''Opel-Gang'' is the debut album of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. History The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...

. The title is a reference to an article in a

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

, where a gang of small-time thieves, who drove self-tuned

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

s, were named Opel-Gang, even though the band wasn't initially into car modding. The album took under 10 days to record. As the band is from

, several songs on this album are centered on this city. "Modestadt Düsseldorf" is a nod to their home town; the title and the theme, although not the exact lyrics of "

Opel-Gang ''Opel-Gang'' is the debut album of the German punk band Die Toten Hosen. The title is a reference to an article in a Düsseldorf newspaper, where a gang of small-time thieves, who drove self-tuned Opels, were named Opel-Gang, even though the b ...

" are based on the article mentioned above; in "Hofgarten", the Düsseldorf court garden is meant. " Reisefieber" was released as a single and a video was made for it. "Opel-Gang" and " Bis zum bitteren Ende" have become live favourites and defining songs for

; the band sometimes refers to itself as "the original Opel gang" and "bis zum bitteren Ende" has become somewhat a

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

for the band, also it was used as the title of their first live album.

Track listing

# "Tote Hose" (''Nothing going on'', lit. ''Dead trousers''

singular Singular may refer to: * Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms * Singular homology * SINGULAR, an open source Computer Algebra System (CAS) * Singular or sounder, a group of boar, ...

]) − 1:24 # "Allein vor deinem Haus o. dein Vater der Boxer" (''Alone in front of your house or your father the boxing, boxer'') (von Holst, Andreas Frege, Frege/Frege, Meurer, Trimpop) − 2:18 # "Modestadt Düsseldorf" (''

Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

city

'') (Die Toten Hosen/Frege) − 2:16 # " Reisefieber" (''Travel nerves'', lit. ''Travel

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

'') (Breitkopf, Frege, von Holst, Meurer, Trimpop/Frege) − 3:46 # "Kontakthof" (von Holst/Frege) − 2:38 # "

" (von Holst, Frege/Breitkopf, Frege, von Holst, Meurer, Trimpop) − 1:47 # "Willi muß ins Heim" (''Willi has to go to an approved school'') (von Holst/Trimpop, Frege, Meurer) − 2:17 # "Wehende Fahnen" (roughly ''Waving flags'' rom ''to go down with flying colours'' (von Holst, Frege/Trimpop, Frege) − 3:08 # "Schwarzer Mann" (''Black man'' or ''Man in black'') (Die Toten Hosen/Frege) − 2:20 # "Geld" (''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

'') (Frege, von Holst/Meurer, Trimpop, Frege) − 2:13 # "Ülüsü" (Meurer, von Holst, Frege/Frege) − 2:33 # "Es ist nichts gewesen" (''Nothing has happened'') (von Holst/Frege) − 2:38 # "Sommernachtstraum" (''Summer night dream'') (von Holst/Trimpop, Meurer, Frege) − 1:37 # "Hofgarten" (''Court garden'') (von Holst, Meurer, Breitkopf/von Holst) − 3:07 # "Bis zum bitteren Ende" (''Until the bitter end'') (Frege/Frege) − 2:19

