TSS

Formed in 1970, Ton Steine Scherben ranked among Germany’s earliest authentic homegrown rock bands, steering clear of American and British covers, and although mainstream commercial success eluded them, their impact inside the country endured for decades. The group, featuring vocalist Rio Reiser, guitarist R.P.S. Lanrue, drummer Funky Götzner, bassist Kai Sichtermann, and keyboardist Martin Paul, financed and issued multiple independent recordings under their own control; those releases often carried sharply political and contentious messages. Over the years Ton Steine Scherben (later abbreviated TSS) moved only modestly toward more introspective themes in their words while retaining an uncompromising outsider posture that later eras would label “punk.” The original lineup dissolved in 1985, yet Reiser’s death in 1996 brought the remaining members back together for a farewell concert that year, and they reconvened once more in 2005 for a well-received reunion tour.