NunSexMonkRock
NunSexMonkRock is the debut solo studio album by German singer Nina Hagen. It was released on June 12, 1982 by CBS Records. "NunSexMonkRock" marked Hagen's first release since her departure from the Nina Hagen Band, and was also her first album with all songs performed in English. Background. In 1979, after working on the movie "Cha Cha" with Herman Brood and Lene Lovich, Hagen met the Dutch guitarist Ferdinand "Ferdi" Karmelk, with whom she later had a daughter Cosma Shiva. Together they started working on new music after Hagen's departure from the Nina Hagen Band. After her  European tour was cancelled in 1980, Hagen moved to the United States and signed with Bennett Glotzer, the former manager of Frank Zappa. She began working on songs in English since most of her previous material was in German and after six months she returned to Germany with her new tour. Shortly after discovering she was pregnant, Hagen broke up with Karmelk and moved back to Los Angeles. In 1982, Hagen signed a new recording deal with CBS Records. Hagen recorded the album in New York City with Mike Thorne and collaborated with Karmelk, Paul Roessler, and Karl Rucker when  writing the songs for the album. The lyrics deal with various themes including motherhood, religion, drug abuse, and UFOs. Musically, "NunSexMonkRock" is an experimental rock album with influences of post-punk and new wave music. Critical reception. Upon its release, "NunSexMonkRock" received mixed reviews from music critics. While some praised Hagen's theatrical vocals, others criticized its experimental production. "Rolling Stone" called it the "most unlistenable" album ever made. Bil Carpenter at AllMusic gave it four and a half stars out of five, calling it "eccentric rock material" and praising Hagen's vocal diversity. Robert Christgau commented that "she does  have a new-wave sense of humor - instead of taking on Maria Callas with her umpteen-octave range she does impressions of Linda Blair and Mercedes McCambridge." Commercially, the album achieved a moderate success. In the United States, it peaked at number 184 on the "Billboard" 200. In Germany, it reached number twenty-seven, and also peaked inside the top forty in other countries, such as New Zealand and Norway. "Smack Jack" was the only single released from the album. It managed to be successful in Norway where it peaked at number seven.