Best KRAUTROCK album (Taken From Julian Cope's Top 50)

My personal choice at this moment in time will be
Ash Ra Tempel.

I am no good at describing things so here's Cope on the album instead

The classic three man rock line-up taken to the extremes of the planet. Amboss is the mother of all jams without ever having to resort to technical wizardry. It's like listening at a festival from the comforts of your two man tent with the wind catching on each sound and pulling at it like a family of kids around a giant pot of swiss cheese fondue. You've baked your beans black to the bottom of the saucepan and soaked up the sauce with the last crumb of bread. Crashed out from the efforts of the night before you're in a complete daze and world of your own. You know that something great is happening on stage but you can't be bothered to climb out of your soggy sleeping bag to check on it although you can only vaguely see the stage over on the hilltop. If someone asks in ten years time you will say that you were right there up the front leading the crowd in totally numbed approval.

Traummaschine is entirely different and instead of being rock based is serenely Gothic in character. It appears to evolve over time with no real sense or purpose. It makes playful grabs at you and then drags you by your hair backwards through the mire before releasing you by the edge of an oasis pleasuredome. It ebbs and flows between Manuel Gottsching and Klaus Schulze showing us brief glimpses of what will transpire from both of these giant Krautrock figures in the future. You will either love it or hate it.

Next week I'll probably say Neu! 75 or something else.

i would have sex with all these krautrock albums

wait, why Delay over Future Days, Soon Over?

Who knows!

i can't really choose, so i chose yeti. i wouldn't be able to pick a fave can album. my fave neu is first neu though.

carnival in babylon shouldn't really be on there. even though i like it.

I think the great majority of these albums are all pretty worthy. A couple maybe that I haven't got into.

most are great. some i never play. i'm actually not a huge cluster fan. i've never heard the golowin album or trips and traume. or black dance.

The guy who runs that site also added another 100 albums. Which would've been way too many to vote on. But feel free to chat about them. Here's the list
http://pages.unisonfree.net/midsuffolk/Top%2051-150.htm

Drats I got logged out and forgot to sign back in under my krautrock name.
Oh well my normal log-in vote goes to Neu! 75

i don't play my can records like i used to. serious can abuse in my past. faust always sound great. same with amon duul. i keep looking at those harmonia vinyl reissues at the record store and i KNOW i don't really need them and yet i know i'll have to get them. if they are still there.

Do you like La Dusseldorf? People always like the self titled but I prefer Viva.

These are all worthy, except I've never been able to get into Witthuser & Westrupp or Irrlicht.

I have said it before and I will say it again: Amon Duul >>>> Amon Duul II. Paradieswarts Duul might be the best acid folk record ever.

i love both duuls. wolf city speaks to me.

I should give Wolf City and Phallus Dei a chance. I've only ever heard Yeti and I think it's just boring guitar solos. Cosmic Jokers or Ash Ra Tempel is much better jam rock methinks.

xxxpost - scott, if there are any of these you'd like to hear, lemme know (i have access wink wink). that Trips & Traume album is really great. really moody, super german, super reverbed acid folk. ian and i were just talking about it today on the noize board.

i seriously can't decide on which album is the best.

who are Sergius Golowin & Walter Wegmuller?

I'm going with the unlikely choice of Neu! 75. My favorite Can, Future Days isn't on there, and while I relate most to Faust and would pick songs off their albums, can't say I really listen to to something like So Far straight through a lot. Cluster's Sowieso is my other favorite on the that list, and as a Neu! 75 fan, of course I love La Dusseldorf, but Neu! 75 just holds a special place in my heart, ever since I bought that Germanaphon bootleg at Kims Underground (the pre-Other Music store) for like 25 bucks. I think in the end it's their best album and pretty underrated by those who prefer the first two.

jaxon: Golowin and Wegmuller are cosmic folk. I really like the Golowin album. First rule of 70s albums: any reference or chanting to Krishna is going to be good. This doesn't disappoint.

Wolf City and Phallus Dei are BRILLIANT!

x-posts
haha yeah The Neu! albums I have are the old bootlegs I bought in Tower for like £15! in the mid to late 90s. Are the reissues better?

Some of the albums in that guys list I linked to up above are quite good Some are other albums by bands that did make the top 50.
Some are bad (Hairy Chapter)
Some are excellent (A.R. & Machines ,Agitation Free, Gila) that perhaps could've been in the top 50.
and some I've never heard of.
I forget if I liked Broselmaschine and Grobschnitt. I think I did but I honestly can't remember. They certainly won't be my favourites though obviously.

Scott are there any metal bands influenced by krautrock? (I know the 1st Queens Of The Stone Age album was a bit influenced by Josh listening to Can and Neu!)

i know opeth like krautrock. i wish more metal bands were neu fans.

