Note: I know it's not Tuesday, sorry.-DL
by TCLa Düsseldorf - Viva (Strand, 1978)There were several notable music related deaths this past year. Eddy Arnold, Isaac Hayes, Bo Diddley, Odetta, Albert Hoffman; I'm sure I'm leaving out a few. It seems that the passing of Klaus Dinger (3/21/08) went relatively unnoticed, but his career certainly did not. He was Kraftwerk's first drummer and a founding member of NEU! NEU! split in 1975 after the release of their third record, NEU! '75, which showed off both member's solo talents (think Spacemen 3's 'Recurring,' with less internal hostility). Michael Rother went on to do some great records with Jaki Liebezeit from Can, while Dinger formed La Düsseldorf. 'Viva' is the second full length release from La Düsseldorf, a surprisingly successful band in Europe, with sales totalling over one million for their three albums. David Bowie even went so far as to refer to them as 'the soundtrack to the '80s' in a Melody Maker interview in 1979. I guess growing up would have been a lot cooler if that were the case.... | 
