Ernst Schulze - 1971 - Paranoia Picknick

Ernst Schulze, vocalist and co-founder of superstar German rock group Ihre Kinder, made this curious debut in 1971. For the most part its a folk record. Kind of. Well, not really. Maybe it's because it's what im used to, or maybe its because a lot of folk is very centered around the stories and I'm unaccustomed to the German language (for now), but its the tracks that divege from the traditional format and are more experimental and psych rock I found to be most memorable.

A1 - Ich Sehe Immer Wieder Grün
A2 - Der Traumtänzer
A3 - Synthetischer Orient Nr. 1
A4 - Nur Ein Spanier
B1 - Kirchenlied
B2 - Kurt Mittag, 55, Staatenlos
B3 - XY
B4 - Paranoia Picknick
B5 - 10 Finger Blind  

First off, Schulze's vocal prowess is simply wonderful throughout. Sonny Henning's rhodes-esque piano totally rocks out with bassist Walti Schneider and guitarist Wolf Stumm in "Der Traumtänzer" (A2), which seems to be the only track on the LP to really rock out with the exception of "XY". And like the group Agitation Free from around the same time period, they explore some Middle Eastern influences in "Synthetischer Orient Nr. 1" (A3). The fourth track "Nur Ein Spanier" always stuck out to me with its intense energy, and Jack Grunsky's eerie, forlorn harmonica playing.

I feel like there's something lost in being unable to understand the German language, particularly in the somewhat more traditional sounding folk pieces on side B which sound like they might be rather story oriented (an issue I hope to rectify in the near future). The song "XY" is the other track that really rocks out, but more oriented towards Wolf Stumm's creamy-overdrive guitar and a sax player who is not credited.

The last two tracks are the really freaky experimental stuff I so much adore. Title track "Paranoia Picknick" is a haunted collage of voice recordings. "10 Finger Blind" is kind of industrial, almost Neubauten-esque. Overall its a diverse one of a kind record with such a variety of styles of composition. I'd definitely recommend this record to anyone looking for something a bit different in their quest for 70s psych and folk rock. 8/10

Dennis - 1975 - Hyperthalamus

Dennis, a supergroup with members from Xhol (Klaus Briest; b), Frumpy (Carola Kretschmer; gtr + Carsten Bohn; dr), Thirsty Moon (Michael Kobs; kb + Willi Pape; sax) and Ougenweide (Olaf Casalich; perc) made just one LP in 1975. The results were absolutely spectacular.

A1. Do Your Own Thing
A2. Others Do
A3. Already
B1. Grey Present Tense

One thing that makes Hyperthalamus so special for me is its pacing. While holding together as a six person line-up they form a sound that's refined and understated while still managing to be loose and laid back. The liquid-borders between a wide range of sections provide a psychedelic and disorienting experience.

The album opens with a musique concrete sound collage that flows into a serene and pastoral guitar with dreamlike atmosphere. Tracks A2 and A3 are more hard driving psych rock compositions.

The full sided last track 'Grey Present Tense' runs the whole gamut of artistic experimentation, going from chaotic and free-jazzy, into an almost jazz funk sort of jam, the keyboardists Manne Rörup and Michael Kobs playing off eachother like fire. The second half of the epic dissolves into a more subdued vibe with an excellent sax solo from Willi Pape that the rhodes sounding keyboard compliments really well. The rhodes keyboard later becomes a synthetic, almost squarewave sounding instrument that goes into a solo of its own, with interesting warbling effects, followed by some impressive drum playing from Carsten Bohn playing off the keyboard and bass.

I feel like this album is so well put together there's not even much to say. Its well paced and performed, with an undeniably kinetic chemistry between some very experienced veteran musicians, each contributing their own unique vision that compliments everyone else's. 9/10

Annexus Quam - 1970 - Osmose

 

A1. I
A2. II
A3. III
B1. IV

By 1970, minimalism and spontaneity were coming to fruition in pyschedelic culture. Rock was being incorporated into jazz more than ever, with bands like Grateful Dead applying simmilar cues and methods of playing off eachother, and jazz legends John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, and Wayne Shorter were dabbling in the psych rock projects of Weather Report and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Psych rock bands in Germany such as "Annexus Quam," "Ash Ra Tempel" or Peter Hamel's "Between" seemed to be exploring wider spaces and meditative drones, parallel with things happening in the minimalist scenes of San Francisco and New York.

