Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the Energy and the Ecstasy of NINA HAGEN!!, July 7, 2002
I first heard Nina Hagen, way back in 1982 when I was in high school. I was browsing the stacks at my local music store, when I came across her 10-inch vinyl EP of White Punks On Dope. The cover was acid green with Nina Hagen's photo plastered across the front like a punk-rock mug shot! Of course I couldn't resist buying it: I knew the single White Punks was a remake of the Tubes' hit song. Of course Nina's version was rather different to say the least, but like so many people at that time, I thought it sounded terrific. The louder the sound, the better!Then, maybe a year later, NUNSEXMONKROCK, hit the American shores and I was completely blown away by all of it. Even though I had many punk/New Wave albums in my collection, this was really, really different. It wasn't just punk, New Wave or pre-Goth. Even now after some 20 years, this album still sounds SO UNUSUAL and creative. When she wrote it, many of NSMR's songs had heavy political/social overtones and messages for its era. That Hagen then hailed from Communist East Germany informed her talent for satire that's heard all over this album. Anti-World which opens this cauldron of noise deals with religion vs. science. Smack Jack addresses heroin addiction which plagued both East and West Berlin through much of the 70s and 80s. On the songs Cosmo Shiva, UFO and Future Is Now, Nina sings of personal spiritual transformation. Born in Xixax decries the nuclear age. No other artist or singer, except Diamanda Galas, has done so much to re-write the boundaries of what we know as "Music."
Though her later albums continued to show her incredible voice and songwriting talents, she's never surpassed the GENIUS that is NUNSEXMONKROCK!! The 4 songs from the White Punks On Dope EP follow NSMR on this CD. They don't have the same feel, and don't really fit the mood of NSMR. It's better to listen to them as a separate piece and not as part of NSMR. FUTURE (of music) IS NOW!!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic!, December 31, 2004
I am a huge Nina Hagen fan. I still follow her music and I am going to a concert she is doing here in Portland on Jan. 16. I have to agree with other reviewers that this is one of her most creative albums. Every song is brilliant in its own way, and each has a theme, such as religion in "AntiWorld", heroin addiction in "Smack Jack" and celebrating her daughter's birth in "Cosma Shiva" (complete with sounds of baby cooing). One of my very favorite songs on the album is "Born in Xixax", which I think(?) is about Eastern Germany. Nina is not for the faint of heart and will appeal to people who are artistic, unique and anyone who enjoys thinking outside of the box. That said, I do not think this is necessarily her "best" album or that her later period music is not good. Her album after this, "In Ekstasy", is also excellent fun, with more of a pop metal feel to it. I still don't have the CD version, though, as it's hard to find and priced at over $100. I would also highly recommend "Freud Euch" and "Return of the Mother". Her most recent release, "Big Band Explosion", is also excellent, and a huge departure for her, as it is covers of big band standards. If you appreciate unique, rebellious people and interesting voices and music, you'll love Nina.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FUTURE IS NOW!!!, May 25, 2002
This is THE Nina Hagen recording that lays waste all of her other recordings to date.It is an incredible EXPLOSION of creativity on her part that will always leave one breathless. Everytime I listen to it I hear something that I had previously missed in her "prophecies" and "revelations".It is difficult to describe what this work of art was and STILL is after the 20 YEARS that have passed since it's original release. I am still astounded and entranced by it's absolute frankness,brutality,and beauty.Ms.Hagen holds NOTHING back when she spews forth her wisdom on diverse topics, such as: SCIENCE versus RELIGION (Antiworld),drug addiction(Smack Jack),the joys and elation achieved through MASTURBATION (Dreadlove),impending Nuclear doom (Born in Xixax),and Divine revelation,conception,and manifestation (Dr.Art,Cosma Shiva,and UFO.)I will not comment on the "extra tracks" since they were not part of this work of art at it's original release(These tracks were actually recorded previous to Nunsexmonkrock as the first release in America of 4 songs taken and edited from her 2 previous albums released in Germany). Nina Hagen is an incredible artist, very much maligned and misunderstood by popular media and critics because she is UNIQUE,CREATIVE,and most importantly UNAFRAID to speak and to RECORD her MIND.The original release of this recording came with a red WARNING label which read:"Nina Hagen is not for weak stomachs,hearts or minds.When you hear her you will know who she is!"....and the incredible beauty of it is that SHE is YOU!!!!Take a listen ,if you DARE.
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