self-released on cassette tape

Die Skeptiker’s music was heavily influenced by the realities of communism in East Germany, and it was long impossible for such underground bands to release records with the official record label Amiga . For this reason, their first two albums, O.T. (Ohne Titel) (English translation: “No Title”) in 1988 and Schreie in 1989, were self-released on cassette tape. Because of the band’s growing popularity—they drew thousands of fans to open-air concerts, including a crowd of 5,000 people at the 1988 “Insel der Jugend” of the Berliner Rocksommer —the band was offered a FDJ-Fördervertrag (promotional contract from the Free German Youth ). Amiga records included them on the anthology Rock-Bilanz ’89 and a compilation of new music called Parocktikum in 1989. Amiga also produced and release their 1989 EP Die Anderen Bands and then their LP Harte Zeiten in 1990. Both Schreie and Harte Zeiten include the song “Deadmanstown” that tells the story of a lonely individual; this song includes the line “Schreie hallen durch die Nacht. Zeichen unserer Seelenqual, keiner darf, was er möchte, aber ihr, ihr könnt uns mal.” (English translation: “Screams echo in the night. Showing our soul pain, no one is allowed to do what they want, but you, you can (rude expression).” ) Appearing already on O.T. , as well as their second and third albums, is the pro-gay song “Alright my Boys”, which the band continues to play live today. The album Harte Zeiten also included the song Strahlende Zukunft (English translation: Radiating/Radioactive Future) that comment on the dangers of nuclear power from a point of view of environmental activism.