And One: album reviews and ratings

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Reviews & Recommendations

	And One

Artist Listing:

S - Z

Line-up:
- Steve Naghavi (lyrics, vocals, programming, keyboards)
- Chris Ruiz (vocals, drums, keyboards, programming): 89 - 91, '01 - to date
- Gio Van Oli (keyboards, backing vocals): '01 - to date
Others:
- Joke Jay (vocals, drums): 92 - '01
- Rick Schah (94-'01)
- Alex Two (90-93)

"And One were formed in 1989 by Steve Naghavi and Chris Ruiz who had met the year before in a Berlin club and decided to form a band to celebrate their mutual love of the ebm scene. They signed to the newlyformed Machinery records and released their first single, the club floor hit 'Metalhammer' shortly after. They next recruited Alex Two and started recording their first album 'Anguish' released to critical acclaim in 1991. The group finished the year by producing their first anti-war charty number 'Aus Der Traum'. Originally called 'Saddam Hussain' but renamed due to record company objections the single gave a donation to Greenpeace for each unit sold..."

-- andone.co.uk

"An EBM/Synthcore stalwart since 1990, And One has been a provocateur of basic hooks and jerking, juggernaut bounce since their inception, and whether it's a case of artistic restraint or limited imagination, their workmanlike formula has paid off for them. While they had a few club "hits" here and there (the anthemic "Panzermensch" was a fairly recent smash, if you go by the standards of the gothic underground), And One has never quite achieved marquee status -- passed over for promotion in favor of nu-synthpoppers like Wolfsheim, Covenant and Apop. However, they've held on to a rabid fan base, and it's easy to see why. And One remains pure in vision..."

-- Walt Miller, splendidezine.com, 6/04

And One Discography - Album / CD Reviews

1991: Anguish
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1992: FLOP!
Tracklisting: 1. G.U.S. Airlines 2. Loser 3. Erste Liebe 4. Techno Man 5. Years 6. Kindergarden 7. Die Mitte 8. Secret Boy 9. Die Stille Vor Dem Ton 10. Rosario 11. Yesterday
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½ 1993: Spot
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½ 1994: I.S.T
Tracklisting (english version): 1. Second Day 2. Body Nerv 3. Driving with my Darling 4. The Only Guest 5. It Happened Last Night 6. When The Feet Hurt 7. The Secret 8. Murder Murder 9. Take Some More 10. Heart Of Stone 11. Made Of Plastic
"At the end of 1993 Alex Two no longer felt a part of the evolving And One with Steve Naghavi & Joke Jay and left the group. He was replaced by the stoic Rick Schah. And One then entered the studio and didn't leave until they had created their most ambitious album, I.S.T.. The album was released in two versions; one for Germany and one for the frest of the world. A single 'Driving With My Darling' was released and the band embarked on a world tour. In 1995 the band released the dancefloor classic 'Deutschemaschine'. the club mix of the album track featured the return of Chris Ruiz in a guest capacity. I.S.T. was also reissued in a complete version featuring all the tracks on the two versions for those that objected to the dual releases."

-- andone.co.uk

1997: Nordhausen
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¾ 1997: Best of
"On every 'And One' release there's a couple of standout songs, one or two dancefloor killers that make And One so popular in the industrial/ebm/synthpop scene. The rest of the tracks on the studio albums are usually forgettable. To appreciate the band's output, a best-of release is most recommended, and this CD compiles all of their hits from the early years on Machinery Records. From Metalhammer, to Techno Man, and Deutschmaschine, this compilation has it all. Definitely the place to start for new fans. Unfortunately, Get You Closer was released a year later on Virgin Records and is hence not included."

-- Said Sukkarieh, musicfolio.com, 7/04

1998: 9.9.99 9 UHR
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¾ 2000: Virgin Superstar
" The songs delivered here are extremely clean and polished upbeat electro-pop tunes with energetic uplifting electronic programming, beautifully orchestrated synth melodies, piano, driving beats and deep powerful German accented male vocals and female backing vocals. (...) While the first four songs are indeed good, they’re a bit too commercial for my taste. Tracks five and six are good as well, but do sound a bit out of place here. The final track Mr. Jenka is a good closing song. It’s a slow romantic ballad that ends the CD well. While there’s not a bad track to be found here, some stand out more than others. A different track layout might have allowed the album to flow better. There’s a lot of variety here, but some songs just don’t seem to work where they’re at. I am hoping that And One realizes that their best work is their more honest dark synth-pop material and leave the upbeat cheerful sounding commercial electro-pop off their next release."

-- darklight, wrappedinwire.com

2003: Aggressor
"Their first album in three and a half years emerges unaffected by more than a decade of industrial music evolution. The duo has stayed solidly on course while injecting bits of ironic self awareness into their music, their sound exuding an aroma of freshly brewed espresso -- bitter, invigorating and with just the right amount of predictability. The fact that they largely avoid the techno/trance slant of the day helps quite a bit. And One carve out dark, ear-pleasing vignettes of analog-ish synth texture and beefy beats without the builds and software-worshipping tendencies of their peers. Instead, they push a sound that can be slightly campy and, in some instances, deliciously old-school minimal. You'll also notice that Aggressor is sung entirely in the language of Deutschland, which raises a question: why do so many German artists sing in English? (Answer: it's all about selling records.) The intrinsically percussive German language is a perfect fit for such hard-hitting dance-pop, and the music here benefits mightily."

