Die Ärzte - Debil

The Doctors - Moronic

After I introduced a Swiss collegue to “Weird Al,” he recommended die Ärzte to me as their songs are often comical.  I bought this, their fist album, and found the the songs to be fun and catchy.

On the cover is a sticker that translates into “For reasons of youth protection, this product may not be sold to persons under 18 years of age or be publicly advertised.” At first, I thought this was a joke, but then I listened to “Claudia hat 'nen Schäferhund,” which is a song about a woman who enjoys her lap dog's companionship too much, and “Schlaflied,” a lullaby which would make children afraid to go to sleep.  Because of these two songs, the album was age-restricted by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons.

The “Boys Side” and “Girls Side” is from the joke labeling that was used on the 2-sided media versions of the album.  The vinyl and cassette versions also began each side with, “Ey du Blödmann, du hast die falsche Seite aufgelegt!” which means “Hey you dummy, you've put on the wrong side!”

“Kamelralley” is likely a reference to Camel brand cigarette's as the song's protagonist spends a lot of time sitting and waiting, possibly smoking to pass the time.  This song also features da bell which can be heard ringing between lines.  Maybe it's coincidence, but when I hear it I think, “debil,” the title of this album.

“El Cattivo” is Italian, nevermind that the Spanish article “el” is used here instead of the Italian “il.”

In 2004 the age-restriction was lifted, and this ablum was rereleased in 2005 as “Devil,” with a V superimposed over the B, and 5 additional songs and a couple of music videos, along with the “Ey du Blödmann” speech as a hidden track.

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