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Lokomotive Kreuzberg 2 page

An inventive progressive fusion band, with a notable debt to Kraan, Aera and nods to Munju, Missus Beastly and Secret Oyster. Morpheus' sole self-produced LP is an unknown gem. It has a very live sound to it, and the music is full of warmth, strong melodies and some great riffing, with a wealth of Alto Pappert style sax soloing and Peter Wolbrandt Kraan styled guitar.

Peter Blömeke (bass, flute, percussion), Gerold Adler (guitar, effects), Heinrich Holtgreve (alto sax, percussion), Alfred Franke (drums, percussion)

RABENTEUER (8-13/3/76)
LP private release 34705 (1976)

Motherhood

Motherhood was the unlikely name of Klaus Doldinger's psychedelic fusion band, who eventually transmuted into the bands Passport (Doldinger, Meid and Lindenberg) and Hallelujah (Vincent and Forsey). Often comparable to British rock fusion bands like Colosseum and early Nucleus in many ways, Motherhood covered a wide range of styles from psychedelic pop through to jazz-rock.

Klaus Doldinger (tenor/alto/soprano saxes, clarinet, piano, organ, vocals), Paul Vincent (guitar), Lothar Meid (bass), Udo Lindenberg (drums, vocals), Keith Forsey (drums, vocals)

I FEEL SO FREE
LP United Artists UAS 69173 (1969)

DOLDINGER'S MOTHERHOOD
LP Liberty LBS 83426 (1970)

Fritz Müller

Aka Eberhard Kranemann, and once an associate of Kraftwerk and Neu!, Fritz Müller is one of the most obscure innovators on the Düsseldorf scene. There is apparently rumour of an earlier album on the Zebra label, but we've never come across it! KOMMT is the only album we've encountered, and is very much a mixed bag with heavy psychedelic sounds, hints of new-wave, rock satire and Zappa-like madness, alongside lengthy excursions in the classic experimental Kraftwerk, Neu!, Harmonia realms.

Fritz Müller (vocals, guitar), Egon Stüwe (guitar, choir), Dirk Fleck (bass, choir), Rüdiger Braune (drums, choir), Oliver Petry (keyboards, choir), + Christa Fast (voice)

KOMMT
LP Roth-Händle 6.23159 (1977)

Munju

A typical Schneeball fusion band at the start, Munju originated in Würzburg circa 1976 as the new group of ex-Missus Beastly winds-player Jürgen Benz. A notable Kraan feel lived in their early recordings, yet increasingly, via their association with Embryo and RIO bands, they rapidly progressed and diversified, until on BROT+SPIELE they came up with a radical new music that pulled out all the stops! Munju had created a fusion music with the energy of new-wave, but with the invention of true Krautrock. So much so that simple description of its concoction of world music, psychedelia and brazen jazz is not really possible. Having discovered their own sound, LE PERFECTIONNISTE attempted to refine it further, yet taking in Michel Berckmans' Univers Zero influence changed the sound yet again! What happened to Munju after this is unknown. Wolfgang Salomon and Michel Berckmans went on to work with the Swedish RIO combo Von Zamla, and Wolfgang more recently issued an unusual semi-classical ambient and fusion solo LUNA: SMALL STEP FOR MANKIND (on Chance).



Thomas Römer (drums), Jürgen Benz (flute, sax), Wolfgang Salomon (bass), Dieter Kaudel (guitar)

featured on: UMSONST UND DRAUSSEN VLOTHO 1976
featured on: UMSONST UND DRAUSSEN VLOTHO 1977

HIGH-SPEED KINDERGARTEN (5/77)
LP April II/00012 (1978)

featured on: UMSONST UND DRAUSSEN PORTA WESTVLOTHICA 1978

MOON YOU
LP Schneeball 2017 (1979)

BROT+SPIELE (29/7-7/8/80)
LP Schneeball 0022 (1980) «with free board game!»

LE PERFECTIONNISTE (2/84)
LP Exil 5502 (1984)

Murphy Blend

Strangely named after a pipe tobacco, the Berlin group Murphy Blend were always quite a mystery. They were also a rarity in early German rock, as they combined the psychedelic Krautrock sound with heavy rock, blues and classical musics. Their music had hints of early Jane and Pell Mell, but apart from that they had a unique style, with a strongly accented vocalist, topical lyrics and heady instrumentals, heavily featuring chunky Hammond organ. Singer/organist Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig went on to Hanuman. Andreas Scholz went to Blackwater Park.

Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig (organ, cembalo, piano, vocals), Wolfgang Rumler (guitar, vocals), Andreas Scholz (bass), Achim Schmidt (drums, vocals)

FIRST LOSS (10+12/70)
LP Kuckuck 2375 005 (1970)

My Solid Ground

A little known hard rock and psychedelic band, who just made the one album. MY SOLID GROUND is most notable for the tracks that feature guest keyboardist Ingo Werner, like the opening cosmic kinda Thirsty Moon-like opus "Dirty Yellow Mist" and the disturbingly sinister "Executioner". Most of the rest of the album was more normal hard-rock typical of the era, but with an inventive flair, and a nod in the direction of Guru Guru.

Bernhard Rendel (guitars, vocals), Karl-Heinrich Dörfler (bass, vocals), Andreas Würsching (drums, percussion), + Ingo Werner (organ, piano)

MY SOLID GROUND (2+4/71)
LP Bacillus 6494 008 (1971)

Mythos

Mythos were one of the finest of Berlin bands, yet were unfairly overlooked by most of the media. Maybe this was because of the group's leader Stephan Kaske's most unusual strongly accented vocals, who like Jürgen Dollase of Wallenstein, often came across as a strange Kraut Peter Hammill! Aside from his odd vocals, Stephan was also a highly talented multi-instrumentalist, and a visionary. Mythos were fine purveyors of cosmic Krautrock, covering ground from space-tripping Pink Floyd via Ash Ra Tempel, onto Hawkwind and further by also blending in classical and ethnic themes. Science fiction themes were used as basis for lyrics, though, especially so on the eponymous debut, the music came first. A magical album, full of invention, yet all the more memorable for the ecological sci-fi proverb that ends the opus "Encyclopedia Terrae". No sooner had the debut been released that Stephan needed to search for a new rhythm section. From late 1972 through to May 1973 he was aided by Axel Brauer (drums, percussion) and Michael Krantz (bass), who unfortunately never got to make an album, as in concert they presented many new songs that remain lost. It took another six months for Stephan to get together a new Mythos, and well over a year to formulate a new concept for an album. In the meantime Stephan also took the first step as a soloist, composing the music for the TV film "Die Superspinne". The next album DREAMLAB, befitted its title as one of the dreamiest and trippy of cosmic music albums, a wonder world of flutes, Mellotron and synthesizers. Mysterious and totally unique.

Whatever the reason for such radical changes in personnel, at least the next band Stephan got together made two albums! This era saw a move to a more direct, harder edged rock form, though still uniquely Mythos, with the heavy guitars acting as a foil to Stephan's myriads of synthesizers. But luck was not on his side, on QUASAR Mythos had become Stephan Kaske solo (with a guest drummer here) playing a more lightweight Kraftwerk type twist on the Mythos sound. GRAND PRIX took another step down. Unheard of for a decade, Stephan surfaced again later as the purveyor of synthi-pop and library music releases, playing synthesizer hits, some of his own music and also classical adaptations. He still however proudly displays the old Mythos covers on his studio wall! After leaving Mythos, Sven Dohrow and Ronny Schreinzer formed the electro-pop duo The Twins!

Stephan Kaske (guitars, sitar, flute, synthesizer, vocals), Harald Weiße (bass, acoustic guitar, effects), Thomas Hildebrand (drums, percussion)

MYTHOS (10-11/71)
LP Ohr OMM 556019 (1972)

DREAMLAB
LP Kosmische Musik KM 58.016 (1975)

STRANGE GUYS (7-28/11/77)
LP Venus V78 MY-F1003 (1978)

CONCRETE CITY
LP Venus V79 MY-B 1012 (1979) «also released as a picture disc»

QUASAR (5-6/80)
LP Sky 046 (1980)

GRAND PRIX (5-7/81)
LP Sky 066 (1981)

Michael Naura

A much travelled jazz-fusion pianist, who besides proliferating as a session musician on others albums, also made some nice easy going fusion of his own, ably aided by and notable for featuring other top German jazz musicians.

