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AMON DUUL 2 RARE ORIG. AUTOGRAPH POSTCARD PSYCH PROG KRAUTROCK SIGNED:
$800.62
Amon Düül II
Von allen Bandmitgliedern umseitig signiert, auf Autogrammkarte, im Postkartenformat, leichter
Signed by all band members on the reverse, on autograph card, in postcard format, lighterAmon Düül II is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the West German krautrock scene. Their 1970 album Yeti was described by British magazine The Wire as \"one of the cornerstones of [...] the entire Krautrock movement.
Amon Düül II (or Amon Düül 2, Pronunciation = Amon Düül) is a German rock band. The group is generally considered to be one of the pioneers of the West German krautrock scene. Their 1970 album Yeti was described by British magazine The Wire as \"one of the cornerstones of [...] the entire Krautrock movement.\"[2]Contents1 History2 Band members3 Discography3.1 Studio albums3.2 Live albums3.3 Compilations3.4 Singles4 Legacy5 References6 External linksHistoryThe band emerged from the radical West German commune scene of the late 1960s, with others in the same commune including some of the future founders of the Red Army Faction.[3][4] Founding members are Chris Karrer, Dieter Serfas, Falk Rogner (b. 14 September 1943), John Weinzierl (b. 4 April 1949), and Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz (b. Renate Aschauer-Knaup, 1 July 1948).
The band was founded after Weinzierl and the others met at the Amon Düül \'art commune\' in Munich. The commune consisted mainly of university students, who formed a music group initially to fund the commune, with everyone who lived there joining in to play music whether or not they had any experience or ability. The commune split when they were offered an opportunity to record, which was boycotted by the more musically proficient members of the commune (who went on to form Amon Düül II). Recordings were made by the other members but were of very poor quality and were only released later (under the name Amon Düül) to capitalise on the success of Amon Düül II\'s albums. As Amon Düül II grew and personnel changed, they still remained a commune, living together as a band.[5]
Their first album Phallus Dei (\'God\'s Phallus\'), released in 1969, consisted of pieces drawn from the group\'s live set at the time. By this time the line-up was built around a core of Karrer (mainly violin and guitar), Weinzierl (guitar, bass, piano), Rogner on keyboards, bass player Dave Anderson, and two drummers (Peter Leopold (b. 15 August 1945) who had joined the group from Berlin, and Dieter Serfas. Renate Knaup at this point was only contributing minimal vocals but was very much part of the group. According to Weinzierl by this time \"The band played almost every day. We played universities, academies, underground clubs, and every hall with a power socket and an audience\".[5] Releasing an album brought the group greater prominence and they began to tour more widely in Germany and abroad, playing alongside groups such as Tangerine Dream, and in Germany staying in other communes including the pioneering Kommune 1 in Berlin.
Their second album Yeti (1970) saw them introducing arranged compositions along with the bluesy violin and guitar jams such as the long improvised title track. The next album Tanz der Lemminge (1971) was based on four extended progressive rock suites. By this time bassist Anderson had returned to England and joined Hawkwind, to be replaced by Lothar Meid (born 28 August 1942), and the group was augmented by synthman Karl-Heinz Hausmann (Karrer had formed a short-lived group in 1966 - supposedly named \'Amon Düül O\' - with future Embryo founders Lothar Meid and drummer Christian Burchard).[6]
Still touring widely, they recorded their Live in London album in late 1972 and in 1975 signed with Atlantic Records in the US, and United Artists Records Germany and initially disbanded in 1981.[1]
As well as their albums and live shows ADII received offers to write music for films, winning a German film award, the Deutscher Filmpreis, for their contribution to the film San Domingo.[7]
