''Salvation'' is the fifth album by German

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

band Alphaville and was released in 1997. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "Wishful Thinking", "Flame", and "Soul Messiah". However, none of them charted on the German single charts. It is the last album at the Warner/metropolis label. It was also the last album with

Bernhard Lloyd Bernhard Lloyd (born Bernhard Gössling on 2 June 1960) is a former member and co-founder of the German synth-pop band Alphaville. Before he joined the band, he did not play keyboards – instead, he was previously a club DJ. In 2001, Lloyd al ...

, who left the band in 2003.

Overview

Salvation hit the stores in 1997 and marked a tumultuous time for the band: Ricky Echolette had left Alphaville during the production and Marian Gold and Bernhard Lloyd struggled with the way the record label did the promotion, calling it "not very good for us". The subsequent split led Alphaville to establishing their own, concert- and online-focused communication, promotion, and distribution platform. Even though the circumstances for Salvation were not favorable, the album became a success in spite of the troubled production. This has been credited to the band returning to their synthpop-roots and heavily infusing them with dance/techno. There is a stylistic similarity between '' Forever Young'' and ''Salvation''.

Reviews

A departure from the experimental predecessors, ''

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'' and ''

The Breathtaking Blue ''The Breathtaking Blue'' is the third album by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in April 1989. A companion video, ''Songlines'', was released in September 1989. The CD release of this album was one of the first commercial CD+G format ...

'', the straighter, simpler style appealed to old fans and a younger audience alike. ''MusicFolios review of the album said "Their songs are still stirring and swirling with the drum machine pumping out a hectic flow of beats. 'Flame 'is the first single, a yearning ballad that grows to an arms-waving conclusion, 'Wishful Thinking', 'Point Of Know Return' (sic) and 'Inside Out' are more representative of the Alphaville sound."

Release and promotion

Alphaville toured in support of the album, including playing their first ever tour dates in North America in July 1999, captured in a live video release, ''Little America'' (1999).

Track listing

Personnel

Marian Gold Marian Gold (born Hartwig Schierbaum; 26 May 1954) is a German singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead singer of the German synth-pop recording act Alphaville, but also has recorded as a solo artist. He is known for his tenor multi-octav ...

: vocals, keyboards *

: keyboards, programming *Andy Richards: Keyboards, Programming *Guitars by Tim Cransfield *Electric Guitar on "New Horizons" by Elliott Randall *Percussion on "Monkey in the Moon" by Chris Hughes *String Arrangements on "Wishful Thinking" and "Flame" by Anne Dudley, recorded at

Angel Recording Studios Angel Recording Studios Limited (also referred to as Angel Studios) was a British recording studio based in the eponymous recording and mixing complex in Islington, London. The company was incorporated by James Warren Sylvester de Wolfe on 5 De ...

, London by Steve Price *String Arrangement on "Pandora" by John Altman, recorded at Whitfield Studios, London by Mike Ross *Leader of the Orchestra: Gavin Wright *Additional Rhythm Programs by Andy Gray-Ling, Paul Simm & Henry Jackman *Backing Vocals by Carol Kenyon & Tessa Niles *Published by BMG Ufa *Music written by Bernhard Lloyd, Marian Gold and Rick Echolette *Words by Marian Gold *Produced by Andy Richards for Sarm Productions

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvation Alphaville Album 1997 albums Alphaville (band) albums