CATEGORIES:
BiologyChemistryConstructionCultureEcologyEconomyElectronicsFinanceGeographyHistoryInformaticsLawMathematicsMechanicsMedicineOtherPedagogyPhilosophyPhysicsPolicyPsychologySociologySportTourism
Dr. Roberts Blues BandAn obscure heavy blues-rock band, typical of the Hamburg sound at the time, who are only documented by one track recorded live at the Love & Peace festival in 1970. Karsten Beck (guitar), Peter Alber (bass), Jörg Witte (drums) featured on: LOVE & PEACE Klaus Doldinger A pioneering and multi-talented musician with a career that has run from MOR pop onto the leading edge of experimental jazz fusion. Doldinger's history is confused. If you want to know all about his background via trad. jazz, as a James Last popular jazz and soul copyist (aka Paul Nero), onto psychedelic pop and Passport, all this is documented on the triple anthology album DOLDINGER JUBILEE (Atlantic 60073), though even that doesn't really make sense of it all. His first rock group was Motherhood (see entry later), which kind of transmuted into Passport (the other Motherhood members split off forming Hallelujah), though also during this period Klaus Doldinger also kept working in jazz under his own name, as witnessed by the first three albums listed below, all which explore different aspects of modern jazz fusion. Numerous top Munich musicians have also been involved in Klaus' various bands (many of whom can be found on numerous MPS releases, or went onto more progressive musics with Embryo, Amon Düül II, etc.) or have become well-known afterwards, like Udo Lindenberg or Kristian Schultze for instance. More recently, as a synthesist, Klaus has also become sought after as a film soundtrack composer, after his success with the soundtracks to "Das Boot" and "The Neverending Story". There are no doubt numerous others we don't know of. Yet above all, Doldinger is an excellent and uniquely styled saxophonist, best remembered for several excellent albums in the early-70's with his groundbreaking jazz-rock band Passport, who paralleled the likes of Isotope or Mahavishnu Orchestra. Klaus Doldinger (tenor/soprano saxes), Ingfried Hoffmann (piano, organ), Helmut Kandelberger (bass), Cees See (drums), + Joe Quick (guitar), Lothar Meid (bass), Wolfgang Paap (drums), Kurt Bong (drums, horn) BLUES HAPPENING THE AMBASSADOR DOLDINGER DAS BOOT CONSTELLATION (1983) DIE UNENDLICHE GESCHICHTE Dom One of the legendary classics of the German underground. Little or nothing is known of their history, and as to how two Hungarian brothers, a Pole and a German got together. Yet the resultant music this international combo created resulted in some of the most inventive Krautrock. A strange spacious and innovative album fusing rock, folk, ethnic and the avant-garde musics most uniquely, EDGE OF TIME is one of those albums that is extremely difficult to describe. Just consider, it ranges from atmospheric Yatha Sidhra realms via electroacoustic collage, and free-form jazz, onto the chaotic psychedelic underground of Amon Düül. All this is the framework for a dreamy poetic semi-spoken song recanting the lyrics on the cover. Enigmatic through and through. And, if that weren't enough, it all flows as if a grandiose conceptual opus, one which combines so many disparate elements that it becomes uncategorisable! Amazing, for such a strange album, EDGE OF TIME has become a much sought after collectable rarity, and deservedly so! László v. Baksay (bass, vocals), Gábor v. Baksay (percussion, vocals, flute), Reiner Puzalowski (guitar, vocals, flute), Hans Georg Stopka (organ, guitar, vocals) EDGE OF TIME (1983) Dorian Gray These were an obscure non-professional band who self-produced one album and then disappeared. Interestingly Dorian Gray can be seen as a very early example of a music that was later to be simplified and commercialised by innumerable female vocal fronted 80's new-wave bands. But, it must be said, Dorian Gray were odd! They mixed in a lot of heavy guitar rocking and contrasting spacey folk, male and (mostly) female vocals, all creating a hybrid between the 60's psychedelic trippiness and slightly punky sounds. An interesting album, though hardly worthy of its reputation as a pricey collectable rarity. Claudia Schippel (vocals), Filler Mueschenborn (guitar, vocals), Kurt Paetzold (drums), Rüdiger Brune (keyboards), Herbert Jassmann (bass) IDAHO TRANSFER Dreamworld Out of the ashes of Yatha Sidhra, though quite a long while after, the nucleus of the band: the brothers Klaus and Rolf Fichter as a multi-instrumental (synths, guitars, drums, etc.) duo, resurfaced as Dreamworld playing a synthesized music in the sequential and spacious progressive rock vein. We've only heard ON FLIGHT TO THE LIGHT, which is patchy but with some classic moments. It's "Beneath Silence And Storm" is almost a rewrite of the song from A MEDITATION MASS and is the only real reference to the Yatha Sidhra style. Elsewhere, it occasionally steers a mite close to electro-pop, but generally it's comparable to Tangerine Dream circa FORCE MAJEURE, or Velvet Universe, as a hybrid of rhythmic synth and cosmic styles. Klaus Fichter (vocals, pianos, string ensembles, synthesizer, computer, 12-string guitar, drums, percussion), Rolf Fichter (vocals, organ, clavinet, pianos, synthesizers, Mellotron, vibes, flute, mouth organ, guitars, bass) ON FLIGHT TO THE LIGHT GATES TO ETERNITY Drosselbart An extremely obscure early Krautrock band, Drosselbart played a heavy psychedelic rock, with lots of weird touches, heavy wedges of organ and strange songs in German. We'd like to tell you more about them, but very little is known. Drawing influences from both American and British 60's styles, they steeped their music with lots of Teutonic strangeness, akin to early Tomorrow's Gift or Eulenspygel. Although admittedly dated, Drosselbart's music is still remarkably volatile and surprising, and is one of the earliest examples of the stranger side of Krautrock psychedelia. Peter Randl (vocals, guitar), Christian Trachsel (organ, piano), Dietmar Mainka (guitar), Martin Honemeyer (drums), Werner Schüler (bass), Jemima (vocals), + Ralf Nowy (flute) DROSSELBART (15-23/10/70) An Einem Tag Im August / O'Driscoll Dschinn A rather straight hard-rock band fronted by a hyperactive and talented guitarist and a rough gravel-voiced vocalist. Admittedly, as a band they were rather unimaginative, and despite a rather promising opening track on their LP and its surreal cover art, Dschinn are one of the poorest from the original Bacillus roster. Completing the Dschinn discography is the sampler track called "Rock n' Roll Dschinny", which would seem to be for an abandoned single. Peter Lorenz (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Silvio Verfuehrt (bass), Ulrich Mund (drums), Bernd Capito (guitar) DSCHINN featured on: MAMA ROCK & THE SONS OF ROCK 'N ROLL Dullijöh An obscure 80's Bavarian political-folk band, featuring former