Overview
“14 Friendly Abductions: The Best of Nina Hagen” is a “best of” compilation album by German singer, songwriter, and actress Nina Hagen.
It was released on CD by Sony Music Entertainment’s labels, Columbia and Legacy in 1996.
It contains 14 tracks recorded in 1978–1984. The total run time is about 74 minutes.
Commentary
Nina Hagen is known for her theatrical, ever-changing vocals with various styles (guttural bass voice, shout, soprano like opera, and yodel) and her activities in the punk/new wave scenes from the late 1970s to the early 1980s.
Hagen was born in the former East Berlin, East Germany in 1955. She defected to the West in 1976, and formed Nina Hagen Band in West Berlin in 1977. Hagen left the band in 1979 and started working as a solo artist.
This compilation album contains her early recordings, 14 tracks from Nina Hagen Band’s two albums and her first three solo albums.
The lyrics are German and English.
“TV-Glotzer (White Punks On Dope)” is a German cover of the song “White Punks on Dope” (1975) by The Tubes. It was included in Nina Hagen Band’s debut album “Nina Hagen Band” (1978).
A song in the reggae/dub style, “African Reggae” was included in Nina Hagen Band’s second album “Unbehagen” (1979). It was released as a single in 1979.
“Smack Jack” is a song about drug addiction. It was included in her debut solo album “NunSexMonkRock” (1982), which was an experimental rock album in the post-punk/new wave style. It was released as a single in 1982 and peaked at number 7 on the Norwegian chart.
“Wir Leben Immer Noch (Lucky Number)” is a German cover of the song “Lucky Number” (1979) by Lene Lovich. The song was included in the album “NunSexMonkRock”.
“Zarah” and “New York New York”” were included in her second solo album “Angstlos / Fearless” (1983), which was a Eurodisco style dance pop album produced by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey.
“Zarah”is a cover of “Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh’n” (“I Know Some Day a Miracle Will Happen”) sung by Swedish singer and actress Zarah Leander in the German film “Die große Liebe / The Great Love” (1942).
“Zarah” was released as a single in 1983 and it peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
“New York New York” was released as a single in 1983 and it peaked at number 9 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
“New York New York” was featured in the American film “Party Monster” in 2003.
“My Way”, “Universal Radio” and “Spirit in the Sky” were included in her third solo album “Nina Hagen in Ekstase / Nina Hagen in Ekstasy” (1985), which was an album in punk rock style with elements of dance music.
“My Way” is a punkish cover of the song of the same name (1967) by Frank Sinatra. It was released as a single in 1980.
A dance-pop song, “Universal Radio” was released as a single in 1985 and peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
“Spirit in the Sky” is a cover of the song of the same name (1969) by Norman Greenbaum. It was released as a single in 1985.
Track Listing
- Zarah – 4:37
- New York New York – 5:15
- Smack Jack – 5:15
- TV-Glotzer (White Punks On Dope) – 5:14
- Spirit in The Sky – 5:15
- African Reggae – 6:16
- Universal Radio (Universal Dance Mix) – 6:59
- My Sensation – 4:03
- Iki Maska – 5:08
- Wir Leben Immer Noch (Lucky Number) – 4:54
- Cosma Shiva – 3:17
- Zarah (Dance Mix) – 6:30
- Zarah (Dub) – 6:54
- My Way – 4:25