Hair incl. The Honeymoon Files (Re-Edition 2025) Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub

• 1 Container Love 03:54
• 2 You Sent All My Letters 03:30
• 3 Happy Spider 03:10
• 4 Primitive Man 03:32
• 5 Merry My Mind 03:00
• 6 I Wanna Be Your Hoover 03:34
• 7 Fine Art In Silver 03:30
• 8 Annie Flies The Lovebomber 03:12
• 9 Albert Is A Headbanger 02:56
• 10 I Go Down To The Sea 02:44
• 11 They Say Hurray 03:20
• 12 Tragic Mastery Of Stock Hausen 03:12
• 13 When The Sidewalk Ends 03:09
• 14 No Is The Answer To This Madness 04:35
• 15 Carly 03:46
• 16 Nero Nero 04:12
• 17 Endearing 04:29
• 18 Millions Of Light Years 03:51
• 19 The End Of The 80's 04:00
• 20 We Are The Voodoo People 04:46
• 21 Poolside Memories 03:15
• 22 The Pharaoh Song 03:53
• Total Runtime 01:19:30

Info for Hair incl. The Honeymoon Files (Re-Edition 2025)

With "Hair," Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub released one of the most important German indie rock albums of the late 1980s and early 1990s in January 1989. A prime example of stylistic experimentation, intricate narrative, and creative stubbornness, with which Boa solidified his status as a staunch anti-pop star.

This milestone album will be released in April as a remastered and expanded anniversary edition, which, in addition to the original album, includes additional recordings with brand-new songs, a previously unreleased concert recording, as well as exclusive rarities, bonus tracks, and session outtakes!

Uncompromising, eccentric, and unpredictable – a reputation as highly functional mavericks that preceded Phillip Boa and his Voodooclub at least since their third album, "Copperfield," released in 1988, and which the band further confirmed on their follow-up album, "Hair." With their experimental mix of indie rock, post punk, and art pop, the band captivated not only German audiences but also critical UK audiences, while the band continued to avoid any suspicion of commercial success. A balancing act between art and commerce that became increasingly difficult with every radio play from renowned tastemakers like John Peel and Co. "After two beautiful indie albums, 'Copperfield' marked a small breakthrough. At the same time, the artistic figure of Phillip Boa slowly became bigger than me as an individual," says the Voodooclub mastermind, reflecting on a schizophrenic creative phase. "I was never an entertainer or a rock star. I still lack that gene to this day. When 'Container Love' became a hit, we turned down a series of invitations to important TV and radio shows." It hardly helped, as we all know. Cult status against our will.

A self-imposed exile in pop outsiderdom, in which Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub made themselves at home with "Hair." Directly in the tension field between the sometimes ethereally distant, sometimes siren-like alluring vocals of his then partner and singer Pia Lund, and the often surreal lyrics in which Phillip Boa told of countless strange and nonconformist characters. As nonconformist as the Voodooclub itself: Starting with Paul, the homeless man from "Container Love," who, since a severe stroke of fate, had been living in the parking lot in front of the Dortmund disco where the Voodooclub had its first rehearsal space. Albert, the headbanger who had fallen out of step with the system and is only kept alive by his love of metal. The muse Annie, who fought for creativity and imagination in her Lovebomber. The "Primitive Man," who emerged from a musical self-portrait of its creator. The insatiable "Happy Spider," whose cravings are mostly heavy motorcycles. And, of course, music theorist Karlheinz Stockhausen, to whom Phillip Boa dedicated what is arguably the most avant-garde piece on the album: the contemporary classic homage "The Tragic Mastery Of Stock Hausen."

"Megalomaniacal as I was back then, I wanted him to produce the song. So I found out Stockhausen's home address to ask him personally. I climbed over the fence of his property and rang his doorbell. Unfortunately, no one was home..." But Phillip Boa wouldn't be himself if the musician weren't constantly searching for new forms of expression. "Eroc and I then spent the entire afternoon throwing metal parts from the first floor of his studio onto a car. The samples appear throughout various songs on the album. My goal has always been to play with different styles and influences, like Japan or early Roxy Music did. I've also always admired Einstürzende Neubauten for their sonic experiments." This is clearly reflected in the tracklist of "Hair," which was recorded in various recording studios such as the Woodhouse in Hagen, as well as various London locations such as the Roundhouse, the Konk, and Earth Studio, located in the former red-light district of Soho, in the immediate vicinity of which there was a brothel run by the Maltese mafia. Just one of countless obscure making-of anecdotes. "The deciding factor for me to sign a major record deal was being able to work with every producer I admired. An absolute dream for a boy from the Ruhr region. Besides music, I've always seen myself as a producer and wanted to learn only from the best." Namely Jay Burnett (Suicide, John Cale, David Bowie), John Leckie (Simple Minds, XTC, The Fall), and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T.Rex, Sparks).