Sparifankal members. Their music was very introspective and eclectic and, because of the bizarre nature of the lyrics, very difficult to come to grips with! Carl-Ludwig Reichert (guitar, vocals), Hernert Alois (guitar), Werner Eckl (guitar), Stefan Liedtke (banjo), Bernhard Ludwig (congas), Ulrich-Heinz Ludwig (bass) DULLIJÖH Dull Knife It's very strange how some albums gain a reputation, as although Dull Knife could be quite extraordinary, they were also extremely patchy! Why it is so rated in collector's circles is beyond us. You see, Dull Knife didn't seem to know if they wanted to a tripped-out psychedelic blues band, or if they wanted to preach the gospel! Thus, their sole LP was a schizophrenic mish-mash, with some good moments of Hendrixy cum Cream like heaviness. Though, largely, the only reason any of it was at all good was because of the engineering talents of Dieter Dierks. You may know their leader (singer and keyboard player) Gottfried Janko as he later joined Jane and is featured on their LADY album. ELECTRIC INDIAN (8/71) Düde Dürst A surprisingly unknown diversion from Krokodil's drummer, often listed as a Krokodil album. It was in fact a completely different project using the Krokodil name as a selling point. An original drummer, he is joined by fellow Krokodil member: bassist Terry Stevens, and others. It's a remarkable drum-based opus, embellished by a wide variety of other instruments, with rock and fusion elements, featuring just two lengthy LP side-long instrumental suites. Highly creative and unique, sitting somewhere between Niagara, Embryo and later Brainticket. It's not at all what one would expect! By the way, the vocals are wordless harmonies only. The guest winds player Jonas C. Häfeli is also known as a soundtrack music composer. Terry Stevens (bass, piano, percussion, vocals), Jonas C. Häfeli (flute, soprano sax), Brew Bruckner (guitar), Düde Dürst (drums, percussion, vocals) KROKODIL SOLO Mickie Duwe Much travelled on the Berlin underground scene since the 60's, Michael "Mickie" Duwe originated as the lead singer with early Agitation Free, joining Ash Ra Tempel, and establishing the supergroup Metropolis. He was not a brilliant vocalist mind you, but over the years he became quite a multi-instrumentalist. Rumours abounded on the scene of Mickie being imprisoned for smuggling drugs. Though, later he resurfaced as the leader of his own session group project Mickie Duwe's Unicorn, playing an idiosyncratic concoction of rock, pop and psychedelia, with the aid of musicians from Kraan, then IC Records percussionist Michael Shrieve, and fellow ex-Metropolis Manfred Opitz. A more recent version of Unicorn (with the albums NO REGRETS and ALADDIN) are basically doing late-70's pop music (brought up-to-date) and are of no real interest. Mickie Duwe (vocals, guitars, synthesizers, sequencer, vocoder), UNICORN (1979) Dzyan Formed in Mannheim in 1971, Dzyan were typically eclectic for a band from Southern Germany. In fact Dzyan were always a hard band to pin down, as each album they released was quite different. The original quintet on their debut album DZYAN played a jazzy form of rock, with hints of Wolfgang Dauner, flashes of Zappa's HOT RATS and even some Van Der Graaf Generator styled sax-fronted diversions. All this lead to a weird hotchpotch, punctuated by strange gothic songs and experimentation with electronic effects (including some stolen from an obscure French electronic LP by Bruno Menny - yes, directly stolen!). When the band eventually disintegrated, Reinhard Karwatky was the only member remaining. So, he drafted in jazzers Eddy Marron (ex-Jochen Brauer Sextet and Vita Nova) and drummer Lothar Scharf (from Virgo), who didn't stay long, and was in turn replaced by the much more original percussionist Peter Giger. On TIME MACHINE they played, to quote Eddy Marron: "in the Kriegel-Doldinger-Association-Et Cetera jazz-rock style", a very inventive fusion, the spirit of Krautrock in a radical jazz-fusion. Whilst Peter Giger worked on other commitments as a session musician for ECM and on tour with Eberhard Weber, ex-Dave Pike Set drummer Marc Hellmann filled in. By the time Giger returned, the Dzyan sound had changed considerably, as both Reinhard and Eddy had been experimenting with ethnic musics and a wider range of instruments. Mellotrons, sitar, and the mysterious "Super String" were added. The third album ELECTRIC SILENCE was even more out on a limb, bringing weird avant-garde elements together with jazz, rock and various ethnic musics; all together in an extreme melting pot of styles, ideas and fertile imagination. Running from free-jazz through medieval cum raga-rock (cf. Third Ear Band) and intense rock improvisation it is indeed one of the landmarks in experimental rock. After Dzyan split, Giger and Marron formed Giger.Lenz.Marron. Reinhard Karwatky also played on the Galactic Explorers album. Jochen Leuschner (vocals, percussion), Reinhard Karwatky (basses, sounds), Gerd-Bock Ehrmann (tenor sax), Harry Krämer (guitars), Ludwig Braum (drums, percussion), + Gunter Kuhlwein (organ, electric piano) DZYAN (1972) TIME MACHINE ELECTRIC SILENCE (10/74) Eden A huge band with a confused history, Eden drew on a wide range of musics in their complex progressive style, lots of folk references, adapted classical melodies, etc. Aptly, in tune with their name, Eden were also very much a religious group, as virtually all of their songs use texts taken from the Bible, and amount to Teutonic rock-opera's in a sense. At their best (as on ERWARTUNG) Eden come across as a blend of early Renaissance, Novalis and Hoelderlin, together with some neo-progressive touches! Eden are interconnected with various other bands on the Lord and Pila labels. Marcus Egger (vocals), Anne Dierks (vocals), Annette Schmalenbach (vocals), Mario Schaub (flute, clarinet, sax, vocals), Dirk Schmalenbach (violin, piano, synthesizers, sitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals), Hans Fritzsch (guitars), Michael Dierks (organ, piano, clavinet, string ensemble, vocals), Michael Claren (bass, vocals), Hans Müller (drums, percussion), + Emil Wirth (congas) ERWARTUNG (7-8/78) PERELANDRA (11/79-1/80) HEIMKEHR (7-8/80) Eela Craig Probably the best known of 70's Austrian progressive rock bands, surprisingly little is known about their early history. In fact, Eela Craig's first privately issued album is now a sought after rarity, but as to what it is like we've heard only rumours. Under the wing of well-known producer Uli Rützel, and on a major label, Eela Craig gained international recognition for a refined form of classical rock that blended lyrical folk and high-tech space fusion. ONE NITER, their most symphonic, is a fine example of very high technical quality within the rock idiom that, apart from showing a touch of Pink Floyd influence and some jazzy diversions, is highly original. In contrast HATS OF GLASS was quite