This self-titled debut starts off with a slow build that opens with Hans Kämper blaring on the trombone. The pacing and time create a wide sense of depth. Perhaps it would have been nice to have a more extended exploration of this sound but instead the LP moves onto something more up beat. The instruments combine into a jam that seems to melt together along with the vocals which are mostly wordless, swelling in and out like the wind. The integration of various tapeloops with effects added seem to further heighten its sense of mystery. In part III, Harald Klemm's flute playing is absolutely gorgeous. The whole-sided part IV I found most interesting, with its slow jazz pacing that seems to come apart and fall back together again multiple times with interesting guitar effects. The spanish guitar and sax in the second half played by Hans Kämper and Ove Volquartz respectively are just gorgeous, ending with a slow arrhythmic jam that percolates with exotic percussion and plucked string.

Osmose isn't as out of the box as the likes of, say, Henry Cow but its sense of space, pacing, mood and atmosphere is downright compelling with its somber, almost haunted vibe. The structures to the compositions remain elusive and avoidant of hooks, melding into new sections with undescernable borders, not at all helped by the lack of song titles. Their creative approaches seem to demonstrate a sense of patience and intense focus that brings together an amorphous sense of form that's contributed by each instrument in almost perfectly equal measure, as there aren't even any solos or very many refrains. This is well worth the listen if you want to hear a good example of the more spacious and atmospheric sounds going on in 70s psych rock.

Peter Frohmader & Richard Pinhas - 1999- Fossil Culture

1. Fossil Culture 1
2. Fossil Culture 2
3. Fossil Culture 3
4. Fossil Culture 4
5. Fossil Culture 5
6. Fossil Culture 6
7. Fossil Culture 7

Prolific in their ongoing endeavours stretching as far back as the 70s, Peter Frohmader and Richard Pinhas (of Heldon) come together and create something very interesting. Released by experimental US label Cuneiform Records. Their expertise in electronic experimentation and manipulation of guitar distortion and sound layering are well demonstrated throughout this album, taking full advantage of the CD's 70+ duration.

A lot of what I really like about Fossil Culture is its pacing. They take their time with exploring a variety of interesting soundscapes, giving ample time for the synergy between the electronics and meticulous guitar manipulation to work their magic. It seems that perhaps these were the best takes of various jams they did together, as suggested by its creative spontaneity. The range of electronic elements from techno beaks to synthscapes is impressive and well mixed.

The tone, atmosphere, and overall mood comes off as very brisk, sometimes dark, and psychedelic. Track 4 has a very interesting mood that seems to descend into an abyss with dull flashes of light scattered by the plucking of a bass guitar and harmonic distortions and some interesting experiments with water.

Fossil Culture is very good at what it does, with a staggeringly huge breadth of electronic instruments and techniques. While it does work adequately as a gallery of what I presume are the best outtakes of various jams, it would have also been interested to see what these musicians could do together with a more coordinated approach to their song writing. I would love to see Frohmader and Pinhas get back together because I really think they were onto something here. 8/10

Munju - 1977 - High-Speed Kindergarten

A1. Kirschsuppe
A2. Fall Oslip
B1. Patschamenga Underground
B2. Talk to Me But I Listen to You  
B3. High Speed Kindergarten

Starting in Würzburg, Germany by ex-member of Missus Beastly Jürgen Benz (flute, sax), Munju is a really interesting Fusion band that takes on a number of influences and sounds. The percussion is very lush and intricate, with kind of an afro-beat style. The first track is written by Jürgen Benz who does some soulful Bobby Humphrey-esque flute playing, along with an excellent congo performance by Joseph Spector and guitar picking by Dieter Kaudel. They have a very fluid feel to them, the notes coming out like liquid. Benz goes on to masterfully switch between alto sax and flute in 'Fall Oslip.' Such a lovely harmony between the guitar around halfway in, and ending on a dark and atmospheric solo on the sax.

