n FROM THE BEGINNING... IN THE 70-80'S SHIFT IN ENGER, EAST GERMANY, BERNHARD LLOYD AND FRANK MERTENS STARTED TO PLAY WITH THE NEW INSTRUMENTS "SYNTHESIZERS". FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS VERY SIMPLE MONOPHONIC SYNTHS... FRANK BOUGHT SOME BETTER EQUIPMENTS... NOW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO PLAY MORE THAN ONE TONE IN TIME.

SOME TRUMPET SOUND CAME TRUE, INSPERATED BY "TORCH" AND "TAINTED LOVE" BY SOFT CELL AND "HEROES" BY DAVID BOWIE... BUT THEY NEED A SINGER, A VOICE.

MARIAN GOLD LIVED IN MÜNSTER, WEST GERMANY AND PLAY WITH A BAND TOGETHER WITH SOME FRIENDS. THEY KNOW EACHOTHER SINCE THREE YEARS AGO. MARIAN CAME AND LISTEN TO FRANK AND BERNHARDS SOUNDS AND THEN HE STARTED TO SING THE CLASSIC INTRO... "LET'S DANS IN STYLE, LET'S DANCE FOR A WHILE..."

SOMETHING SPECIAL WAS BORN!

THE BANDNAME BECAME "FOREVER YOUNG" AND THE FIRST CONCERT WAS 31 DECEMBER 1982 IN FORUM, ENGER.

THEN THEY ALL MOVED TO MÜNSTER, TO A STUDIO AND BETTER SYNTHS AND THEY LIVED IN THE "NELSON COMMUNITY", A SEVEN MEN COLLECTIVE OF ARTISTS.

THEN IN 1984 IT REALLY STARTS. THEY TAKE A NEW NAME... "ALPHAVILLE" FROM A FRENCH MOVIE AND SEND SOME DEMOS TO RECORDCOMPANIES. THEN ALPHAVILLE SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THE ENGLISH PRODUCER COLIN PEARSON, WEA AND RELEASED THEIR DEBUT-SINGLE "BIG IN JAPAN" IN JANUARY 1984.

BIG IN JAPAN ENTERED IMMIDETLY THE TOP OF THE CHARTS AND BECAME A SMASH-HIT. IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, FOUR MONTHS LATER THEY RELEASED THE SECOND SINGLE "SOUNDS LIKE A MELODY". THE SONG RELIEVE THE FIRST PLACE FROM BIG IN JAPAN IN THE CHARTS AND A NEW JINGLE WAS ON EVERYBODYS MIND.

PERFECTLY AFTER THAT, IN SEPTEMBER SAME YEAR MAYBE THE MOST FAMOUS SONG OF ALPHAVILLE BECAME TRUE, "FOREVER YOUNG". THE SONG WHERE PLAYED ALMOST EVERYWHERE AND NOW ALPHAVILLE WAS A NAME ON THE MIND. THE PERFECTLY TIMING OF THE RELEASING OF THE THREE SINGLES COULDN'T BE BETTER.

THEN THE LATE SEPTEMBER THE "FOREVER YOUNG" ALBUM RELEASED. IT SOLD PLATINUM AND IS STILL TODAY ONE OF THE WORLD MOST POPULAR ALBUM. THE ALBUM HAS ITS OWN STYLE AND WAS DIFFERENT OF ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT TIME.

IN DECEMBER 1984, DIRECTLY AFTER THE SUCCESS YEAR, FRANK MERTENS LEFT ALPHAVILLE. THE LEGEND SAID THAT HE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE TO BE FAMOUS.
RICKY ECHOLETTE, AN OLD FRIEND OF THE BAND, JOINED AND IN THE BEGINNING OF 1985 THE FOURTH SINGLE FROM THE FOREVER YOUNG ALBUM "JET SET" WHERE RELEASED.

THEN IT WAS QUITE SILENCE AROUND ALPHAVILLE AND MANY WONDERING WHAT THEY WHERE DOING. NEVER ENTERING THE SCENES AND SEEMS TO DISSAPEAR FROM MEDIA. BUT ALPHAVILLE WAS WORKING IN THE STUDIOS AT THE TIME AND A NEW ALPHAVILLE WITH GOLD, LLOYD AND ECHOLETTE WAS A FACT.

THE SINGLE FROM THE COMING ALBUM "AFTERNOONS IN UTOPIA", "DANCE WITH ME" RELEASED IN MARCH 1986. ALSO THIS SONG ENTERED THE TOPPOSITIONS OF THE CHARTS AND THEN THE ALBUM TOGHETER WITH THE SINGLE "UNIVERSAL DADDY". LATER IN DECEMBER THE THE SINGLE "JERUSALEM" RELEASED. THE ALBUM WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM "FOREVER YOUNG". A NEW SUPERNATURAL SOUND, ESPECIALLY THE SONG "AFTERNOONS IN UTOPIA". THE PROFILE WITH DOLPHINS WERE NOTICED.

THEN WAITING, WAITING AND WAITING... MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY WHERE DEAD.

AS SAID ALPHAVILLE DISLIKES THE SCENES, ESPECIALLY LLOYD & ECHOLETTE, AND PREFER TO WORK IN THE STUDIOS, SO THE FANS DOESN'T GET A CHANCE TO SEE THEM.