conventional, song based and closer to Barclay James Harvest. The other high point of their career was the highly synthesized MISSA UNIVERSALIS, a full-blown rock mass sung in four languages with very dramatic musical accompaniment. In 1978 Hubert Bognermayr left the band to establish his own electronic music studio and help organise ARS Electronica festivals, whilst the rest of the band continued with the unimpressive VIRGIN OILAND and subsequently disappeared from the scene. Meanwhile Harald Zuschrader joined up with Bognermayr to follow a successful career as a synthesizer/computer music duo on Uli Rützel's Erdenklang label. Harald Zuschrader (acoustic guitar, organ, flute, saxes), Gerhard English (bass), Heinz Gerstmair (guitars, organ), Horst Waber (drums, percussion), Hubert Bognermayr (electric piano), Will Orthofer (vocals, saxes) EELA CRAIG Stories / Cheese ONE NITER (4+6/76) HATS OF GLASS (8-11/77) MISSA UNIVERSALIS (1978) VIRGIN OILAND (3-4/80) Efendi's Garden A short-lived hard-rock band featuring ex-Jane and ex-Rattles musicians as backing to singer Curtis Efendi. Musically bland, and only of historical note. Curtis Efendi (vocals, megaphone), Wolfgang Krantz (guitar, keyboards, vibes), Frank Meier (bass), Wolfgang Schreiner (drums, percussion), + Klaus Hess (guitar), Heinz Alberding (sax) EFENDI'S GARDEN Ego On The Rocks Jürgen Rosenthal and Detlef Schmidtchen were two ex-members of the most internationally successful Eloy incarnation (from DAWN through to SILENT CRIES & MIGHTY ECHOES), who by splitting off as Ego On The Rocks proved how important they had become to the Eloy sound. An adventurous concept album, ACID IN WOUNDERLAND covered a lot of ground. Although some of the songs are more conventional than all but the latest Eloy, they produced a varied and inventive album mixing synth music, electronic rock, sound collages, and even a touch of Heavy Metal rock in a similar way to Hawkwind on their CHURCH OF HAWKWIND album, which was coincidentally published at around the same time. Apparently, after this, the duo have been involved in other projects, and also went on to score theatre works and soundtracks. Detlef Schmidtchen (string ensemble, synthesizers, sequencer, organ, vocals, guitars, bass), Jürgen Rosenthal (drums, percussion, tapes, vocals) ACID IN WOUNDERLAND (6+9/80) Eiliff One of the great, but little known, wonders of Krautrock, originating from Stuttgart we believe, Eiliff on their two LP's developed a most unique style of powerful rock fusion. Admittedly, Eiliff didn't get off to too good a start, and their debut single is best left forgotten, as although it's not bad for a pop record, it has nothing in common with the Eiliff album style. On their two predominantly instrumental albums, Eiliff destroyed barriers between rock, jazz and established progressive genres, with lengthy intensive compositions that twist and turn with startling complexity, or riff with amazing power and stability. In their unique concoction songs were rarely used, and only then to counterpoint the instrumentals, and when necessary get over an idea that couldn't be achieved without words. Eiliff just seemed to do everything right. They had the power of Mahavishnu Orchestra, the invention of Guru Guru, the diversity of Out Of Focus, and really they were purely excessive, with diverse elements blended together as only experienced in Krautrock. Intense chopping piano and organ, along with excellent drums and firm bass guitar providing a structure for a wealth of superb guitar from virtuoso Houschäng Nejadepour, and lots of smooth "Mothers styled" electric sax. EILIFF itself is remarkable as one of the most complexly instrumental of Krautrock albums, not least the 20 minute side-long "Suite", whereas GIRLRLS! came close, but was shorter, more condensed and added a touch of hard-rock and psychedelia. After their demise, Houschäng Nejadepour went on to join Guru Guru (on their DANCE OF THE FLAMES), and Rainer Brüninghaus joined Eberhard Weber's Colours before proliferating as an ECM session musician and then going solo. Rainer Brüninghaus (organ, electric piano, sounds), Herbert J. Kalveram (sax), Houschäng Nejadepour (guitars, sitar), Detlef Landmann (drums), Bill Brown (bass) EILIFF (6/71) Ride On Big Brother / Day Of Sun GIRLRLS! (3-4/72) Einhorn We don't know of any albums by Einhorn, but based on their festival recordings, they were typical of the jazz-rock bands on Schneeball, though maybe a might freakier than most. Einhorn had a sound that blended in a wide range of influences, but was uniquely German. A blend of Passport, Moira, Release Music Orchestra, and the like. Atzen Wehmeier (guitar), Michael Wehmeyer (vibes), Achim Kemper (bass), Wolli Delphin (sax), Thomas Kretschmer (drums) featured on: UMSONST UND DRAUSSEN VLOTHO 1976 Ejwuusl Wessahqqan One of those obscure lost privately produced relics from the early-70's, and not surprisingly so with such an odd name! Ejwuusl Wessahqqan existed on the Munich scene for several years before they plucked up the courage to release an album. By the mid-70's however, there was little chance of a major label record contract, so they decided to produce the record themselves, which was a mixed blessing in that they could do whatever music they liked, but it also meant that the recording quality wasn't up to professional standards. The band make a point of the fact that they were friends of Amon Düül II, though really the Ejwuusl Wessahqqan sound relates much closer to Egg (or even more so Arzachel) and Xhol, with their blending of trippy psychedelic space-rock, fusion and classical musics. Elsewhere influences from Embryo can be felt, and because of the raw edge to some of it, there are also hints of industrial music akin to German Oak or early Kraftwerk. Ejwuusl Wessahqqan apparently have a vast archive of tapes, of which two tracks are included as bonus material on the CD reissue. They later became the more symphonic progressive styled band Koala-Bär. Michael "Hieronymus" Winzker (organ, piano), Jürgen "Yogi" Wollen (drums), René Filous (bass, Filouphon) EJWUUSL WESSAHQQAN (1975) Elastic Rock Band Obviously inspired by Embryo, Missus Beastly, Munju, et al., Elastic Rock Band were typical of later German fusion bands, in that they came up with a mixture of disparate influences, taking a touch of rock, jazz, ethnic elements, and much angst. Unfortunately however, their sole album was too much of a Jan Zelinka (drums, gongs, timbales), Wolfgang Fahr (guitars), Alex Grünwald (pianos, organs, synthesizer, clavinet), Matthias Krüger (bass, percussion), + Leszek Zadlo (soprano/tenor saxes) FARUK'S TRAUM (8/79) Electra One of the longest running of DDR progressives, and because of that they changed completely throughout their history. Electra were unfortunate to be where they were. Established in the late-60's, and although quite popular, they were considered too radical to get an album released, instead