Michael Naura (piano, accordion), + Wolfgang Schlüter (vibes), Eberhard Weber (bass), Joe Nay (drums)

RAINBOW RUNNER
LP Spiegelei 28 522-1U (1972)

VANESSA
LP ECM 1053 (1975)

Nautilus

An obscure Swiss progressive, who were strongly inspired by the likes of Genesis, Pink Floyd, Eloy, et al. They were quite powerful, with symphonic touches, but as with other Swiss groups of the era like Irrwisch or Flame Dream, Nautilus had little originality.

Urs Lerch (bass), Dieter Ruf (guitars, vocals), Peter Fibich (drums), Ralph Stucki (keyboards, vocals), Christian Bauer (guitars, vocals)

20,000 MILES UNDER THE SEA
LP Turicaphon NLP 7801 (Switzerland, 1978)

SPACE-STORM (1-2/80)
LP Musk MP 801 (Switzerland, 1980)

The Nazgul

A free-form improvising rock band, in the nether regions of weirdest cosmic Tangerine Dream, The Nazgul were the most experimental of the bands on the Pyramid label.

Frodo (drums, percussion), Gandalf (percussion, moog, organ, electric piano, bass), Pippin (percussion, guitar, trumpet)

THE NAZGUL
LP Pyramid PYR 008 (?)

Necronomicon

An obscure, yet legendary heavy and psychedelic underground band, whose only LP was released privately, instantly becoming obscure and collectable, not least because of its title, meaning "Tips For Committing Suicide". Also, aptly the music was dark, outer-edge bleak rock, with acid guitars and distinctly psychedelic wailing angst ridden German vocals. A kind of dark sinister Frumpy turned garage band, even stranger than the occasionally comparable Ainigma. During their four year history some of Necronomicon's concerts were documented on tape as well as sessions for an aborted second album. Together with TIPS ZUM SELBSTMORD these recordings were released as the lavishly over-the-top four LP hard-bound book set VIER KAPITEL, which charts the development of the band to a more melodic styled progressive by the mid-70's. The only shame is that none of Necronomicon's output is what one could call hi-fi, yet despite this, the brilliance of their music always shines through.

Harald Bernhard (drums), Norbert Breuer (guitar, vocals), Fistus Dickmann (organ, synthesizer, vocals), Bernhard Hocks (bass, vocals), Walter Sturm (guitar, vocals)

TIPS ZUM SELBSTMORD (2/72)
LP Best Prehodi F 60.634 (1972)

VIER KAPITEL (1971-74)
4LP Little Wing of Refugees LW 1010-13 (1990)

Nekropolis

Initially, this was the working name of Peter Frohmader's solo work. Later it was adopted as the name for his live band, and now is the name of his label. To avoid confusion, all Peter Frohmader and Nekropolis' information is in the Peter Frohmader entry.

Nektar

Nektar were not actually a German band, in fact all the musicians were British! Yet, they were adopted into the Krautrock scene due to their unusual history. The story starts in 1964 with Derek Moore, on tour with Beast in Europe, meeting Ron Howden. Ron was living in Germany, and suggested they have a jam when Beast got to Hamburg. Meanwhile the band MI5, with Allan "Taff" Freeman and Allan Murdoch, had moved base to Germany due to lack of interest in England. MI5 became the quartet of Taff, Allan, Derek and Ron for a short while. When Allan Murdoch left to join Message, in came Roye Albrighton, an old friend who had also joined in on that early jam session, and in late 1968 Nektar was born. Nektar quoted their influences as Vanilla Fudge, King Crimson and The Beatles, yet what was revealed on their debut LP sounded more like a hybrid of Pink Floyd and Man. Attempts to get record contracts in England and America resulted in nothing but problems. One American manager signed them up, recorded an album, but then did nothing. They had promises of British and American tours, but nothing happened. So, Nektar decided to stay in Germany, settling in the town of Seeheim, and sought a contract with a German label. Bellaphon already had Nektar's friends Message on the roster, and had just taken over the progressive label Bacillus, and they saw Nektar as being their Pink Floyd or Hawkwind.

