Sehnsucht is the second album by Rammstein. It was released on 25 August 1997, in Germany and on 13 January 1998, in the USA. Whilst being the second album of the band, Sehnsucht was their debut album in the USA, and was promoted as such.
Sehnsucht | |||||||
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Album by Rammstein | |||||||
Recorded: | Temple Studios, Malta, 1996 - 1997 | ||||||
Producer: | Jacob Hellner | ||||||
Released: | 25 August 1997 13 January 1998 (US) | ||||||
Format: | CD, Cassette, Vinyl, Digital | ||||||
Label: | Motor Universal (Re-Release) Slash (US) XIII Bis (France) | ||||||
Stream: | Spotify iTunes | ||||||
Discogs: | |||||||
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Singles: | |||||||
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Alternative artworks: | |||||||
Information
Recording
Pre-production for the album began around September 1996. This was followed by a second pre-production phase in Berlin, during which a producer was involved.[1] The album recording began in mid-November 1996[1] at the Temple Studios in Malta. Additional recordings took place at Wisseloord Studio in Hilversum, Netherlands.[2] The album was mixed by Ronald Prent at Chateau Du Pape in Hamburg. A total of 13 songs are known to have been recorded during these sessions. This includes the 11 songs featured on the album, as well as Das Modell[3] and Kokain, both of which were released on the single for Das Modell. Additionally, it is known that the band was still working on their old song Schwarzes Glas, but it remains unclear if a studio version of it was recorded during these sessions.
Around January/February '97, the band played five songs from the album to journalists in a studio in Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg. Two of the premiered songs were Du hast and Bestrafe mich.[4]
The album was initially scheduled to be released in April.[4] But "due to small delays in the proudction process," it was rescheduled for the end of May.[5] From May it was rescheduled again to August.[6] In an interview, Olli was asked about rescheduling the album:[7]
We had problems with mixing, so that postponed the release by 2 months, and because it is better not to release records in the summer, we decided to release the album at the end of the summer in August. There were only mixing problems and the cover design that were still outstanding. That's why we released a single to bridge the time a bit.
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Temple Studios
Other songs
The band recorded a total of 13 new songs and two alternate versions of album songs. Except for one of those alternate versions, all songs have been released:
- Das Modell - released on the single Das Modell
- Kokain - released on the single Das Modell
- Alter Mann (Special Version) - released on the single Das Modell
- Engel (Till) - officially unreleased, only known appearance was on a tape called Safety Copy
Promotion
The promotional copy of the album came with a promotional folder, of which the following text is taken from:
German original |
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Am Anfang war der Terror. Metal und Techno in verführerischer Mischung, dazu aus Deutschland. |
English Deepl translation |
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In the beginning was the terror. Metal and techno in seductive mixture, in addition from Germany. |
For the release in the USA, the label Slash Records gave promotional sheets out, which had the following info:
English original |
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Little is known of the six East German men who have ascended to international fame and notoriety under the moniker of Rammstein. There is speculation, for instance, as to whether the band takes its name from the site of an inordinate number of plane crashes in its homeland, or from its more literal translation: A battering ram made of stone. A "ramming stone." Rammstein. |
Anniversary Edition
On April 15, 2023, Rammstein released a short teaser to their social media channels, showcasing the album's various front covers along with the intro of Bück dich. A day later, another teaser was posted, featuring footage of the band rehearsing Engel on April 18, 1997. The caption of that video announced the "Sehnsucht Anniversary Edition". On April 17, 2023, a third teaser followed, including footage from Live aus Berlin and the announcement that the pre-order of the anniversary edition would start the next day, April 19. The Anniversary Edition of Sehnsucht was made available for pre-order around 10 AM CEST.
The Anniversary Edition was released on June 9th, 2023.
Besides being remastered, the anniversary edition of the album features an exclusive new mix of Spiel mit mir, titled the "2023 Mix," and a 40-page booklet with previously unreleased photos by Gottfried Helnwein. The album is available in the following formats:
- CD
- LP black
- LP white (exclusive to RammsteinShop and EMP)
- Cassette
- Digital
Promo CDrs
One promotional CDr surfaced on Discogs. Its origin and exact content is unknown.
