BAP () is a German rock band. With thirteen albums reaching the number one in the German record charts, BAP is one of the most successful rock acts in their home country.

Nearly all of BAP's lyrics are written in Kölsch, the dialect of Cologne, or more precisely in a Kölsch-influenced derivation of Eifelplatt, a regional variant of the Ripuarian language spoken in the nearby rural Eifel. Niedecken's most prominent musical influences, especially early in his career, were Bob Dylan, the Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and Wolfgang Ambros.

History

thumb|Wolfgang Niedecken, 1984

thumb|BAP in Aachen, 1980

The group was founded in 1976 under the name ' in Cologne by Wolfgang Niedecken and Hans Heres. In 1981, they released their most famous song "" (Damn long time ago), in which Niedecken describes regrets he has about his relationship with his then recently deceased father. The band's name "BAP" derived from "BAPP", both, a play-on-words on the Kölsch word "" (related to the German word dad), but pronounced differently, and Niedecken's then-nickname.

Niedecken translated a collection of Bob Dylan's lyrics to German for his 1995 solo album Leopardefell.

</references>

Further reading

  • "Rockpalast" concert, Markthalle, Hamburg, 1981-11-28 [2:27:41]
  • Concert, Festhalle, Frankfurt am Main, 1984-11-23 [1:13:39]
  • "Clubtour" concert, Batschkapp, Frankfurt am Main, 1991-02-21 [2:57:00]
  • "ZDF@Bauhaus #61" unplugged concert, Bauhaus, Dessau, 2014-10-15 [1:02:22]
  • "Rockpalast" concert, Sartory, Cologne, 2023-12-09 [1:31:18] <!-- a parallel publication by WDR from the same series of concerts, different cuts: -->[https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL3dkci5kZS9CZWl0cmFnLXNvcGhvcmEtNGE0M2M4NjQtN2JkYi00YjcyLThjODMtOWMyMmM0YWM5NjAx]