| The Rattles | |
|---|---|
2006 live at the Maiwoche in Osnabrück, Germany |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Hamburg, Germany |
| Genres | beat, rock |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | Edel Records (2011) Star-Club Records (1960s), Philips and others |
| Website | rattles.de |
| Members | |
| Herbert Hildebrandt Dicky Tarrach Eggert Johannsen Manne Kraski |
|
| Past members | |
| Achim Reichel Frank Dostal Edna Béjarano more: see below |
|
The Rattles are a rock band (initially beat group) from Germany. Their biggest selling record was their 1968 recorded song, "The Witch", which sold over one million copies globally.[1]
Contents |
The Rattles began their career in the same Hamburg scene where many Liverpool based UK beat groups got their start. They met The Beatles in 1962 and played alongside them on three occasions in Germany; at Munich, Essen and Hamburg.[1] In 1964 the group recorded an up beat version of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" which was a minor hit in the UK. In 1968 they recorded "The Witch", written by Hildebrandt, which was a hit in Germany.[1] The group was forced to split up owing to army service and other reasons and a new line-up formed, although Hildebrandt remained as songwriter and record producer.[1] They enjoyed sustained success in their own country through the 1960s, and recorded a new version of "The Witch" in 1970 which became their only international hit.[1]
"The Witch" went Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, in addition to hitting the Top 20 in Austria and on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. By April 1971, it had sold over one million copies, with the Rattles becoming the first German group to ever appear in the U.S. charts.[1]
(This was the basic mid 1960s line-up.[2] By the time of "The Witch" they had all left and successively been replaced by other musicians, with Edna Béjarano now being the lead singer.)
Past and present members:
Achim Reichel (vocals, guitar, 1960–66, 1988–91)
Bernd Schulz (keyboards, 1967–68)
Dieter Sadlowsky (drums, 1960–63)
Edna B. Jerano (vocals, 1970–73)
Eggert Johannsen [Martin Storm] (vocals, rhythm guitar, 1994–present)
Frank "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, 1969–70, 1988–93)
Herbert Bornhold (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)
| Year | Singles | A | GER | UK[3] | 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 | - | - |