Sehnsucht
The CDr for Sehnsucht was made to promote the 2001 reissue of Sehnsucht. It is dated 3 January 2001 and marked as "For Promotional Use Only - Not For Resale".[8]
Tracklist
Standard album |
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Tracklist
CD / Digital |
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Cassette |
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Europe
USA 1997
USA 1998
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Bonus tracks |
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Poland cassette
USA / Japan 1997 Germany 1998
France XIII Bis Digipak
USA 1998
Australia 1998 / 2001
Australia 2001 bonus CD
Anniversary Edition
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Vinyl |
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Promotional cassette |
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Translations | |
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Formats
Release | Country | Label | Type | Comment | Bonus content | Cover | Discogs | ||
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1997-08-25 | Germany | Motor Music | CD | Jewel case | Print on jewel case | All | |||
1997-08-25 | Germany | Motor Music | CD | Jewel case | Print on jewel case Black paper in front to censor the artwork |
All | |||
1997-08-25 | Germany | Motor Music | CD | Digipak | Flake | ||||
1997 | Germany | Motor Music | CD | Jewel case | Tour edition with t-shirt and sticker Print on jewel case |
All | |||
1997 | France | XIII Bis | CD | Jewel case | Print on jewel case | All | |||
1997 | France | XIII Bis | CD | Digipak | Numbered | Till | |||
1997 | France | XIII Bis | CD | Digipak | Numbered glossy digipak | Till | |||
1997 | Türkiye | Motor Music | Cassette | Jewel case | Schneider | ||||
1997 | Mexico | Motor Music | CD | Jewel case | 12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version) |
Till | |||
1997 | Mexico | Motor Music | CD | Jewel case | "Milenium Fase II" o-card | 12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version) |
Till | ||
1998-01-13 | United States | Slash | CD | Jewel case | Has credits for Stripped as track 12 in the booklet | 12. Engel (English Version) (hidden) 13. Du hast (English Version) (hidden) |
Schneider | ||
1998-01-13 | United States | Slash | CD | Jewel case | 12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version) |
Till | |||
1998-01-13 | United States | Slash | Cassette | Jewel case | Schneider | ||||
1998-01-13 | United States | Slash | Cassette | Jewel case | 12. Engel (English Version) (hidden) 13. Du hast (English Version) (hidden) |
Schneider | |||
1998-01-13 | United States | Slash | Cassette | Jewel case | 12. Engel (English Version) 13. Du hast (English Version) |
Till | |||
1998-07-01 | Japan | Polydor | CD | Jewel case | 12. Engel (English Version) - 04:25 13. Du hast (English Version) - 03:54 |
Schneider | |||
1998 | Germany | Motor Music | CD | Jewel case | Print on jewel case | 12. Du riechst so gut '98 - 04:24 | Flake | ||
1998 | France | XIII Bis | CD | Digipak | Numbered | 12. Rammstein (Eskimos & Egypt Radio Edit) - 03:40 13. Du riechst so gut '98 - 04:24 14. Du hast (Remix by Clawfinger) - 05:24 |
Till | ||
1998 | United States | Slash | CD | Jewel case | 12. Stripped (hidden) - 04:26 | Schneider | |||
1998 | United States | Slash | Cassette | Jewel case | 12. Stripped (hidden) | Schneider | |||
1998 | Australia | PolyGram | CD | Jewel case | Print on jewel case | 12. Stripped - 04:44 | Olli | ||
2001-01-03 | United Kingdom | Universal Music Island Records |
CD | Plastic sleeve | CDr | ||||
2001 | Australia | PolyGram | CD | Jewel case | Sticker on jewel case | 12. Stripped - 04:44 CD 2: Asche zu Asche single |
Olli | ||
2001 | Germany | Universal Music | CD | Jewel case | Print on jewel case Partially English lyrics in the booklet |
All | |||
2015-12-04 | Europe | Universal Music | Vinyl | Gatefold | As part of the XXI box set | Remastered | Flake | ||
2017-12-08 | Europe | Universal Music | Vinyl | Gatefold | Standalone release | Remastered | Flake | ||
2021-10-29 | Europe | Universal Music | CD | Digipak | Flake | ||||
2023-06-09 | Europe | Universal Music | CD | Digipak | Silver foil slipcase | Remastered 12. Spiel mit mir (2023 Mix) |
Schneider | ||
2023-06-09 | Europe | Universal Music | Vinyl | Gatefold | Silver foil slipcase | Remastered 12. Spiel mit mir (2023 Mix) |
Schneider | ||
2023-06-09 | Europe | Universal Music | Vinyl | Gatefold | Silver foil slipcase White vinyl |
Remastered 12. Spiel mit mir (2023 Mix) |
Schneider | ||
2023-06-09 | Europe | Universal Music | MC | Jewelcase | Remastered 12. Spiel mit mir (2023 Mix) |
Schneider | |||
Unknown | South Korea | Slash | Cassette | Jewel case | Golden "Sehnsucht" print on the cover | Till |
Trivia
- Sehnsucht was the debut album of the band in the US. Herzeleid was released 10 months later.
- The French jewel case version of the album includes French translations of all song titles in the tracklist and French lyrics translations for Engel and Du hast on the inside of the inlay.
- All French versions of the album incorrectly write Spielt mit mir in the tracklist.
