Deuter - 1971 - D

Before Geog Deuter's reputation as a New Age ambient guru, he made an album quite unlike anything else. 'D' is an adventurous project, consisting of a variety of different experiments from ambient soundscapes to psychedelic guitar drones. Thankfully the recent re-pressings make this gem not so difficult to find, initially released on Kuckuck and later remastered in 2009 by Missing Vinyl and again in 2010 by Esoteric Reactive.

1. Babylon
     i. Andantino
     ii. Allegro 138 A
     iii. Andante
     iv. Allegro 138 B
2. Der Turm / Fluchtpunkt
3. Krishna Eating Fish and Chips
4. Atlantis
5. Grammastrahlen-Lamm

The album starts with an epic 15 minute piece in four sections that is very guitar intensive, going through a wide array of dazzling riffs and drones, with an exotic upbeat Middle Eastern in part four. Already Deuter demonstrates his wide ranging multi-instrumental abilities and a proficiency for modern cutting edge technology of the time period. He uses an impressive amount of layering that is very well mixed. Der Turm / Fluchtpunkt consists of some noisier guitar jam experiments accompanied by hand drums.

Krishna Eating Fish and Chips is a captivating and hypnotic sitar piece and manages to adequately hold my attention while clocking in at just over 10 minutes. Not only is Deuter impressive in his multi-instrumental variety, but also in his use of both dense and stripped down compositions layering wise. Atlantis is a more computer focused soundscape, with all kinds of trippy reversed audio effects, and a haunting synth amidst a watery, bubbly seascape. It is a delightful and effortless combination of both organic and electronic elements that makes this track so immersive and possibly the highlight (for me) of the whole LP. Truly a composition like none other. The album ends with a satisfying ambient synthscape that is so pleasant sounding yet tinged with haunted whisperings.

It's not often one finds an LP so adventurous and fearless, with a proficiency in multi-instrumentation and cutting edge electronic technology, resulting in such a well balanced magnum opus to the human imagination. 9/10

Sand - 1974 - Ultrasonic Seraphim (1996 RE)

There is a wonderful story behind the release of this double disc album, courtesy of the efforts of David Tibet and Steven Stapleton who distributed a collection of works from Sand on their United Durto label, including their 'Golem' LP from 1974 which had extremely limited pressings. The full story is recollected in way better detail than I could ever do on Nurse With Wound's Brainwashed page here.

Disc 1

(Golem)
1. Helicopter
2. Old Loggerhead
3. May Rain
4. On the Corner
5. Sarah
     I. Passacaille
     II. Per Aspera Ad Astra

6. Vulture I

(Born at Dawn)

7. Doncha Feel
8. Moonlightlove
9. Burning House

10. Vulture II

Disc 2

1. May Rain I
2. Desert Storm
3. Sarah (Alternate Version)
4. Power Station
5. Old Loggerhead (Alternate Version)
6. Helicopter (Alternate Version)
7. May Rain II

In-Depth Analysis

Sand is a trio, consisting of Johannes Vester on synth/vocals, Ludwig Papenberg on guitar and organ, and Ulrich Papenberg on bass.


Original cover of 'Golem'

One thing I like about so much krautrock is the sense of space. The fearless abandonment in droning and repetition. Sand is one of the best examples of this I've heard, the extend of what a relatively conventional-pieced band is capable of doing with minimalism. The result from Sand is the most surreal, immersive soundscapes. Songs that move you even though you can't remember any particular part to it (or maybe I should just lay off the weed). Provocative but without hook, and limited rhythmical structure. The interesting and unique thing about Sand is all the guitar layering, and the variety of purposes each layer serves, often as a percussive instrument. I also love the howling soundscapes, presumably done with the synth.

So many wonderful noises in this album. Trippy synth drones on May Rain, accompanied by Vester's phenomenal and haunting vocals. I want to also mention that even within Sand's minimalist style, there's a variety of different kinds of minimalism explore; different structures and elements.

Some of the tracks after Golem are great too. 'Vulture I' has some lovely synth/bass dronings. Also really dig the first track of Born at Dawn, 'Doncha Feel' which sounds like a psychedelic Irish folk song. Up to now, all the whole comp is very unique and one of a kind, but 'Moonlightlove' comes off to me as somewhat more conventional (not necessarily a bad thing but not really my cup of tea) ballad type composition. The use of regular piano is proficient but uninspiring. More great psychedelic folk in 'Burning House' though.