THEN, AFTER YEARS OF WAITING, IN APRIL 1989 THE ALBUM "THE BREATHTAKING BLUE" WAS RELEASED. TOGETHER WITH THE ALBUM THE VIDEOPROJECT CALLED "SONGLINES" IS ENTERING THE DAYLIGHT. THE FILM WAS CONNECTED WITH THE ALBUM, A SHORTCUT-FILM WITH "MUSICVIDEOS" OF EVERY SONG OF THE ALBUM. THE SONGLINES GOT AN OSCAR AWARD FOR THE "BALANCE" SECUENCE, "THE MIDDLE OF THE RIDDLE". THE CD RELEASE WAS THE FIRST EVER TO CONTAIN CD+GRAPHICS, THE FORERUNNER OF THE DVD. BUT THE ALBUM WAS NOT SO POPULAR AND DOESN'T MAKE ANY SUCCESS. SOME OF THE FANS WHERE TRULY DISSAPOINTED. THE SOUND HAVE CHANGED A LOT. SINGLES FROM THE ALBUM IS "MYSTERIES OF LOVE", "ROMEOS" AND "SUMMER RAIN".

LATER ON 1992 IT WAS TIME TO MADE A SUMMARY OF THE PAST. ALPHAVILLE RELEASED A "BEST OF" ALBUM CALLED "FIRST HARVEST". THE BEST SONGS FROM "FOREVER YOUNG", "AFERNOONS IN UTOPIA" AND "THE BREATHTAKING BLUE" AND A NEW BIG IN JAPAN REMIX. ALPHAVILLE RELEASED ALSO THE SINGLE "BIG IN JAPAN 1992 A.D.". MEANWHILE THEY STARTED TO WORK ON THEIR NEXT ALBUM "PROSTITUTE".

MEANWHILE MARIAN GOLD RELEASED A SOLOALBUM CALLED "SO LONG CELESTE".

1993 THEY ENTERED THE STAGE AGAIN AFTER 10 YEARS, THIS TIME IN BEIRUT, LEBANON.

THEN IN 1994, EXACTLY TEN YEARS AFTER THE BAND WAS FORMED, THE SINGLE "FOOLS" TOGETHER WITH THE ALBUM "PROSTITUTE" FINALLY RELEASED. A STRONG ALBUM WITH SOME KIND OF POLITICAL TOUCH. THEN IN 1995 THEY MOVED TO SOUTHERN FRANCE TO WORK WITH THE FIFTH ALBUM "SALVATION".

DURING 1995-1996 WHERE ALPHAVILLE ON THE TOUR IN THE NAME OF "PEACE ON EARTH" AROUND EUROPE. THE SECOND MARIAN GOLD SOLOALBUM WHERE RELEASED, THIS TIME "UNITED". ONLY RELEASED IN SOUTH AFRICA.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1996 RICKY ECHOLETTE LEAVES ALPHAVILLE. HE LIVED IN SOUTHERN FRANCE AND HAVE A FAMILY WITH CHILDREN AND WAS UNABLE TO CONTINUED WITH ALPHAVILLE FULL HEARTED.

IN 1997 IT WAS TIME FOR ALPHAVILLE FIFTH ALBUM TO SEE THE DAYLIGHT. "SALVATION" WAS THE NAME AND IT HAS A KIND OF RELIGIOUS TOUCH. THAT FINALLY ENDS THEIR CONTRACT WITH WEA... FOR ALPHAVILLE IT WAS REALLY A "SALVATION" TO DO IT. NOW THEY CAN MAKE IT IN THEIR OWN WAY WITHOUT ORDERS FROM ANY RECORD-COMPANY. THE SONG AND THE SINGLE "WISHFUL THINKING" ENTERED THE CHARTS MEANWHILE THE RELEASING OF THE OTHER SINGLES "FLAME" AND "SOUL MESSIAH".

IN 1999 IT WAS TIME FOR THE BIGGEST RELEASE ALPHAVILLE EVER DONE... "DREAMSCAPES". AN ALPHAVILLE ANTHOLOGHY WITH A EIGHT (!) CD BOX WITH 125 UNRELEASED, RARE, LIVE AND REMIXED TRACKS TOGETHER WITH A 60 PAGES BOOKLET, SPANNING THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE GROUP, ON THEIR OWN LABEL, NAVIGATOR RECORDS.

DURING 1997-1999, MEANWHILE THE RELEASE OF "DREAMSCAPES", ALPHAVILLE TOURING AROUND IN THE "DREAMSCAPES TOUR".

IN THE MILLENNIUM YEAR 2000, ALPHAVILLE RELEASED THEIR FIRST LIVEALBUM CALLED "STARK NAKED AND ABSOLUTELY LIVE"...
WITH THAT ALBUM ALPHAVILLE ENTERED THE # 1 OF THE GERMAN ALTERNATIVE CHARTS FOR THREE WEEKS. SAME YEAR IN SZCHENCHIN, POLAND, THEY PLAYED IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE OF OVER 300.000 PEOPLE.
THE BIGGEST ALPHAVILLE CONCERT SO FAR.

BERNHARD LLOYD ALSO STARTED WITH A SIDELINE PROJECT CALLED "ATLANTIC POPES" TOGHETER WITH MAX HOLLER.

IN THIS TIME MARIAN GOLD HAVE ALMOST TOURING IN FIVE YEARS WITH HIS AND BAND AND PLAYING LIVE AS NEVER BEFORE.

IN THE SPRING OF 2002 THE "MICACLE HEALING" STARTS. AND THE THE BANDS 20TH ANNAVERSARY WAS CELEBRATED IN BERLIN... (IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BE THERE!)

WHAT THE FUTURE HAVE IN HIS HAND IS HARD TO SAY, BUT HOPEFULLY MANY YEARS OF GREAT ALPHAVILLE EXPERIENCES!