FARGO – The Early Years 1979-1982 [4xCD remastered] (2024) Out of Print *HQ Exclusive*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ

FARGO is one of Germany’s most important Hard Rock acts in the late Seventies / early Eighties. With four studio albums between 1979 and 1982 and their tours with AC/DC, Mothers Finest or The Small Faces, the Hanoverian band has gained a real cult status. After split circa, Fargo then evolved into another fantastic German hard rock band: VICTORY.
After a longer break, Fargo have been active again since 2016, have produced two more much-acclaimed studio discs and were repeatedly on tour in Germany and Switzerland. Their four early classics ‘Wishing Well’ (1979), ‘No Limit’ (1980), ‘Frontpage Lover’ (1981) and ‘F’ (1982) were re-released via Steamhammer / SPV.
”The Early Years 1979-1982 [4xCD remastered]” appears as a high-quality 4-CD box set including photos and liner notes, all four albums have been finely remastered – the debut album ‘Wishing Well’ has also been remixed.
This is one of the better presented box set appeared in recent time, complete with photos and essay, and above all, a stupendous remastering preserving the original sound. And musically, these four LP’s are very good pieces of classic rock / hard rock.

The band toured several times throughout Europe, shared the stage with international top acts and also left a shiny impression on TV (“Rock Pop”, ZDF).
Due to her sensational stage show (Knorn’s legendary head-first salto belonged to the evening spectacle), even the largest European youth magazine BRAVO dedicated two complete pages to the Fargo bassist in January 1981.

Originally formed in Hannover in 1973, the German hard rock quartet Fargo was the brainchild of vocalist Peter Knorn, and, as is usually the way, a number of musicians came and went – including one Matthias Jabs (where is he now?) – until Crystal, an imprint of EMI-Electrola, offered a pen and the dotted line.
Fargo had already issued a single ‘Coming Together’ in 1977 on Lava, a local label, but now the band – featuring singer/guitarist Peter Ladwig, guitarist Hanno Grossman, drummer Frank Tolle and with Knorn switching to bass – embarked on their debut album ‘Wishing Well’ which appeared in March 1979.
A healthy slice of bluesy rock with the occasional work-out like closer ‘When The Show Is Over’, ‘Wishing Well’ is a worthy debut, maybe a tad unfocussed a times but played from the heart.

‘No Limit’ swiftly followed in February 1980 and followed the same path, and the fact that they later supported AC/DC on their ‘Back In Black’ tour for a couple of gigs when Whitesnake had to bow out shows where the band were at, musically: the beautifully elegiac ‘Soul Survivor’ could easily be a track off ‘Lovehunter’.

By the release of their third album, ‘Frontpage Lover’ in March 1981 Tolle left the band and was replaced by Rudi Kaeding. The album included a couple of really strong offerings in the title track and the very Eighties’ ‘Tokyo’, and an overall more polished sound.
At the end of the ensuing tour Grossman left and was replaced by Tommy Newton, and ‘F’ appeared in the shops the following year. A much tougher album with a pugilistic production, ‘F’ – check out ‘Here We Are’ and the frenetic instrumental ‘Hard Attack’ – gave the band a sharper edge, but after the ‘F’ tour wrapped, Ladwig and Tolle left (again, in the latter’s case).

A new-look Fargo recorded three new songs for their fifth album, but vocalist Pedro Schemm, guitarists Tommy Newton and John Lockton, bassist Peter Knorn and drummer Bernie van der Graaf’s efforts were in vain. The album was never completed, and with ex- Ted Nugent singer Charlie Huhn taking over front-and-centre Fargo slipped seamlessly into Victory.

Nothing more was heard from Fargo until Knorn and Ladwig, ably assisted by guitarist Arndt Schultz and drummer Nikolas Fritz, rebooted the band with ‘Constellation’ in 2016. But that’s another story.
”The Early Years 1979-1982” is a glorious celebration of a band with a great story to tell.
HIGHLY Recommended

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Peter Ladwig – Guitars, Vocals
Henny Wolters, Hanno Grossman Tommy Newton – Guitars
Peter Knorn – Bass
Frank Tolle, Nikolas Fritz – Drums

Out of Print
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