In the summer 1971, Nektar eventually managed to record the album they'd been working on for over two years, the sci-fi concept opus JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE. An extraordinary album, firstly sounding more 1968 than 1971, with lots of tripped-out guitar and organ gymnastics, with the surreal story told in song and music. As much legend as the music at this time was Nektar's light show, said to out do even Pink Floyd's, handled by the bands fifth member Mick Brockett. As great as their debut was, a more up to date progressive style was what Nektar needed, and it took well over a year to come up with A TAB IN THE OCEAN resulting in the definitive Nektar style. But, even better was the double ...SOUNDS LIKE THIS, a totally live in studio album, which saw them becoming like a hard-rock, space-rocking hybrid of Man and Message. Not surprisingly, Nektar had been touring with Man in Germany, and then returned to Britain with them for a tour. This resulted in a contract in the UK with United Artists. Their first album specially recorded for the British market REMEMBER THE FUTURE was a mite mellow and a disappointment, seemingly their attempt to emulate Pink Floyd's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON success. But, try as they did to gain greater success outside Germany after this, despite seeking the aid of Hawkwind's Robert Calvert on DOWN TO EARTH, the more they alienated their British audience. Seemingly they found their market in America, after their final European album RECYCLED, another sci-fi opus, which partly saw a return to form. The New York concerts documented on two double albums marked the end of an era for Nektar. Relocating to the USA, without Roye Albrighton (who had joined Snowball), resulted in the drab and uninspired MAGIC IS A CHILD, and then with Roye and Allan attempting to resurrect Nektar with MAN IN THE MOON, they'd lost the Nektar style entirely.

Allan Freeman (Mellotron, pianos, organ, vocals), Roye Albrighton (guitars, vocals), Derek Moore (Mellotron, bass, vocals), Ron Howden (drums, percussion)

JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE (6-8/71)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19064 (1971)

A TAB IN THE OCEAN (10/72)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19118 (1972), United Artists UAG 29499 (UK, 1973)

...SOUNDS LIKE THIS (2/73)
2LP Bacillus BDA 7501 (1973), United Artists UAD 60041/42 (UK, 1973)

REMEMBER THE FUTURE (8/73)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19164 (1973), United Artists UAG 29545 (UK, 1974)

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON ROUNDHOUSE (11/73+3/74)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19182 (1974)

DOWN TO EARTH (3-4/74)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19190 (1974), United Artists UAG 29680 (UK, 1974)

RECYCLED
LP Bacillus BLPS 19219 (1975), Decca SKL-R 5250 (UK, 1977)

LIVE IN NEW YORK (1977)
2LP Bacillus BLS 5557 (1977)

MAGIC IS A CHILD (3-8/77)
LP Polydor PD-1-6115 (USA, 1977), Bacillus BAC 2050 (1978)

MORE LIVE IN NEW YORK (1977)
2LP Bacillus BAC 2058 (1978)

MAN IN THE MOON
LP Ariola 202 215 (1980)

Nerve

A short-lived late-70's hard rock supergroup, who as far as we know only recorded two tracks. Admittedly, even these tracks weren't so successful, which is strange for such a talented group featuring Michael Bundt from Nine Days Wonder, Steve Robinson and Martin Roscoe from Twenty Sixty Six & Then.

Michael Bundt (bass), Steve Robinson (keyboards), Martin Roscoe (drums), Hubert Stütz (guitar), + Michael Pozz (vocals)

> ROCK OFFERS

Neu!

The highly innovative and influential Neu! originate from an early incarnation of Kraftwerk. Klaus Dinger was featured on their debut, however Michael Rother joined shortly after that from Spirit Of Sound, and unfortunately there's no officially released document of Rother with Kraftwerk. It's quite obvious why the duo split away from Kraftwerk, as evidence their debut was very different to what Kraftwerk went on to, with Rother's multi-layered, fuzzed, wailing and shrieking guitars, spurred on by Dinger's metronomic drums and abstract percussives. International recognition of Neu! spread quite rapidly, and the UK release of their eponymous debut sported cover notes by Mr Hawkwind Dave Brock no less! DIE 2 adopted a similar style of music on side 1, but - as the story goes - they had run out of money before recording side 2, so resourcefully they included the single "Super/Neuschnee" as well as versions at wrong speeds, and some totally manipulated and cut-up adaptations of other works, complete with mock scratches and jumps. Indeed, this was Neu! at their most controversial and perplexing! For concerts around this time, numerous musicians aided them, including Andreas Hohmann (former Kraftwerk and Ibliss drummer), Uli Trepte (ex-Guru Guru), Eberhard Kranemann (aka Fritz Müller), and also two drummers who were to become permanent members: Thomas Dinger and Hans Lampe.

