The sun rose in the East also ideologically, which explains why the GDR was dark at its core. “We live in paradise. But we don’t know it.” sang the Happy Straps, evoking that limbo of a reac- tionary socialism masquerading as progressive. The Happy Straps were a typical underground growth, deeply rooted in East Berlin’s alternative scene. A state “playing permit”, for which “classification” would have been required, was never attempted. The band’s stylistics did not fit the ideologically targeted programme. Their dark sound, remained alien to Ostrock.
In 1985/86 one by one all members of the Happy Straps left the GDR for the West. “Pleasures 1985-1986” is made up of a compilation of the tapes “What a Pleasure” and “Last Pleasure”. Both tapes originally appeared in an edition of about 50 copies each.
