Helden von Nordvietnam
1983 · Weird System 1 · Germany: West [FRG]
- Artist
- Razzia
- Title
- Helden von Nordvietnam
- Release
- Waterkant-Hits
- Year
- 1983
- Label
- Weird System # 1
- Format
- Compilation
- Language
- German
- Country
- Germany: West [FRG]
- Genre
- Punk · Punk
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
Razzia, a Deutschpunk group from Hamburg, formed in 1979, released the song "Helden von Nordvietnam" (Weird System Recordings # 001) which appeared on this various artist collection. The song was a tribute to the "heroes of North Vietnam and the partisans from the Viet Cong" - the Vietcong (or "VC") - the National Liberation Front (NFL), the political and military resistance to the US and South Vietnamese government from within South Vietnam. The song noted the US military's use of napalm: "On the run from napalm and gas" - chemical weapon Napalm B - a jellied gasoline mixture, with polystyrene, benzene, and gasoline. Declared a war-crime since 1980, the US government extensively used this weapon during the Vietnam conflict, dropping 388,000 tons on Indochina between 1963 and 1973. (1) (2) (3) Note that this song was covered by metal band Yacøpsæ - Apokalypse / Helden von Nordvietnam (2012), the front cover of which featured the famous picture of the "Execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém". (14)
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Razzia is a German punk/post-punk band formed in Hamburg (1979 per Wikipedia), active roughly 1979-1992, 1993-2004 and 2008 to the present, known for politically pointed German-language lyrics. Founding members included brothers Andreas and Peter Siegler with Thomas Harm; the lineup changed repeatedly. "Helden von Nordvietnam" ("Heroes of North Vietnam") appears as a live recording on the compilation "Rest Of 1981-1992 Vol. 1", placing its origin in that era - likely early-to-mid 1980s, recorded as a date fact. [Source: Wikipedia]