Amon Düül II\'s drummer, Peter Leopold, died on 8 November 2006. A memorial service was held for Leopold in Munich, where the remaining members of Amon Düül II sang a song for him. Leopold was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Fichelscher, for many years guitarist and drummer of Krautrock group Popol Vuh.[8] Fichelscher is not new to the group, and in fact has had a long affiliation with Amon Düül II, having played with them as early as 1972 on Carnival in Babylon.[1]
Bass player Lothar Meid died on 3 November 2015.[9]
Band membersChris Karrer – violin, guitars, saxophone, vocals (1969-1981)John Weinzierl – guitar, bass, vocals (1969-1977)Falk Rogner – organ, synthesizer, electronics (1969-1971, 1972-1975, 1981)Renate Knaup – vocals, tambourine (1969-1970, 1972-1975, 1981)Dieter Serfas – drums (1969)Peter Leopold – drums, percussion (1969-1972, 1973-1979, died 2006)Christian \"Schrat\" Thierfeld – bongos, vocals, violin (1969-1970)Dave Anderson – bass (1969-1970)Lothar Meid – bass, vocals (1971-1973, 1974, died 2015)Karl-Heinz Hausmann – keyboards, organ, electronics (1971-1972)Danny Fichelscher – drums, percussion, guitar (1972, 1981)Robby Heibl – bass, guitar, violin, vocals (1973, 1975)Nando Tischer – guitar, vocals (1975)Klaus Ebert – guitar, bass, vocals (1976-1979)Stefan Zauner – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals (1976-1979)Jörg Evers – bass, guitar, synthesizer (1981)DiscographyAmon Düül II discographyStudio albums 15Live albums 4Compilation albums 14Singles 2Studio albumsRelease Year Title Notes1969 Phallus Dei 1970 Yeti Double LP1971 Tanz der Lemminge Double LPAlso known as Dance of the Lemmings and in Italy as Journey into a Dream (Viaggio In Un Sogno)1972 Carnival in Babylon 1972 Wolf City 1973 Utopia Originally released as a Utopia album; being a side project by Amon Düül II producer Olaf Kübler; only re-releases credit the band as Amon Düül II. Renate Knaup, Falk-U. Rogner and Chris Karrer are featured in one song of the album each, John Weinzierl in two songs and Danny Fichelscher on four songs. Only Lothar Meid is featured on all eight songs of the album.1973 Vive La Trance 1974 Hijack Also written Hi-Jack1975 Made in Germany Released as a double LP in Germany and a single LP outside Germany1976 Pyragony X 1977 Almost Alive ... 1979 Only Human 1981 Vortex 1995 Nada Moonshine # 2010 Düülirium Originally released online as Bee as SuchFirst released on CD and vinyl in 2014Live albumsRelease Year Title Notes1973 Live in London 1992 Live in Concert BBC recording from 19731996 Live in Tokyo CompilationsRelease Year Title Notes1974 Lemmingmania 1978 Rock in Deutschland Vol. 1 1989 Milestones 1993 Surrounded by the Bars 1994 The Greatest Hits 1996 Kobe (Reconstructions) 1996 Eternal Flashback 1997 Flawless 1997 The Best of 1969–1974 1997 Drei Jahrzehnte (1968–1998) 1999 The UA Years: 1969–1974 2000 Manana 2001 Once Upon a Time – Best of 1969–1999 2005 Anthology A complete Amon Düül II career retrospectiveSinglesRelease Year Title Notes Album1970 Archangels Thunderbird b/w Soap Shop Rock Yeti1970 Rattlesnakeplumcake b/w Between the Eyes Non-album single1971 Light b/w Lemmingmania Non-album single1972 All the Years Round b/w The Tables Are Turned Carnival in Babylon1974 Pigman b/w Mozambique Vive La Trance1974 Mirror b/w Liquid Whisper Hijack1979 Don\'t Turn Too Stone b/w Spaniards & Spacemen Only HumanLegacyAmon Düül II influenced such bands in late 70s like Hungarian psychedelic hardcore \'shaman punk\' band Galloping Coroners.[10]
Krautrock (also called kosmische Musik, German for \"cosmic music\"[9][10][11]) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s[10] among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, electronic music, and avant-garde composition among other sources.[12] These artists moved away from the blues influences and song structure found in traditional Anglo-American rock music,[13] instead utilizing hypnotic rhythms, tape-music techniques, and early synthesizers.[14][12] Prominent groups associated with krautrock music included Can, Neu!, Amon Düül II, Faust, Harmonia, Ash Ra Tempel, Agitation Free, Guru Guru, early Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and Cluster.[5]