they spent much of their time as backing band to various pop singers. Eventually they managed to gain permission to release an album in the mid-70's, but it seems that they were forced to play it safe, and the results were a patchy album that only occasionally hints at how talented a band they were. So, avoiding vocals altogether on their second album, they opted to do a record of classical adaptations, and ADAPTIONEN must certainly be one of the most successful and inventive of such works, akin to Ekseption at their best, yet also comparable to later bands like Solaris or East. Like their debut, the third Electra album was also a retrospective, however this showed them on a more radical footing, capturing them as an inventive progressive band. After the ambitious rock-opera DIE SIXTINISCHE MADONNA Electra followed the way of other DDR bands, becoming nothing more than lightweight melodic rock. Bernd Aust (flute, sax, keyboards), Hans Peter Dohanetz (keyboards), Peter Ludewig (drums, percussion, vocals), Wolfgang Riedel (bass), Peter Sandkaulen (guitars), Stephan Trepte (vocals) featured on: HALLO, NR. 3, 5, 6, 12 ELECTRA COMBO Doch Das Feuer Dieser Erde / Weiter, Weiter... featured on: HALLO 1/75 ADAPTIONEN ELECTRA 3 (1979) DIE SIXTINISCHE MADONNA Electric Circus Originally, the international trio of Toto Blanke, with Dutchman Jasper van't Hof and Finnish Edward Vesala, Electric Circus attempted to take the more progressive elements of Toto and Jasper's former band Association PC, and turn them into a much more purely inventive fusion. The results were surprisingly original, especially so for what could have just been a jazz trio! With extensive use of electronics, combining rock, jazz and synth musics, they created a new genre bridging from the avant-garde through to Heldon-like synth-rock realms. This era is documented by two very different LP's: ELECTRIC CIRCUS itself, which makes great use of the most advanced studio technology of the time, and in contrast LIVE AT THE QUARTIER LATIN performed earlier at a 1976 jazz festival at the famous Berlin venue, which captures them in a much more free and improvised mode, with lengthy excursions bridging free-form fusion and cosmic music. The second incarnation of Electric Circus, originally featuring ex-Mahavishnu Orchestra synthesizer dabbler/jazz pianist Stu Goldberg and famous ethnic percussionist Trilok Gurtu, also included former Missus Beastly bassist Norbert Dömling on all three albums. This incarnation, originally centred on a more Toto Blanke (synthesizers, sequencer, guitars, banjo), Edward Vesala (drums, percussion), Jasper van't Hof (organ, pianos), + Dave King (bass), Ulli A. Rützel (piano) ELECTRIC CIRCUS LIVE AT THE QUARTIER LATIN (19/4/76) FRIENDS (4/79) FAMILY (17/1/80) BELLA DONNA Electric Food These were one of many impromptu session bands featuring Peter Hesslein of Lucifer's Friend. Who the actual band was is a mystery, as no musician credits are given. We've only come across the debut below, which takes a more commercial twist on the Lucifer's Friend sound, being deliberately derivative of ELECTRIC FOOD FLASH Electric Mud A mysterious early Krautrock band, of whom we know nothing historically. And, despite a most odd name, Electric Mud were quite extraordinary, radical, dark and intensely psychedelic. Strongly Teutonic, with German lyrics, stylistically akin to Eulenspygel, Drosselbart, or early Tomorrow's Gift, with a gloomy atmosphere, lots of organ, heavy guitars and riffing. An obscure classic for fans of psychedelic Krautrock sounds. Udo Preising (bass, vocals), Axel Helm (organ, electric piano), Jochen Dyduch (drums), Manfred Simhäuser (guitar) ELECTRIC MUD Electric Sandwich No historical information is known about Electric Sandwich, though they are reputedly ex-Vinegar. Typical of many Krautrock bands of the era, they drew on a wide range of influences: jazz, blues, psychedelia, etc., and moulded their own fusion with that typically cosmic yet powerful edge. Their sole album is oddly balanced, opening with the lengthy Xhol/Kollektiv-like instrumental "China" with excellent electric sax, and thereafter establishing a more unique brand of song fronted by a gruff vocalist, in a blues and jazz accented progressive blend. Really, every track on the album is different, though a recognisable Electric Sandwich style does ride throughout. Jörg Ohlert (guitar, organ, Mellotron), Klaus Lormann (bass), Jochen Carthaus (vocals, sax, harmonica), Wolf Fabian (drums) On My Mind / China ELECTRIC SANDWICH Das Liebe Bonn / Der Guillaume Ist Ein Spion Electric Sun Formed by ex-Scorpions guitarist Uli Roth, Electric Sun were acclaimed by many as classic Heavy Metal, especially on the debut album EARTHQUAKE. Although a bit mainstream to include in this book, Electric Sun were far better than the average Heavy Metal band. In fact, after Uli's departure, the Scorpions rapidly deteriorated, whereas EARTHQUAKE stepped on from Scorpions' IN TRANCE on a more progressive level. With unique vocalising and Hendrix inspired guitar, especially so on the lengthy instrumental work-outs that close each album, Electric Sun are worth a look-in for those liking more conventional rock. Later, the name Electric Sun was dropped, with more commercial albums released as by Uli Jon Roth. Uli Roth (guitars, vocals), Clive Edwards (drums), Ule Ritgen (bass) EARTHQUAKE (11/78-2/79) FIRE WIND (3-9/80) Elfenbein These were an obscure 70's Anglo-American styled hard-rock band, and in fact possibly one of the straightest you'll find in this book. Really, their song-based kind of boogie rockin' style draws comparison to many an ex-Man band, like The Neutrons or Judas Jump. I don't know why Ohrwaschl reissued this, as they should have left it well-alone! Jack B. Menzel (vocals, bass), Michael Dertscheny (guitars, vocals), Clemens Mueller (drums, percussion) MADE IN ROCK (5-6/77) Eloy Taking their name from H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine", Eloy always exhibited an interest in science-fiction, especially on later fantasy and sci-fi conceptual works. Eloy originated in Essen, in early 1971, and in their early days, they played a heavy rock, highly derivative of the likes of Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, et al.; otherwise British styled hard-rock and ballads. On their debut LP, Eloy were not that distinctive a band, and had a very British hard-rock sound, with some psychedelic touches and a couple of powerful rock ballads included for contrast. After a major rethink, Frank took over the band, adopting the role of lead vocalist (sounding surprisingly like Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson with a German accent) and forging ahead with a completely new style. So, enter Eloy the space-rock band, and the astounding album INSIDE, with lengthy tracks combining organ based classical rock elements into a dynamic mixture of heavy and cosmic