In 'Vulture II' we get a more intensive exploration of the synth/bass dronings previously heard in 'Vulture I.' Fantastic song, and adds to the wide variety of minimalism explored by this band.

The first track on disc two has a more stripped down, less muddy acoustic version of 'May Rain'. Also a generally more disciplined vocal take, although I do like the roughness of the muddier May Rain. Beautiful short little 2 minute piece.

Some of these songs have been less well preserved than others, so the apparent line-level hiss in 'Desert Storm' is not surprising. The notes on the Discogs page stated 'All other Sand material is taken from cassettes and 1/4" master tapes' so maybe this was from a cassette. In any case it's a great, raw sounding jam. Nothing exceptionally different from the other tracks but still somehow memorable. Maybe in its use of hand drums and the "arabic" type melodies.

This alternate version of Sarash is somewhat more minimal than the first, with less crazy noises and more drones in the first track. The emotion and atmosphere of the first half, with haunted vocals almost reminiscent of Ohgr from Skinny Puppy. The other section has intricate acoustic guitar that is accented by the bass. It's an absolutely gorgeous song and easily one of my favorite, if not most favorite tracks on this compilation.

'Power Station' is the longest track on the whole compilation and possibly the most far out and least accessible, in regards to its repetition. It by no means makes it any less good though, but it required slightly more patience. Some really awesome guitar and synth noises especially in the last third of it. The alternate versions of 'Loggerhead' and 'Helicoptor' are similar in their jammed out quality. If you don't mind lots of minimalism they are a very good 3 last tracks.

Technical Space Composer's Crew - 1969 - Canaxis 5

A one-off project by Holger Czukay (co-founder and bassist of Can) and Rolf Dammers inspired by the works of Karlheinz Stockhausen. It comprises of two whole-sided LP tracks full of experimental sound manipulations impressive for their time, especially on side B 'Shook Eyes Ammunition.'

Music Factory (Germany 1969) Tracklisting
A. Ho-Mai-Nhi (The Boat Woman Song)

B. Shook Eyes Ammunition

Spoon Rec. (US 1995) Tracklisting
1. Boat-Woman-Song
2. Canaxis
(bonus) 3. Mellow Out

Revisited Rec. (Germany 2006) Tracklisting
1. Boat Woman Song
2. Canaxis
(bonus) 3. Cruise
(bonus) 4. Epilogue

There is something magically haunting about side A, 'The Boat Woman Song.' Featuring ominous strings, and strange tape loop manipulations of exotic female vocals (field recordings of Vietnamese singers, as credited in the liner notes). The whole thing has this moody, autumnal vibe to it.

It is interesting to note that an excerpt from 'Boat Woman Song' was featured on the OHM: The Early Gurus of Electronic Music compilation, accredited to Holder Czukay which perhaps calls Rolf Dammers involvement into question.

There is nothing quite like this album. There is especially nothing quite like the side B track 'Canaxis.' It features some hypnotic other-worldly modular synth noises and obscure tape-loops. It is apparent that Holger Czukay had access to some great gear as well as archives of exotic recordings. A truely astounding collage of somber and meditative drones and loops that are very well put together.

The album was originally released privately on Can's short lived Music Factory label in 1969. It is interesting to note that there have been bootlegs purporting to be of the original pressings (not surprising considering that they sell for over $1,000). Can's other label Spoon re-released it in 1982. A second re-release in 1995 added the additional song Mellow Out. The Revisited Rec. release in 2007 added an additional track, renaming 'Mellow Out' as 'Epilogue'. Both are credited with being "from 1999 performed 'Magazine' multimedia project within Can Solo Projects live." 'Cruise' features more bizarre experimentation in sound collage, including creepy children voices at altered pitches. It is a very strange juxtaposition of things that don't really seem to fit. I've never heard anything quite like it. 'Epilogue' (alternately titled Mellow Out in other releases) is a sweet little 2 minute jam with guitar and sax.

