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

Peter Michael Hamel - 1972 - Hamel

Peter Michael Hamel, hailing from Munich, Germany is a prolific man, an enthusiast of the Minimalist and the New Simplicity movements, which were perhaps at their most active in the 70s. The aim of New Simplicity was to seek a more direct and immediate approach to their audience, a rejection of the intellectual complexity of the avant-garde and possibly a sort of early anticipation of the ambient music later to come. Hamel was also the founder of the excellent krautrock group Between who made 6 LPs throughout the decade. His solo projects continue to this day. He also was a professor in composition at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg from 1997 to 2012 and has been involved in numerous operas and orchestral compositions.

1. Storm Over Asia and Calm
2. Baliava 1
3. Baliava 2
4. Fire of Holy Eyes
5. Songs of the Dolphins
6. Sinking Sangsara
7. Aura
8. Gomorrhaga
9. Cathedral On C

His first LP 'Hamel' utilizes as eclectic a range in sound and instrumentation as his group Between. In the opening track we have wind that is followed by the xylophone and prepared piano which become the prominent elements in tracks 2 and 3. The title 'Storm Over Asia and Calm' probably being an homage to Hamel's extensive trips to Asia. Baliava 1 and 2, an interplay between xylophone and prepared piano demonstrate a sense of time that is patient and intimate. The sparse nature of these piece works, due in part to the excellent production, adequately capturing the lush overtones of the two instruments. The raw, tribal sense of rhythm is something I can imagine Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead fame would have really gotten a kick out of. It's a shame the two never collaborated, but I digress (as usual)....

In track 4, Hamel explores the wonders of the early synthesizer, multilayered with combinations of dissonant and melodic. Its title 'Fire of Holy Eyes' is suggestive of the beautiful LP cover. The composition does have some underlying elements of progression, but in terms of notation seems a bit aimless. Not that I really mind too much, because they are interesting sounds. I also dig the wordless vocals that come in later, instigating the holy "OM" vibration. The conjunction with dissonant notes is a bit strange and perhaps gets a tad bit in the way of a hypnotic transcendental state of mind. Another example of how Hamel's aesthetic sense perplexes me (I like being perplexed sometimes).


Songs of the Dolphins gives us some soothing field recordings of water combined with watery sounding synthesizers. A much more melodic and playful piece than the previous track, complete with synthetic 'dolphin' sounds. This very much reminds me of the sounds of Pete Namlook's Fax label, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was heavily inspired by Hamel's work. The resemblance in the sparse sense of time and space with magical abstract overtones is uncanny. Definitely one of my favorite tracks.

The epic 20 minute track Aura is a gorgeous proto-ambient piece, anticipatory of the sounds of Iasos 8 years later (another uncanny resemblance here). Here is where I eat my words regarding Hamel's lack of skill in melody (although I didn't want to suggest it was bad, just nothing special) for Aura is full of such beautiful harmonizations. A sustained trance-inducing synth pad overlaid by arpeggiations, reminiscent of rolling hills and mountains against a colorful horizon. By around the 8:30 mark we go into a darker territory. The clear skies are engulfed by a dark tempest complete with a synthetic wind. But through the mystic powers of divine magic, we come back to our clear horizons.

The second to last track is like a continuation of the synthetic organ sounds of Aura. It is perhaps his most compositionally dense, with few other distractions reminiscent of Klaus Schulze's 'Cyborg'. There's nothing I can really fault the track for, but I found it to be one of the more difficult pieces for me to get through, since Hamel's sense of notation doesn't move me all that much. There is a more linear, grid-like sense of rhythm unlike the intricacies of Baliava 1+2. The same goes for the closing track 'Cathedral On C', although the higher abundance of sustained drones in it make the piece more accessible for me. They don't seem like very well thought out compositions and I feel he should have either condensed these ideas or spent more time on a meaningful progression. At the same time, I feel bad for faulting anyone's sheer passion in their technology, and I can imagine how such an interest would compel someone to not mind these things as much (I'm sure there are some people out there would would enjoy 2 hours of randomly generated synth notes if it was technology they had a passion for). However, that passion doesn't seem to fully translate to the subjective ears of the listener (that being myself). BUT I digress. The album ends with the classic pitching down novelty that seems to have been popular in the 70s.

Did I mention how amazing the album art is?