styles, a union of progressive and psychedelic with strong Pink Floyd influence. FLOATING further developed this style on a heavier level, featuring much more guitar and multi-percussives, lengthy instrumentals and intelligently crafted songs. The mid-70's were notorious for ambitious concept albums, and obviously Frank didn't want to be left out. Thus, the next two Eloy albums were dedicated to telling a science fantasy story in music and song. Despite being by virtually different bands, POWER & THE PASSION and DAWN do have a continuity in style, and tell a fascinating tale of time travel, lost love and the creation of a God-like being! But, even DAWN, couldn't have prepared anyone for their next opus, the mighty majestic OCEAN, an extraordinary and spacious work based on the legend of Atlantis. OCEAN, with its richly synthesized instrumentals and lengthy unfolding compositions, is certainly a timeless classic of progressive rock. With the obligatory live album out, and fame growing in countries other than Germany, a return was made to Pink Floyd realms on SILENT CRIES & MIGHTY ECHOES with Gilmour styled guitar licks and keyboard arrangements almost stolen from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" - yet this was still distinctly Eloy, branded with Frank's unique song style, use of dynamics and space. Latterly, with yet more personnel changes (most notably the departure of Schmidtchen and Rosenthal, who went on to form Ego On The Rocks), and obviously pressures to get even greater sales, further albums saw the development of a more direct hard-rock based band. Still highly progressive and inventive, the album COLOURS, and their second attempt at a two-part science-fiction concept, PLANETS and TIME TO TURN, all have much to commend them. However, the same cannot be said for any of the subsequent albums, and then there was the paradox that on the film soundtrack CODENAME WILDGEESE, Frank Bornemann was nowhere in sight! Certainly Eloy were one of the most internationally successful of German progressives, and one of the few to survive the new-wave era into the 80's, leaving their mark with many excellent albums. As the later one-off reformation RA, and the subsequent returns to the scene have been of little interest, we have chosen not to catalogue any albums by the 90's incarnation of Eloy, of which there are several, including albums of re-recorded versions of 70's and 80's material. Manfred Wieczorke (guitar, bass, vocals), Erich Schriever (vocals, piano, organ), Frank Bornemann (guitar, percussion, harmonica), Helmut Drath (drums), Wolfgang Stöcker (bass) Daybreak / Walk Alone ELOY (4/71) INSIDE (9/72) Daybreak / On The Road Again (8/73) FLOATING (1-5/74) POWER & THE PASSION (6-8/75) DAWN (8-9/76) OCEAN (9-10/77) LIVE (3/78) SILENT CRIES & MIGHTY ECHOES (11-12/78) COLOURS Wings Of Vision / Sunset PLANETS TIME TO TURN (8/81-2/82) PERFORMANCE METROMANIA (9/84) CODENAME WILDGEESE RA El Shalom Bizarrely named & pretty dated for 1976, sounding a little like Jane/Harlis mixed with DDR rock (i.e. Karat, Puhdys) edges, with strong German lyrics (on most tracks). Joachim Brands (keyboards, vocals), Gunter Christ (guitar, vocals), Helmut Meier (bass, flute, vocals), Wolfgang Merkens (drums, vocals), Karlheinz Schmitz (guitar, flute, vocals) FROST Birthday Song / Geld Embryo Literally the birthplace of a new type of fusion, Embryo had their roots in the very fertile Munich late-60's scene. Formed in 1969 by percussionist Christian Burchard (after leaving Amon Düül II) along with other like-minded former jazz and underground musicians, the idea of Embryo was to work collectively, intuitively, and let the music evolve on its own. Early pioneering improvised sessions can now be witnessed on the CD reissue of their debut OPAL (with Lothar Meid on bass) which take a jazzy twist on the improvised Ash Ra Tempel or Amon Düül II type sound, freaky and inventive in the extreme. However, the original album OPAL itself offered a much more varied collection of musics, as British guitarist John Kelly had bought with him a good deal of psychedelia, into the rock, jazz and blues concoction. EMBRYO'S RACHE was a very surprising follow-up, with new mainstay Roman Bunka, ex-Xhol Hansi Fisher, and extraordinary keyboards courtesy of Jimmy Jackson (aka "Tabarin Man") the basis for the unique Embryo sound was set. STEIG AUS and ROCKSESSION offer some of the most dazzling Embryo music, a mostly instrumental fusion from an expanded line-up including Sigi Schwab, hot from his stint with Et Cetera and veteran jazzer Mal Waldron. FATHER SON & HOLY GHOSTS, with its more condensed and accessible style, is a more direct song-based slice of Embryo. WE KEEP ON, featuring Charlie Mariano, took a step back again to free-riffing fusion realms, offering some of the heaviest Embryo on record. But it marked the end of a phase, and SURFIN' failed to be the success the record company hoped for, Embryo were dropped with little hope of getting a workable contract with any other label. Embryo's solution was to form their own label. A label with which they could have total artistic freedom. Thus they embarked on forming the April collective along with other like-minded bands. See April entry for more on this. With the artistic freedom that they had fought so much for, the Embryo sound moved radically towards jazz with much more ethnic styling, featuring the songs of black American female jazz vocalist Maria Archer. Later they embarked on ambitious tours to the East and onto India. Early recorded results include a session with Trilok and Shoba Gurtu on APO CALYPSO and then the ambitious double album EMBRYO'S REISE, documenting their tour of the Middle East through Afghanistan and India. An extraordinary release combining the Embryo sound with many different types of ethnic and traditional music, venturing on to realms unheard before. One enterprising Indian troupe, the Karnataka College of Percussion, later came to Germany to tour with Embryo (documented on LIFE) and they have since become famous working with the likes of Charlie Mariano and Iain Ballamy. Always trying something new, the next big Embryo adventure was a tour via Turkey through to Egypt, and later a tour through Africa. LA BLAMA SPAROZZI, YORUBA DUN DUN ORCHESTRA and AFRICA document these projects with an exceptionally wide variety of musics. The only proper Embryo album of this era was ZACK GLÜCK, a surprising and very long album often hearkening back to the origins of Embryo, with the phenomenal "U-Bahn" occupying most of the second side, shades of EMBRYO'S RACHE and STEIG AUS abound. In all, a remarkable album. Celebrating 20 years of Embryo, TURN PEACE offered many more surprises, showing that Burchard and co. were still fresh and innovative musicians, still willing to try new ideas and forge on whilst still having the knack for recreating the music they originally set out with! IBN BATTUTA stepped