Rob Evans wrote:
They are not different enough in my view. Die Roboter and The Robots are exactly the same song, with the same lyrics, the same music, the same running time etc.
Time to weigh in with my .02 cents on this one. While I do agree with Rob that the level of one's "fandom" is not determined by how many alternate language versions of the same album somebody owns, I must differ with regard to another point. In some instances, it is more than merely the lyrics themselves which are different. For instance, upon listening comparatively to both "Computer World" and "Computerwelt" (the songs, not the albums), you will find that the latter contains a much more prevalent gate reverb effect applied to Ralf's vocal track than that of the former. Furthermore, due to differences in translation, songs like "Die Roboter" and "Trans Europa Express" add an extra rhythmic beat to their main melody lines to accomodate the added syllable present in each. Perhaps these are far from major distinctions, but I believe them to be significant enough to influence our sense of aesthetics as well as the overall manner in which we perceive the music we hear. I'll also add that often is the case that meanings get somewhat lost or altered in language translations, so the songs do occasionally take on a different significance when ported over into another language. Both sides of this debate have some valid things to say, IMHO. Rhythmicon __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions! http://auctions.yahoo.com