Torfrock (, lit. "
Peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
Rock") is a German rock group founded by Klaus Büchner and Raymond Voß in 1976. Guitarist Jürgen Lugge from Hamburg played lead guitar until his unexpected death in 1992. With their Northern German identity, they are notable for keeping alive the native
Low German
:
:
:
:
:
(70,000)
(30,000)
(8,000)
, familycolor = Indo-European
, fam2 = Germanic
, fam3 = West Germanic
, fam4 = North Sea Germanic
, ancestor = Old Saxon
, ancestor2 = Middle ...
language in their lyrics. With many of their songs being Low-German covers of Anglo-American standards, their music style ranges from R'n'B to blues rock and folk rock.
Their humorous to surreal song lyrics mostly deal either with 10th-century Viking
Rollo
Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had s ...
(in an interpretation obviously strongly reminiscent of
Dik Browne
Richard Arthur Allan Browne (August 11, 1917 – June 4, 1989) was an American cartoonist, best known for writing and drawing ''Hägar the Horrible'' and '' Hi and Lois''.
Biography
Browne attended Cooper Union and got his start at the ''New York ...
's ''
Hägar the Horrible
''Hägar the Horrible'' is the title and main character of an American comic strip created by cartoonist Dik Browne and syndicated by King Features Syndicate. It first appeared in February 1973 and was an immediate success. Since Browne's retirem ...
'' rather than the actual historical person) situated in
Hedeby
Hedeby (, Old Norse ''Heiðabýr'', German ''Haithabu'') was an important Danish Viking Age (8th to the 11th centuries) trading settlement near the southern end of the Jutland Peninsula, now in the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Schleswig-Hol ...
instead of Skandinavia in their songs, or life in the modern-day fictional
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
rural village of ''Torfmoorholm'' (lit. "Peatbogville").
Beside being a trademark of modern-day Northern German culture, the band is closely associated with another Northern German icon, the
''Werner'' comics and movie franchise created by comic artist
Rötger Feldmann (aka Brösel), not only because the band wrote the original soundtrack to the
first ''Werner'' movie and partly to its sequels, but also because Torfrock singer Büchner voices character Werner in the movies. Also, Torfrock guitarist and singer Voss voices the ''Präsi'', the choleric leader of a biker gang Werner is a member of.
Gallery
Torfrock Metal Frenzy 2018 13.jpg, Singer Klaus Büchner
Torfrock Metal Frenzy 2018 12.jpg, Guitarist Raymond Voß
Torfrock Metal Frenzy 2018 10.jpg, Bassist Volker Schmidt
Torfrock Metal Frenzy 2018 07.jpg, Drummer Stefan Lehmann
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Dat matscht so schön'' (''It splashes so nicely'', 1977)
* ''Rata-ta-zong'' (1978)
* ''Torfrockball im Hühnerstall'' (''Torfrock party in the chicken's barn'', 1979)
* ''Vierter Versuch'' (''Fourth attempt'', 1980)
* ''Mein Gott, sind wir begabt'' (''My god, are we talented'', 1982)
* ''Alle an die Ruder'' (''All hands to the oars'', 1990)
* ''Aufe beinharte Tour'' (''The rough way'', lit. ''On the bone-hard tour'', 1991, Live) – soundtrack for the film adaptation of the
Werner Werner may refer to:
People
* Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name
Fictional characters
* Werner (comics), a German comic book character
* Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Rai ...
comics
* ''Torfrock oder Watt?'' (''Torfrock or mudflat?'', pun on ''Torfrock oder was?''
..or what? 1991, Remix)
* ''Beinhart - geht das ab hier'' (''Hard to the bone - everything is fine here'', 1991)
* ''Die Bagaluten-Fete'' (''The
Bagalute party'', 1992)
* ''Goiler Tonträger'' (''Cool sound medium'', 1994)
* ''Die Wikinger'' (''The Vikings'', 1995, Compilation)
* ''Rockerkuddl'' (1996)
* ''Beinhart - Alle Hits'' (2000, Compilation)
* ''Einigkeit und Blech und Freizeit'' (''Unity and tin and spare time'', a pun on the first lines of the German national anthem
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" - ''Unity and right and liberty''2001)
Videography
* ''Aufe Beinharte Tour'' (1992)
* ''Torfrock - Die Beinharte Bagaluten-Weihnacht'' (2002)
External links
Official web site*
{{Authority control
German musical groups