''Debil'' (meaning "Moronic") is the first full-length studio album by German rock band

Die Ärzte (; ) is a German rock band from Berlin. It consists of guitarist Farin Urlaub, drummer Bela B and bass player Rodrigo González (musician), Rodrigo González. All three write and perform their songs. The band has released 14 studio albums. ...

, released in 1984, following the EPs '' Zu schön, um wahr zu sein!'' and '' Uns geht's prima...''.

Release

The songs "Paul" and "Zu spät" were released as singles, and did not achieve that much recognition from the public. However, a live version of "Zu spät" was released as a single from the live album '' Nach uns die Sintflut'' in 1989, which became a moderate hit in Germany landing at number 25 in

GfK Entertainment charts The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

. "Zu spät" was described as a

revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

song.

Legacy

In 1987, the

Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons The Federal Agency for Child and Youth Protection in the Media ( or ''BzKJ''), until 2021 "Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Young Persons" ( or ''BPjM''), is an upper-level German federal agency and youth protection panel subordinate ...

put the songs "Claudia hat 'nen Schäferhund" and "Schlaflied" on the List of Media Harmful to Young People, with the effect that they could not be sold to minors, nor publicly advertised or displayed. This ban was lifted in 2004, which led to the subsequent reissue of the album ( see below).

Track listing

''Devil''

Following a re-evaluation of the record by the BPjM, ''Debil'' was reissued on 21 October 2005 as ''Devil'' with slightly altered cover art and additional tracks.

Track listing

; Notes * Tracks 14–16 were previously released on '' Original Ärztesoundtrack zum Film "Richy Guitar"''. * Track 18 also contains a

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

, dubbed "Sahnie's Collective Wisdom" and credited to Hans Runge. It consists of a single spoken line ("''Ey du Blödmann, du hast die falsche Seite aufgelegt''", which means "Hey you dimwit, you've put on the wrong side"), which previously appeared at the beginning of either side of ''Debil'' 's cassette and

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

versions.

Personnel

Farin Urlaub Jan Vetter (born 27 October 1963), better known as Farin Urlaub. (from the German ''Fahr in Urlaub!'', "Go on holiday!"), is a German singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known as the guitarist/vocalist for punk rock band . He has also ...

– guitar, vocals *

Bela Felsenheimer Dirk Albert Felsenheimer (born 14 December 1962),''Die Ärzte. Ein überdimensionales Meerschwein frisst die Erde auf'', p. 80 better known under his stage name Bela B (formerly Bela B.), is a German musician, songwriter, actor and author, b ...

– drums, vocals *Hans Runge – bass guitar, vocals

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1984 debut albums Die Ärzte albums 1980s German-language albums Columbia Records albums