The term was popularized by British music journalists, who adopted the term \"Krautrock\" as a humorous umbrella-label for the diverse German scene,[15] though many so-labeled artists disliked the term.[16] The movement was partly born out of the radical student movements of 1968,[17] as German youth rebelled against their country\'s legacy in World War II and sought a popular music distinct from traditional German music and American pop.[10] The period contributed to the development of ambient music and techno,[8] and influenced subsequent genres such as post-punk, new-age music, and post-rock.[5][18]Contents1 History1.1 Origins and influences1.2 Etymology2 Musical elements2.1 Kosmische musik3 Legacy and influence4 See also5 References5.1 Citations5.2 Bibliography6 External linksHistoryOrigins and influencesSee also: Experimental rock and Rock music in Germany
A German student protest from 1968Krautrock is a broad label encompassing diverse sounds and artists that emerged in West Germany during the 1960s and early 1970s.[19] The music was partially inspired by broad cultural developments such as the revolutionary 1968 German student movement,[10][20] with many young people having both political and aesthetic concerns.[21] Youth rebelled against both dominant American influence and conservative German entertainment such as schlager music,[21] seeking to liberate themselves from Germany\'s Nazi legacy in World War II and create a new popular culture.[15] Dieter Moebius, of the bands Cluster and Harmonia, noted that \"we were a lot of the times on the streets instead of studying. As young people we were not very proud to be German [...] we were all tired of listening to bad German music and imitations of American music. Something had to happen.\"[21] The movement saw artists merge elements of varied genres such as psychedelic rock, avant-garde forms of electronic music, funk rhythm, jazz improvisation and \"ethnic\" music styles,[5] typically reflecting a \"genuine sense of awe and wonder.\"[19]
We were trying to put aside everything we had heard in rock \'n\' roll, the three-chord pattern, the lyrics. We had the urge of saying something completely different.—Jean-Hervé Peron of Faust.[13]Core influences on these German artists included avant-garde composers Karlheinz Stockhausen and Terry Riley, and bands such as the Mothers of Invention, the Velvet Underground, the Beatles,[22] and Pink Floyd.[10] A significant influence was the work of American minimalists such as Riley, Tony Conrad, and La Monte Young, as well as the late \'60s albums of jazz musician Miles Davis.[23] Some artists drew on ideas from 20th century classical music and musique concrète,[21] particularly composer Stockhausen (with whom, for example, Irmin Schmidt and Holger Czukay of Can had previously studied), and from the new experimental directions that emerged in jazz during the 1960s and 1970s (mainly the free jazz pieces by Ornette Coleman or Albert Ayler).[18] The Quietus noted the influence of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown on krautrock musicians.[24] Moving away from the patterns of song structure and melody of much rock music in America and Britain, some in the movement were drawn to a more mechanical and electronic sound.[18]
EtymologyUntil around 1973, the word \"Deutsch-Rock\" (\"German Rock\") was used to refer to the new groups from West Germany.[25] Various sources claim that \"Krautrock\" was originally a humorous term coined in the early 1970s either by British disc jockey John Peel[26] or by the UK music newspaper Melody Maker, in which experimental German bands found an early and enthusiastic following.[27] The first use of the term however, was found in a full page advertisement from Popo Music Management and Bacillus Records promoting German Rock in the UK, in April 1971.[28] The music emerging in Germany was first covered extensively in three concurrent issues of the UK music paper New Musical Express in the month of December, 1972, by journalist Ian MacDonald, who may have been the first to coin the term.[29] The term derives from the ethnic slur \"kraut\". \"Kraut\" in German can refer to herbs, weeds, and drugs.[30] Other names thrown around by the British music press were \"Teutonic rock\" and \"Götterdämmer rock\".[30] West Germany\'s music press initially used \"krautrock\" as a pejorative, but the term lost its stigma after the music gained success in Britain.[30]
