Although the Puhdys had performed and toured in other communist countries, beginning with the Soviet Union in 1973, their biggest following outside the GDR was in West Germany, where their albums had begun to be released. However, GDR officials were reluctant to allow artists to travel to the west for fear of defection. The band were the first East German rock band to do so, in Belgium and the Netherlands in 1974; they were finally allowed to perform in West Germany with a concert in Hamburg on November 9, 1976, followed by performances in Dortmund and West Berlin. Unusually, they were allowed to keep part of their hard currency royalties, which in East Germany were normally taken by the state. Following the success of these concerts, the band's albums were released in West Germany in 1977.