НазадAccept: Rockin' All Over The World(Hit Parader, June 1986, p. 8, Charlton Publishing)What does Accept have to do to become successful in America? Lord knows these German metal mavens have tried just about everything. They've toured the nation from stem to stern, bringing their gothically tinged opuses to every town, village and hamlet with enough room for their amps. They've recorded albums with the American market in mind- most notably, their recent live disc, Kaizoku-Ban. the six-song LP was recorded in japan, but released with the express goal of drumming up more Stateside interest in vocalist Udo dirkschneider, bassist Peter Baltes, drummer Stefan Kaufmann, and guitarists Wolf Hoffmann and Jorg Fischer. So far, it looks like the strategy is working. "America is a very important place for us to become successful," Fischer explained in lightly accented English. "When you come from Europe, you have no idea how enormous America really is. You can tour places like Germany or england in two weeks, and that's including two or three nights in the major cities. When you come to America, you're here for a long time. There are so many places with giant indoor arenas that sometimes you wonder how they can all be filled. But every night they are jammed with people who love rock and roll." The Americanization of Accept has been a short and relatively easy process. Just a few years back, the band embarked on their first U.S. tour with a rudimentary, at best, understanding of English, and favoring the dark clothing and gravied food of their Teutonic homeland. By the tour's end, a scant four months later, the band could be seen sporting Disneyland T-shirts and chowing down on cheeseburgers and hot dogs. A change could also be heard in their music. "We saw that, to become successful in America, we would have to place a bit more melody in our music," Hoffmann explained. "Before, we were primarily concerned with the power of our music. That's still a major concern of ours, but on the Metal Heart album and on our new studio album as well, we've begun to bring a number of more commercial elements into the music. We're not one of those bands who says they don't want to sell records. We do- lots of them. We will always be a very uncompromising heavy-metal band, but we want to be a successful one too." With Kaizoku-Ban bringing more fans than ever to Accept's musical camp, it seems as if the quintet's aim of breaking big in the U.S.A. is well within reach. The band is quick to note that one reason for the live LP's acceptance is its release amid a number of other hard-rock albums- most notably, Twisted Sister's Come Out And Play and Dokken's Under Lock And Key - which helped the album gain access to radio and MTV. "When we released Metal Heart, we were the only heavy-metal band doing an album at that time," Hoffmann said. "We were hoping that it would make people notice us more, but instead people singled us out as the heavy-metal band of the hour- the group to watch out for. So we didn't get any attention from radio or TV, and that hurt us very much. This time, bigger bands have opened the doors for us in some ways, so we don't have to lead the attack. We feel much more comfortable this way." Of course, a six-song live album recorded in Japan isn't going to break Accept on the American market on its own. The band knows their next studio album and subsequent U.S. tour may be the most important in the band's career. it'll be gut check time for these Kraut Rockers. Either they'll live up to the high expectations of metal fans, or they'll be relegated to also-ran status for a long time to come. According to Hoffmann, the band is ready to face the challenge. "We're working on some very good new material, and when people hear it, they will be a little surprised," he said. "It's still very much Accept-styled rock and roll, but it's harder and more commercial at the same time. We've learned our lessons well. we will take what we've done right over the years and make ourselves better than ever." Перевод - Дмитрий Doomwatcher Бравый Журнал Hit Parader (США) июнь 1986 Почему Accept столь успешная группа в Америке? Что только эти металлические спецы из Германии не перепробовали. Они колесили по миру с концертами, привозя свои опусы с готическим флером в каждый город, деревеньку, где хватало места для того, чтобы они смогли расставить свои усилители. Они записывали альбомы с расчетом выхода на американский рынок, и самый заметный в этом отношении, их последний концертный диск, Kaizoku-Ban. Эта шестипесенная пластиночка была записана в Японии, но вышла с явной целью заинтересовать американского слушателя. Если это так, то для вокалиста Удо Диркшнайдера, басиста Питера Балтеса, барабанщика Стефана Кауфмана и гитаристов Вольфа Хофмана и Йорга Фишера, похоже, данная стратегия срабатывает.
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