Canaxis 5 is a real gem, a great recommendation for any Can enthusiast, or those with an interest in early sound experimentation. 9/10

Xhol - 1971 - Motherfuckers GmbH & Co KG

Xhol initially went under the name Soul Caravan in 1967 with their first LP 'Get in High', their most formal release of psych rock with some heavy James Brown influences. By 1969 they went by Xhol Caraven for their second LP 'Electrip', which hit a sweet spot between formal and jam oriented song writing (an excellent release which I might even review some other time). In 1971 they went simply by Xhol with their release Hau-Ruk, a very far-out two track LP, each song clocking in at over 20 minutes. Hau-Ruk is still a bit of an enigma to me. Is it written out? Is it entirely improv? What did they have in mind? During the same year they come out with 'Motherfuckers', which seems to revert back to the balance that Electrip had.....except much less coherent song writing. So somewhere in between Electrip and Hau-Ruk.

Unfortunately, I can't find the formal credits denoting the names of the performers. But I gather there being bass (Klaus Briest), keyboard (Öcki Brevern; r.i.p.), drums (Skip Van Wyck), sax (Tim Belbe; r.i.p.), and vocals (also Tim Belbe?).

Tim Belbe

1. Radio
2. Leistungsprinzip
3. Orgelsolo
4. Side 1 First Day
5. Grille
6. Love Potion 25

The progression of 'Motherfuckers' is odd. It starts out with this "radio" of what might be various live snippets for a couple minutes, followed by a 1 minute intro consisting of all band members, followed by a 9 minute keyboard drone. It seems that Leistungsprinzip was written out, and Orgelsolo is an improvisation. It manages to stay fairly interesting even though it seems to meander without any sort of progression. It's not too unlike some of the later parts in that Peter Michael Hamel LP I reviewed before.

Side 1 First Day also sounds like a jam, this time with a flute leading the way (I have no way of finding out who it is). It's also pretty and a bit meandering, but with some excellent keyboard soloing and interplay with the bass guitar. The inclusion of more instruments makes it somewhat more inviting than Orgelsolo. It's apparent that these musicians have a keen, lush sense of melody, but with a very laid back attitude. I appreciate the field recording of the cricket at the end, as well as what sounds like a bike spool throughout Orgelsolo. The cricket sound continues well into the next track, which later gets accompanied by flute and hand drums. More laid back jams. A sweet little ditty but rather forgettable.

Now finally we come to the reason why I chose to review this album. Overall, I wouldn't call 'Motherfuckers' to be very ambitious or fleshed out, but it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider Love Potion 25 to be one of the greatest krautrock songs of all time! It clocks in at around 13 minutes and mostly consists of the most epic 10 minute keyboard and sax solo sandwiched between two basic chorus structures. This is a song I always find myself coming back to. The structure and energy are unprecedented. The vocals have this powerful, commanding force with a great classic "CCR-esque" reverb effect. The basic lyrics of the song is a play off of the Psych Rock number Love Potion No. 9, modified for psychedelic drug references galore (LSD 25). The chorus and verse take up just the first 2 minutes of the song before the solo kicks in, throughout which the bass weaves in and out beautifully. The way the vocals come back in after all the soloing is something to behold. If you don't have the patience to hear the rest of this album for god's sake, make sure you hear this song at least!

Like I said before, 'Motherfuckers' is a strange album. It catches one off guard with the phenomenal last track after a bunch of rather minor and forgettable jams (the best of those being Side 1 First Day by far). The LP seems to show a degree of self-awareness as to this fact with what looks like a scanned sleeve of its own test printing? Not to mention the album name. Very strange. But seriously, go listen to Love Potion 25. Maybe give the rest a try later if you're a real nerd, but there won't be more where that came from unfortunately. It is doubly unfortunate that it was their last album. Makes one wonder what they might have done had they sustained such a level of ambition. 6/10

Ejwuusl Wessahqqan - 1975 - Ejwuusl Wessahqqan

One of the hardest to pronounce band names also happens to belong to one of my favorite krautrock jam bands. René Filous plays the bass and an interesting stringed instrument called the filouphon, Jürgen Wollenburg is on drums, and Michael Winzker on keyboard. I'm a little bit confused by this because the stringed instrument plays at the same time as the bass throughout the album. So I guess they must have layered one over the over?

The original LP, released in 1975 had only 300 pressings (currently going for over 2 grand on Discogs) and was later put on CD by Penner Records in 1996, and then Garden of Delights in 1999. These Remasters contain an additional 4 tracks from the original release, all from later sessions.

