About Me
In 1984 ex-classmates Jürgen Ripp (Guitars, Bass and Backing Vocals) and Thomas Christen (Vocals and Drums) first started making their own kind of music and founded the band „Vicious mobs and hateful policemen“. They recorded some garage-sound songs which were release by their own label „vicious music“ on tapes „Schritte auf dem Mond“ , „Blühende Phantasie“ and „Voll Drauf“.
In 1986 they improved their sound by implementing drum computers and - much more important - Mr. Snake B. and his „high end“ analog keyboard entered the band, which was then called „RX Only“. This line-up first appeared live in early 1987, line up Ripp - Guitar, Snake - Bass, Christen - Vocals and keyboards - featuring the songs „Broken heart“, „Odious humanists“, „Hobgoblin“, „Violently in love“ and the mystique „Pale Moon“. Soon after this gig RX Only split , Snake B. formed his own band, in which he recruted his brother Frank B. and singer Johnny Gnade - Tom Christen joined this band for a short period, Jürgen Ripp himself joined the band „Marvo“.
1988 the band re-united as „real rock band“-line up featuring Ripp and Snake on guitar, Christen on vocals, Frank B. on bass and the unforgotten Christoph Kamolz on drums. They renamed the label in „subdued sounds“ and implemented a 4-tracker which improved their recording-capabilities. On this collection the songs „She-Male Song“, „Pulling up“ , „Pale Moon“ and „Carribean nights“ mark this period. They rehearsed at the „Schwann-Bunker“ in Neuss. They again split after a fantastic live-gig in 1990 (Pulling up, She-Male Song, Pale Moon, Give it all to you, Carribean Nights, love like blood, new years day, „Hey teacher !“) and went on as two-man-project, recording „Unfathomable“ and afterwards they started new projects involving guest-musicians on various songs.
Late 1989 subdued sounds released a 3-tape-package called „Up hill and down dale“, a so to speak „Ultimate Part One“, in 1991 „The secret ways to wonderland“-tape (sub71) was selected and released by Ripp and Christen collecting the best tracks out of the years 1988 to 1990.
After a 12-month-break Snake B. returned in late 1991 and featuring a sequencer which was used as keyboarder and drummer rounded the band. They revived their old line-up ripp on guitar, snake on bass and christen as lead-singer produced loads of song-material, which resolved in about 100 Multi-track-tapes. In September 1993 the threesome played live on „an evening for a friend“, featuring the songs „In your face, Paralysed, Broken Song, Dispair, No Control, Keep me up“, a festival with a very sad background - ex-RX Only-Drummer Christoph Kamolz left this world long before his time. The tribute was organised by local musician Ötte.
In 1994 Bassplayer Frank B. reentered RX Only for the second time. Ripp returned from a short trip to the Band „Shilpa“, Christen went on playing the drums and Johnny Gnade first joined as a singer. They recorded the „In your face“-tape (sub10/49). In 1995 the band recorded two tracks (In your face and Pulling up) at the „FH Düsseldorf-Studio“, (which were terribly produced by 2 students), and afterwards they - splitted again, leaving their rehearsal room at „BGZ Krefeld“ and the hopes of so many fans (?) in a mess.
Johnny Gnade took some time off the band and Ripp, Christen and Snake collaberated with the singer Gothic Greg and his keyboard-companion J.W. at a farm near Dormagen, but this seemed to be no good. Early 1995 they first jammed with the charismatic drummer Sugardaddy Didusch in Norf, at a high level of satifaction. They moved to the „Kopperstrasse Düsseldorf“, reuniting with Frank B. and Christen reacted as a singer. In 1996 they released the tape „N° 5“ (sub76).
In 1997 they moved to a new rehearsal room, which they called „Subdome“ and released their first CD „The way we feel“ and in June 1997 they played a great live-set at the subdome (In your face, Burn, Faint, Breathe, Thursday..s child, Double Zero, Pride). Later that evening Johnny Gnade joined RX Only for a tribute song.
Soon after this gig Johnny Gnade return as a lead-singer, but Frank B. had to leave the band due to professional reasons, so that Tom Christen started playing the bass on stage. In that time the fabulous CD „Rise upon your heads“ was produced mainly by Ripp/Christen, which fed the bands play-list a lot. Over 50 copies of that release were given away - the largest amount of records ever so far, by a band with no ambition for public - strange folks we are...
As time went digital, RX Only started their own web-page (www.subdued-sounds.de) to be ready for the future, they also improved their studio equipment a bit by including a digital harddisk multitracker and rounded their line-up with Uwe Haagen, which is the man in the back, taking care of all faders ..n knobs.In November 1998 they started working on 2 tracks for the first official released RX Only-Tracks „D.E.A.“ and „Tuesdaze“ which were released on the „Neuss Live III“-Sampler. According to that RX Only played live on the CD-Presentation and were - no doubt - winner of the evening.
End of 1999 Frank B. moved back to RX Only, so Christen went back to the keyboards. In 2000 RX Only collaborated with the blessed Gambian Singer Inspecta Chow Panachie - and they almost recorded a Single which was supposed to be called "Flyer", but as "Walter" said, it was not good enough for snake, so they decided no to record this fabulous Track - Chow left and never was seen again.
Frank B. also quit for good and the millenium saw RX Only featuring a by that time 15yo talent named Sara Leone. In 2001 till 2004 this line-up played some live-gigs but after a gig in Xanten Sara left the band more or less - RX Only paused for a while again - Ripp and Christen formed the Elastro Bros. and kept the flame on burning whilst recording some tracks.
In 2006 they moved to Norf reunificated played a good gig in 2007 and.... split as always after a good show.
In 2009 they will finally release their Debut-Albut "The fear to collapse"...
Watch out for the 25-y-anniversary-events feat. the band of your hearts!
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