BAP (German band)

BAP ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a German rock band. With thirteen albums reaching the number one in the German record charts, BAP is one of the most successful rock acts in their home country.

Nearly all of BAP's lyrics are written in Kölsch, the dialect of Cologne, or more precisely in a Kölsch-influenced derivation of Eifelplatt, a regional variant of the Ripuarian language spoken in the nearby rural Eifel. Niedecken's most prominent musical influences, especially early in his career, were Bob Dylan, the Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and Wolfgang Ambros.

History

Wolfgang Niedecken, 1984

BAP in Aachen, 1980

The group was founded in 1976 under the name {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Cologne by Wolfgang Niedecken and Hans Heres. In 1981, they released their most famous song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" (Damn long time ago), in which Niedecken describes regrets he has about his relationship with his then recently deceased father. The band's name "BAP" derived from "BAPP", both, a play-on-words on the Kölsch word "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" (related to the German word dad), but pronounced differently, and Niedecken's then-nickname.

Niedecken translated a collection of Bob Dylan's lyrics to German for his 1995 solo album Leopardefell.<ref name="Duffy_1997"/>

Band members

Zelt-Musik-Festival 2016 in Freiburg, Germany

Current members

(Information valid for 2024)

• Wolfgang "Maître" Niedecken – singer (1976–present)
• Werner Kopal – bass (1996–present)
• Michael Nass – keyboards (1999–present)
• Template:Ill – violin, viola, cello, percussion, guitar, trombone (2014–present, as guest 2006–2014)
• Ulrich "Uli" Rode – guitar (2014–present)
• Sönke Reich – drums (2014–present)
• Axel Müller – saxophone, guitar, duduk, flutes (2018–present)
• Franz Johannes Goltz – trombone (2018–present)
• Template:Ill – trumpet, flügelhorn (2022–present)

Former members

• "Afro" Bauermann – percussion (1976–1977)
• Rainer "Saxello" Gulich – saxophone (1976–1977)
• Hans "Honçe" Heres – guitar (1976–1980)
• Klaus Hogrefe – bass (1976–1978)
• Wolfgang "Wolli" Boecker – drums (1976–1983)
• Manfred "Schmal" Boecker – percussion (1976–1995)
• Wolfgang "Gröön" Klever – bass (1978–1980)
• Bernd Odenthal – keyboards (1978–1980)
• Fritz Kullmann – saxophone (1980)
• "Steve Borg" (Stephan Kriegeskorte) – bass (1980–1995)
• Klaus "Major" Heuser – guitar (1980–1999)
• Hans "Fonz" Wollrath – sounds (1980–1999)
• Alexander (Axel) "Tschaikägo" "Effendi" Büchel – keyboards (1981–1999)
• Jan Dix – drums (1983–1985)
• Pete King – drums (1986)
• Template:Ill – drums (1987–2014)
• Template:Ill – percussion (1996–1997)
• Template:Ill – saxophone (1996–2002)
• Template:Ill – percussion (1999–2003)
• Template:Ill – guitar (1999–2014)
• Template:Ill – percussion (2014–2016, as guest 2008–2014)
• Template:Ill – trumpet (2018–2022)

Albums

• 1979: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Wolfgang Niedecken's BAP rocks different Colognian songs]
• 1980: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Defrosted]
• 1981: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [For cutout]
• 1982: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [From the inside to the outside]
• 1983: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Live – So long...]
• 1984: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Between pretzels and beer]
• 1985: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Crystal night] (UK Sampler)
• 1986: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Old slick men]
• 1988: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• 1990: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Putting something over on someone]
• 1991: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Live) [...Rocking Out!!]
• 1993: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Seven of Spades]
• 1995: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Frenzy – The hits of 1979–1995]
• 1996: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [America]
• 1999: Template:Ill
• 1999: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Talking movie]
• 2001: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Every now and then]
• 2002: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Live) [Everywhere]
• 2004: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Songs]
• 2005: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Thrice ten years]
• 2008: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (plugged + unplugged)
• 2009: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Live) [Live and in color]
• 2011: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [No big deal; literally: Half as wild]
• 2011: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Live) [Full programme]
• 2014: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [The tale of the unplugged plug]
• 2016: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Lifelong]
• 2016: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [The most popular songs 1976–2016]
• 2016: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Lifelong at Template:Ill]
• 2018: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Live and pronounced]
• 2020: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Everything flows]
• 2024: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Time travel / Live at the Sartory]

