Pur is a German pop band that rose to chart-topping success in the mid-'90s and remained popular for many years thereafter, topping the albums chart and scoring Top Ten hit singles with remarkable regularity. Founded in 1975 in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, not far from Stuttgart, the band is comprised of Hartmut Engler (vocals), Rudi Buttas (guitar), Joe Crawford (bass), Roland Bless (drums), and Ingo Riedl (keyboards). Originally named "Crusade" and then "Opus", the band was founded by Engler, Bless, and Riedl; Crawford joined in 1979 and Buttas in 1980. In 1985 they changed their name from "Opus" to Pur after an Austrian band with the same name scored a hit on the German charts. The band had already released two albums as "Opus", the full-length debut Opus 1 (1983) and the follow-up effort, Vorsicht Zerbrechlich (1985). After changing its name, the band released the eponymous album, Pur, in 1987. After a few more album releases, Wie im Film (1988), Unendlich Mehr (1990), and Nichts Ohne Grund (1991), Pur scored their first major hit single with "Lena" in 1991. In the wake of this breakout hit, the stopgap album Pur Live (1992) was a Top Ten hit while the subsequent studio album, Seiltänzertraum (1993), went all the way to number two. With their next album, Abenteuerland (1995), Pur topped the German charts for seven straight weeks and scored a Top Ten hit single with "Ich Lieb' Dich (Egal Wie das Klingt)." Pur continued to hit number one on the German charts with each of their subsequent album releases, including Pur Live: Die Zweite (1996), Mächtig Viel Theater (1998), Mittendrin (2000), Was Ist Passiert? (2003), Es Ist Wie Es Ist (2006), and Wünsche (2009). There were more Top Ten hit singles as well, among them "Wenn Du Da Bist" (1998), "Adler Sollen Fliegen" (2000), "Herzbeben" (2000), "Ich Denk an Dich" (2003), and "Halt Dich Fest" (2004). Beginning with the greatest-hits compilation, Hits Pur: 20 Jahre Eine Band (2001), much of the band's back catalog was reissued in a series of remastered albums with bonus material. The German outfit then released Schein & Sein (2012) illustrating the bands full range of talent, from piano ballads to guitar driven pop tracks. ~ Jason Birchmeier