Propaganda - P-Machinery (1985)

Propaganda is a German synthpop group, formed in 1982. They were one of the initial roster of acts signed to Trevor Horn's ZTT label, between 1984 and 1986, during which they released the critically acclaimed album "A Secret Wish".
Propaganda was formed in Dusseldorf Germany, in 1982 by Ralf Dörper (a member of the German industral band Die Krupps). As a trio,with artist Andreas Thein and vocalist Susanne Freytag, they made initial recordings in Germany which were deemed for future release in UK, where Ralf Doerper´s early experimental recordings had met critical acclaim. The band was then signed to Trevor Horns newly-formed ZTT Records label.

The group relocated to the United Kingdom and released the single "Dr. Mabuse", named after the fictional character made famous by film maker Fritz Lange. The single reached number 27 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1984, and number 7 in Germany.
The band then recorded their follow-up single and debut album. However both of these were to be delayed as a result of the unexpectedly huge success of ZTT's most famous signing, Franke Goes To Hollywood. As the label was still in its infancy, ZTT were forced to spend all their limited resources on promoting and marketing FGTH, and this also meant that Trevor Horn was not available to produce Propaganda's album. Stephan Lipson, one of Horn's established studio engineers, took his place, but the delay meant that Propaganda's second single, the more pop-oriented 'Duel' didn't surface until April 1985. Perhaps the band's most recognisable release, it was also their highest-charting single in the UK, reaching number 21.
The first week of July 1985 finally saw the release of the band's debut album, A Secret Wish. Receiving considerable critical acclaim and some commercial success, it reached number 16 on the UK Album Chart. The album was followed by another single, "p:Machinery", in August 1985, which only reached number 50 in the UK, but was a bigger hit in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. The 12-inch version of this release caused controversy (even within the group) as Paul Morley thought it was a good idea to have the sleeve feature a quote by writer J. G. Ballard praising the activities of the German terrorist group Red Army Faction. Ariola, who distributed ZTT's releases in Germany, refused to carry the 12" as a result, so the quote was changed on the German release to another by Ballard on the aesthetic perfection of German suburbs.


video link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q8G5AQpuxM