I suppose a lot of the drone/ambient doom bands do like Krautrock but I wouldn't say they sound influenced by it.

best nuevo-krautrock-motorik-neu-jam album i've heard recently is the giant brain album on small stone records. guitarist used to be in big chief, the post-hardcore post-necros band from michigan.

http://smallstone.com/img/covers/SS-067.jpg

as much as I love monster movie I have to give it up for yeti.

I have to let these fight in my head while I sleep. Right now I'm leaning to Harmonia- Deluxe.

i've never heard the golowin album or trips and traume. or black dance.

Scott, do you have an emusic acct? I got the first two of those off them, and I think they have the third too. Definitely they added a bunch of early Schulze this year.

No Future Days, no credibility

Musik Von Harmonia

yeti. yeti. yeti.

I've only ever heard Yeti and I think it's just boring guitar solos.

... you sure you heard it? because that sounds pretty wrong to me. as does this:

Some are bad (Hairy Chapter)

YEAH, IF YOU'RE AFRAID TO ROCK THE FUCK OUT.

i prefer AR & Machines, the later Can albums, or later ashra/gottshing albums that aren't on this list. i think i'm gonna agree w/dan and choose Neu 75.

Scott are there any metal bands influenced by krautrock?

are circle or pharoah overlord metal?

I have a copy of the first Neu! album on vinyl but the actual music on the disc is the first Lucifer's Friend album. Is this a big deal?

billingsgate pressing?

Yup, Billingsgate pressing.

maybe they just had a labelling mishap when they were pressing them? if they did them in batches it'd probably be easy to do. but i've not heard of that before. maybe a bunnybrain could help out with this one.

'Einjager & Siebenjager' - it's just beautiful. Followed by 'Yeti'.

I delved into Krautrock after recommendations from other Hawkwind fans and reading Simon Reynolds' Melody Maker piece where he paired Spacemen 3, Loop, Stereolab to their KR influences.

'it's not about how fast we play, but how vast we play' - Holgar Czukay's quote sums up my ideal KR jams.

I went with Faust self titled, because it blew my mind so much.

i'm going with the unpopular (but most correct) choice of faust iv

i agree that 'faust iv' is amazing. man, i love so many of these albums, and still have never heard the last two on that list.

oddly, my choice is the very first -- very little music to me is as powerful as amon duul mark one, so i just have to go with that.

Viva, IV, Sowiesoso en Neu! are all favorites and contenders but as a whole I love Neu!75 the most. I find myself in a "side A mood" quite often... I'll never forget the first time I heard "Hallogallo" though, streaming from a website one late night during work. All I expected and so much more - I sat there paralyzed for 10 minutes.

'Neu!75' gets my vote, although 'Ralf & Florian', had it been on the list, could have given it some competition.

Neu 2!

I think so.

I voted for "Yeti" from the list provided, though if J Cope had one fucking clue abt which are the best Popol Vuh albums, there'd have been "Das Hohelied Salomos", "Letzte Tage - Letzte Nächte" or "Die Nacht Der Seele - Tantric Songs" up there for me to vote for instead.

Hey, did McGonigal name his magazine for that Amon Duul album or something? Damn.

Neu 75

i cant decide between zeit and irrlicht.

also where the hell is cluster 71

I was feeling Krautrocky this morning and listened to Can's Peel Sessions on the way to work.

I've only heard about 20 of these albums. Of those I know I think I'll go with Neu!

Faust IV is unpopular?? That's one of my favourites. Not that I've all that many albums outside the Big 3 (Can/Neu/Faust). I have La Dusseldorf on this PC somewhere I just haven't got round to it yet.

I do like Phallus Dei though.

I wish I hadn't sold my Amon Duul II albums. I am voting for Yeti.

Faust IV was one of the easiest albums to actually find on cd back in the 90s!

Yeah, Virgin had it on catalogue for evah!

I thought Geir would have been here voting for Phallus Geir

The first side of La Dusseldorf's La Dusseldorf is my favourite thing ever, so I went for that. As a complete album, I might have chosen something else, but I bet nobody else votes for it, so I'm gonna reprezent.

Faust - So Far. The twofer remaster of the first Faust records is essential, and I think they really peaked with So Far. Hell! Maybe music peaked with So Far??

OK, it's down to Deluxe, Ege Bamyasi and Yeti for me. But I almost want to vote for the first La Dusseldorf just for "Silver Cloud" alone.

Biggest omissions IMO: Popol Vuh- Coeur De Verre, Can- Future Days, Agitation Free- Malesch, Michael Rother- Flammende Herzen.

Rastakrautpasta doesn't really belong there. It's not really Krautrock--it's whatever Mouse on Mars is. Deutschesquelche? But I'm glad Cope wrote about it, cause it's so so great.

I went with Deluxe in the end, but it was a hard choice.

Future Days and Malesch def should be there but maybe cope just doesn't like them.

Did anyone check that guys other 100 albums? http://pages.unisonfree.net/midsuffolk/Top%2051-150.htm
Wondered what people thought of some of them.

I'm going with Faust "Tapes" - it may not be the most archetypically krautrock-y album on here - it's a bit more glam perhaps - but it occupies a special place in my heart.