Singles

• 1980: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Chauvinist rock] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Frenzy]
• 1981: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Joe] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Woman, I'm glad]
• 1981: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Damn long time ago] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Laundromat café]
• 1982: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [[[:Template:Abbr]]KristallnachtTemplate:Abbr] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Fashion surfer]
• 1982: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [You can charm; literally: You can do the magic]
• 1983: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Take me with you] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Alongside a guardrail]
• 1984: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Three wishes free] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Sign-off]
• 1984: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Alexandra, not only you] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [By accident with a little bit of luck]
• 1985: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Coloured ruins] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"
• 1986: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Alone at last] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Almanya = Germany in Turkish]
• 1986: "Time Is Cash, Time Is Money" / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Sob stuff, if you want (live)]
• 1988: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [To be continued] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"
• 1988: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Container season]
• 1988: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [This felt good] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Taking it on the clown's credit]
• 1989: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [To the right and left of the railway embankment]
• 1990: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Everything's alright] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Back then]
• 1991: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Face to face] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [In close reach]
• 1991: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [She's addictive] / "Happy End"
• 1991: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Damn long time ago] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Best regards (Live)]
• 1993: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Disgusting] / "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Blond Mohikans]
• 1993: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Like the moon's crescent]
• 1993: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [A few days earlier]
• 1995: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [I dance with you]
• 1996: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Let them talk]
• 1996: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Nothing as it was before]
• 1996: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Christmas night] (This is a German-language version of Fairytale of New York by The Pogues)
• 1998: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"
• 1999: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [In and of itself]
• 1999: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"
• 1999: "Mayday"
• 2000: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [[[:Template:Abbr]]FC, step on it! (Promotion version)]
• 2001: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Every now and then]
• 2001: "Shoeshine"
• 2002: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [End, over, okay]
• 2003: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [FC, step on it! (the third version)]
• 2004: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Whenever you don't know what to do]
• 2004: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [For Maria]
• 2005: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Woman, I'm glad]
• 2006: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [A damn long time ago (The damn long single)]
• 2006: "Time Is Cash, Time Is Money (feat. Culcha Candela)"
• 2008: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [Home tomorrow morning]
• 2011: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [No big deal; literally: Half as wild]
• 2012: "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" [All the moments]

Related projects

• 1983: Book {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [BAP about BAP]
• 1987: Album {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Hit times] (Wolfgang Niedecken solo-album)
• 1989: Book {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (about their Chinese tour)
• 1992: Album {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Get up and speak out; literally: Ass up, teeth apart] (various bands from Cologne, live concert against racism and neo-fascism)
• 1995: Album {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Leopard's skin] (Wolfgang Niedecken solo-album with translated Dylan lyrics)
• 2002: Film {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [A lot has happened] (film by Wim Wenders about BAP)
• 2011: Book {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [For a moment] (autobiography by Wolfgang Niedecken & Oliver Kobold)
• 2022: Album {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [Dylan journey] (Wolfgang Niedecken solo-album)

See also

• Birlikte – Zusammenstehen (parts of the performance at the festival are published on {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• Roland "Balou" Temme

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:Official website
• "Rockpalast" concert, Markthalle, Hamburg, 1981-11-28 [2:27:41]
• Concert, Festhalle, Frankfurt am Main, 1984-11-23 [1:13:39]
• "Clubtour" concert, Batschkapp, Frankfurt am Main, 1991-02-21 [2:57:00]
• "ZDF@Bauhaus #61" unplugged concert, Bauhaus, Dessau, 2014-10-15 [1:02:22]
• "Rockpalast" concert, Sartory, Cologne, 2023-12-09 [1:31:18] [1]