Its musicians tended to reject the name \"krautrock\".[31][30] This was also the case for \"kosmische Musik\".[30] Musicologist Julian Cope, in his book Krautrocksampler, says \"Krautrock is a subjective British phenomenon\", based on the way the music was received in the UK rather than on the actual West German music scene out of which it grew.[32] For instance, while one of the main groups originally tagged as krautrock, Faust, recorded a seminal 12-minute track they titled \"Krautrock\", they would later distance themselves from the term, saying: \"When the English people started talking about Krautrock, we thought they were just taking the piss... and when you hear the so-called \'Krautrock renaissance\', it makes me think everything we did was for nothing.\"[13]
Musical elementsKrautrock has been described as a broad genre encompassing varied approaches,[10][19] though The Quietus noted that most music in the genre, \"diverse as it is, shares an interest in electronics, texture and repetition.\"[24] Shindig! summarized the style as \"avant-garde musical collages of electronic sounds, rock music, and psychedelia\" which typically featured \"improvisation and hypnotic, minimalistic rhythms\".[12] Los Angeles Magazine summarized the genre as \"where American psychedelica meets icy Germanic detachment\".[33] Critic Simon Reynolds described the style as \"where the over-reaching ambition and untethered freakitude of late \'60s acid rock is checked and galvanised by a proto-punk minimalism ... music of immense scale that miraculously avoided prog-rock\'s bombastics\".[5] AllMusic described it as expanding on the musical explorations associated with art rock and progressive rock, but diverging from American and British groups\' emphasis on jazz and classical elements in favor of \"a droning, pulsating sound that owed more to the avant garde than to rock & roll\".[14] According to The Line of Best Fit, some typical characteristics include \"steady 4/4 beats, hypnotic, droning rhythms, and shimmering keyboards\".[34] Artists used early synthesizers and experimented with tape music techniques.[14] Pitchfork stated that the genre \"in its platonic ideal should be basically instrumental; it should seamlessly meld electronics and rock instruments; it should favor long, drawn-over structures over short dynamic shifts, and steady-state rhythms over syncopation\".[35] Los Angeles Magazine describes it as a \"hypnotic, piston-pumping genre [...] where drummers pounded out tightly-wound beats, bassists thumped pulsing notes, and zoned out singers warbled over it all in an absurdist drone\".[33] The Stranger called krautrock an \"innovative reconstruction of rock and electronic music\".[36]
The \"Motorik\" beat is the 4/4 beat often used by drummers associated with krautrock,[37] characterised by a kick drum-heavy, pulsating groove, that created a forward-flowing feel.[37] The motorik beat was used by Can in the song \"Mother Sky\", and by Neu! on their debut album,[38] later being adopted by other krautrock bands. It has been widely used in many different styles of music beyond krautrock.[39] According to XLR8R, the term krautrock is often used by critics to signify the \"mesmerizing motorik rhythms pioneered by Can and Neu!\", but contested that \"they represent merely a tiny fraction of the music that emerged from Germany during Krautrock\'s Golden Age\".[15] Matt Bolton of The Guardian makes a similar point, arguing that \"Neu!\'s streamlined instrumentals [...] certainly have little in common with Can\'s eclectic experimentalism, Amon Düül II\'s improvisational space rock or Faust\'s cut-and-paste sound collages.[19]
Kosmische musikKosmische musikStylistic origins Electronicpsychedeliaspace rockavant-gardetape musicCultural origins Early 1970s, West GermanyDerivative forms Ambientnew ageOther topicsSpace musicKosmische musik (\"cosmic music\") is a term which came into regular use before \"krautrock\" and was preferred by some German artists who disliked the English label;[16] today, it is often used synonymously with krautrock.[40] More specifically, it may describe 1970s German electronic music which uses synthesizers and incorporates themes related to space or otherworldliness;[40][41] it is also used as a German analogue to the English term \"space rock\".[42] The style was often instrumental and characterized by \"spacy\", ambient soundscapes.[41] Artists used synthesizers such as the EMS VCS 3 and Moog Modular, as well as sound processing effects and tape-based approaches.[40] They largely rejected rock music conventions, and instead drew on \"serious\" electronic compositions.[41]
