So my crew and I went out on Friday to check out this 80′s cover band from NYC called Rubix Kube who were playing at one of the local hangouts here on the island. They put on a fantastic show to say the least and this is pretty much the only kind of bar band I ever want to see. Not only was the music and presentation of this act awesome, but the elements of the show (back screens of 80′s nostalgia clips, and sprayed confetti on the audience) were exactly what I think it means to actually “put on a show” for people, vs. just standing there and playing music (Boring!) This band actually danced! They looked like they were having fun, and it fed into the audience.
Anyway, one of the highlights for me was when they played Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” from ’83. Funny because as this song was starting, I mentioned to someone “If I was an act doing this song, I’d probably arrange to dump a whole bunch of red balloons on the audience”. No sooner did I finish the sentence and they were dumping red balloons out on the audience! Now how freakin’ awesome is that!! 80′s kids everywhere have to see this act if the opportunity should present itself in your area.
Nena had a huge hit with this one back in the early 80′s, and if memory serves me correctly it was a german hit first, sung in german (99 Luft Balloons), then recorded in english. It was certainly a staple video in the early days of MTV, and I even had it on a video compilation taped off that channel way back when, so the recollections are still fresh.
There are a number of “mixes” for this track, but personally, i think most of them are pretty weak. So in an alternate state of favortism, I’m gonna stick with the version we all know and love!
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{ 3 comments }
Chris,
I was also at Napper Tandys Fri. night. I love the 80′s and to prove it, I wrote and published a book called “The 80′s Were…”. It has its own facebook page and is available on Amazon.com. I hope you can mention it in your blog. The books chapters include: cartoons, tv shows/sitcoms, music, movies, video games/toys, style, headline news, 30 somethings (comparing now to then), 80′s trivia game and in memorium. I was at the concert to promote the book and to see if Rubix Kube wanted to carry it on tour with them. Thank you…Vinny Rigogliosi
Fun Facts about Nena and this song: The german version was released in the U.S. first and was a chart-topping hit. The english version, released later, was popular, but never reached the same level of popularity as the german version. Guess no one cared what the lyrics were. (I, too, prefer the german version and usually put that one on my mixes). Nena, who did not speak english, had to learned how to phonetically pronounce the lyrics.
I, too, love a good 80′s cover band. I basically never want to go to a bar to see a band who is not doing covers. There are a fair few decent cover bands up here, but none with the showmanship described here. Good covers drastically change the quality of my bar-going experience. I may be willing to make a trip down state just for this Rubix Kube.
@ Jen ; I believe the original 45 of “Luftballons” had “Red Balloons” on the B-Side. I remember when the song was on the charts in 1984, the local Top 40 station played both versions. I loved coming home from school trying to guess which version they were going to play, since I was very big on taping songs from the radio back then. Also, it seems to be the English version that pops up more often on the many 80′s compilations out there. I do remember hearing that she had to learn how to say the words phonetically. I think the same thing happened with the 1970 hit, “Venus” by Shocking Blue. The lead singer also had to learn the words phonetically. Of course, “Venus” was made into a #1 hit all over again in the 80′s by Bananarama.
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