back to ZACK GLÜCK, but with a much more spacey ethnic feel. Embryo continue to tour the continent and further abroad, and constantly surprise with new innovations, proving to be the only Krautrock band to have stuck to their ideals over 25 years, whilst always moving on. Edgar Hofmann (soprano sax, violin, percussion), Hansi Fischer (flute, percussion, vocals), Christian Burchard (drums, electric piano, vocals), Roman Bunka (bass), + Jimmy Jackson (organ, Mellotron), Franz Böntgen (vocals), Hermann Breuer (electric piano, organ) OPAL (4/70) EMBRYO'S RACHE (1971) FATHER, SON & HOLY GHOSTS (3/72) STEIG AUS (12/71+3/72) ROCKSESSION (3/72) WE KEEP ON (12/72) SURFIN' (7/74) featured on: VLOTHO-WINTERBERG BAD HEADS & BAD CATS (1975) featured on: UNSOMST UND DRAUSSEN VLOTHO 1976 LIVE (2/76) featured on: UNSOMST UND DRAUSSEN VLOTHO 1977 APO-CALYPSO (12/76+6/77) featured on: UNSOMST UND DRAUSSEN PORTA WESTVLOTHICA 1978 REISE (9/78-7/79) ANTHOLOGY (9/70-9/79) LIFE! (24-28/7/80) LA BLAMA SPAROZZI/ZWISCHENZONEN (4/79-9/82) featured on: UMSONST UND DRAUSSEN PAPENBURG 1983 ZACK GLÜCK (2-3/84) YORUBA DUN DUN ORCHESTRA (1985) featured on: F/EAR THIS! AFRICA (2/85) TURN PEACE (2+6+8+9/89) JAZZ BUHNE BERLIN '89 (16/7/89) Emergency The history of Emergency is a strange one, as their roots actually stem from Prague, Czechoslovakia with the jazz musician Hanus Berka. In 1966 he went to America to seek his fortune and the roots of jazz, whilst there he discovered a new music: "brass-rock", but becoming disillusioned he drifted back to Europe. In Munich he met some fellow Czech's touring with a production of "Hair" and decided to form a band, the only German was Udo Lindenberg. Their debut EMERGENCY showed a group with many influences, a meeting of East-Euro jazz and Anglo-American styles as instigated by the likes of Chicago Transit Authority, Keef Hartley, etc., they were stylists of the popular CBS jazz-spiced progressive sound. Moving to Brain, after many personnel changes, so much so that it was a virtually new group, they disappointed with GET OUT TO THE COUNTRY, which was Emergency at their most commercial, mainly straight bluesy songs. Only the lengthy title track was of merit, in that it showed a subdued flair for invention. This was further highlighted on NO COMPROMISE, which was a much more progressive album, featuring a good collection of songs and instrumentals, especially as it featured the talents of Veit Marvos to the fore, and had a heavier musical base. By 1975 Berka was the only Czech musician left in the band. Emergency never reached their full potential musically, disappearing without trace in the mid-70's. Hanus Berka (tenor/baritone saxes, flute, percussion), Otto Bezloja (basses), Udo Lindenberg (drums, percussion), Jiri Matousek (organ, pianos, percussion), Barrie Newby (guitar), Milos Reddy (vocals, percussion), + Dusko Goykovic (trumpet) EMERGENCY (2/71) EMERGENCY ENTRANCE (1/72) GET OUT TO THE COUNTRY (6-7/73) NO COMPROMISE (3/74) Emma Myldenberger Initially formed by a number of street musicians in Hirschberg, 1977, with the desire to create something more than just folk music, Emma Myldenberger quickly established a rich folk-rock style, totally acoustic, featuring female vocals and a penchant for blending in many other ethnic musics than just German folk. Really, their eponymous debut was much like a throw back to the progressive folk albums of several years earlier, akin to Bröselmaschine, Hölderlin or Emtidi, yet with an otherworldly medieval feel, embellished by Middle-Eastern ethnic musics, notably with Biber Gullatz's distinctive oboe playing, their concoction was unique. Especially, it was amazing in that everything was acoustic! The second album, TOUR DE TRANCE, with considerably longer tracks and much more instrumental interplay, broke even more ground with a uniquely styled music that even went beyond the pioneering music of Between or the Third Ear Band, mysteriously ethnic and medieval, not really rock but with a lively rock energy, and an abundance of solos, surprising for what was still a totally acoustic ensemble. Emma Myldenberger were indeed pioneers that were pushing beyond the frontiers of established progressive, folk and world musics. But, for some unknown reason, they split before the end of the decade. Three Emma Myldenberger members later became the nucleus of the equally innovative Radio Noisz Ensemble. Biber Gullatz is nowadays much sought after as a session musician, working in jazz, ethnic and new-age musics. Anne Goßlau (violin, flute, banjo, vocals), Biber Gullatz (oboe, flute, crumhorn, guitar, ocarina, glockenspiel, vocals), Gaby Kinscherf (vocals, flute, percussion), Michel Meyer (guitar, mandolin, autoharp, vocals), Reines Pauker (guitar, percussion, vocals), Topsi Tkacz (bass, guitar, vocals), + Sepp Niemeyer (drums, bongos), Wastl Gassert (congas, percussion) featured on: MUSIK AUS DEM ODENWALD EMMA MYLDENBERGER (6/78) TOUR DE TRANCE (18-26/5/79) Emtidi An odd duo, of Canadian Dolly Holmes and German Maik Hirschfeldt, Emtidi's roots are most obviously in traditional folk, and the music of Bob Dylan or Donovan, et al., yet by the time of their debut album Emtidi were no longer a conventional folk duo. Though very lyrical and totally acoustic, they had moved on and developed a style uniquely their own, a trippy folk-based music with an ethereal kind of cosmic edge. Being in Berlin at the time, they soon caught the attention of enthusiastic Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser who signed them up for his then "new German folk-music label" Pilz. The album SAAT was a truly progressive folk masterpiece, with the beautiful "English" vocals of Dolly Holmes and occasionally the contrastingly Teutonic voice of Maik Hirschfeldt, in a richly textured music featuring multi-guitars, keyboards and electronics, elevated cosmic progressive of a refined and most magical kind, beyond the realms of early Bröselmaschine or Hölderlin, towards Klaus Schulze even! Relocating to Munich and with an expanded line-up, including Rudi Haunreiter (later of Peter Frohmader's Nekropolis) and others, Emtidi continued with an expanding roster of material for several years, yet unfortunately never got to record any further albums. Dolly Holmes (acoustic guitar, bouzouki, kazoo, vocals), Maik Hirschfeldt (guitars, flute, vocals) EMTIDI (8-9/7/70) SAAT (2/72) Epidaurus A late-70's amateur progressive, Epidaurus had their footing firmly in the early-70's progressive sound of bands like Pink Floyd, Eloy or Pulsar. However, their largely instrumental multi-keyboard fronted blend was closer to Faithful Breath on their classic FADING BEAUTY, with a dreamy feel, "cosmic" to want for a better term, but with one difference - the opening track has female vocals! Later, Epidaurus resurfaced under the name Choice, and more recently have reformed, attempting to cash-in on the interest generated by the CD reissue