The term \"kosmische Musik\" was coined either by Edgar Froese in the liner notes of Tangerine Dream\'s 1971 album Alpha Centauri[41] or by record producer Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser as a marketing name for bands such as Ash Ra Tempel, Tangerine Dream, and Klaus Schulze.[30] The following year, Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser\'s Ohr Records released the compilation Kosmische Musik (1972) featuring tracks by Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel, and Popol Vuh.[40] Kaiser eventually began referring to the style as \"cosmic rock\" to signify that the music belonged in a rock idiom.[42] German producer Conny Plank was a central figure in the kosmische sound, emphasizing texture, effects processing, and tape-based editing techniques.[16] Plank oversaw kosmische recordings such as Kraftwerk\'s Autobahn, Neu!\'s Neu! 75, and Cluster\'s Zuckerzeit.[16]
Several of these artists would later distance themselves from the term.[40] Other proposed names for the style at the time were \"Berlin School\" and \"Dusseldorf School,\" though none remained definitive.[41] The style would later lead to the development of new-age music, with which it shared several characteristics.[41] It would also exert lasting influence on subsequent electronic music and avant-garde rock.[42]
Legacy and influence
This article may contain indiscriminate, excessive, or irrelevant examples. Please improve the article by adding more descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples. See Wikipedia\'s guide to writing better articles for further suggestions. (October 2016)Krautrock has proved to be highly influential on a succession of other musical styles and developments. Early contemporary enthusiasts outside Germany included Hawkwind and in particular Dave Brock who supposedly penned the sleeve notes for the British edition of Neu!\'s first album[43] Faust\'s budget release The Faust Tapes has been cited as a formative teenage influence by several musicians growing up in the early 1970s such as Julian Cope (who has always cited krautrock as an influence, and wrote the book Krautrocksampler on the subject). The genre also had a strong influence on David Bowie\'s Station to Station (1976) and the experimentation it inspired led to his \'Berlin Trilogy\'.[44][45]
Krautrock was also highly influential on the late-\'70s development of British new wave and post-punk, notably artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Public Image Ltd., Cabaret Voltaire, The Fall, Gary Numan, Joy Division, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Simple Minds and This Heat. Kraftwerk in particular had a lot of influence on American electronic dance music of the 1980s: electro, house, techno and especially Goa trance. Ash Ra Tempel was strongly influential on the later development of 70s ambient as well as post-rock.[46]
See alsoSpace musicAmbient musicElectronic art musicElectronic musicExperimental musicKrautrocksamplerGerman rockKosmische KuriereRomantic Warriors IV: KrautrockSpace rock
iscographyPhallus Dei (69)Yeti (70)Dance of the Lemmings (71, a.k.a. Tanz der Lemminge)Angel Dust (72, Illegal Bootleg CD, poor sound quality)Carnival in Babylon (72)Wolf City (73)Utopia (73, as Utopia, re-released as ADII w/ extra tracks)Live In London (73)Vive La Trance (74)The Classic German Rock Scene: Amon Düül 2 (74, 2LP)Hijack (75)Lemmingmania (75)Made In Germany (75, 2LP or 1LP versions)Pyragony X (76)Almost Alive (77)Only Human (78)Vortex (81)Rock in Deutschland Vol. 1 (81, Compilation from Phallus Dei through Vive la Trance)Milestones (89, 2CD, Compilation from Phallus Dei through Vive la Trance)BBC Live In Concert (92, recorded \'73)Surrounded by the Bars (93, mostly Remix/Compilation)The Greatest Hits (94, Compilation from Hijack through Vortex)Nada Moonshine # (95)Kobe (Reconstructions) (96, recorded \'69-\'71)Eternal Flashback (96, recorded \'69-\'71)Live in Tokyo (96)The Best Of 1969-1974 (97, Compilation)Flawless (97)Drei Jahrzehnte (1968-1998) (97, 4CD Remix/Compilation)ReviewsOne of the most influential German bands in the history of progressive music and maybe one of the most unclassifiable