Error in the System

Error in the System
Studio album by
Released24 March 1983 (English version)
3 July 1982 (German version)
StudioPeer-Southern Studios, Hamburg, Germany
Genre
Length35:42 (English version)
37:54 (German version)
LanguageEnglish
German
Label
Producer
  • Armin Sabol
  • Peter Schilling
Peter Schilling chronology
Error in the System
(1983)
Things to Come
(1985)
Singles from Fehler im System/Error in the System
  1. "Major Tom (Völig losgelöst)"
    Released: 1982
  2. "Die Wüste lebt"
    Released: 1983
  3. "Major Tom (Coming Home)"
    Released: 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Error in the System is the English-language debut album by German singer-songwriter Peter Schilling, and is the counterpart to the German-language album Fehler im System, released through Elektra Records on 24 March 1983. The English and German versions have been combined and sold as a single box set in several parts of the world.[2][3][4]

Singles

The English version contains the song "Major Tom (Coming Home)", which reached the top 15 in New Zealand[5] and the US,[6] and the top 50 in the UK.[7] The German version includes the songs "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)", which reached number one in Germany, Austria and Switzerland[8][9][10] and number two on the Dutch Top 40,[11][12] as well as "Die Wüste lebt".[13] Because "Major Tom (Coming Home)" was his one and only entry into the top 40 on the US charts, he is generally considered a one-hit wonder in that country.[14]

Track listings

Error in the System

All lyrics are written by Peter Schilling and David Lodge, except where noted; all music is composed by Peter Schilling, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Only Dreams"  3:22
2."Lifetime Guarantee" Armin Sabol6:20
3."The Noah Plan"  4:21
4."Error in the System"
  • Schilling
  • Matthew Garey
 3:35
5."Fast alles konstruiert" (Cassette release only)SchillingSabol6:20
6."Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)" (Cassette release only)Schilling 4:08
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Major Tom (Coming Home)"  5:03
2."Major Tom, Part II" (Instrumental) Sabol3:35
3."(Let's Play) U.S.A."
  • Schilling
  • Garey
Sabol3:18
4."I Have No Desire"
  • Schilling
  • Garey
 3:22
5."Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" (Cassette release only)TraditionalTraditional; arr. Sabol/Schilling3:26
6."Dann trügt der Schein" (Cassette release only)Schilling 3:22
7."Die Wüste lebt" (Cassette release only)Schilling 4:21

Fehler im System

All lyrics are written by Peter Schilling, except where noted; all music is composed by Peter Schilling, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleMusicLength
1."... Dann trügt der Schein" 3:28
2."Fast alles konstruiert"Sabol6:48
3."Die Wüste lebt" 4:56
4."Fehler im System" 3:30
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)"  4:59
2."Major Tom" 
  • Sabol
  • Schilling
3:50
3."U.S.A." Sabol3:22
4."Ich hab' keine Lust"  3:31
5."Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht"TraditionalTraditional; arr. Sabol/Schilling3:30
Total length:37:54

Personnel

Musicians

  • Peter Schilling – all vocals
  • Armin Sabol – guitars (all tracks), additional bass (on "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht")
  • Rolf Kersting – bass (all tracks except "Major Tom")
  • Gunther Gebauer – bass (on "Major Tom")
  • Frank Hieber – keyboards (all tracks except "Major Tom")
  • Gonzo Bishop – keyboards (on "Major Tom")
  • Dicky Tarrach – drums, percussion (all tracks except "The Noah Plan" and "Major Tom")
  • Mickie Stickdorn – drums, percussion (on "The Noah Plan")
  • Curt Cress – drums, percussion (on "Major Tom")

Production

  • Produced by Peter Schilling and Armin Sabol
  • Recorded and engineered by Frank Reinke, Geoff Peacy, Lars Hidde, Manfred Lohse, Peter Schilling and Peter Schmidt
  • Track 5 mixed by Holger J. Magnussen; all other tracks mixed by Frank Reinke
  • Art direction – Bob Defrin
  • Front cover photo – Gesine Petter
  • Back cover photo – Job Crogier

Charts

Chart performance for Fehler im System
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 4
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 28
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 2

Certifications

Certifications for Fehler im System
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[18] Gold 250,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ (in German) "Error in the System's German Amazon Page". Amazon.de. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  3. ^ "Error in the System's Amazon Page". Amazon.com. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  4. ^ "Error in the System's British Amazon Page". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  5. ^ (in Dutch) "Peter Schilling-Major Tom". Ultratop.be. Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Pop Singles 1955-2006 , Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-172-7.
  7. ^ British Hit Singles & Albums, 18th Edition (2005). Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 978-1-904994-00-8.
  8. ^ Major Tom in Offizielle Deutsche Charts
  9. ^ Major Tom in den österreichischen Charts
  10. ^ Major Tom in der Schweizer Hitparade
  11. ^ Top 40 Hit dossier 1956-2001 ISBN 90-257-3349-2
  12. ^ "Peter Schilling - Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  13. ^ Die Wüste lebt [7" Vinyl Single]: Peter Schilling: Bücher. Amazon.de. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  14. ^ Sutton, Michael (1956-01-28). "Peter Schilling". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Peter Schilling – Fehler im System" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Schilling – Fehler im System" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Schilling – Fehler im System" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Peter Schilling; 'Fehler im System')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 June 2022.

Error in the System

Fehler im System