This is the version that used to be played on the R&B station, but it sounds speeded up here. I used to have it on a cassette that I had taped off the radio. I didn't really care for the US version with that "Mozart composes the Magic Flute" speech (Salieri Mix) that was played on the pop stations and was put on the US version of Falco 3. I have never found this version, so that I could buy it.

i got a pile of versions of that track. jeanny was a good track too.

check this tribute to falco

Falco died on February 6th 1998, so depending in what part of the world you live in today or yesterday 15 years ago. I still remember how much press his death got here in his home country Austria.

BTW when Falco was told that Rock me Amadeus went to Number 1 in the US charts his immediate reaction was sadness as he said he will never achieve success like this again in his life.

Falco had so many great songs, it's a shame he is only known for this one in the US (mostly). Was just listening to him the other day. Zuviel Hitze is killer. So many good ones.

NoVideo said:

Falco had so many great songs, it's a shame he is only known for this one in the US (mostly).

I don't think that many people in the US knows that Der Kommissar was originally by Falco. The radio only played the After The Fire remake.

MickyDolenz said:

MickyDolenz said:

NoVideo said:

Falco had so many great songs, it's a shame he is only known for this one in the US (mostly).

I don't think that many people in the US knows that Der Kommissar was originally by Falco. The radio only played the After The Fire remake.

Yeah it's a shame. The original Falco version is so much better. When I play it at my DJ gig I always go with Falco's original.

MickyDolenz said:

NoVideo said:

Falco had so many great songs, it's a shame he is only known for this one in the US (mostly).

I don't think that many people in the US knows that Der Kommissar was originally by Falco. The radio only played the After The Fire remake.

i never knew there was a remake

yesssir!! it's always great to see Falco get some love around here

here's my fave, "Ganz Wien" the first hit here in Austria (with Austrian rock group Drahdiwaberl) pre-Kommissar, I remember vividly when everyone in our school went crazy about this, even me who never cared for Austrian acts before bought "Einzelhaft" back then, my first German language album ever

[Edited 2/7/13 6:43am]

Nice! "Ganz Wien" is great. "Einzelhaft" is a really underrated new wave/pop/rock album, I've always loved it. I was aware of "Der Kommisar" from seeing the video on MTV a few times, but didn't really get into Falco until Falco 3 and "Rock Me Amadeus". I loved that album and played it to death, so I went back and bought the first 2 and loved them as well. Bought everything he put out through his career. Some really good stuff all the way thru. Such a sad ending. He was underrated and very talented indeed.

unique said:

MickyDolenz said:

I don't think that many people in the US knows that Der Kommissar was originally by Falco. The radio only played the After The Fire remake.

i never knew there was a remake

The remake is in English. I didn't realize it was a remake at first because I never heard of Falco until Amedeus and the After The Fire single came out a few years before. Top 40 radio rarely played songs not in English, they'd play 99 Red Balloons instead of Luftballons although MTV would show the original language. The only totally non-English song I recall being played was La Bamba by Los Lobos, maybe there were a couple of others. It's kinda like Respect. Most people know the Aretha Franklin version and are not aware that Otis Redding released it first. With Rock Me Amedeus, the US mix played on the radio didn't have the Falco verses, but had some guy with the dialogue. I guess the R&B station played the other version because Falco was rapping and in general, rap hadn't crossed over to Top 40 pop radio yet.

Interestingly, After the Fire's recording wasn't the only attempt to try and capitalize on Falco's catchy European hit. Laura Branigan recorded a track called "Deep in the Dark" which was based on "Der Kommisar" for her "Branigan 2" album and it was intended as a possible lead single until the After the Fire version broke in America.

The big hit from "Branigan 2" ended up being "Solitaire", which was also a cover of a European pop song (a French recording). Her big breakthrough single "Gloria" had been a cover as well (of an Italian song).

I never really paid attention to Laura Branigan. I heard the songs that were hits a lot on the radio, but wasn't really into them.

Serious said:

Falco died on February 6th 1998, so depending in what part of the world you live in today or yesterday 15 years ago. I still remember how much press his death got here in his home country Austria.

Yeah, I do too. He got more press and airtime than in 10+ years before. It's funny, even though Jeanny was the first pop song I ever fell in love with in '85/'86, the song that kinda started it all for me, I soon grew tired of him, especially when I found out what an arrogant ass he was (or pretended to be, whatever). So by the time Wiener Blut ('89) came around I kinda was done with him. But he had many great songs. Only after his death I kinda started to listen to his songs again.

My favourites (which pretty much cover most his hits):

and with Brigitte Nielsen

[Edited 2/8/13 17:35pm]