Michael Rother was also working with Cluster as the trio Harmonia, and also produced Cluster's third album ZUCKERZEIT. Meanwhile, Klaus Dinger established his own short-lived label Dingerland releasing an album by the surprisingly dreadful Lilac Angels, and formed the band La Düsseldorf.

After a gap of almost two years, Neu! reformed as a quartet to record a new album, and although featuring many of the Neu! trademarks it also took bold steps into the new-wave (before such music was known to exist) as well as featuring some softer guitar fronted instrumental music. As such NEU! 75 previewed both the debut albums of La Düsseldorf and Michael Rother that followed.

The much later NEU! 4 originates from 80's sessions that were never originally intended for release. Akin to much of Klaus Dinger's work since Neu! in other bands, it is mostly reworks of old ideas and is of little merit. The recently issued '72 LIVE was recorded in Düsseldorf, and is a raw document of Neu! live, complete with guitar tune-ups and false starts! See also Die Engel Des Herrn.

Klaus Dinger (Japanbanjo, drums, guitar, vocals), Michael Rother (guitars, basses)

NEU! (12/71)
LP Brain 1004 (1972), United Artists UAS 29396 (UK, 1972)

DIE 2 (1/73)
LP Brain 1028 (1973)

NEU! 75 (12/74-1/75)
LP Brain 1062 (1975), United Artists UAS 29782 (UK, 1975)

Mani Neumeier

Essentially, as history has taught us, Guru Guru has become synonymous as being Mani Neumeier and band. Yet, at odd times during his career, he has wanted to do music that is not really Guru Guru. First off was MANI UND SEINE FREUNDE, a big session album with friends from Kraan, Karthago, Cluster, past and future Guru Guru musicians, and others, notably Conny Plank giving us an early taste of those twangy guitar licks, and jazzer Gerd Dudek. Very much a fun album, in parallel to Ax Genrich's HIGHDELBERG project but much better.

Kraan's Peter Wolbrandt returned again (with a couple of other musicians hiding behind pseudonyms) on the Kraan and new-wave spiced NEUE ABENTEUER (1983). The more recent PRIVAT (1992) is the result of years of research into various forms of percussion based music, and covers an astonishing range of styles, proving Mani to still be amongst the most imaginative of drummers. Mani is also involved in the radical project Tiere Der Nacht, who have released two albums.

Mani Neumeier (drums, percussion, piano, effects, vocals),
+ Sepp Jandrisits (acoustic guitar), Jogi Karpenkiel (bass), Hellmut Hattler (bass, choir), Peter Wolbrandt (guitar, vocals), Jan Fride (percussion), Ingo Bischof (electric piano, Moog, choir), Tommy Goldschmidt (percussion), Meobi Moebius (synthesizer), Achim Roedelius (organ), Gerd Dudek (tenor sax, flute), Champion Jack Dupree (piano, vocals), Christa Fast (voice), Ax Genrich (guitar),
Conny Plank (guitar, voice)

MANI UND SEINE FREUNDE (4/75)
LP Atlantic ATL 50157 (1975)

Neuschwanstein

One of the better German Genesis inspired bands to emerge in the late-70's. Barely original, but very competent with lengthy tracks featuring poetic Gabriel style vocals and synthesized symphonic arrangements highlighted by guitar, synthesizer and flute solos.

Thomas Neuroth (keyboards), Klaus Mayer (flute, synthesizer), Roger Weiler (guitars), Frédéric Joos (lead vocals, acoustic guitars), Rainer Zimmer (bass, vocals), Hans-Peter Schwarz (drums), + Hermann Rarebell (drums)

BATTLEMENT (21-31/10/78)
LP Racket RRK 15002 (1979)

Niagara

Austrian Klaus Weiss (former Friedrich Gulda musician and leader of his own orchestra) moved to Munich in the early-70's. Himself a drummer, he became fascinated with the possibility of creating a drum orchestra out of the wealth of Munich drummers, thus Niagara was born featuring percussionists from all backgrounds. With just one track per side the debut NIAGARA offered an energetic and highly charged percussion music combining rock, jazz and African cultures into a most complex music. Obviously, such an album was destined to very limited appeal and thus further Niagara offerings featured other instruments turning Niagara into a percussive fronted fusion band, in the realms of Embryo and Passport, but with a much bigger jazz-groove sound.