1. Die Geborstenen Kuppeln Von Yethlyreom
2. Die Orangefarbene Wüste Südwestlich Von Ignarh
3. Thuloneas Körper
4. Hobbl-Di-Wobbl
5. Passaceety (1976)
6. AFN (1976)
7. The Cystal (1980)
8. La Mer (1980)

The first track begins with some epic keyboard soloing. At some times, this band sounds like they're jamming out, while others sound more written out and 'proggy.' They strike an odd balance between those two approaches, with as much grace as Amon Düül II. I would be curious to know about the creative processes behind these jam/prog bands.

I love the variety of different moods and structures they try. The high powered energy of Track 1 is followed by this incredibly spacious jam complete with sitar and wailing guitars with trippy overdrive effects that burst into cosmic spirals. Some great freak out jamming with as much intensity as Acid Mothers Temple (later) and Pärson Sound (before). If I were chilling with Kawabata Makoto I would want to inquire about his familiarity with this group. Once again I lament the fact that this group only ended up putting out 1 album.

It's also worth adding that the recording quality isn't the best. The instruments sound a bit dampened by the room ambience, suggest that these were all single take performances.

Not everyone is big on 70s prog keyboards but I happen to be a fan. If not, you may find this album a bit tedious. The final track of the original LP Hobbl-Di-Wobbl I would say is probably the most jammed out, possibly improvised. For 16 minutes it goes through all kinds of sections, with some great noise/drone guitar textures in the later half.

The first of the bonus tracks, from 1976 has even more epic keyboard compositions. Again it's hard to tell how much of it is improv or written out. Track 6, also from '76 is much the same way, but with some very rhythmic bass playing. I really dig all the nasty synth noises in the later half, making me all the more curious what a couple more album by them might have sounded like. Although AFN is in slightly lower recording quality, I find that it has arguably their best build-up. In both of these tracks we get the three piece setup, minus the filouphon guitar. So I'm guessing that the filouphon playing was overdubbed in the LP. But one can never be too sure.

Recorded much later, The Crystal and La Mer are unique from their previous work, recorded much later in 1980. The Crystal is some intensely emotional acoustic rhythm guitar, singing, and keyboards, reminding me of some of the stuff off of Hawkwind's 'Warriors at the Edge of Time'. I also love the shimmery texture of the keyboard. The final track La Mer is practically my favorite track on this whole album. It's an ambient jam with some amazing synthscapes, soundeffects, and exotic percussion. It's absolute psychedelic and there's nothing else I've heard like it. It is interesting to note that in the Penner Records release of the CD remaster, tracks 7 and 8 are credited not by Ejwuusl Wessahqqan but by Koala-Bär. They're credited as the keyboard player plus 2 other unique names. A fully realized release by this other 3 piece set-up could also have been quite a treat to listen to, but alas it seems we are left with only two tracks.

Overall one hell of a solid group. Would have been awesome had there been better recording quality, but the one that exists is at least decent. It's interesting to observe the various different sounds they went through. An inventive group with a lot of great ideas. 8/10

Walter Wegmüller - 1973 - Tarot

Walter Wegmüller's one and only LP, Tarot seems like it must have been a colossal effort. The project consisted of so many important names in Krautrock, including two big idols of mine: Klaus Schulze (Tangerine Dream) and Manuel Göttsching (Ash Ra Tempel). Walter Westrupp, known for folk duo Witthüser & Westrupp is also on it. Other names include bassist Jerry Berkers formerly of intense prog band Wallenstein, Hartmut Enke; a friend of Manuel Göttsching and also from Ash Ra Tempel, Harald Großkopf from Ash Ra Tempel, Wallenstein, and Cosmic Jokers (prolific dude!), and Jürgen Dollase from Wallenstein and Cosmic Jokers.

It's worth noting that Tarot seems to be one of two related super projects in Krautrock, the second one being the LP "Lord Krishna Von Goloka" which was made 3 years later and consisting of largely the same people. Curious. I wonder about the story behind these large scale endeavors and what their connections may be, if any.

Tarot is full of all kinds of surprises. Cool vocal effects, percussion, weird electronic noises, and hypnotic drones. It is everything about the krautrock scene I have come to admire. The LP has 21 tracks, each representing a tarot card. I do not speak German, but I'm guessing the vocals pertain to the character represented in its respective card? I love Tarot's sense of space. Very slow moving and hypnotic, guided by Walter Wegmüller ominous narration. Each track seems to have a difference surprise. Thanks to the talents of Klaus Schulze there are some interesting electronic noises, especially in track 4 "Die Herrscherin". Manuel Göttsching's guitar work accompanied by his buddy Hartmut Enke is also superb.

