Birth Control (band)

Birth Control is a German rock band known for their progressive hard rock sound and provocative album covers (such as that of Two Eggs – Two Concerts which depicts a hen cooking eggs).

Birth Control
Origin	West Berlin, West Germany
Genres	Krautrock, hard rock, progressive rock
Years active	1966–1984, 1993–2014, 2016–present
Labels	Ohr, Brain
Members	Peter Föller (vocals) Martin Ettrich (guitar, talkbox) Sascha Kühn (keyboards) Hannes Vesper (bass) Manni von Bohr (drums)
Past members	See "Members"
Website	Official website

History

Birth Control formed in 1966 in West Berlin from two other bands, the Earls and the Gents. The band was founded with a lineup consisting of Bernd Koschmidder (bass), Reinhold Sobotta (organ), Rolf Gurra (saxophone, vocals), Fritz Gröger (vocals), Reiner Borchert (guitar), Hugo Egon Balder (drums), and Klaus Orso (guitar). Within five years of the band's formation all seven of the original members had departed, but the band continued under the leadership of long-standing members drummer (and later lead vocalist) Bernd Noske (who replaced Balder in late 1968) and guitarist Bruno Frenzel (who replaced Borchert in 1969).

Following the death of Frenzel in 1983, the group disbanded, but reunited in 1993 with only Noske remaining from the previous lineup. Other members of the reformed band included returning bassist/vocalist Horst Stachelhaus, as well as guitarist Rocco Zodiak and keyboardist Xaver Fischer.

Despite the death of mainstay Stachelhaus in 1999, the band continued under Noske's guidance, touring Germany and release new albums periodically following the turn of the century. In later years, former members Peter Föller (bass, vocals) and Zeus B. Held (keyboards) both returned to the fold as guest musicians at occasional concerts. The band came to an end on February 18, 2014 with the death of Noske. The final lineup of the band consisted of Noske, bassist Hannes Vesper, keyboardist Sascha Kuhn, and guitarist Martin Ettrich.

In 2016 the band regrouped and started performing again. The new lineup consisted of several members who at some point where part of the band's history: Peter Föller (vocals), Martin Ettrich (guitar, talkbox), Sascha Kühn (keyboards), Hannes Vesper (bass) and Manni von Bohr (drums). In the same year they released a new studio album ("Here and Now") for the first time in 13 years.

Members

Current members

• Peter Föller – bass, vocals (1973–1977, 2016–present)
• Manfred von Bohr – drums (1977–1980, 2016–present)
• Hannes Vesper – bass, organ (1999–2000, 2002–present)
• Sascha Kuhn – keyboards (1999–present)
• Martin Ettrich – guitar, talk box (2011–present)

Past members

• Bernd Koschmidder – bass, vocals (1968–1973)
• Reinhold Sobotta – organ (1968–1972)
• Rolf Gurra – saxophone, vocals (1968–1969)
• Fritz Gröger – vocals (1968–1969)
• Reiner Borchert – guitar (1968–1969)
• Hugo Egon Balder – drums (1968)
• Klaus Orso – guitar (1968)
• Gerd Alsheimer – guitar (1968)
• Bernd Noske – drums, percussion, vocals (1968–1983, 1993–2014; died 2014)
• Bruno Frenzel – guitar (1969–1983; died 1983)
• Hartmut Schölgens - organ (1972)
• Wolfgang Neuser – organ (1972–1973; died 2018)
• Zeus B. Held – organ (1973–1978)
• Dirk Steffens – guitar (1973–1974)
• Horst Stachelhaus – bass, vocals (1977–1980, 1993–1999; died 1999)
• Wolfgang Horn – organ (1979–1981)
• Jurgen Goldschmidt – bass, vocals (1980–1983)
• Stefan Linke – guitar, vocals (1981–1983)
• Harald Meurer - keyboards (1981–82)
• Ulrich Klein – keyboards, vocals (1981–1983)
• Jörg Becker - keyboards (1983–84)
• Xaver Fischer – keyboards (1993–1999)
• Rocco Zodiak – guitar (1993–1995)
• Peter Engelhardt – guitar (1995–2011)
• Rainer Wind – bass (2000–2002)

Timeline

<timeline>ImageSize = width:850 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:5 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1968 till:05/22/2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1968 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1968

Colors =

id:lvocals   value:red       legend:Lead_Vocals
id:bvocals   value:pink      legend:Back_vocals
id:guitar    value:green     legend:Guitars
id:keyboards value:purple    legend:Organ,_keyboards
id:bass      value:blue      legend:Bass
id:drums     value:orange    legend:Drums
id:saxophone value:yellow    legend:Saxophone
id:bars      value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

BarData =

bar:Groger      text:"Fritz Gröger"
bar:Gurra       text:"Rolf Gurra"
bar:Borchert    text:"Reiner Borchert"
bar:Orso        text:"Klaus Orso"
bar:Alsheimer   text:"Gerd Alsheimer"
bar:Frenzel     text:"Bruno Frenzel"
bar:Steffens    text:"Dirk Steffens"
bar:Linke       text:"Stefan Linke"
bar:Zodiak      text:"Rocco Zodiak"
bar:Engelhardt  text:"Peter Engelhardt"
bar:Ettrich     text:"Martin Ettrich"
bar:Koschmidder text:"Bernd Koschmidder"
bar:Foller      text:"Peter Föller"
bar:Stachelhaus text:"Horst Stachelhaus"
bar:Goldschmidt text:"Jurgen Goldschmidt"
bar:Vesper      text:"Hannes Vesper"
bar:Wind        text:"Rainer Wind"
bar:Sobotta     text:"Reinhold Sobotta"
bar:Scholgens   text:"Hartmut Schölgens"
bar:Neuser      text:"Wolfgang Neuser"
bar:Held        text:"Zeus B. Held"
bar:Horn        text:"Wolfgang Horn"
bar:Meurer      text:"Harald Meurer"
bar:Klein       text:"Ulrich Klein"
bar:Becker      text:"Jörg Becker"
bar:Fischer     text:"Xaver Fischer"
bar:Kuhn        text:"Sascha Kühn"
bar:Balder      text:"Hugo Egon Balder"
bar:Noske       text:"Bernd Noske"
bar:Bohr        text:"Manfred von Bohr"