What impact did that actually make when it came out? I know it was very cheap and plenty bought it. I wonder how many liked it though and checked the other stuff.
Anyone actually buy it then?

Did anyone check that guys other 100 albums? http://pages.unisonfree.net/midsuffolk/Top%2051-150.htm
Wondered what people thought of some of them.

i've heard most of them. some of them are good. some of them aren't. is that helpful?

Many people bought it. (xpost)

A fair few chucked it away.

But: You can end up being influenced by things you didn't actually like.

can't choose, too many favourites. gah!

Listen to them all and pick one!

But: You can end up being influenced by things you didn't actually like.

I wonder what geir's favourite is.

Somebody clever shoulod link to the pdf of Krautrocksampler again. JC thinks side 2 of Future Days is crap. I have never heard it, so I don't know.

my "unpopular" jab at Faust IV was due to the fact that it's the least obscure of all these records, making it immediately unhip with the music nerd set.

unfortunately it's also the definitive krautrock album, so it will suffer from being so popular in a critical consensus among contrarians.

...and hipsters.

i almost voted for it, old man

ban Shasta

I'm not sure there's a runaway winner here , but like all polls, it's not just who wins it's about what the other albums get too.

I do wonder if any of the other albums missing (like Future Days) would've won. It didn't win the best can album poll.

I picked the first Cosmic Jokers album.

Hmm. Normally I'd probably name some Can LP, but I've been on an electric-Miles regimen recently, thus rendering those Can albums as kinda unneccessary. So they've been moved to the back burner temporarily. (I'll return to 'em soon enough.) Same goes for Ash Ra Tempel, whose early LPs remind me of Jack Johnson, just because of the "fast Side One/slow Side Two" configuration similarity. And my own personal favourite LPs by Kraftwerk, Guru Guru, Cluster and D?aren't on the list. So, today I'm going to say So Far - it's as good or better as anything on the list, and the very first one I ever bought 20 years ago. (And stunned indeed I was, to find original German pressings of Unlimited Edition, Made In Germany, and a pristine copy of So Far - complete with the illustrative paintings! - at a garage sale in my insignificant hometown, thousands of miles away from das Vaterland.)

Of the other 100 albums I have to say I prefer Phaedra and Rubycon to the earlier TD stuff. That Organisation album isn't great, I prefer Trans Europe Express. As for Can, I like half of 'Tago Mago'.

Lately I'd rather listen to Comets on Fire than revisit 'Join Inn' - much as I liked it to chill to in my teens.

I went for La Dusseldorf's s/t as well...it is the one that puts the biggest smile on my face and spring in my step. The first few Can there's not much between, maybe one of Tago Mago or Monster Movie and I've known and loved Faust IV as long as anything on there...but I'd go for Yeti as well up there.

I still say Viva is better!

It does have White Overalls on it I guess...

wait, why Delay over Future Days, Soon Over?

-- Dominique, Friday, May 25, 2007 3:33 AM (17 hours ago) Bookmark Link

"where's such and such".

i don't like Cope ;)

I just played both La Düsseldorf albums again and I still think Viva is better.

JC thinks side 2 of Future Days is crap.

I don't often agree with Cope but here I do. He doesn't seem to like Can much after "Ege Bamyasi", there i don't agree with him. I think I'd probably choose "Monster Movie" out of the above the list: it's the earliest (well, "Phallus Dei" might be earlier, but isn't as good anyway), and it's just fucking mind blowingly great, imagine hearing it in 1969!!!!

oh shit this poll. i should have voted for ege bamyasi because it's my favorite album by my favorite rock band of all time. but instead i voted for the faust tapes because i've always tried to like faust and failed until the past three or so weeks when i had a major a-ha moment, and never has a single album become so good to me in such a short period of time!

this would be my general personal (pointless) ranking:

can > faust > amon duul i and ii (i like both equally) > neu!, kraftwerk, harmonia, tangerine dream, everything else i've heard on the list.

which is a lot! one awesome omission though:

xhol caravan

um whoops that should read "which is not a lot!"

Yeah Xhol Caravan should be In it, I agree totally. They are in that guys next 100 though.
http://pages.unisonfree.net/midsuffolk/Top%2051-150.htm#100

man... don't get the love for xhol at all. one of the major disappointments in krautrock for me.

man... don't get the love for xhol at all. one of the major disappointments in krautrock for me.

Side 2 of Future Days has been scientifically demonstrated to not be crap.

let's get some ysi action dogs

Yeti just barely over Ege Bamyasi.

Aren't YSI's banned?

went with trips & traume today

though would have been tempted by dies irae another day, or ralf & florian of course

Witthuser & Westrupp - Trips & Traume

^ was ist das

Not much info on that site

Bernd Witthuser - acoustic & e.guitar, vocals. Walter "Walt" Westrupp - guitar, zither, e. mandolin, psalter, percussion, flute, trombone & trumpet, vocals. Bernd "Curny" Roland - bass & vocals. Renee Zucker - drums, percussion, flute & vocals.

