifetime Guarantee. Silent Night is the worst fit on the album, but even it is variety (how many times do you ever hear '80s synth spoken-word jam in German?). Overall, an enjoyable listen so long as you know what you're getting into.

I had given up looking for the English version of this years ago (I owned it on vynl). I was really pleased to find it available finally. It's still as good as I remeber.

I already had the english part of the album. I knew what I was getting. I like it very much and now I got the German version as well for a great price.

Peter Schilling performs songs of loneliness against a believable backdrop of science fiction and fatalism. Social commentary is made within an Apocalyptic, now-or-never framework, and this seems to be an agreeable formula for the bright, serious German man.

These songs are available here in both Schilling's native tongue and in English. ERROR IN THE SYSTEM/FEHLER IM SYSTEM features Schilling's big international hit "Major Tom," whose final lyrics leave you wondering if the character created by David Bowie in "Space Oddity" may have deliberately left his home on Planet Earth and chosen outer space. In "The Noah Plan/die Wueste lebt," Schilling manages to create the credible, frenetic-yet-fated feel of a world running out of time. "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" is a haunting modern retelling of the Christmas classic with sociocritical commentary: "Weil keiner mehr richtig dem andern vertraut/Man statt vertrauen nur Grenzen aufbaut" ("Since nobody really trusts anyone else, instead of trust we just build up walls"). The new lyrics are moving--but not in the same way as the original. They make you think of what is lacking in society instead of what is really there. And "(Let's Play) U. S. A." is a biting satire on life among ultracapitalists who often care more about profit and prestige than venerable humanistic values and customs.

Peter Schilling seems to have a way with these TWILIGHT ZONE-esque, all-alone-at-the-end-of-the world themes: He perceptively points out what is wrong with the world and what is right with the universe. Even if he delves into a similar fatalistic mindset on some of the tunes, he does it in a fresh way so that you don't get bored with it. Peter Schilling's music is not given to extravagance or excess but is nontheless enjoyable, meaningful and thought-provoking. Schilling's voice is that of Everyman but with noteworthy insight and intelligence. Moreover, in his unique loner delivery, he feels sincerely but doesn't mince words. There's no towel-wringing or head-banging. But by the time you're finished listening, you are aware that something deep and devoted has been explored.

On the English takes, he sings without much of a German accent so he's easy to understand. The translations are also not stilted. They sound very natural.

(Portions of this review were written by me before I became a formal member of Amazon and published as a critique for the Peter Schilling disc A DIFFERENT STORY, which combines material from his two English-language CD's.)

Includes the German and English versions of major tom, one of the top hits of the 80's.