bands of all time. Mystifying, primal, shredding, groaning, cosmic, unearthly, complex - all at the same time. Try Yeti or Dance Of The Lemmings.Well, Amon Düül II started off in the early seventies with some noisy German-electro-industrial kind of music, but later graduated to prog rock. Hi Jack, and Made In Germany are two LP\'s more representative of their prog rock phase.This classic german band began in the late 60\'s as a commune, then split into two bands Amon Düül and Amon Düül II. They have a long history and went through many changes along the way. Their style in the early years was very spacy and free-form psychedelic, gradually becoming more progressive, then more accessible, then another split occurred and there was Amon Düül UK. Their best output is from the early to mid 70\'s period, and includes the albums Yeti, Dance of the Lemmings, Wolf City, Vive La Trance, Hijack and Made In Germany. After that they sort of went downhill. The albums before 1970 are more like free-form psychedelic nonsense, Carnival in Babylon is a real stinker. Wolf City is a good place to start, it\'s probably their most progressive album yet still has a lot of the good psychedelic spirit carried over from Yeti and Lemmings. There\'s also a great live album in there somewhere.Amon Düül II is one of the classic German bands. I have four albums, which tend to fall into two groups. The first two represent a very free-form, experimental/drug-influenced era for the band. They are Yeti and Tanz der Lemmings and they are fantastic. There is a great deal of variety across each of these double albums, particularly the latter. There is acid-drenched guitar ala Ash Ra Tempel, heavy guitar riffs ala Hawkwind, loads of ethnic percussion, and dreamy experimentalism. It all sifts together to make a psychedelic exploration that carries you to far away places. You don\'t even realize you\'ve been drifting along until you\'re set back on the ground. It\'s similar in vein to Popol Vuh, which is no wonder as they have shared members. A must hear for space fans. The other two albums come a few more years down the road. They are Vive le Trance and Made in Germany. The band takes a more song-oriented approach, though they aren\'t commercial in any way. With these albums there is definite rhythmic structure in the songs instead of the 18+ minute free-form excursions found on the earlier albums. There is still plenty of heavy guitar soloing typical of the German underground as well several dreamy or breezy sections to wrap your brain around. Both male and female vocals (with fairly thick German accents on the English vocals) are more prevalent, as well. Made in Germany is an attempt at a rock opera. The early part of the album doesn\'t work for me but after a couple of songs the texture and trademark guitar enters and the album improves. Overall, it\'s similar to Vive Le Trance though I\'d rate it a notch below simply because of the few duff tracks. There are some rockin\' tracks as well. Both are very good albums and worth an audition to see if they are suitable for your tastes. If you like lysergic experimentalism, start with Yeti and work your way forward. (Phallus Dei may also be worth your while though reportedly not as good.) If you prefer a little bit of structure to your music, start at Made in Germany or Vive Le Trance and work your way backward. Wolf City and Carnival in Babylon were released between the above four albums are said to be a cross between the two styles, as you might expect. They are generally highly regarded among Amon Düül II fans. -- Mike TaylorSurrounded by the Bars contains remixed versions of the band\'s better songs from their classic early seventies period but have never appeared together on a compilation before. Furthermore, the original band members have reformed - temporarily at least - to record two brand new tracks (not three, like the insert says) for the occasion. Let\'s hope the reunion lasts, because the new tracks are quite good, although very unlike what the band had done before: \"Surrounded By The Bars\" is a modern take-off on one of their early tunes from Wolf City, sounding very techno-influenced and hard edged, with Renate\'s voice sounding better than ever. \"Dance on Fire\" is a harder rocking tune, a bit noisy, with unusual vocal interplay - yet