Recommendations of the Editorial team
With their current studio album “Drink up, we have to go!” Die Toten Hosen put a temporary end to their more than 40-year career. The album, released two weeks ago, went straight to number 1 in the German album charts.
The 13th number one album: historic tie
A rocket with historical dimensions: For the band, it is already the 13th number one album in the hit parade determined by Media Control. The Düsseldorf warriors are now on par with BAP from the other side of the Rhine and Depeche Mode from Basildon, England, who also achieved 13 top positions.
In addition, the record is the most successful chart entry by a German music act in four years.
The disc is complemented by the accompanying project “Everything has to go”, on which classic trousers have been given a new paint job together with guests such as Vicky Leandros, Feine Sahne Fischfilet and Marteria.
The ARD documentary: Doubts behind the success
In the accompanying ARD documentary “Die Toten Hosen – The Last Album” you can see that this march was by no means a given. Director Eric Friedler, who has been with the band for a long time, was able to closely observe the new pants for 24 months. An open portrait that also makes visible the doubts and emotional burdens behind the farewell album, which is expected to soon be awarded gold and platinum.
Instead of nostalgic transfiguration, Friedler’s documentary focuses on the pressure and the search for a worthy conclusion.
A difficult farewell – and a triumph in a roundabout way
Following the example of the Rolling Stones at the time of “Exile on Main Street”, the former Ratinger Hof troupe moved into a converted farm. There, songs were discarded and lyrics shredded again and again – a struggle over the question of how to end an eternal band history with dignity. “Boss” Campino seems like a driven person.
This contrast makes “Drink up, we have to go!” so successful. particularly notable. Not a K-Pop choreographed triumphal procession, but a farewell process of the arduous kind. The record could also have been called “Work, Strength and Self-Doubt”.
The preliminary conclusion of “Drink up, we have to go!” underlines the importance of trousers for the German music landscape. It is quite possible that with their departure the band will achieve one of their – or even the – greatest commercial triumphs. Not bad for the old days.