aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser
#080: Propaganda – ‘Jewel (Rough Cut)’ (Island/ZTT Records ’85)
Hello friends,
back to sunny Germany we go today, and way back in time as well: to 1985 in fact. I am sure there are some of you, after having recognised the picture above, that are now thinking: „hold on, why 1985 and not 1984: why this and not the wonderful ‘Dr. Mabuse‘?“. Well, first of all because, to be honest, I never really cared for ‘Dr. Mabuse’ all too much when it first came out. Maybe there was so much other great stuff in 1984 that I didn’t find the time to like it enough, but be honest: I forgot the reason.
But what I haven’t forgotten is how much I loved the follow-up to Mabuse, ‘Duel’! I loved the bass, I loved the voice, I loved everything this tune offered. I loved Susanne more than I loved Claudia, partly because the back cover of the 7“ explained that she ‘compels her boyfriend to do infamous things’, which was, let’s say, an attitude which I quite admired when dreaming of her. Also, she looked better than Claudia, I always thought …
Anyway. Quite some time passed on before a friend of mine gave me a soundboard mixtape from a local Indie club where her and me used to go to rather frequently, on it the DJ segued Soft Cell‘s ‘Martin’ into the B-Side of ‘Duel’ (but the 12“ version thereof), but this segue went on for more than a minute – brilliant! And after that he segued Propaganda into Einstürzende Neubauten‘s ‘Yü-Gung’, crossfading it equally long – genius!!
Now, I suppose this was the moment where I may have listened to Duel’s B-Side, ‘Jewel’, really closely, and two things I found out: a) it’s ace with its 3:39 minutes and in its „Rough Cut“ – comparison to ‘Duel’ and b) but the 12“, with 6:53 minutes, styled „Cut Rough“, is even better by a million miles!
Still, it’s 7“ singles here, but also, of course, the above sounds as if the ‘Rough Cut’ is somewhat shabby. It is not, promised, so give it a chance:
mp3: Propaganda – ‘Jewel’ (Rough Cut)
Great, right? I’m sure you agree. Consequently only one question remains: Claudia or Susanne?
Take care,
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Why not both? Jewel is an amazing piece of music. I feel like that song embodies the promise of Propaganda more than any other track.
I get it. I was late to the Propaganda fest so the first I heard of them was when seeing a minute of the “Duel” video on MTV’s “London Calling.” I was instantly smitten, but hard with the single and rushed out to buy the 12” import asap. The dramatic foley sound effects on the “Jewel [Cut Rough]” were an intro that pulled the listener into a darker, more dramatic world with fevered immediacy. A lifetime of Claudia Brücken fandom ensued. The post-Claudia “Propaganda” has been a serious non-event for me. But I have to admit, the next record I bought after “Duel” in 1985 was the 12” I’d never noticed of “Dr. Mabuse!” Game Over! It was not only my favorite Propaganda single but definitely my favorite 12” single from the 80s. I only got the 7” pictures here years later for thoroughness.
I loved Propaganda – that first album was one of the highlights of the dismal decade known as “The 80s”. I have always thought their peak was p:Machinery, the Beta mix being my go-to version.
I agree with PPM – once Claudia (and Susanne) left Propaganda sank into bland ordinariness. Obviously, as a result, they started getting bigger hits!
The xPropaganda album from a couple years back is far better than last year’s new Propaganda record, which says to me that despite the musical talents of “the boys”, it was the presence of “the girls” who made Propaganda so special.
Oh – to answer your question – Susanne…
Fortunately, Brücken and Freytag have been active again under the name xPropaganda since around 2018. If I’m not mistaken, I really liked “Beauty is Truth” in 2022. It also looks like the two will be playing a few concerts in Germany this year.
For Dirk, who is obviously not only interested in music, I found a nice offer in the xPropaganda merchandise on Bandcamp. [sk]
Propaganda belting Jewel out on The Tube was a highlight of the mid-80s for me. Sidders
Propaganda was in my world limited to A Secret Wish, and more than anything else – Dr Mabuse. Still love the (different) 12 inch versions.
At the time it was Claudia, I think.
Thanks very much for the link, sk – whether my wife will approve of the poster in our living room is debatable though …. 🙂