Klaus Weiss (drums, tympani, bells), Cotch Black (percussion), Keith Forsey (drums, percussion), Juan Romero (bells, maracas), Udo Lindenberg (drums, percussion), + Daniel Fichelscher (congas), George Green (drums)

NIAGARA
LP United Artists UAS 29232 (1971)

S.U.B. (2/72)
LP United Artists UAS 29343 (1972)

AFIRE
LP Finger 2960 102 (1973)

Night Sun

Largely undocumented, the history of Night Sun comes out of the melting pot of bands from the Mannheim area, interconnected with the likes of Kin Ping Meh and Twenty Sixty Six & Then. Many musicians passed through the band during their three year existence, including ex-British army servicemen based in Germany. Not surprisingly, Night Sun had a very British heavy style, with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin influences, spiced up by Teutonic fusion and psychedelic touches. They only recorded the one album. Bruno Schaab went on to Guru Guru, and Knut Rössler stepped into his oeuvre in the jazz-rock band Chameleon.

Walter Kirchgässner (guitar), Bruno Schaab (vocals, bass), Ulrich Staudt (drums), Knut Rössler (organ, piano, sax, trumpet, trombone)

MOURNIN'
LP Zebra 2949 004 (1972)

Nikel's Spuk

The former lead-singer of Ton Steine Scherben, Nikel Pallat also recorded his own album, with the aid of Munju members and other musicians. Surprisingly, as Ton Steine Scherben had been progressing, and Munju were one of the most creative bands around at the time, the album NIKEL'S SPUK was remarkably dull satirical sounding pop-rock in German, which probably explains why it is so obscure!

Peter Haas (keyboards), Karla Kassimir (choir), Dieter Kaudel (guitars, choir), Fred Lamberson (sax), Nikel Pallat (vocals), Thomas Römer (drums, percussion), Wolfgang Salomon (bass)

NIKEL'S SPUK (1981)
LP Schneeball 05.1027 (1981)

Nine Days Wonder

Eccentric and unique vocalist Walter Seyffer had fronted numerous bands during the 60's. Establishing Nine Days Wonder in February 1970, he got together an unlikely collection of musicians: a German (Henning), an Austrian (Mutschlechner), an Irishman (Earle) and an Englishman (Roscoe), to create a bizarre and fascinating rock fusion showing distinct Zappa and Canterbury influences. Comparable to Supersister or Moving Gelatine Plates, Nine Days Wonder were radical, innovative and unpredictable. Their debut LP featured what was really only four tracks of excep-tionally complex music featuring highly powered instrumentals, diversions into jazz fusion, high experimentation, and above all some of the most fascinating and eccentric songs on record. The vocal piece "Morning Spirit" has to be heard to be believed!

It's hardly surprising that the original Nine Days Wonder didn't last long, and thus searching for a new band Walter met up with Michael Bundt's group Medusa, who agreed to join up and become a new incarnation of Nine Days Wonder. Paradoxically WE NEVER LOST CONTROL was very tame compared to the previous album, without the jazzy elements and instead being more richly textured and mellow progressive rock with hard-rock touches. ONLY THE DANCERS rectified some of the former album's shortcomings with a return to Seyffer's eccentric and bizarre lyrics in a more dramatic rock with longer tracks.

As with most good rock bands, Nine Days Wonder caused their own fateful end by attempting to go commercial - a tactic that generally backfires - and SONNET TO BILLY FROST was a disaster! Michael Bundt went on to form mainstream rock bands Nerve and Marilyn, and later established a solo career as a synthesist.