it has all the earmarks of strangeness that made their early work so good. The remixed tunes include \"Kanaan,\" \"Archangel Thunderbird,\" \"Wolf City\" and \"A Short Stop at the Transylvanian Brain Surgery\" from the second side of Dance of the Lemmings. The remixes sound considerably cleaner than the original versions, with some real stereo separation and depth. Since this is the only CD compilation of early material available by AD2, this would be a very good place for the novice to get their feet wet - their unique and unusual music has to be experienced to be understiood - and this contains some of the best examples from the 69-74 period.I could write novels about them, but I\'ll try to restrain myself. Led by singer/guitarist/violinist/sax player Chris Karrer, whose totally bizarre vocal style is quite indescribable, full of manic yodels and wild animal sounds. Other longtime members: lead guitarist John Weinzierl whose fiery playing is unequalled, female vocalist Renate Knaup whose vocal range is quite incredible, and keyboardist Falk Rogner who posesses a very original organ/synth style. The first album is quite strange, imagine Pink Floyd at their weirdest and it still isn\'t even remotely like this. The 20-minute title suite on Phallus Dei is one of the most incredible pieces of improvised music I\'ve ever heard. Yeti is still weird, though they obviously are trying to be more accessible. The improvised side long title track isn\'t as good as \"Phallus Dei,\" yet is much more cohesive than most such space-rock. Dance Of The Lemmings is an incredible double album. \"Syntelman\'s March Of The Roaring 70\'s\" is a four-part, 15-minute suite, which is the closest thing to \"conventional\" prog they\'ve done so far, with lots of Mellotron. The B-side, collectively entitled is some of the most varied and eccentric music they did so far. \"A Short Stop At The Transsylvanian Brain-Surgery\" is the best track. Side C is \"The Marilyn-Monroe-Memorial- Church,\" one of the most diffuse and incoherent side-long improvs I\'ve ever heard. The rest of the album consists of spacy instrumetnals with prominent hard-rock guitar. With this album begins their \"classic\" period, Carnival In Babylon, Wolf City and Vive La Trance. You can\'t go wrong with any of these. Vive La Trance becomes slightly more song-orientated, a tendency which was to continue for subsequent albums. The live album which followed drew exclusively from Yeti and Dance of the Lemmings. Many of the tracks are ruthlessly edited, which makes it a big disappointment, a double live LP would have served them better. Hijack was the first turning point for the band. They were trying to gain a wider audience without compromising their sound. It\'s more conventionally progressive overall than previous albums, but the dark, murky tone that pervades the whole album immediately sets it apart. High point is the weird, percussive instrumental \"Da Guadeloop,\" which most closely resembles Can. Made In Germany was originally released as a double LP, but was trimmed to a single for British and US release. I haven\'t heard the full-length version, nor do I know anyone who has. Made in Germany is the closest they\'ve got to mainstream commercial yet, but is still very listenable and progressive; the bottom hasn\'t yet fallen out.Pyragony X followed a drastic lineup shift, thus the sound changed, and not for the better. There are traces of the great band they once used to be, but the LP is dominated by new members Stefan Zauner and Klaus Ebert, whose styles are too commercial and poppy to fit in to the style well. It wasn\'t really a bad album, but is very difficult to enthuse oneself over. Almost Alive is supposed to be slightly better, but Only Human is the inevitable commercial sell-out fans have been dreading. Pop, straight rock, and even disco are exploited here, with no success at all. Not surprisingly, the band broke up afterwards.Vortex is a reunion of Karrer, Knaup and drummer Danny Fichelscher, and one in which all parties involved can actually be proud of what they accomplished. Carrying on in the style of Vive La Trance, it\'s as though the band had never broke up. A must for fans.
AMON DUUL 2 RARE ORIG. AUTOGRAPH POSTCARD PSYCH PROG KRAUTROCK SIGNED $800.62
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