of EARTHLY PARADISE. But, be warned, ENDANGERED is abysmal pop styled rock, and is to be avoided at all costs! Christiane Wand (vocals), Heinz Kunert (bass, pedals, percussion), Manfred Struck (drums, percussion), Volker Oehmig (drums, percussion), Günther Henne (organ, Mellotron, Moogs, clavinet, electric piano), Gerd Linke (organ, Mellotron, Moog, 12-string guitar, clavinet, pianos), + Peter Maier (flute) EARTHLY PARADISE (25-26/6/77) Epidermis These could have been classed as Germany's answer to Gentle Giant, they certainly had all the very complex arrangements and adept interactive vocal harmonies (cross chanting, canons, chorales, etc.) that characterised Gentle Giant, yet they also had their own style being a much darker, weirder, cosmic and gothic styled band on the ambitious GENIUS OF ORIGINAL FORCE. An album that aptly became a sought after collectible. Epidermis were seasoned musicians who had been around a long while (an earlier previously unreleased album is due for issue sometime) and they continued well into the 80's, although they changed somewhat, as revealed on the posthumously released FEEL ME, which had folky edge, and a song style closer to Novalis. Reiner Neeb (drums, glockenspiel, recorder, vocals), Wolfgang Wünsche (basses, vocals), Rolf Lonz (guitars, recorder, vocals), Michael Kurz (keyboards, vocals) GENIUS OF ORIGINAL FORCE (11/77) MUSTER-BURGER Epitaph Staying in Germany after serving in the British army, Cliff Jackson got together with Scotsman Jim McGillivray and Dortmund bassist Bernd Kolbe, and formed Fagin's Epitaph playing concerts of pop hits at British army bases. Two years on, after relocating to Hannover, and with a second guitarist, they developed an original progressive repertoire, and were fortunate to be promptly signed up by Polydor. Both of their early Polydor albums have been acclaimed as classics of guitar led progressive hard-rock by fans of the genre. But, based on their second STOP, LOOK & LISTEN (we haven't heard their debut in its entirety) they were much too British styled to be associated with true Krautrock, though it did feature lengthy tracks with extended instrumental breaks. The even more ordinary and commercial OUTSIDE THE LAW was recorded during a USA tour and gained them some recognition internationally, but was of little merit. Heralded by the sampler HANDICAP, subsequent albums, by a reformed band in the late-70's, offered a lighter rock with symphonic touches, notably due to Eloy connections. Latterly they moved onto Heavy Metal realms. Epitaph were the commercial face of 70's German rock, though, at least in their early day's, they did have their moments! Cliff Jackson (guitar, vocals), Klaus Walz (guitar, vocals), Bernd Kolbe (bass, vocals), Jim McGillivray (drums, vocals) THE EPITAPH (1971) London Town Girl / Visions STOP, LOOK & LISTEN (4/72) Autumn '71 / Are You Ready We Love You, Alice / Paradise For Sale OUTSIDE THE LAW (11/74) HANDICAP (1971-72) RETURN TO REALITY SEE YOU IN ALASKA LIVE (26-28/12/80) DANGER MAN (2/82) Epsilon Initially working under the name Karthago and with a repertoire of The Nice compositions, they changed radically when joined by the former Orange Peel and Nosferatu guitarist/vocalist Michael Winzkowski. Upon realising that another band called Karthago existed in Berlin, the name Epsilon was chosen instead. Typical of bands from Marburg (cf. Pell Mell, Frame, etc.) Epsilon drew heavily on classical music in an original and complex progressive rock, in a very different way to their British or Italian counterparts, especially so on side one of their debut, which blends in these classical influences in a very unusual and original manner, not least so a classical styled rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black". It all amounts to an odd album that covers a lot of ground, yet is also excellent throughout. Subsequent releases moved onto hard-rock and blues realms, though MOVE ON was surprisingly good for a more mainstream song-based rock album, with some nice folky touches breaking the mood occasionally. And, even on the straight hard-rock EPSILON OFF they still retained the unique Epsilon sound with Winzkowski's unusual vocals. However, we suspect that the later singles are of no real interest! Michael Ertl (bass), Hartmut Pfannmüller (drums, percussion), Walter Ortel (organ, pianos, vocals, percussion), Michael Winzkowski (vocals, guitars, percussion) I'm Not My Brother's Keeper / Everyday's Pain EPSILON (1/71) MOVE ON (1971) EPSILON OFF Leave The City / Wake Up Ay Ayay A / Elephant Funk Erlkoenig Classic dreamy progressive obscurity. Eckhardt Freynik (organ, pianos), Friedrich Krüger (guitars), Michael Brandes (drums, vocals), Günter Ambrecht (bass) ERLKOENIG (1/73) Eroc Eroc is the pseudonym of Joachim Heinz Ehrig, best known as the madcap drummer with Grobschnitt. Eroc has never been just a drummer however, he has been an innovative sound explorer since the mid-60's, and a really talented multi-instrumentalist, as documented on a series of solo albums. As early as 1967 Eroc had developed his own methods of multi-tracking and phasing effects, with voices and instruments. He said, that like Udo Lindenberg or Klaus Schulze, he wasn't satisfied with just being a drummer, so he explored other creative types of music. In 1970 he recorded the revolutionary echo vocal collage work "Horrorgoll", very much like a piece of Dadaist sound-poetry (yet with a rock aesthetic), it can be found on his debut solo LP along with early synthesizer and multi-instrumental works. His earliest release however, was an obscure single, which we've never encountered. A further anthology of early works (including rare Grobschnitt and other pre-Grobschnitt historical recordings) was later released as the very varied EROC 3. But, before that was his madcap conceptual extravaganza EROC ZWEI, with its concoction of synthesizer music, space-rock, comic theatrics, schlager and folk musics, all coming together like an outrageous lopsided look at the German media and music industry, and obviously Eroc's homage to Frank Zappa's equally outrageous LUMPY GRAVY. On later recordings Eroc mellowed somewhat, ending up like a mixture of Bavarian folk, synthesizer and rock, oft-reminiscent of Michael Rother's solos. Der Meier Sitzt In Afrika EROC (1970-74) EROC ZWEI EROC 3 (1968-78) EROC 4 (1981-82) CHANGING SKIES Ertlif One of the earliest of Swiss progressives, Ertlif were fronted by an English vocalist and had a very English style with strong hints of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. But, having said that, Ertlif also had a Teutonic touch (much darker than Jane) that lent a doomy Ainigma or Necronomicon edge, in a music that had folky touches and an abundance of classical references. It all amounted to much more than just a heavy rock album, and although quite dated it's still a fresh and vital album. In 1974, alongside Ertlif (who were touring