Walter Seyffer (vocals, drums, percussion, effects), John Earle (vocals, tenor/soprano saxes, flute, guitar), Rolf Henning (guitar, piano), Karl Mutschlechner (bass), Martin Roscoe (drums), + Martin Lill (viola da gamba)

NINE DAYS WONDER (1/71)
LP Bacillus 6949 004 (1971) «foam rubber gatefold cover»
LP Harvest SHSP 4014 (UK, 1972), Bacillus BLPS 19073 (1971) «Hipgnosis designed single cover»

WE NEVER LOST CONTROL (7/73)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19163Q (1973)

ONLY THE DANCERS (9/74)
LP Bacillus BLPS 19200Q (1974)

SONNET TO BILLY FROST
LP Bacillus BLPS 19234 (1975)

Nosferatu

Amongst the most obscure of Krautrock bands, due to being so early and on an unlikely label. In their early days they were fronted by guitarist/vocalist Michael Winzkowski (who went on to Epsilon), but apart from that, nothing is known of their history, except that winds player Christian Felke also guested later with Epsilon. Nosferatu's sole eponymous album was housed in a sinister bizarre cover, that perfectly captured the dark edge of their music, being a Krautrock fusion betwixt Xhol Caravan, Message and Out Of Focus, hinting at British bands like Gravy Train or Jade Warrior. For 1970, they were pioneers, unusual in how Michael Thierfelder's vocals are often sung across the music, which so often tends to surge out into space, fronted by the dual solo instruments of guitar and sax.

Michael "Mick" Thierfelder (vocals), Christian Felke (sax, flute), Michael "Mike" Kessler (bass), Reinhard "Tammy" Grohé (organ), Michael "Xner" Meixner (guitar), Byally Braumann (drums)

NOSFERATU
LP Vogue LDVS 17178 (1970)

Novaks Kapelle

Based on their live album, Novaks Kapelle were one of the wildest and inventive rock bands from Austria. It almost seemed as though they'd stolen themes from the Groundhogs SPLIT, adding Teutonic hard-rock and Captain Beefheart touches, putting incredible energy into the resulting concoction. As their history is unknown, we've no idea if the following discography is at all complete on not.

Paul Braunsteiner (guitar), Walla Mauritz (vocals, sax, harmonica), Erwin Novak (drums), Harry Stojka (guitars), Paeter Travnicek (bass)

LIVE
MLP Pan 28959 (Austria, 1977)

NAKED
LP Ariola 205 784 (Austria, 1978)

Novalis

Formed in late 1971, the Hamburg band Novalis took their name from an 18th Century poet, and aptly they created a rock music of poetic, lyrical and instrumental beauty. In their early days, Novalis started with a repertoire of King Crimson and Pink Floyd numbers. A year on, and with a set of their own songs, Jochen Petersen discovered Novalis in concert, and was so impressed that he promptly got them a contract with Brain and went on to produce their debut. BANISHED BRIDGE notably showed their King Crimson influences, with Jürgen Wenzel's fragile English lyrics in a dreamy laid-back progressive rock, fleshed out with acoustic guitars and keyboards (most dominantly Mellotron). But, following a 30 day European tour (along with Jane and Emergency) organised by Brain, and also an extensive German tour, such a schedule proved too much for Jürgen, and a second album by this line-up was abandoned during recording.

So, after a year off the music scene, in early 1975, Achim Reichel rediscovered Novalis, yet by this time they were playing a very different music, with two lead guitarists, and a great wealth of synthesizers and keyboards. Via Achim's Gorilla Musik they were again signed to Brain, and to signify the change in style, the second album was left untitled. Largely instrumental, with a richly crafted instrumentation, Novalis came up with a very influential new form of progressive rock, and a song-style that many a DDR band later tried to emulate, with strongly poetic German lyrics, blending folk and classical elements into a very complexly crafted rock music. This new Novalis was even more successful than the original, yet Carlo Karges (originally with Tomorrow's Gift) didn't stay long, and for a while Novalis continued as a quartet. This slimmed-down band recorded SOMMERABEND which continued in a similar vein, apart from being notably spacious and classical, with synthesizers even more to the fore. Documenting this era, with the addition of Fred Mühböck, was the ridiculously
crammed-in 63 minute live KONZERTE LP from their spring 1977 tour. The same line-up, but with an even richer palette of instruments, made the majestic and all the more symphonic BRANDUNG, with an even more subtle classical and folky concoction of underlying influences, partly returning to the dreamy feel of their debut.


Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1306


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