Very folky with Kosmische overtones and undertones - weird and wonderful!

never heard of it

e2-e4 is kicking my ass rite now

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=10182 couple of reviews there at the bottom of that page.

e2-e4 is awesome.

Kraftwerk 1 just nudges Ege Bamyasi.

That being said, I don't think anyone makes more beautiful music than Popol Vuh... from this list or anywhere, for that matter.

You might have a point there. Geir won't agree though, he just said on another thread that there's no good krautrock albums.

no agitation free, no credibility.

(I voted for trips und traume, because tago mago doesn't need my vote like that one does. underrated! if you like W&W check out the kalacakra LP from like 79 i think? cosmic german acid folk.

also, Join Inn was another v. v. strong contender! that's a seriously 100% great record. two sides, both great and distinct.

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/2206/cover_38181619122005.jpg

A+ cover. i need to hear this

It seems to me that having Can in the choices skews things...I too suffer from the feeling of wanting to give my vote to something else so that they don't steal the show.

Join Inn was another v. v. strong contender! that's a seriously 100% great record. two sides, both great and distinct.

totally. "jenseits" is freaking cosmic perfection.

It seems to me that having Can in the choices skews things...I too suffer from the feeling of wanting to give my vote to something else so that they don't steal the show.

But what happens if everyone does that and Can don't get votes*!

* Unlikely with the lurkers but you never know.

Hell it would make me happy if Can got no votes in this poll. Ask Mark G. about his technique, see...(heheh...technique is a pun in this case)...Mark G. did a New Order poll that purposely left off their most famous single, Blue Monday. See he left it out on purpose. So talk to him about this brilliant innovation he figured out about polling on ILM, man. I know you can't change this particular poll, but I do believe more of us should learn from this brave move of Mark G. when polling on this board, and I wanted to get out that message.

As it is, everyone should know I'm going to vote for Cluster on this poll, but that could only be because I'm a half lazy fart and haven't heard half of what's on it.

I guess I will try to give Faust's Faust Tapes a go, though because I never before been able to get into that band to save my life.

Cluster's Sowiesoso, to be specific.

fuck you bimble

just because no one else said it

fuck you too, kitty kat :) :)

Are the kitties eating katsup (catsup) in your house? Do tell!

Is there any good krautrock footage on youtube?

Some Amon Düül II Footage! http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=amon+duul+&search=Search

Including Soap Shop Rock live.

"Is there any good krautrock footage on youtube?"

there is lots!

Link it!

one for Pashmina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DON-CogKcfk

- also just listened to Sinoia Caves 'the enchanter persuaded' this afternoon - ist sehr kosmische

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir65kQx0YbA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Smrhc83NHM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBmZmrqehg0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG_ssOWKq74

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18_UXeBPOJI

enjoy !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B38OQ98Wu4

^^ dies irae - the trip (1971)

"come join me in my trip...so beautiful...cor blimey yes it is"

in german accent:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tERrnt55E7Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b48qPmJudE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK_TnlFNnCM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0mgcTdridQ

There was only one great Popol Vuh. Until they had to change their name into Popol Ace because of the other and more famous Popol Vuh.
http://tinyurl.com/3ctdjm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyfoffACamw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2u5T-iOYpI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEFrr5u6f1E

-the other side - are we there yet ?

There was only one great Popol Vuh. Until they had to change their name into Popol Ace because of the other andThe more famous and BETTERPopol Vuh.

fixed

i love the psychogeographic feel of e2-e4, that feeling of leaving the centre, an acidpsyche trip from bethnal green to chingford

That could be an Underworld lyric.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/dzqn8i

e2e4 2001

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEFrr5u6f1E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De1T8LR_srs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyfoffACamw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeyDaaeYJJg

hahahahahahahahahaha holy shit!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvj_mm_H0Y8

There was only one great Popol Vuh. Until they had to change their name into Popol Ace because of the other and more famous Popol Vuh.

it's taken me this long to finally have a "geir, what the fuck?!" moment!

hahaha. You have better patience than most!

"Delay". Crazy I know

I wonder what albums will end up with 0 votes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23HfAHSKWlk Neu video.

What is Sergius Golowin - Lord Krishna Von Goloka like?

"cosmic folk" stuff, i'd say. golowin pretty much just talks over the slightly proggy music but it's not too obtrusive, and you've got klaus schulze, witthuser & westrupp and a bunch of other dudes backing him up. not essential but good.

this is too hard

I went with sheer numbers and voted Ege Bamyasi as the one I listen to the most often

I think I've only heard about 20% of these

Has this thread made you want to hear the others?

I went with La Düsseldorf's self-titled. Mostly because I listen to it a lot more than most others on the list. Given that it's a genre with a huge range of sounds, ordering the bands is not so easy. How do you compare Harmonia to Witthuser and Westrupp?

