The Rattles
The Rattles are a German beat and rock band formed in Hamburg in 1960, best known for their 1970 psychedelic hit single "The Witch".[1]
The Rattles | |
|---|---|
 The Rattles performing at the Holsten Brauereifest in Hamburg in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The "In" Crowd |
| Origin | Hamburg, Germany |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Website | rattles |
Career
The Rattles performed in Hamburg, and played at the same venues as The Beatles on several occasions in 1962.[1] In 1964, the group recorded "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah", which charted in the UK. In 1968, they recorded their first version of "The Witch", with vocals by Henner Hoier.[1] The band's records sold well in Germany throughout the 1960s.
Their second version of "The Witch" in 1970, this time with vocals by Edna Bejarano, was their only international hit.[1] It reached the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, the top 20 in Austria, and the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. It eventually sold over one million copies.[1]
Rosetta Stone released a gothic rock cover of "The Witch" in the 1990s. The Norwegian psychedelic hard rock band, Motorpsycho, covered the song during 1999 and 2000.[2] A recording of this song can be found on their bootleg Live Union Scene from 14 April 1999.[3]
Members
- Current members
- Herbert Hildebrandt – bass
- Manfred Kraski – vocals, guitar
- Eggert Johannsen – guitar
- Reinhard "Dicky" Tarrach – drums
- Former members
- Achim Reichel (vocals, guitar, 1960–66, 1988–91)
- Bernd Schulz (keyboards, 1967–68)
- Dieter Sadlowsky (drums, 1960–63)
- Edna Béjarano (vocals, 1970–73)
- Eggert Johannsen [Martin Storm] (vocals, rhythm guitar, 1994–present)
- Franz "Piggy" Jarnach (keyboards, vocals, 1991–95)
- Frank Dostal (vocals, 1966–67)
- Frank Mille (guitar, vocals, 1970–77)
- Frank Seidel (keyboards, 1996–present)
- Georg "George" Meier (guitar, vocals, 1969–70, 1974–77)
- George Miller (drums, 1975–77)
- Hans Joachim "Hajo" Kreutzfeld (guitar, 1961–65)
- Henner Hoier (keyboards, vocals, 1968–70, 1988–93)
- Herbert Bornholdt (drums, 1973)
- Herbert Hildebrandt (bass, vocals, 1960–68, 1988–present)
- Hermann "Rugy" Rugenstein (guitar, vocals, 1965–68)
- Jochen "Lu Lafayette" Peters (keyboards, 1973–77)
- Kurt "Zappo" Lüngen (bass, 1968–73, 1974)
- Linda Fields (vocals, 1974–77)
- Manne Kraski (guitar, vocals, 1991–present)
- Peter "Peet" Becker (drums, 1968–70)
- Rainer Degner (guitar, vocals, 1967–69)
- Reinhard "Dicky" Tarrach (drums, 1963–67, 1988–present)
- Volker Reinhold (guitar, vocals, 1960–61)
- Wolfgang "Al" Brock (drums, 1974)
Herbert Hildebrandt
Manfred Kraski
Eggert Johannsen
Reinhard "Dicky" Tarrach
(This was the basic mid 1960s line-up.[4] By the time of "The Witch", they had all left and successively been replaced by other musicians, with Edna Bejarano now being the lead singer.)
Discography
Singles
| Year | Singles | A | GER | UK[5] | USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "La La La" | - | 19 | - | - |
| 1965 | "(Stoppin') In Las Vegas" | - | 20 | - | - |
| 1966 | "Come on and Sing" | - | 11 | - | - |
| 1966 | "Love of My Life" | - | 16 | - | - |
| 1966 | "It Is Love" | - | 26 | - | - |
| 1967 | "Cauliflower" | - | 25 | - | - |
| 1968 | "After Tea" | - | 26 | - | - |
| 1969 | "Geraldine" | - | - | - | - |
| 1970 | "The Witch" | 20 | 4 | 8 | 79 |
| 1971 | "You Can't Have Sunshine Every Day" | - | 45 | - | - |
| 1971 | "Devil's on the Loose" | - | 38 | - | - |
| 1972 | "Money Making Machine" | - | - | - | - |
| 1988 | "Hot Wheels" | - | 47 | - | - |
Albums
- Twist im Star-Club (1963)
- Twist-Time im Star-Club Hamburg (1964)
- Live im Star-Club Hamburg (1964)
- The Searchers Meet the Rattles (1964)
- Rattles (1965)
- Star Club Show 1 (1966)
- Liverpool Beat (1966)
- Hurra, die Rattles kommen (Soundtrack to the film of the same name) (1966)
- Remember Finale Ligure (1967)
- The Witch (1971)
- Tonight Starring Edna (1972)
- Gin Mill (1974)
- Attention (1975)
- Hot Wheels (1988)
- Painted Warrior (1990)
- New Wonderland (1993)
- Live (1997)
- Say Yeah! (2007)
Compilation albums
- Die deutschen Singles A&B (1963–1965), Vol. 1 (2000)
- Die deutschen Singles A&B (1965–1969), Vol. 2 (2000)
- Come On And Sing – Best (2004)
- Goldene für die Rattles (1970)
- Greatest Hits (1997)
References
- Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 285. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- "The Witch by Motorpsycho Song Statistics". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- "Motorpsycho Concert Setlist at Union Scene, Drammen on April 14, 1999". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
- "Band line-up". Badcatrecords.com. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 451. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
- The Rattles at AllMusic
- The Rattles discography at Discogs
- Richie Unterberger, The Rattles at Allmusic