◄◄ REWIND
In ‘07, AB enthusiastically launched a timeless series: ◄◄ REWIND. Central to this series are Belgian musicians who perform ‘their classic’ in its entirety. Simply call it a milestone in their career or go a little further: a key record for Belgian pop music. Often, but not always, we’re talking about albums that are etched into collective memory. Just call them anchor points in the landscape of Belgian music. So each season a number of performers play their complete ‘pièce de résistance’. Completely? That’s right, in the exact order that they want to tell their story now or wanted to tell it at the time of its success.
With ◄◄ REWIND AB also contributes to the activation of Belgium's musical heritage. Those who have already passed in review: ‘Royalty In Exile’ (The Scabs), ‘Gorky’ (by Gorki), ‘1981-1984’ (The Neon Judgement), ‘The Kids’ (The Kids) and also ‘Nooit Meer Drinken’ (Raymond Van Het Groenewoud).
During this 2010 edition it is the turn of GUIDO BELCANTO with his debut and tear-jerking classic ‘Op Zoek Naar Romantiek’ (from ’89) and also the absurd Dutch-language ‘Jonge Helden’ (from ’83) by ARBEID ADELT, especially reunited for the occasion!

◄◄ REWIND: Arbeid Adelt! plays ‘Jonge Helden’ (1983)
AA! Is back again, exactly 30 years after their conception, for the performance of their entire debut-EP ‘Jonge Helden’ from ’83. The link between AA! and AB is not insignificant either. AA! namely came into being following a Siouxsie & The Banshees concert that took place in the spring of 1981 in the AB. “Surely we can do that too?” stated, then already bespectacled, frontman Marcel Vanthilt. And so it was.

Their first two singles hit the mark: ‘Ik sta scherp’ (in ’81, was released on a label answering to the name ‘Wereldrekord Nummer Eén’) and ‘De dag dat het zonlicht niet meer scheen’ (in ’82, a persiflage of the song of the same by John Terra and that elicited the desired controversy). They followed up in ’83 with both their debut-EP ‘Jonge Helden’ as well as ‘Le Chagrin En Quatre-Vingts’. The latter contained absolute classic ‘Lekker Westers’ with a typically Belgian stanza: “Hoe heerlijk de weemoed. Het bier, het verdriet. De stroom waarin de Vlaming zijn leven vergiet. Niet liggen op jouw rug. Lekker Westers.” their first show lasted exactly 7 minutes (“because we didn't have any more material”) and they often toured as support act to TC Matic.

AA! started out as a duo but quickly became a triumvirate, with Marcel Vanthilt (aka Max Georg Alexander), Jan Vanroelen (aka David Salamon) and later Luc Van Acker as core members. Guitarist Willy Willy (later: The Scabs) and Dani Klein (later: Vaya Con Dios) were also to became a part of AA! The band got together again in 1991 and released two albums: ‘Des duivels oorkussen’ (containing singles like ‘Spannend" and ‘Johnniie Sexpistool’) and also ‘Noblesse Oblige’ (’94). Another important auditive act in between: ‘Disco Death’ (their '87 12”) which was an excellent adaptation of ‘Death Disco’ by Public Image Ltd (that could even be heard on ‘As Heard On Radio Soulwax pt. 2.’ by 2 Many Dj’s)

‘Jonge Helden’ was released in 1983 and produced by Jean-Marie Aerts. On the cover: the three members in/around an art nouveau-style bath. The promo slogan was also “Their first fresh-armpitted mini-LP.” Noteworthy trivia: that bathroom is still in existence and is housed in Villa Gaverzicht in Waregem. On National Heritage Day, the house recently became protected, in part, due to its use on the ‘Jonge Helden’ cover. It has hereby become just about the only officially protected bathroom in Flanders.

What was remarkable thing about AA! was the use of ‘unheard Dutch’, as Jan Delvaux (author of ‘Big In Belgium’) described it. “Balancing on the edge of anarchistic absurdism and the ridiculous, between musical experiment and the mad-house”, we also read somewhere. Just try to sing along to it yourself:“De autoriteiten in de rapen scheiten. Superbenzine & zwembadchloride. De beleidsfout: ze laat mij koud. Caesium & plutonium.” (From: ‘Ik sta scherp’) or “Dat is het meisje van mijn hart. Ze heeft ook nieren. Dat is het meisje van mijn hart. Neslesj Tjse Ho Che Hoo” (From: ‘Het meisje van mijn hart’). ‘Jonge Helden’ even contained a children's song (‘Roodborstje’ ), years before Kapitein Winokio started doing them. ‘Capita Selecta’ in turn quoted purely from the work of Roman writer Martialis.

In the AB (where they partially recorded their first video-clip ‘Ik sta scherp’ and where they performed several of times, including as support act to The Sound, The Selecter and TC.Matic) they will perform with the original line-up as it was for ‘Jonge Helden’.

Line up:
Marcel Vanthilt (Max Georg Alexander): vocals/keyboards
Jan Vanroelen (David Salamon): sax/ keyboards
Luc Van Acker: guitar

Afterwards, as ◄◄ REWIND tradition now dictates, ARBEID ADELT! will be interrogated by Jan Delvaux (author of ‘Big In Belgium. Het Verhaal Van De Belgische Pop’) and Wouter Van Driessche.