Hamel's debut LP is a treat for the open minded listener who craves a sense of playful experimentation and diversity. His compositions are not dense, putting a direct emphasis on whatever elements that are currently being presented and wants the listener to meditate on their textures without distraction. The album also suggests an advanced technological ability, for the production is superb, but his sense of notation is nothing special (except maybe with Aura). I wouldn't call it an LP that ties together a theme so much as a collection of experiments. In any case, it's a worthy relic of an exciting time in proto-ambient avant-garde minimalism if you have the patience for it. Not something I would recommend to less devoted listeners unless they had those specific interests in mind. 7/10

EDIT: Upon further reflection, I feel like it's not my place to simply say "these are just a bunch of random notes, he is not very skilled in notation." because I understand what it's like as an artist to have meticulously put a lot of thought into a composition and get criticized for not putting in very much effort. I acknowledge that it's very well possible that Hamel invested plenty of personal meaning into tracks 8 and 9, but whatever meaning they might have had to the artist did not translate to my own understanding. This brings to mind arguments made by some modern classical composers like Iannis Xenakis who say that their compositions cannot fully be appreciated without understanding the math behind them. I would say that whether or not something that can't be absorbed without prior knowledge behind its logic is valid, is largely a matter of personal preference, and not necessarily something that I myself am opposed to. All I know is that, judging by my lack of further information behind the pieces, they didn't particularly grab me. I would like to be more careful in making such qualitative judgments about notation in the future. (03-25-16)

Cravinkel - 1970 - Cravinkel

With their self-titled debut, I wouldn't consider Cravinkel to be very krautrock or prog rock. The songs are fairly straightforward in structure reminiscent of earlier 60s Psych Rock. One could argue that it's not pushing any boundaries, but oh do they dominate the classic 60s sound. They are a 4 piece, founded by guitarist Claw Krawinkel (the Discogs profile claims him to be Gert Krawinkel but the German wikipedia says Claw), with second guitarist Klaus George Meier, Rolf Kaiser on bass, and George B. Miller on drums.

I think I'm being a tad bit misleading when I say that this album is relatively more straightforward and less experimental. Their songs are actually pretty intricate. Lots of sections, amazing vocal harmonies. The production is also totally solid, each instrument popping out with clarity. The 4th track 'Heaven' explores a bit of a folk vibe with some beautiful sounding hand drums. Other songs rock out with nice overdrive guitar tones reminiscent of Cream or Blue Cheer. They have been described as having some folk elements, but I don't really see it. As I stated earlier this is more classic Psych Rock with a heavy hard edge to it (Hard Rock was getting started around this time). I can imagine this kind of music having been cranked up to 11. I would also like to remark on the upbeat simplicity of the opening track 'Get a Feeling Going Round.' It makes for a great hard psych rock anthem to the spread of good vibes all round. 

This album sort of creeped up on me in how I didn't initially think much of it. But I found myself always coming back to it. I think that getting into this LP helped me get more into classic 60s Psych Rock like Traffic, The Zombies or The Seeds. The performances are tight. The guitarist give off that effortless impression of having played these riffs hundreds of times. Going back to those fantastic vocal harmonies I mentioned earlier, I have to say they are some of the best and most memorable I've ever heard, the seventh track 'Lonesome Road' especially. Across the board solid performance and imaginative melodies and song writing, each track being pretty unique from each other. It's no wonder why I keep coming back to this record. The only less than stellar thing I would have to say about it is that the drums and the bass merely provide a good solid foundational groove, but that's sort of to be expected with the 60s Psych Rock emphasis on vocal and guitar melodies. Cravinkel did make a more krautrock oriented record the following year after this one, but I wasn't quite as moved by it as this one. I think they shine the most with this style of songwriting. It's a shame they didn't do more of it. Maybe someday a forgotten tape reel will emerge from the depths of the past. 9/10

Sperrmüll - 1973 - Sperrmüll

Another favorite of mine. Here we have some psych/prog with lots of bluesy elements. The things I remember most about this album are its stellar guitar and keyboard solos. Sperrmüll started in 1971 as a trio with Harald Kaiser on bass/vocals, Helmut Krieg on guitar/vocals, and Reinhold Breuer on drums, soon adding keyboardist Peter Schneider. It's really quite the gem to come from beloved Krautrock label 'Brain'. Another unique one-of-a-kind band destined for only one LP.

1. Me and My Girlfriend
2. No Freak Out
3. Rising Up
4. Right Now
5. Land of the Rocking Sun
6. Pat Casey

A memorable and catchy first track, Me and My Girlfriend has what I'd consider the most conventional song structure, establishing a proficiency in writing a solid psych rock number.
It is the next track, No Freak Out which has always captured my imagination. It's got these haunted vocals, intense acoustic backed by a wailing electric guitar. The meat of the song has the most wonderful keyboard and electric guitar solos. It's an absolute winner in my book.

There's a pretty good variety of grooves throughout this album. All the sections have a good length to them. In Rising Up we get some fantasy prog, with a memorable sort of rolling bassline. Right Now is a high energy psych rock track with storms and tempests of driving basslines and a soulful electric guitar with an awesome buildup. I also really enjoy the uplifting vocals in Land of the Rocking Sun, rocking out in its epic progressive way that is reminiscent of early Eloy.

Sperrmüll are refined in what they do, maintaining a good balance of psychedelic, blues, and prog elements in a way that seems to come naturally to them. Their song structures are concise and well balanced. They have memorable solos, and really know how to rock out. The English vocals are accented, but seem to compliment what they're trying to do better than other bands that have tried. In short, it is an excellent release that I would highly recommend. 9/10