The first track "Der Narr" starts as this introductory piece, soon going off the rails into the bizarre circus music of "Der Magier" in which the tempo slows down. In track 6 "Der Hohepriester" there's some nice flute playing (uncredited as far as I've been able to look). Track 8, "Der Wagen" has some fantastic guitar playing from Manuel Göttsching, reminiscent of some of his solo work as Ashra. In track 12 "Die Prüfung", the first track of Side C, we get some really trippy vocal effects over a keyboard and some cluttery percussion. Walter Wegmüller's vocal droning is hypnotic, reminiscent of Genesis P-Orridge. The industrial resemblance in this track is actually quite uncanny. After this track is a brief, quiet electronic interlude, followed by "Die Mässigkeit" which pushes the envelope further than where Die Prüfung left off, complete with crazy effects (gotta love that phase) and freakout guitar soloing. Definitely one of my favorite tracks. In the next track "Der Teufel" we get some refreshing variation with the first instance of an acoustic guitar accompanied by a second guitar with Spanish inspired pickings. The guitars in combination with the vocals have yet another uncanny resemblance, in this case to Pink Floyd's "More" (look up the song "A Spanish Piece" and you will see what I mean). "Die Zerstörung" is a very bizarre piece consisting of a pleasant acoustic piano and synthetic strings keyboard in conjunction with the most cacophonous percussion. Track 17 "Die Sterne" is a trip into the inexpressible, with perhaps Klaus Schulze's most interesting electronic experiments on the whole LP. An absolutely stunning ambient piece complete with vibraphone and Manuel Göttsching's amazing guitar drones.

As I'm sure you've gathered at this point, the album is all over the map, chock full of experimentation, and is a great example of controlled jams done right. The relatively shorter tracks  make it accessible to anyone interested in the far out jams but don't have as much patience for the 20+ minute epics. Seriously go check this one out. Definitely one of the absolute treasures of 70s German psychedelic rock. You won't regret it! 9/10

Streetmark - 1976 - Nordland

Streetmark is a tight and imaginative prog-rock based group from Düsseldorf starting from the mid 70s, another hot name from the Rhineland scene. At the time of their debut Nordland, they were a five piece, consisting of guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals. An immediately noticeable aspect of Streetmark is the explosive, soulful wailing of singer Georg Buschmann, often backed by the etherial sustained notes of keyboardist Dorothea Raukes; a dynamic very much reminiscent of Novalis' debut from 3 years prior. Regarding the style of vocals I am also somewhat reminded of Jane. Buschmann is not the best in his non-native speaking English annunciations but makes up for it with his intensity and emotion (also reminiscent of Jane but somewhat more successful).

The album starts with the three-parter titled House of Three Windows, ending with an amazing Beatles cover of Eleanor Rigby; a track where Georg Buschmann's singing really shines. As is evident of any tight, skilled, and experienced band, Streetmark has a certain synergy where all five elements seem to meld together into a single entity. Every instrument very much alive, complimenting eachother and full of complexity. Track 4, Amulet Sage is one of my favorites, with all of its structural complexities, both epic and strange, reminiscent of Eloy. I would also like to reiterate how awesome that organ keyboard sounds. I'm also not sure if Buschmann is successfully hitting all of those notes but I like them anyway. In the later half, the song breaks out into this euphoric section with the lyrics "Sun is shining, there's no cloud around." It is rainbow prog euphoria like Satin Whale but with more of a classical than a blues leaning.

Italian Concert in Rock is a silly little rock n roll Baroque number that I found to be technically proficient but not particularly interesting but it's only 2 minutes in length. The album immediately picks back up with Da Capo. At this point it's readily apparent that the two leads are generally the keyboard and vocals, with guitar solos peppered in here and there. Another short track but it totally rocks.

Next is the start of the next multi-part epic titled Nordland. Section a) Waves and Visions, a communication between guitar and keyboard, combined into a magical soundscape of oceans with their jeweled reflections of the moonlight. Again rather short but sweet. I think it would have been interesting for them to pursue this one a bit further in this case. Section b) Lyster Fjord is another one of their epics and possibly my favorite track on the album. This is a case in which I'm rather frustrated not to have access to a lyric booklet as I am not very good at discerning words in general and they sound rather interesting. 

Streetmark is a favorite of the triumphant, and righteous prog epics of krautrock, up there with early Eloy and Novalis. An absolutely smashing debut. 8/10