-- Walt Miller, splendidezine.com, 6/04

¾ 2006: BodyPop
Tracklisting: 01. Mein Anfang 02. Military Fashion Show 03. So Klingt Liebe 04. Enjoy The Unknown 05. Body Company 06. Sexkeit 07. Love You To The End 08. Traumfrau 09. Stand The Pain 10. The Sound Of Believer 11. The Dream 12. Dein Ende
Bonus 'Frontfeuer EP': 01. Rearming Strafbomber 02. Master Master 03. A Kind of Deutsch 04. Steine sind Steine 05. The Force

"And One have been consistent in the past decade in releasing one full-length studio album every three years. The difference with 'Bodypop' is that the band seems more inspired than usual, as they managed to output 12 songs on the regular version of 'Bodypop', an extra 5 songs on the Ltd edition Bonus CD, and 5 new b-sides that appeared on the first two singles Military Fashion Show and So Klingt Liebe in all their different formats. What hasn't changed is And One's signature style, with their use of vintage analog keyboards complementing more modern digital synth, all the while staying away from the future-poppy -- already outdated -- trance sound that many of their peers have adopted. With an equal balance of EBM and synthpop, And One claim ownership of a new music genre that they label as Bodypop... borderline clever, but hardly original! French synthpoppers Celluloide had already made that claim earlier this year with their 'Bodypop' EP.
The end result is probably And One's best album to date, more cohesive and consistent than anything they have previously released, catering to both English and German speaking audience. The dance club hits abound with songs like the sassy Military Fashion Show, the hard-hitting Stand the Pain, or the lighter Love you to the End, and Body Company. But the slower darksynth tunes in the vein of Depeche Modelike The Sound of Believer and Enjoy the Unknow, are the more seductive and mature tracks on the album.
For the die-hard fans lucky enough to have purchased the limited edition including the bonus 'Frontfeuer' EP, you're in for a treat of darker more aggressive EBM. Rearming Strafbomber is menacing, Master Master is playful, while A Kind of Deutsch is fast and furious. A real tour de force from Naghavi et Al."

-- DJ Avalanche, musicfolio.com, 9/06

2009: Bodypop 1 ½
Tracklisting: 01. Love Is A Drug Abuser 02. Paddy Is My DJ 03. Und wenn 04. So klingt Liebe (Ur Version 2005) 05. Love You To The End (Ur Version 2005) 06. The Sun Always Shines On TV (A-Ha cover - live) 07. It’s A Sin (Pet Shop Boys cover - live) 08. Big In Japan (Alphaville cover - live) 09. The Great Commandment (Camouflage cover - live) 10. Smalltown Boy (Bronskibeat cover- live) 11. Blue Monday (New Order cover - live) 12. True Faith (New Order cover - live) 13. Sometimes (Erasure cover - live) 14. Only You (Yazoo cover - live)
Release date: Jan 30, 2009

½ 2011: Tanzomat
Tracklisting: 1.Save The Hate 2.Shining Star 3.Only Your Dreams 4.Dancing In The Factory 5.Angel Eyes 6.Seven 7.The Aim Is In Your Head 8.Electrocution 9.Sex Drive 10.Playing Dead 11.No Song For You 12.And I Love

"A new album from one of the most successful German synth-pop groups offers twelve times highly electrified harmony between EBM and pop music. Old fans of the band will appreciate that the multi-crafty mix strong again moved in the direction of the And One early works. With And One, you are getting what you came for. The new long player from Germany’s most successful synth pop group features twelve instances of highly electrifying euphony, balancing the scales between massive beat madness and the eternal quest for the holy grail pop. The band recently released also a solo EP “Zerstörer” – where the title track is completely separate and not included in the forthcoming full length album. The new album is released, in addition to the regular edition, in a double-disc edition * in digipak with accompanying bonus CD of live material. Gigantic tunes, big feelings and a more than healthy dose of rhythmic gymnastics in nice Bodypop-surround. Long-time fans of the band will appreciate the fact that the satire-tinged and versatile mix is very much going back to the roots of the early works of And One."

-- Steelberry Clones, stereoklang.se/blog, 2/11

2012: S.T.O.P
Tracklisting: 1) Shouts of Joy 2) Kiliing The Mercy 3) Memory 4) You Without a Me 5) Don't Get Me Wrong 6) Aigua 7) S.T.O.P. The Sun 8) The 4 9) Back Home 10) Everybody Dies Tonight 11) The End Of Your Life (feat. Douglas McCarthy, 'Nitzer Ebb') 12) No Words
"TREIBWERK E.P." (Bestandteil der Limited Digi-Pack Edition) 1) Get It! (feat. Douglas McCarthy, 'Nitzer Ebb') 2) H.A.T.E. 3) One And 4) My Mission 5) Low (feat. Eskil Simonsson, 'Covenant') 6) Dark Heart

Release date: May 28, 2012

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Recommended Links:

AndOne.de