2007 remastered anniversary edition bonus tracks

"
Jürgen Engler Die Krupps () ("The Krupps") is a German industrial metal/ EBM band, formed in 1980 by Jürgen Engler and Bernward Malaka in Düsseldorf. The band has had a diverse range of musical influences over time, including the percussive industrial ...
s Party" (Frege, von Holst/Frege) – 1:26 (from "
Wir sind bereit Wir, WIR or WiR may also refer to: Organisations * WIR Bank, a complementary currency system in Switzerland * Washington and Idaho Railway * West India Regiments, a colonial regiment of the British Army * Wolność i Równość, a Polish politic ...
")
"Niemandsland" (''No man's land'') (Frege, von Holst/Frege) – 2:41 (from " Reisefieber")
"Armee der Verlierer" (''Army of losers'') (Frege, von Holst/Frege) – 4:23 (from " Bommerlunder/Opel Gang")
"Opel-Gang" – 1:59 (from "Bommerlunder/Opel Gang")
" Schöne Bescherung" (roughly ''Happy
holidays A holiday is a day set aside by Norm (social), custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate ...
''; lit. ''Nice gift-giving'', also ''Nice mess'') (Breitkopf, Frege, von Holst, Meurer, Trimpop/Frege) – 3:02 (from " Schöne Bescherung")
"Willi's weiße Weihnacht" (''Willi's white
christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
'') (Breitkopf, Frege, von Holst, Meurer, Trimpop/Frege) – 2:35 (from "Schöne Bescherung")
"Knecht Ruprechts letzte Fahrt" (''
Knecht Ruprecht Knecht Ruprecht (; English: ''Farmhand Rupert'', ''Servant Rupert'' or ''Farmhand Robert'', ''Servant Robert'') is a companion of Saint Nicholas as described in the folklore of Germany. He is the most popular gift-bringing character in Germany ...
's last ride'') (Breitkopf, Frege, von Holst, Meurer, Trimpop/Frege) – 3:46 (from "Schöne Bescherung")
"
Kriminaltango "Kriminaltango" (''Criminal tango'') is a traditional pop song released in 1959. The Italian original by Piero Trombetta only achieved a modest success, whereas the German version performed by Hazy Osterwald became a big hit in Germany, Austri ...
" (''Criminal
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...
'') (Trombetto/Feltz) – 3:32 (from "
Kriminaltango "Kriminaltango" (''Criminal tango'') is a traditional pop song released in 1959. The Italian original by Piero Trombetta only achieved a modest success, whereas the German version performed by Hazy Osterwald became a big hit in Germany, Austri ...
")
"Allein vor deinem Haus o. dein Vater der Boxer" – 2:26 (from "Kriminaltango")
"Es ist vorbei" (''It's over'') (Frege, von Holst/Frege, Meurer, Trimpop) – 3:09 (from "Kriminaltango")
"Die Abenteuer des kleinen Haevelmann" (''The adventures of the little Haevelmann'') (von Holst/Frege) – 2:29 (as Tangobrüder, from the compilation ''Ein Vollrausch in Stereo - 20 schäumende Stimmungshits'')
"Frühstückskorn" (''
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...
for breakfast'') (von Holst/Frege) – 1:57 (as Tangobrüder, from the compilation ''Ein Vollrausch in Stereo'')
"Bis zum bitteren Ende" – 3:08 (as Tangobrüder, from the compilation ''Ein Vollrausch in Stereo'')
"
Wir sind bereit Wir, WIR or WiR may also refer to: Organisations * WIR Bank, a complementary currency system in Switzerland * Washington and Idaho Railway * West India Regiments, a colonial regiment of the British Army * Wolność i Równość, a Polish politic ...
" (''We are ready'') (Frege, von Holst/Frege) – 1:59 (live in „S0 36“ in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, 30.04.1982)
"
Hip Hop Bommi Bop "Hip Hop Bommi Bop" is a parody hip hop version of the Die Toten Hosen song "Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder". The song was born with the cooperation with Fab Five Freddy and is one of the first German hip hop songs. A remix of the song ("Tap into A ...
" (Breitkopf, Frege, von Holst, Meurer, Trimpop/Meurer, Trimpop) – 4:34 (from "
Hip Hop Bommi Bop "Hip Hop Bommi Bop" is a parody hip hop version of the Die Toten Hosen song "Eisgekühlter Bommerlunder". The song was born with the cooperation with Fab Five Freddy and is one of the first German hip hop songs. A remix of the song ("Tap into A ...
")

Singles

* 1982: " Reisefieber"

Personnel

Campino A campino () is a cattle herder in the Portuguese region of Ribatejo. Campinos work on horse-back, using a long pole (a ''pampilho'' or lance) to manage and direct the herd. Campinos are also known for their distinctive attire, which consists o ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Andreas von Holst -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Michael Breitkopf -

*Andreas Meurer -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

*Trini Trimpop -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control Die Toten Hosen albums 1983 debut albums German-language albums