Had it been on the list, I probably would have gone with Amon Düül's This Is Amon Düül. I don't understand how the crappy Paradieswarts Düül makes Cope's list, but not any of the first three records. I would have gladly voted for an early Floh De Cologne---also maybe not a canonical choice, but those are certainly records I listen to more often than most other plates of kraut.

yum yum

http://www.dw-world.de/image/0,,1163674_4,00.jpg

I can only vote for the ones I have heard. Neu 2 is shite. Neu 1 is g*r*a*t*e, as is Faust IV and Monser Music. The real star for me, though, is Zeit, because it is VERY SCARY.

But what would I know?

Has this thread made you want to hear the others?

oh yeah definitely, I am always on the lookout for this stuff

I wouldn't say Neu! 2 is shite, the 1st half is great!

all of Neu2 is great, neu75 is the one that gets crummy.

Noooooooooooooo Neu! 75 is great!

I wrote about my own top ten last fall. This was my number six but is currently what I'm enjoying most:

Popol Vuh, Einsjäger & Siebenjäger (1974)
Unlike Tangerine Dream’s bland new-age music of the late 70s, Popol Vuh are often considered to be at their peak in the late 70s. With over 20 albums to choose from, I think this one is a good representation of both their early and later sound. Affenstunde (1970) features founder Florian Fricke on Moog synthesizer, the first and last all electronic Popol Vuh album. After that, he becomes a sort of cosmic music archeologist, investigating ancient Eastern music and applying it to soothing music perfectly suited to soundtracks, particularly Werner Herzog’s films. It’s a deep pool, so don’t be afraid to dive in. Wayside has a combo Einsjäger & Siebenjäger and Letzte Tage – Leizte Nachte (1976) CD.

Please post you top ten writings! I'd like to see that.

ps I don't think the late 70s Tangerine Dream stuff is bland at all. Some of that stuff is my favourite TD.
Force Majeure on some days is my favourite album by them.

Well I'm always willing to check out recommendations from this board, so I'll definitely have to hear Force Majeure.

Eno, Bowie, PiL, The Fall, Stereolab, Orb, Sonic Youth, Th’ Faith Healers, Cul de Sac, Tortoise, Fujiya & Miyagi and many many others were profoundly influenced by Krautrock. For years, the albums were nearly impossible to find, and I was only able to play a smattering of Can and Neu! on my radio show, Uncle Fester’s Bucket O’ Nasties from 1987-92. A slew of reissues came out, thanks partly to The Teardrop Explodes’ Julian Cope’s book, Krautrocksampler: One Head’s Guide to the Great Kosmische Musik, first published in part as an article titled “Kosmische Echoes” in the December 1994 issue of The Wire. It was hard to tell which his overall favorites were, because nearly everything got the same level of hyperbole, even the ridiculous Cosmic Jokers, while he dismisses key Can albums. It took a decade for the majority of the albums to become available. I even gave an ex-girlfriend a shopping list for when she lived in Berlin to do dissertation research.

35 years after much of this stuff was recorded, it still sounds fresh. Imagine—in 1970, 35 year-old music was from 1935. Here’s some recommendations to start your collection:

1. Can, Ege Bamyasi (1972)
By far the most canonized (yar) of the Krautrock bands, and for good reason. Two students of Stockhausen (Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt) were shaken out of their avant-garde snobbery and introduced to leading-edge pop music (“I am the Walrus,” Hendrix, Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart, Velvet Underground) by Czukay’s 19 year-old student, Michael Karoli. Black American sculptor and teacher Malcolm Mooney applied his untrained vocals with utter abandon. Monster Movie (1969) was an excellent debut that built upon their influences, taking the first step towards defining their sound. Mooney freaked out and left the country, land Can found a new singer in Japanese street busker Damo Suzuki. Soundtracks (1970) features the often-covered “Mother Sky.” Tago Mago (1971) is considered by many as their peak. Chaotic and tribal, it can be difficult listening. Ege Bamyasi is to Tago Mago like Beefheart’s Lick My Decals Off, Baby was to Troutmaskreplica—more focused, concise, better. Plenty of people prefer the more crystalline, symphonic sounds of Future Days (1973) and the space rock of Soon Over Babaluma (1974). Pink Floyd fans should be sure to check these out. The entire catalog was remastered and reissued 2005 and this year.

2. Neu!, Neu! 75 (1975)
Neu! was an offshoot of Kraftwerk. Ralf Hunter temporarily left the band before a scheduled TV performance, and Florian Schneider recruited Klaus Dinger and Michael rother, and they performed “Truckstop Gondolero.” Without Florian, they recorded Neu! (1972) and totally eclipsed Kraftwerk with a new, spare, motorik rhythm that would influence countless bands. Even the cover art was classic, with the band’s name spray-painted on white in day-glo pink. Neu! 2 (1973) is slightly disappointing in that the second side is two singles, “Neuschnee” and “Super” replayed at varying speeds. I prefer the third album, which starts with some lovely spacescapes, and then blows its top with some crunchy, punky guitars on “Hero.”