With this re-edition, "Hair" is now being remastered and restored. In painstaking detail, all tracks from the original album were refreshed and restored by Boa's longtime collaborator Eroc (who also plays drums on "Hair"). The expanded reissue is complemented by the exclusive bonus album "The Honeymoon Files," featuring eleven brand-new tracks in the spirit of "Hair." The "honeymoon" songs were recorded between 2023 and 2024 at Temple Studios in Malta with the band's trusted co-producer David Vella. From the powerful opener "When The Sidewalk Ends" and the electronically danceable "No Is The Answer To This Madness," to the nostalgic "The End Of The 80s" and the gripping anthem "We Are The Voodoo People," to the thoughtful "Poolside Memories," Voodooclub presents itself as stylistically open as it did during its "Hair" phase. "The song "The End Of The 80s" captures the feeling of that time pretty well. An atmosphere between the end of the 80s and the beginning of something new. The end of a decade, while at the same time, a certain change was in the air. A new freedom that hinted at politically and socially."

A spirit of optimism that Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub captures on the previously unreleased concert recording "Live, Exile!" captured on September 29, 1989, in East Berlin's Werner Seelenbinder Hall - the Voodoo Club's first appearance in the former German Democratic Republic, where the band performed old and new tracks like "I Dedicate My Soul To You," "Skull," "Annie Flies The Lovebomber," "Fine Art In Silver," "Albert Is A Headbanger," "Container Love," "Lunatics Over Brighton," "Diana," "Kill Your Ideals," and others to a euphoric audience just weeks before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Hairstory, revisited. "The atmosphere in and outside the venue was incredible. I've never experienced anything like it since. That's how the Beatles must have felt when they first performed in the USA. A complete state of emergency! After the gig, our bus couldn't leave because several thousand people were crammed into that space. We then got out and talked to the fans. It was very impressive and touching to hear their stories."

The reissue of "Hair" is rounded out by a collection of rare songs, select bonus tracks, and previously unreleased session outtakes such as "Container Love (Long Version)," "Morlocks In England (Original Studio Recording)," the Velvet Underground cover "I'm Waiting For My Man (Live Studio Session)," "I Wanna Be Your Hoover (Live Markthalle Hamburg)," "Annie Flies The Lovebomber (Acoustic Demo Version)," and many others. "I love physical recordings that you can touch, look at, and reflect on the artwork. The reissue of 'Hair' represents a newly curated part of my life's work. It was an exciting experience to remaster the old tracks in a contemporary sound and combine them with completely new songs in the spirit of the original album. A journey through the history of the Voodoo Club, leading into the present."

Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub

Phillip Boa & the Voodooclub
were formed in the western part of germany in 1985 by Phillip and vocalist/keyboardist 'Pia Lund', later joined by percussionist / voodoodrummer 'The Voodoo' (all 3 had just entered university where they met ) and drummer / programmer 'Der Rabe'. They released their first album 'Philister' in the same year on their own Constrictor label and received excellent reviews in their home-country, where it soon topped the indie-charts.

In 1986 Rough Trade (Germany) director Heino Drecker helped to sign the band to english indie label Red Flame, who re-released the album across europe. Several singles of that album gained 'single of the week' status in NME, Sounds and Melody Maker and so did the whole album itself. The british press described their style as a form of pop avantgarde: strange music, often beautiful and pop/rock, but noisy and angst ridden with ironical / cynical lyrics full of great, different metaphors and twistssome early critic called it a collision between B 52's / Talking Heads, the german feel of Can with the wisdom and cynical approach of The Fall. Phillip's main influences were also Joy Division, Velvet Underground, XTC, Magazine, Wire etc.

In 1987, encouraged by the reaction, the band decided to rehearse and play their first concerts in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Scandinavia etc. Later that year they met german producer legend Conny Plank (Kraftwerk, Can, DAF) who's been a fan since the band's first album. Sadly Conny could not fullfill his commitment because of health reasons (he passed away 2 years later), however he had recommended a replacement in a former student of his, Eroc. Slightly mad ex Krautrock figure Eroc recorded the second album 'Aristocracie', released also on Red Flame, receiving brilliant reviews, single and album of the week in NME etc.

Phillip Boa & the Voodooclub still remain the German band with the most "Album and Single of the Week's" in the British music press ever (8 x "Single of the Week" and 5 x "Album of the Week" reviews in NME, Melody Maker and Sounds). The band toured indie clubs across europe and got signed by a major-label, Polydor in Hamburg. This move triggered a backlash for Phillip as he was at first called a traitor for doing this (Phillip was a symbolic figure of the 'never sell out' indie ideology).