PlotData=

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4)
bar:Koschmidder from:01/01/1968   till:07/01/1973  color:bass
bar:Koschmidder from:01/01/1968   till:07/01/1973  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Sobotta     from:01/01/1968   till:02/01/1972  color:keyboards
bar:Gurra       from:01/01/1968   till:12/01/1969  color:saxophone
bar:Gurra       from:01/01/1968   till:12/01/1969  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Groger      from:01/01/1968   till:12/01/1969  color:lvocals
bar:Borchert    from:01/01/1968   till:12/01/1969  color:guitar
bar:Balder      from:01/01/1968   till:07/01/1968  color:drums
bar:Orso        from:01/01/1968   till:12/01/1968  color:guitar
bar:Alsheimer   from:01/01/1968   till:12/01/1968  color:guitar
bar:Noske       from:07/01/1968   till:12/01/1983  color:drums
bar:Noske       from:07/01/1968   till:12/01/1983  color:lvocals width:3
bar:Noske       from:01/01/1993   till:12/01/2014  color:drums
bar:Noske       from:01/01/1993   till:12/01/2014  color:lvocals width:3
bar:Frenzel     from:01/01/1969   till:12/01/1983  color:guitar
bar:Scholgens   from:02/01/1972   till:07/01/1972  color:keyboards
bar:Neuser      from:07/01/1972   till:07/01/1973  color:keyboards
bar:Foller      from:07/01/1973   till:07/01/1977  color:bass
bar:Foller      from:07/01/1973   till:07/01/1977  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Foller      from:01/01/2016   till:end         color:guitar
bar:Foller      from:01/01/2016   till:end         color:lvocals width:3 
bar:Held        from:07/01/1973   till:12/01/1978  color:keyboards
bar:Steffens    from:01/01/1973   till:12/01/1974  color:guitar
bar:Stachelhaus from:07/01/1977   till:07/01/1980  color:bass
bar:Stachelhaus from:07/01/1977   till:07/01/1980  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Stachelhaus from:01/01/1993   till:07/01/1999  color:bass
bar:Stachelhaus from:01/01/1993   till:07/01/1999  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Bohr        from:01/01/1977   till:12/01/1980  color:drums
bar:Bohr        from:01/01/2016   till:end         color:drums
bar:Horn        from:01/01/1979   till:07/01/1981  color:keyboards
bar:Goldschmidt from:07/01/1980   till:12/01/1983  color:bass
bar:Goldschmidt from:07/01/1980   till:12/01/1983  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Linke       from:01/01/1981   till:12/01/1983  color:guitar
bar:Linke       from:01/01/1981   till:12/01/1983  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Meurer      from:07/01/1981   till:02/01/1982  color:keyboards
bar:Klein       from:02/01/1982   till:07/01/1983  color:keyboards
bar:Klein       from:02/01/1982   till:07/01/1983  color:bvocals width:3
bar:Becker      from:07/01/1983   till:12/01/1984  color:keyboards
bar:Fischer     from:01/01/1993   till:07/01/1999  color:keyboards
bar:Zodiak      from:01/01/1993   till:07/01/1995  color:guitar
bar:Engelhardt  from:07/01/1995   till:07/01/2011  color:guitar
bar:Vesper      from:07/01/1999   till:07/01/2000  color:bass
bar:Vesper      from:07/01/1999   till:07/01/2000  color:keyboards width:3
bar:Vesper      from:07/01/2002   till:end         color:bass
bar:Vesper      from:07/01/2002   till:end         color:keyboards width:3        
bar:Kuhn        from:07/01/1999   till:end         color:keyboards
bar:Wind        from:07/01/2000   till:07/01/2002  color:bass
bar:Ettrich     from:07/01/2011   till:end         color:guitar

</timeline>

Discography

Studio albums

• Birth Control (1970)
• Operation (1971)
• Hoodoo Man (1972)
• Rebirth (1973)
• Plastic People (1975)
• Backdoor Possibilities (1976)
• Increase (1977)
• Titanic (1978)
• Count on Dracula (1980)
• Deal Done at Night (1981)
• Bäng (1982)
• Two Worlds (1995)
• Jungle Life (1996)
• Getting There (1999)
• Alsatian (2003)
• Here and Now (2016)
• Open Up (2022)

Live albums

• Live (1974)
• Live 79 (1979)
• Condomium (1994)
• Live Abortion (2000)
• Live in Lachendorf (2000)
• Live in Fulda (2004)
• Live at Rockpalast (35th Anniversary Tour) (2005)
• We Are Family (40th Anniversary Tour) (2009)
• Two Eggs - Two Concerts - The Ultimate Live Collection (2013)
• Live Harmonie Bonn (2018)

Compilations

• Believe in the Pill (1972)
• Best of (1977)
• Best of Vol 2 (1978)
• Rock on Brain (1980)
• The Very Best of (1990)
• Definitive Collection (1996)

References

• "Birth Control – Discography". Birth-control.de. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
• "Birth Control". Germanrock EV. Retrieved 2021-01-01.

External links

• Official website
• Birth Control discography at Discogs