3. Amon Düül II, Yeti (1970)
Grown like fungus from a harry, hippie commune, the first incarnation managed one decent album in Paradieswärts Düül. However, it’s the offshoot that produced the most awe-inspiring music, starting with Phallus Dei (1969), translating to “God’s Cock.” Yeti is even better, both heavier (lurching psychedelic guitar freakouts) and prettier (“Sandoz in the Rain”). Dance Of The Lemmings (1971) is more fragmented and contentious. Some think it’s their best, Cope thinks it’s a “pile of pedestrian shit.” I’d say it’s their fifth best and leave it at that. Carnival In Babylon and Wolf City (1972) are much different, with acoustic guitars and slightly more structured songwriting. Some swear by these as their best. Repertoire reissued the first three, remastered with bonus tracks, and are available at Wayside for only $11 each.

4. Ash Ra Tempel (1971)
Just two long tracks, “Amboss” is a massively heavy guitar freakout, while “Traummaschine (Dream Machine)” is all floaty afterglow. Cope calls it “one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll LPs ever made.” No doubt. Schwingungen (1972) is nearly as great, and was reissued in 2003 as a deluxe edition by Cleopatra. For fans only is 7Up (1973), their collaboration with acid guru Timothy Leary.

5. La Dusseldorf (1976)
Continuing in his more energetic, punky side two of Neu! 75, Klaus Dinger recroded three stunning albums as La Dusseldorf, including Viva (1978) and Individuellos (1981) all remastered and reissued on Warner’s German label, and available at Wayside Music. With his singing and relatively catchy melodies, some might argue that these albums have as much to do with Krautrock as Kraftwerk’s late 70s synth albums. However, La Dusseldorf has too long been ignored, and have enough in common with Neu! to merit inclusion here.

7. Harmonia, Deluxe (1975)
A Krautrock supergroup, Neu!’s Michael Rother collaborated with Cluster for two albums, including Music Von Harmonia (1974). Somewhat similar to Eno’s Another Green World, Bowie was a big fan of these albums.

8. Cluster, Zuckerzeit (1974)
Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius changed their sound quite a bit from their first two albums. Pure electronic sugar (the title means “Sugartime”), the melodies and textures are sweet and tasty. Eno listened to this quite a bit while composing Another Green World, and he would later collaborate with them

9. Faust (1971)
This is a strikingly original debut, from it’s brilliant clear x-ray cover to the insane cut-up tape manipulations inside. It’s definitely one of those groundbreaking albums that took the world over two decades to catch up with. Even now, it’s awe-inspiring. And like many works the teeter into avant-garde territory, it’s not exactly easy listening.

10. Tangerine Dream, Zeit (1972)
Hard to imagine, but these New Age giants used to rock. I can’t say I’ve listened to them as often or as passionately as many of the bands listed above, but this album seems to be the most elegant and affecting of their consistently good other efforts, including Electronic Meditation (1970), Alpha Centauri (1971), and Atem (1973).

http://www.fastnbulbous.com/krautrocksampler_cassette.jpg

Well I'm always willing to check out recommendations from this board, so I'll definitely have to hear Force Majeure.

You should! and Stratosfear if you haven't heard it either.

Yes, I'd much rather listen to that period of TDream than "Electronic Meditation" or "Alpha Centauri"

Please post you top ten writings!

Ahem, check that old Guide to Popol Vuh thread I was responsible for. I almost did a Can one, but I thought that might be too controversial.

Go on, do a Can one!

Nah, everybody knows everything there is to know about Can, my Mum's probably listening to them these days

Did you lock her in her room with Future Days blasting?

No, "Unlimited Edition"

Bad news: Mother upduff.

Has anyone heard this reggaeton song with a future days sample?

You'll have to turn it up a bit.

I went with Deluxe finally.

My 2 cents worth in describing the sound of Witthuser & Westrupp-- a kind of German Incredible String Band (pre-scientology era).

They're not that good unfortunately

Not that good or not as good as Incredible String Band?

Both, I think. I have the W&W album on CD, and it's OK, but not awesome by any means.

Not as good as ISB. (Hangman's and Wee Tam/Big Huge anyway.) But good enough to place fairly high in the "sounds like ISB" class of groups from that era.

I downloaded it to check out. I'm not sure what to expect really.

Headphones or loud playback recommended. Its a fairly delicate affair.

I shall play it loud then. Don't have any headphones now.
I hoped Louis would've been on this thread looking for recommendations.

no electrelane no credibility (JOKING I'M NOT REALLY SOUTHALL II)

I can't really get into Can, and this is after Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi. Maybe Faust or Popol Vuh are more my jam.

Just note of all the wise words on this thread.
and don't forget some of the other albums listed here
http://www.midsuffolk.unisonplus.net/Top%2051-150.htm

x-post

Try Future Days or Monster Movie

Have you heard Mother Sky?

?! no

This thread has inspired me to finally listen to Can. Tago Mago, here I come!

