Pink Bubbles Go Ape

Pink Bubbles Go Ape is the fourth studio album by German power metal band Helloween, released in 1991.^[3] It marked the departure of guitarist Kai Hansen, with Roland Grapow replacing him. It was also the first album released on EMI Records.

Pink Bubbles Go Ape
Studio album by Helloween
Released	11 March 1991
Recorded	1990
Studio	PUK-Studios, Gjerlev, Denmark
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	44:02
Label	EMI
Producer	Chris Tsangarides Helloween (track 5, 9)
Helloween chronology
Live in the U.K. (1989) Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) Chameleon (1993)
Singles from Pink Bubbles Go Ape
"Kids of the Century" Released: 16 February 1991 "Number One" Released: 26 August 1992

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Sputnikmusic	^[2]

Background

The album contains two singles, which are "Kids of the Century" and "Number One". "Kids of the Century" reached #56 in the United Kingdom. The track "Heavy Metal Hamsters" (supposedly written about the band's former record company) was, according to Michael Weikath, never intended to be on the album, but rather on a B-side of a single.^[4]

Many disputes between the producer, bandmembers, management and the record company ensued. Weikath laid much of the blame at the feet of veteran Brit Metal producer Chris Tsangarides. Weikath said, “Straight away, I could tell things were going wrong, The show was being run by Michael and Ingo, and Chris simply didn’t like my songs. He couldn’t understand that certain cleverness they had.” Weikath wanted Tommy Hansen to produce the album.

Also the band spent close to 400,000 pounds recording the new album. “The whole situation was bad,” Kiske said in 2017. “We spent a fortune in a studio in Denmark, but there was no inspiration.”^[5]

Storm Thorgerson designed the Pink Bubbles Go Ape’s cover and the girl on that cover is his niece. Thorgerson also directed the promo-video for "Kids of the Century."

Helloween had left Noise Records and turned to EMI. After the album was released, a lawsuit stopped Helloween from touring for a year. In the spring of 1992 an agreement was done, and they could finally play on a short European Tour starting in Hamburg 30 April 1992, and in the autumn they also played some shows in Japan.^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Pink Bubbles Go Ape"	Michael Kiske	0:36
2.	"Kids of the Century"	Kiske	3:51
3.	"Back on the Streets"	Music: Roland Grapow, Lyrics: Kiske	3:23
4.	"Number One"	Michael Weikath	5:13
5.	"Heavy Metal Hamsters"	Music: Weikath, Lyrics: Weikath, Kiske	3:27
6.	"Goin' Home"	Kiske	3:51
7.	"Someone's Crying"	Grapow	4:18
8.	"Mankind"	Music: Grapow, Lyrics: Kiske	6:18
9.	"I'm Doin' Fine, Crazy Man"	Music: Markus Grosskopf, Lyrics: Grapow	3:39
10.	"The Chance"	Grapow	3:47
11.	"Your Turn"	Kiske	5:38
Total length:			44:02

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Shit and Lobster"	Grosskopf	4:08

Expanded edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins cover)	Carl Perkins	2:36
13.	"Shit and Lobster"	Grosskopf	4:08
14.	"Les Hambourgeois Walkways"	Weikath	5:45
15.	"You Run with the Pack"	Grosskopf	3:54

• M - 12, 13 also appears on the single "Kids of the Century".
• M - 14, 15 also appears on the single "Number One".

Personnel

• Michael Kiske - vocals, acoustic guitar
• Michael Weikath - guitar
• Roland Grapow - guitar
• Markus Grosskopf - bass
• Ingo Schwichtenberg - drums

Additional

• Keyboards – Pete Iversen, Phil Nicholas

Other

• Storm Thorgerson - Album cover

Recording information

• Produced, engineered and mixed by Chris Tsangarides. Recorded at PUK Studios Gjerlev, Denmark.
• "Heavy Metal Hamsters" , "I´m Doin´ Fine, Crazy Man", "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Shit and Lobster": Recorded at Sound House Studio, Hamburg, Germany. Produced by Helloween. Engineered by Dirk Steffens. Mixed by Chris Tsangarides.
• "Les Hambourgeois Walkways" and "You Run with the Pack": Produced and Mixed by Helloween and Dirk Steffens.

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[7]	28
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[8]	84
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)^[9]	5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[10]	32
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[11]	31
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[12]	14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[13]	14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[14]	20
UK Albums (OCC)^[15]	41

Chart (2021)	Peak position
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)^[16]	29

References

1. Pink Bubbles Go Ape at AllMusic. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
2. "Pink Bubbles Go Ape review". Sputnikmusic. 8 September 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
3. "Pink Bubbles Go Ape". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
4. "Michael Weikath Interview: 7-21-98". True Metal. Retrieved 19 July 2019. I also took a lot of shit because of the song "Heavy Metal Hamsters" which was intended on being a b-side for the Pink Bubbles album and instead it ended up being an album track.
5. "loudersound". 2021-04-01.
6. "Tours". 2021-04-01.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
11. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
13. "Swedishcharts.com – Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
14. "Swisscharts.com – Helloween – Pink Bubbles Go Ape". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
16. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2020.