Alien 1979

Rockpalast was a WDR (Cologne) show produced between 1974 and 1986, and revived again in 1995. The show was originally produced by Peter Rüchel and directed by Christan Wagner, and was famous for staging gigs with the leading bands of the day. The three concerts preceding Epitaph's first Rockpalast appearance were with Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Leo Kottke, and Ry Cooder. Epitaph first hit the Rockpalast stage on February 2nd 1997, and were followed that year by artists like Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Chicago, Harry Chapin, Tom Waits, Tom Petty, Rory Gallagher, Little Feat and Roger McGuinn's Thunderbird. Although two of the founder members, Cliff Jackson and Jim McGillivray, were Brits, and the lyrics were English, Epitaph was definitely a German band. As such it was quite amazing that Epitaph made it onto what was in effect Germany's answer to The Old Grey Whistle Test…

Quiet Life is the album that transformed Japan from past-tense glam rockers into futuristic synth popsters, though they'd been leaning in that direction for a while…

George Duke was an American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. He was known primarily for thirty-odd solo albums, of which 'A Brazilian Love Affair' from 1980 was his most popular, as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa.

With Mott the Hoople, guitarist/vocalist Ian Hunter established himself as one of the toughest and most inventive hard rock songwriters of the early '70s, setting the stage for punk rock with his edgy, intelligent songs. As a solo artist, Hunter never attained the commercial heights of Mott the Hoople, but he cultivated a dedicated cult following.