Hurrah. What do you think of it?

I really really enjoyed it. The last three tracks were good, but not as instantly gratifying as the rest of the album. I went in with low expectations, despite all the constant talk of Can being awesome, because too many times, I've gone into artists/albums with high acclaim and have come out feeling let down. This was not one of those times.

When I play it, I never skip "Augmm", it seems wrong to do so really.

Yet so many tell you to do just that.

There's a really great track on a Flying Rhythms album that sounds like Augmm called "Horse Mountain Is A Fire Dog From Outside Of Gold".

Wtf. i voted for ash ra tempel and it hasn't shown up.

I'll echo the comments of a few others and bemoan the lack of Future Days from the options. I can see the merits of the others he chose, and I guess he didn't want to blow his cover as TOO much of a Can fanboy by listing six different albums, but the majority of Future Days is about perfect, especially Bel Air. I love the gnarly soloing starting around 10:00 mark, and then the long chord, near the end cross-fading into the restatement of the theme of the first 10 minutes. Damn.

I must get those Harmonia albums it seems. I don't see how anyone could pick Alpha Centauri before Ash Ra Tempel, just to name one weird thing about this poll.

i was only Affenstunde voter

;(

boo my vote for ash ra's first didn't show either (i probably think a can album is better but that's what i'm listening to most consistently at the moment).

also i really like future days for the most part but is it just me or is "bel air" like the least "krautrock" thing they ever did (least hypnogroove most formal organization of their any of their "statement" tracks etc.)? i'm not too big on that specific number but i'm not saying that to disparage.

dude, listen to cluster

It's an ILX conspiracy against Ash Ra Tempel!

Hey, did McGonigal name his magazine for that Amon Duul album or something? Damn.
-- If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 25 May 2007 08:35 (4 days ago) Link

partly i did! (though the funny truth is how much more i like amon duul one in fact i voted for mk. one in the poll).
that and just the fact that i knew it wouldn't be seen very often (*groan* but it's true).
and i like the name a lot and it took me forever to come up with it -- previously it was gonna be called nobrow until a book of the same name came along.
like a lot of kids in the mid to late 70s i was pretty obsessed with 'in search of' type stuff, esp. with bigfoot/ the abominable snowman -- i used to be afraid sometimes that bigfoot would run out from the woods out back in our house in cleveland, oh.
so, that's the story -- am sure it's fascinating...

It's funny how Tago Mago wins this yet in the BEST CAN ALBUM! (POLL Closes 4th May) Ege Bamyasi won it. Did the Future Days vote go to Tago Mago?

Excellent showing by Yeti.

I had some kind of dream about krautrock reissues.

Good to see Neu! 75 doing well too. Bit surprised to see Faust Tapes beating the others.

And Phallus Dei getting 0. I can't believe that got no votes.

They're not that good unfortunately

-- Tom D., Tuesday, 29 May 2007 15:00 (Yesterday

what? this is a great record, esp orienta

what about the other lps? and you dont like dracula?

give them another try tom

All the Ege fans like other KR albums better!

They must do!

poor showings for "So Far" and "Join Inn" and "UFO" make me a bit sad.

And 2 votes for Ash Ra Tempel that didn't get counted!

Ian, why didn't you vote for all three?

because i do not believe in ballot stuffing.

maybe someone did vote for it and it didn't count for the same reason as the ash ra tempel. I wonder if i voted after making a post and for some reason that's why it didn't take. I'm sure that's happened before actually,

I didn't vote in this poll because I've never heard a Krautrock album that's actually moved me, one that's pushed the tears behind my eyeballs or put a lump in my throat. And apart from very select Can (my vote would've gone to the first half of Tago Mago were it possible), I've also never heard one that made me dance around or bang my head or thrash about in a fit.

BUT. I find Krautrock enormously fascinating and I listen to it a lot, most likely in a "Lord, if there's gotta be prog rock..." kind of way. Certainly, the rhythmic ideas help. And overall, it conjures up a classic mind/body dichotomy, forcing me to realize that the music I love the most moves my body or appeals to my emotions rather than my brain/intellect.

And yet the more I listen to Krautrock, the more I think that it works as a parody of "emotional" music if not emotions overall. It seems to suck the enormity, the grandiosity out of prog and any music that aims to trigger the emotions/body. Even that "Quantum Physics" thang (or whatever it's called) at the end of Soon Over Babaluma sounds reduced. Didn't Simon Reynolds describe this track as something like the mandible clicks of the insect world? Well, insects are small and that's what Soon Over Babaluma sounds like to me - small, bringing everything down to the ground if not burrowing directly into it. If 1970s Miles kicks up clouds of voodoo smoke, Can concentrate on the dirt underneath the Dark Magus' feet.

