MÜNCHENER FREIHEIT - IHRE GRÖSSTEN HITS

I picked up this CD in Switzerland because one of my friends told me the band was pretty good. I decided to give them a shot and bought this disc because it was a greatest hits package. So now the question is... Did I like it? And the answer is a resounding SORT OF. There are two sides to Münchener Freiheit. One side is the inventive poetic lyrical side and the other is the generic 80's pop side. Sadly, there was a huge number of 80's bands that flooded the market with a certain sound. I would assume the appeal of Münchener Freiheit is based on the fact they played this text book rock in German. They offered the main course in their native language. The downside is the fact that because the sound was so overplayed they never stood a chance of breaking out of their own country.

All you have to do is look at the cover of the CD and you can see exactly what I'm saying. If Hollywood wanted to portray a rock star in a movie or on TV during the 80's, the character would look something like one of these guys. This was the manufactured style.

To their credit, when you strip away the standard pop arrangements, musically there's lots of great ideas in these songs. The strength of the band lies in their lyrics. With thoughtful word play and surprisingly beautiful descriptions, Münchener Freiheit do wonders for a language often overlooked for its poetry. Although many people consider German a guttural language, I find it sensible and descriptive. In my opinion you can say so much more in German than you can in English. The combinations are limitless, whereas English often requires imperfect rhyme.

There are quite a few stand out tracks on this cd. My two favorite songs are 'Verlieben Verlieren' and 'Ich Steh' Auf Licht'. Both are fantastic but in completely different ways. 'Verlieben Verlieren' is a mid-tempo ballad about the depth of love. 'Ich Steh' Auf Licht' is a faster paced number with a New Wave pop groove. It revolves around a strong synth motif and maintains a healthy burst of excitement for such a short track. There are other songs that are worth noting, but I'm in too much of a hurry tonight to get deeply involved with a review. Let's just say this disc has some songs I will listen to and others I'll skip. My final word is: WORTHY OF FURTHER INVESTIGATION, BUT NOT PRESSING FOR IT.

MÜNCHENER FREIHEIT - IHRE GRÖSSTEN HITS
01. Ohne Dich (Schlaf' Ich Heut Nacht Nicht Ein)
02. So Lang' Man Träume Noch Leben Kann (Single-Version)
03. Tausendmal Du
04. Oh Baby
05. SOS
06. Verlieben Verlieren
07. Es Gibt Kein Nächstes Mal
08. Herz Aus Glas (Single-Remix)
09. Rumpelstilzchen
10. Liebe Auf Den Ersten Blick
11. Bis Wir Uns Wiederseh'n
12. Ich Steh' Auf Licht
13. Komm Zurück
14. Ich Will Dich Nochmal
15. Einfach Wahr
16. Herzschlag Ist Der Takt (Remix)
17. So Heiss (Single-Remix)
18. Einmal Kommt Das Leben
19. Tausend Augen