Through the years, Phillip Boa & the Voodooclub were special guest of the great John Lydon's band P.I.L., played smaller alternative-festivals with, just to name a few, Nick Cave, Sonic Youth, Björk, The Fall, Residents, Gun Club, Iggy Pop or Manic Street Preachers. And big festivals such as Roskilde, sharing the same stage with people like David Bowie or Bob Dylan. Phillip did collaborations with magnificent metal-people like Dave Lombardo from Slayer or Chuck Schuldiner from Death and Mille from Kreator.

Furthermore the Voodooclub has been remixed by acclaimed electronic masterminds such as Aphex Twin, The Notwist, Zombie Nation, Locust, LFO, Schneider TM etc. .

Anyway up until today, Phillip still keeps his 'never sell out' indie ideology alive and well refusing to appear on tv, rejecting advertising / sponsoring even in 2008, were this practice is wide spread amongst a lot of bands. Phillip however was aware of the negative impact the 'signing to a major' would have on his international career he released several albums on Polydor in the later 80's til 1997, 'Copperfield' and 'Hair', 'Helios' and 'Boaphenia' receiving great reviews. 'Container Love' from the album 'Hair' was a minor hit in some European countries and, together with ''Kill your Ideals', 'Fine art in Silver', 'This is Michael', 'And then she kissed her' and 'Love on Sale', still is the band's most popular song. Phillip decided to 'stop' his international career, well aware of the fact that he would never receive that credibility and praise of the leading, influential journalists for longer than 3 albums. He stopped touring outside of germany from 1991 on and did his best to make sure he did not releases his albums outside of his home country. Nowadays via Amazon or I-Tunes a lot of Boa's stuff is available internationally.

However his ever loyal hardcore fans inside and outside of germany guarantee him concerts and releases that are always somehow doing well enough; Boa nowadays is still very well-respected, almost lost non of his credibility and, yes, he never ever sold out!!! Since the beginning of his career international producers (John Leckie, Bowie-producer Tony Visconti-currently working with the great Morrissey and loads of others) liked to work with Phillip Boa & the Voodooclub; in the recent years he worked, for example with Gareth Jones (Interpol) and with Strokes-producer Gordon Raphael on an album called 'Decadence & Isolation' (yes, Phillip knows that the album-title is uncool but he doesn't care).

This unique approach to music making is again visible in the latest Voodooclub creation, 'Faking to blend in' album released on the 03/08/07. On this latest outing one not only sees the return of 'Der Rabe', one time original drummer of the Voodoclub as co-producer but also a 'rising star' of the Berlin / Kreuzberg underground scene, Tobias Siebert as producer. This is a definitive return to old form for Boa. The album is packed with a collection of great songs with infectious melodies wrapped in a warm but spiky blanket of "beautiful noise", not far from the best work of the ever influential CAN, "maestros" of the avant-garde scene. Complex yet romantic musical and lyrical structures flow effortlessly throughout the whole album that one can clearly savour with the first listen but at the same time discover further intriguing arrangements rooted deep into the compositions with repeated plays.

After Phillip ended his business-relationship with the record-label Motor, he wasn't sure what to do in the future. It didn't take him long to decide. Now signed to Rough Trade Distr./Germany, Boa finished writing a new album at Temple studios (Malta) - once more returning to the ideology of the former described avantgarde/popmelody - clash. Phillip took on an idea of the late producer Conny Plank: to work with the genius drummer Jaki Liebezeit of CAN. Together with producer Tobias Siebert, Phillip and Jaki met up in Berlin to record drums and percussion for the new album (released February 13/2009). Very interesting recording sessions took place: Boa, Tobias and Jaki (once called the 'best drummer in the world' by NME), – trying to achieve a common purpose: discover new aspects within the structures of pop/rock music. As a result of this cooperation the music sounds more spacious, cinematic and yet intense with the typical Boa Songwriter-qualities and the Voodooclub individual style. They unfold: with the unusual but yet groovy Jaki-stamp on it. Mixing of the album was finished in December 2008 in Berlin. The album was released in Germany via Rough Trade Distr. / Export and iTunes worldwide and received very positive media response. Five very special shows were played in October 2009 with Jaki, who usually refuses to play to songstructures. After a first nervous show in Hamburg the experiment turned out to be brilliant and Jaki and Phillip were so happy that they did not exclude to repeat that live concept in the future. As the whole outlook for the Voodooclub is concerned: the future is unwritten - but, talking to Boa, an end of the "career" is not planned for the near future. He seems too be too addicted to the habit of writing weird but beautiful indie/pop/rock/avantgarde-whatever music. A livealbum will be released more or less as a Fan Edition, available via The official Phillip Boa shop, in July 2010. It will feature Jaki Liebezeit's drumming on 5 of the songs and is not reproduced, overdubbed etc.-only authentic 1:1 recording mixed in Malta in the spring of 2010. Meanwhile Phillip started writing new material and decided to keep the year concert-free with the exception of a few shows in Sept./Oct., where a good selection of singles and great songs of Boa's catalogue will be presented.

This album contains no booklet.