RPB - Sacre Coeur 7'' 1981

R.P.B. (Rock'N'Poetry Band) with his mastermind Rudolf Paul Barcal was an anti product of the new wave era in Vienna. Rudi left "austrias first" punk band Chuzpe in fall 1979 after the Wiener Blutrausch compilation and stayed for three months in the USA. When he came back to Vienna, he founded his own band, unimpressed by new wave and the upcomming bands, with the intention to combine rock and poetry. He was followed by Christian Brandl (also a Chuzpe member), Franky Frauenhofer, Günther Holtschik and jack-of-all-trades Ronnie Urini (Dirt Shit, Kleenex Aktiv, etc...). According to a survey only 15% of the rock music fans listen to the lyrics, the headbanging rest doesn't mind. So Rudi tried to find demanding lyrics from poets that where not so popular, to combine it with rock and to arouse the interrest for the words. 

In 1981 RPB produced their first 7Inch with a little bit different studio lineup, including Ernst Czettel & Michi Egger. The self composed song Sacre Coeur just missed the top ten of the Austrian charts. The flipside Tenebrae is a poem by Paul Celan, translated by Michael Hamburger, and was also released on the followed tape, next to rock versions of poems by Robert Frost, May Swenson, Emily Dickinson and another self composed song "Jean Paul". They gave concerts in Vienna and from Linz to Fischamend. In 1982 the line-up changed, next Rudi there now was Roland Plotz, Ernst Czettel, Michi Egger & Stefan Pfeistlinger. They recorded a rare second 7" in 1982, a strange instrumental rock/pop record. Rudi later was seen with Mordbuben AG, Bella Bella, and Schlechte Verlierer (source: luziprakrecords)

here