Alphaville’s ‘Salvation’ turns 29 on 8 September
Alphaville released “Salvation” through Warner/Metropolis in 1997, produced by Andy Richards and recorded at Eden Studios in London.
Alphaville released its fifth studio album, “Salvation”, in 1997 through Warner/Metropolis. The album turns 29 this year. Wikipedia lists the release date as 1 September 1997, while MusicBrainz records it as 8 September 1997; Side-Line marks the anniversary on the later date. Andy Richards produced the album for Sarm Productions, recording at Eden Studios in London.
The album arrived during a difficult period for the band. Ricky Echolette left Alphaville during production, and Marian Gold and Bernhard Lloyd both later criticised the label’s promotion of the record. “Salvation” was the last Alphaville album on Warner/Metropolis and the last to feature Bernhard Lloyd, who left the band in 2003.
What is on Alphaville’s ‘Salvation’
The original 12-track edition runs “Inside Out”, “Monkey in the Moon”, “Guardian Angel”, “Wishful Thinking”, “Flame”, “Point of Know Return”, “Control”, “Dangerous Places”, “Spirit of the Age”, “Soul Messiah”, “New Horizons” and “Pandora’s Lullaby”. The US release added three bonus tracks: “Life Is King”, a “Wishful Thinking” physical mix, and a “Monkey in the Moon” demo. “Wishful Thinking” (February 1997), “Flame” (June 1997) and “Soul Messiah” (1999) were released as singles, though none charted in Germany.
Marian Gold sang and played keyboards, Bernhard Lloyd played keyboards and programming, and producer Andy Richards also contributed keyboards and programming. Tim Cransfield played guitars, with Elliott Randall adding electric guitar to “New Horizons”. Anne Dudley arranged strings for “Wishful Thinking” and “Flame”, recorded at Angel Recording Studios; John Altman arranged strings for “Pandora’s Lullaby”. The album returned to the band’s synth-pop roots with a heavier dance and techno influence, drawing comparisons to “Forever Young”. A remastered and expanded deluxe edition followed in November 2023.
About Alphaville
Alphaville formed in Münster, Germany, in 1982, founded by Marian Gold, Bernhard Lloyd and Frank Mertens; Gold and Lloyd had met in West Berlin the previous year. The band signed to WEA and released its debut album, “Forever Young”, in 1984, carried by the singles “Big in Japan” and “Forever Young”, both international hits. Mertens left the band at the end of 1984 and was replaced by Ricky Echolette (Ricky Olbrich), who remained until 1996. “Afternoons in Utopia” followed in 1986. Alphaville moved toward more experimental territory with “The Breathtaking Blue” (1989) and “Prostitute” (1994) before returning to a more direct synth-pop approach on “Salvation” in 1997.
After “Salvation” and Bernhard Lloyd’s 2003 departure, Marian Gold continued Alphaville with a rotating lineup, releasing “Dreamscapes” (1999), “Catching Rays on Giant” (2010) and “Strange Attractor” (2017), alongside a long touring history built around the band’s 1984 hits. Alphaville has remained active into the 2020s, including a 2023 deluxe reissue campaign covering both “Prostitute” and “Salvation”.
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