''Kauf MICH!'' ("Buy ME!") is the ninth album by

Die Toten Hosen Die Toten Hosen are a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf. The name is taken from the German slang idiom ''tote Hose'' (literally "dead trousers"), which means "nothing happening"; "boring". The band has had an important success through th ...

, released in 1993. The LP is mainly a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

dealing with

consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...

and

ultraconservatism Ultraconservatism refers to extreme conservative views in politics or religious practice. In modern politics, ''ultraconservative'' usually refers to conservatives of the far-right on the political spectrum, comprising groups or individuals who a ...

. Along with the album's art and several songs addressing

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

, satirical advertisements and infomercials are interspersed among the music. In addition, the concept of right wing extremism as exemplified by ultraconservatism and

neo-Nazism Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

in the songs "Wilkommen in Deutschland" and "Sascha ...ein aufrechter Deutscher" is explored, which excited controversy during the time of the album's release. It was a best-selling album in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

for 13 weeks in 1993, also selling well in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

.Charts-Surfer Deutschland
Tracks 6 & 8 are mock infomercials performed by Gerhard Polt and Gisela Schneeberger and directed by Hanns Christian Müller. " Wünsch DIR was" has an intro sung by the children's choir "Mosquito" from the music school in

Meerbusch Meerbusch () is a town in Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has been an incorporated town since 1970. Meerbusch is the municipality with the most income millionaires in North Rhine-Westphalia. Geography Meerbusch is a town i ...

Track listing

2007 remastered anniversary edition bonus tracks

For the 25th anniversary of the group, all albums from 1983 to 2002 were remastered and re-released. The remasters have a second booklet and additional songs. The re-release of ''Kauf MICH!'' features the album's B-sides as bonus tracks. There are actually 3 parts of "Der heiße Draht", on which people sing DTH songs over the phone. However, for the remaster, only a "best of" was compiled out of the three.

Demos

Several unreleased demos from the album surfaced in 2007 with the re-release of most DTH albums. *"Das kleine ABC" (''The little ABC'') (von Holst/Frege) – 3:34 (released on '' Damenwahl'') *"Aufgeben (gilt nicht)" (''Giving up (is not a choice)'') (Frege/Frege) – 5:01 (released on ''Damenwahl'') *"Gipfelstürmer" (''Summiteer'') (Meurer/Frege) – 3:45 (released on ''Damenwahl'') *"Einmal in vier Jahren" (''Once in four years'') (Breitkopf/Frege) – 4:49 (released on ''

Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau ''Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau'' ("A little bit of horrorshow") (subtitled: ''Die Lieder aus Clockwork Orange und andere schmutzige Melodien'' The songs from Clockwork Orange and other dirty melodies" is the sixth LP by Die Toten Hosen, re ...

'') *"Schwarze Sheriffs" (''Black

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

s'') (Frege/von Holst) – 3:39 (released on ''Ein kleines bisschen Horrorschau'') "Einmal in vier Jahren" has been previously available in a live version on '' Im Auftrag des Herrn''.

Personnel

* Campino -

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

*Andreas von Holst -

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

*Michael Breitkopf -

*Andreas Meurer -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

*Wolfgang Rohde -

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control Die Toten Hosen albums 1993 albums 1990s concept albums 1990s German-language albums