Modern Talking

It was in Berlin during the spring of 1983 that Dieter Bohlen, then employed as a composer and producer by the Intersong label, brought the German dance-pop duo Modern Talking into existence. Joining forces with vocalist Thomas Anders, the pair promptly recorded their debut single, the 1984 release “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul.” Their first full-length project, The 1st Album, arrived the following year in the wake of the follow-up single “You Can Win If You Want.” Late 1985 saw the arrival of their second album, Let’s Talk About Love, which introduced the major success “Cheri Cheri Lady.” The 1986 set Ready for Romance delivered an even larger triumph through “Brother Louie.” Yet mounting friction between Bohlen and Anders surfaced after In the Middle of Nowhere that same year; once the fifth album, Romantic Warriors, had been issued, Bohlen turned his attention to a fresh endeavor, Blue System. The duo’s concluding release, In the Garden of Venus, surfaced in late 1987 after they had already parted ways, prompting Anders to pursue a solo path.

A 1997 reunion paved the way for the 1998 comeback album Back for Good. Although Modern Talking would split once more in 2003, the intervening years yielded five additional LPs: Alone in 1999, 2000: Year of the Dragon in 2000, America in 2001, Victory in 2002, and the twelfth and final studio effort, Universe, in 2003. The latter contained the German number-two single “TV Makes the Superstar,” which also registered on the charts in Austria and Switzerland. The pair reconvened in the studio once more for 2017’s Back for Gold: The New Versions, featuring both original recordings and updated renditions of their signature tracks.