Germany at the time and planning a second album) two members: James Mosberger and Teddy Riedo also worked as the cosmic synthesizer duo Irrlicht. Obviously inspired by the Klaus Schulze classic, they unfortunately never released anything, although an album was planned for Klaus' aborted idea for a record label prior to Innovative Communication. Both these musicians have also worked solo since, and on several occasions Ertlif have reformed. No new album has appeared as yet however. Richard John Rusinski (vocals, 12-string guitar), James Mosberger (organ, Mellotron, piano), Danny Andrey (guitars), Teddy Riedo (bass, synthesizer), Hanspeter Börlin (drums, percussion) ERTLIF Es As Release Music Orchestra moved onto lighter jazz realms, the former Tomorrow's Gift and RMO duo of Zabba Lindner and Bernd Keifer, together with keyboard maestro Georg Kochbek, and original Tomorrow's Gift singer Ellen Meier, attempted to recapture the early Tomorrow's Gift psychedelic blues-rock sound. Based on the live recordings we've heard, they could have been good. However, by this time, Ellen's voice had matured somewhat, and Es were a good deal more jazzy, and even funky at times. We don't know what the studio LP is like, though we don't hold out too much hope considering Zabba Lindner's later solo, and other related albums from this era. Bernd Kiefer (bass), W. Zabba Lindner (drums), Ellen Meier (vocals), Wolfgang Grasekemp (piano), Alto Pappert (sax) featured on: UMSONST UND DRAUSSEN VLOTHO 1977 ES IN CONCERT WHAM BANG Et Cetera Ever the entrepreneur of new musical revolutions, Wolfgang Dauner hatched the idea for one of the most elaborate con-jobs in Krautrock history. He managed to relaunch the Wolfgang Dauner Group as Et Cetera and promoted them as a new band, with an LP cover that was eye-catchingly psychedelic, and deliberately obscure in its references as to who the musicians were. And so, despite being on a jazz label, the album ET CETERA was launched onto the rock buying market. Amazingly Dauner's radical concoction of rock, jazz, ethnic and avant-garde musics caught the attention of many, Et Cetera being voted as newcomer band of the year in a German Sounds readers poll, despite the fact that the band had actually been in existence since 1968 (under various names) and recorded numerous albums! ET CETERA itself is an extraordinary album of weirdly trippy fusion that rides somewhere between instrumental Amon Düül II, Embryo and Dauner's own earlier classic OUTPUT. Full of ethnic and avant-garde elements, with lots of ethnic colour added by Sigi Schwab and his vast range of instruments, and many surprises, not least notable being the offbeat poem "Lady Blue". All three Et Cetera albums were full of surprises, not least so in that excepting Wolfgang Dauner and Fred Braceful, the rest of the band was different on each album. Totally unexpected is the Hendrixy song by Larry Coryell that opens KNIRSCH, contrasting totally with the rest of album. And then there's the double live album which featured all new compositions and the talents of newcomers: the avant-gardist Jürgen Schmidt-Oehm and former Eulenspygel member Matthias Thurow. There's lots of great spacey Embryo styled fusion on this, archetypal Dauner riffing jazz topped by his unique keyboard style, avant-garde experimental works, and a trippy blues that recalls Beaver & Kraus' "Walking Green Algae Blues" and even a synthesizer track! Wolfgang Dauner (synthesizer, piano, clavinet, clavichord, ring modulator, electric percussion, trumpet, flute), Sigi Schwab (guitars, sitar, tarang, lute, veena, sarangi, flute, balafon, ring modulator), Fred Braceful (percussion, vocals), Roland Wittich (percussion), Eberhard Weber (basses, cello) ET CETERA (9-12/12/70) KNIRSCH (3/72) LIVE (5/73) Eulenspygel Confusingly Eulenspygel's debut LP was titled EULENSPYGEL 2, but obviously this was to indicate that their first Eulenspygel album was by their former incarnation as The Royal Servants. Confused? Well, probably that was the intention! An obscure band from the Stuttgart region, Eulenspygel were a very Teutonic sounding band in the early days, with brash "political" songs and strongly accented German lyrics, blending in German folk culture into a complex progressive cum acid psychedelic rock. Add to this classical rock and uniquely Krautrock fusion, and a wide range of solo instruments, including dual guitars, flute, violin, keyboards (and even wider a range on AUSSCHUSS), and you can see that the Eulenspygel sound was rich and varied. Not unlike Joy Unlimited, Out Of Focus, Eiliff, et al., their exceptional talent went into creating a music beyond the normal song format (a touch of Floh De Cologne here too) and straddled genres with ease.. The later incarnation, reformed by Detlef Nottrodt, were very disappointing in that they bore no resemblance to the original band at all, playing a mellow hard-rock closer to the more mainstream DDR progressive bands. Detlev Nottrodt (guitar, vocals), James Thurow (guitar, violin), Cornelius Hauptmann (flute), Karlheinz Großhans (organ, vocals), Ronnie Libal (bass), Mulo Maulbetsch (vocals, harmonica), Günter Klinger (drums, percussion) EULENSPYGEL 2 (19-21/7/71) AUSSCHUSS (4-8/4/72) EULENSPYGEL LAUT & DEUTLICH Excalibur Excalibur were a very British sounding rock trio, though they also had many uniquely German touches and some experimentation, giving them a unique character. Of interest only to those liking the German twist on the hard-rock style. We assume that the guest musician "Gorilla" could be Achim Reichel, and thus "Lemmy" may well be Lemmi Lembrecht, as certainly there's a touch of Achim Reichel eccentricity in some of the instrumentals. Werner Odenkirchen (guitar, vocals), Hartmut Schölgens (organ), Manfred Terstappen (drums), + Gorilla (bass), Lemmy (percussion), Hans Lampe (percussion) THE FIRST ALBUM Why Do People Cry / Run Through The Past Exit An obscure 70's Swiss band, with a varied blend of progressive and hard-rock styles. Nothing is known about them except for one LP that was privately issued in the mid-70's. Exit were of that amateurish sounding vein akin to Grave or Kaputter Hamster, with rather drab production. Though, nonetheless, they were highly creative in mixing a wide range of influences, from the heavy and psychedelic through to majestic rock ballads. Especially notable is the album's opening track "Paradise" sounding like a hybrid of Birth Control's "Stop Little Lady", Pancake and 60's bubblegum pop! Such a bizarre blend of styles in a heavy progressive is most odd. Elsewhere the mood is often more melancholic, even bluesy, with the accent on organ passages and melodic songs. Andy Schmid (guitar, harmonica), Edwin Schweizer (bass), Roman Portail (organ, synthesizer), Kafi Kaufmann (drums, percussion) EXIT Exmagma Fronted by guitarist multi-instrumentalist Andy Göldner, with an Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1129
|