- Polish cassettes of the album included a short Polish introduction to the album, spoken by Till.
Hallo! Cześć jesteśmy Rammstein, pozdrawiamy całą Polskę i życzymy wielu miłych wrażeń w słuchaniu naszej nowej płyty pod tytułem "Sehnsucht".
Hello! Hi, we are Rammstein. We're greeting all the Polish and we wish you a lot of nice experiences while listening to our new album called "Sehnsucht".
- There are at least two versions of the cassette tape. One contains the spoken intro, while the other does not have it. However, in the version without the intro, the silence before the first song is as long as if it were present.
- The stock photos for the artwork were shot at a beach in Miami, USA, and Saint Martin, French West Indies.
- The booklet shows single pictures of each band member, with photos taken by Gottfried Helnwein in his castle in 1996. In these photos, each band member's face is painted white with various devices attached to it. The instruments used for these devices are surgical tools from the original collection of the famous German surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1874-1951), who was the head of the surgical department at the Berlin hospital Charité from 1928 to 1949.[9] While the surgical tools are antique, Paul Landers seems to have a lung retractor in his mouth, Richard Kruspe appears to have trachea retractors in front of his eyes, Christoph Schneider seems to have some kind of spreader attached to his mouth, and the masks that Till Lindemann and Flake Lorenz are wearing could possibly have been used for anesthesia or for breathing in the pressure chamber Sauerbruch developed.
- The trachea retractor "glasses" worn by Till were also used on the album cover of "Blackout" by the Scorpions.
- Gottfried Helnwein is selling art prints of the artwork's photographs through his online store.
Certifications
The certified units are based on the minimum need of sales to receive the award.
Certification | Date | Units | Country |
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Platinum (2x)[10] | 2004 | 160,000 | Switzerland |
Platinum[11] | 1998-09-29 | Austria | |
Platinum[12] | 2001-07-10 | Canada | |
Platinum[13] | 1997 | 500,000 | Germany |
Platinum[14] | 1999-07-01 | 1,000,000 | USA |
Platinum[10] | 1997 | 50,000 | Switzerland |
Gold[11] | 1998-01-15 | Austria | |
Gold[12] | 1998-11-30 | Canada | |
Gold[13] | 1997 | 250,00 | Germany |
Gold[14] | 1998-09-02 | USA | |
Silver[15] | 2013-07-22 | 60,000 | UK |
Covers
Gallery
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Standard booklet -
Japanese booklet, printed in grey -
USA booklet, printed in white -
German digipack -
Australian bonus CD -
Japanese OBI strip -
Japanese inlay -
Australian inlay -
Du riechst so gut '98 inlay -
Album advertising #1 -
Album advertising #2 -
Album advertising #3 -
Album advertising #4 -
Album turning
platinum advertising -
Slash Records promo sheet #1 -
Slash Records promo sheet #2
Credits
Music & Lyrics by RAMMSTEIN
except [Sehnsucht] & [Stripped]
Music by RAMMSTEIN/Orgasm Death Gimmick
Lyrics by RAMMSTEIN
Produced by Jacob Hellner with RAMMSTEIN
Mixed by Ronald Prent
Programming by RAMMSTEIN
Additional Programming by Marc Stagg
Female Voice by Bobo
[STRIPPED]
Written by Martin Gore and Published by EMI
Blackwood Music Inc. (BMI)/EMI Music Puglishing
Ltd. (PRS)/Grabbing Hands Music (PRS)
Mastered by Bjorn Engelmann at The Cutting Room, Stockholm
Taken from the compilation "For The Masses". 1998
1500 Records.
Portrait Photography by Gottfried Hellnwein
Landscape by Premium Stock Photography
Sleeve Design by Dirk Rudolph
All Songs published by BMG/Ufa
Management: Emanuel Fialik
Contact & Merchandising:
PILGRIM
Postfach 540 101
10042 Berlin
RAMMSTEIN im Internet:
http://www.rammstein.de
Motor im Internet:
http://www.motor.de
RAMMSTEIN would like to thank the following companies for their support:
Music Man, ESP, Mesa-Boogie and Shure
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Metal Hammer 12/96, p. 19
- ↑ Zillo 9/97, p. 21
- ↑ Break Out 8/97, p. 14
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Metal Hammer 3/97, p. 30
- ↑ Metal Hammer 4/97
- ↑ Metal Hammer 5/97
- ↑ Sonic Seducer 1997, p. 9
- ↑ Sehnsucht CDr on Discogs
- ↑ Mucke und Mehr 1998
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 IFPI Swiss certifications
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 IFPI Austria certifications
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Music Canada certifications
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 BVMI certifications
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 RIAA certifications
- ↑ BPI certifications