Thomas Römer demonstrates some real percussive chops in both 'Patschamenga Underground' and 'Talk to Me But I Listen to You' who is closely followed with precision by Specter's congos. Dieter Kaudel can also do a mean flamenco in 'Talk to Me But I Listen to You.'

'Talk to Me But I Listen to You' is an excellent funk composition with complex bass by Wolfgang Salomon, backed magnificently by Röme's drums, and some real shredding from Kaudel.

The last track starts off kind of slow jazz with a melodic prog, slightly Spanish feel to it, then goes into some goofy recording of a crowd of people, then returning back with a funky sort of groove. Not sure how well this experiment succeeds, but Benz does some great flute solos.

Hard to think of anything bad to say about this short 36 minute LP, as all 5 tracks are pretty solid and Jürgen Benz masters both the flute and the sax so well. I suppose, having heard more Fusion from this time, especially by '77, it's not the most groundbreaking original stuff ever, but its masterful at what it does. Its prog, its jazz, its funk, its afro-beat. There's a lot going on here. 8/10

Vágtázó Halottkémek - 1988 - A Halál Móresre Tanítása

I find it somewhat difficult to classify what genre the Hungarian band Vágtázó Halottkémek (Galloping Coroners) sounds like. I suppose I would just use the catch-all "psych rock" to describe them, but that's not quite it either, for there also seems to be somewhat of a hardcore punk type rawness to it. Vágtázó Halottkémek manage to tap into this sort of frantic primeval energy that almost makes me think of Viking battle music. At the same time it also has more cohesion in composition than, say, Acid Mothers Temple; the tracks feel pretty distinct from eachother. Chaotic "freakout" jams are something I'm very fond of and this band happens to do it very, very well.

1. Ki Vele, Az Istenért!
2. Ráébredek
3. Tárulj, Világ!
4. Mi Történt?
5. Élö Világegyetem  

 A Halál Móresre Tanítása is a whirlwind of chaos that varies with each track. The first track is perhaps the most chaotic, but even that maintains a certain pulse of some kind. Tracks 2 and 3 remind me of some of Hawkwind's more energetic jams. The way these songs are organized make it hard to articulate whats going on, and have this almost subconscious effect where the mind can't quite remember what's happening. Even so, it somehow keeps changing. There's this amazing part at the end of track 3 with tribal percussion, flutes, and a-melodic dronings. Track 4 is unusual from the rest, probably the most accessible, with a sort of catchy Gothic guitar hook that's kind of like something from The Cure or The Chameleons except with screaming and dissonance. The album closes with a relatively more chill vibe with acoustic guitar, verbed out vocals, and more primeval chanting. 

If you want coherency and catchy hooks, this album probably isn't for you. If you like strange music with noisy atmospheric jams this should be right up your alley. An excellent debut from an instrumentally eclectic band. 8/10

Embryo - 1970 - Opal

A1. Opal
A2. You Don't Know What's Happening
A3. Revolution
A4. Glockenspiel
B1. Got No Time
B2. Call
B3. End of Soul
B4. People from Out the Space

Embryo is a band from Munich, Germany, exploring an eclectic range of styles, from jazz-rock to prog, to psychedelic jams with elements of blues to some middle eastern influences. All of which can be readily discerned just by the first two tracks. The two founding members are Christian Burchard (keyboard? possibly bass [by logic of reduction....the specific instruments don't seem to be formerly credited]) and Edgar Hofmann (sax). The other two members who are credited are John Kelly (guitar) and Ralph Fischer (vocals).

Along with their diversity, the four-piece blends perfectly together to create a diverse range of compositions that manage to be both concise and spontaneous, with the excellent and strange blaring of Edgar Hofmann's saxophone. This groundbreaking album was released on the ever-amazing Ohr, home to countless big names in German psychedelia right up there with the label Brain.

I'll avoid going into the specifics of each composition as I think the tracks will speak for themselves. Ralph Fischer's charming lament for the death of soul in 'End of Soul' is rather poignant considering his brief affiliations with Xhol Caravan. The LP is rather short but makes the best use of its time with seemingly no filler whatsoever, keeping the listeners attention from start to finish. Nothing more to say other than just fantastic jams, composition, and sax playing. 9/10