So when I hear Krautrock described as gigantic or overwhelming, I scratch my head. Take an easier (I think) example: Faust's "So Far" (the track not the album). Does that track really overwhelm anyone? It seems deliberately dinky, like they're making fun of The Grateful Dead or whoever. Don't get me wrong - I listen to it a lot for that very reason, for the way it appears to close off tongue-tied, foaming at the mouth reactions. (I'd say the same for Neu! as well.) But overwhelming? Gigantic? Billowing? Music of the spheres? Really?

In short and setting aside the question of the general bunkness of the mind/body dichotomy, are people moved by Krautrock, i.e. does it choke you up and/or give you an energy rush? Are you ever overwhelmed by it?

you suck. please leave this thread

<i>are people moved by Krautrock, i.e. does it choke you up and/or give you an energy rush? Are you ever overwhelmed by it?</i>

Yes. Often.

Neu!'s "Hallogallo" gives me a tremendous energy rush, as does Can's "Mother Sky."

For overwhelming, try Neu!'s "Negativland" or Can's "You Doo Right" and "Halleluwah" or Amon Düül II's Yeti and Tanz der Lemming LPs or any number of Ash Ra Tempel or early Cluster or Cosmic Jokers tracks or some cuts on Sand's Ultrasonic Seraphim or, most overwhelming of all, Et Cetera's s/t LP (sometimes listed as Lady Blue, and ignored by Cope, the fool).

I could go on and on and so could many others. But you get the gist, I hope.

you suck. please leave this thread

took the words right out of my mouth.

See, I told you Can would steal the show. That's why I wanted a Canless Krautrock poll. But never mind.

And why did Tago Mago win here instead of Ege Bamyasi which overwhelmingly won the Can best albums thread? Very interesting.

Loved Harmonia since I overheard Deluxe at a record store. It certainly sounds to me like emotional, beautiful music. So does Neu!, especially the A side of 75. Might have to do with Rother's guitar playing.

what about the other lps? and you dont like dracula?
give them another try tom

Believe me, I've tried them a lot! But someone here said they were a sort of German ISB, and no way are they that good. I don't know if anyone would bother about them if they weren't German (which is true of a lot of "Krautrock").

I guess he didn't want to blow his cover as TOO much of a Can fanboy by listing six different albums, but the majority of Future Days is about perfect, especially Bel Air

No, that's not why he didn't choose "Future Days": he didn't choose it because he doesn't like it, in fact he specifically doesn't like "Bel Air"!

some cuts on Sand's Ultrasonic Seraphim or, most overwhelming of all, Et Cetera's s/t LP (sometimes listed as Lady Blue, and ignored by Cope, the fool).

I've heard every title you mentioned save for these two which I've never even heard of. But yes, I get the gist and will get on these two ASAP.

Overwhelming, you say...

... Popol Vuh is what you want, if you want emotion

And why did Tago Mago win here instead of Ege Bamyasi which overwhelmingly won the Can best albums thread?

Because Tago Mago's funk is, well, funkier. And Ege Bamyasi didn't overwhelmingly win that other poll. It got only 9 more votes than Tago Mago.

And yo - what can it mean that a Krautrock agnostic like myself would've voted for the album that won this poll?

Popol Vuh is what you want, if you want emotion

Yeah, I need to explore them more. I know them mainly through movies.

But then are you implying that emotion is not operative in Can, Neu!, Faust, etc.?

No, just that Popol Vuh tug the old heartstrings a bit more. I don't think that emotional content is remotely important in appreciating music anyway.

Are you too old to be emo?

Aww someone else voted for "Delay"!! Sweet

I demand a recount for Ash Ra Tempel!

Ha ha, nul points!

But i and someone else voted for it. And they didn't take. I blame you Dada!

Witthuser & Westrupp dont remind me of ISB at all!

Are you too old to be emo?

Thankfully. But I was too old for it when I was 18.

Witthuser & Westrupp dont remind me of ISB at all!

I know, but ISB seems to be shorthand for folk guys taking lots of acid and playing funny instruments

Were you ever in a folk band that took lots of acid and played funny instruments?

We never took that much acid, I did occasionally, but the others were strictly beer drinkers

http://www.aquarterof.co.uk/gfx/puck0001.jpg

When were you in the band?

I've heard every title you mentioned save for these two which I've never even heard of. But yes, I get the gist and will get on these two ASAP.

Overwhelming, you say...

Ultrasonic Seraphim was issued on double CD by United Dairies about 10 years ago.
Et Cetera has never been reissued on CD, afaik. eBay is your best bet.
It always goes for high figures, usually over $50. And it's totally worth it.
You can hear "Lady Blue" on the Cherrystones Rocks comp.

If "Lady Blue" doesn't blow your mind, then your mind ain't worth blowing.

Et Cetera has never been reissued on CD, afaik. eBay is your best bet.

Well, you can hardly call Cope a fool for not including in Krautrocksampler then! I've never heard them, and I certainly had never heard of them when Krautrocksampler was first published. I don't like Sand at all, but that's just me...

It's not jazz rock is it? (xp)

Not heard of them either.

I think people seem to forget a lot less of this stuff was readily available when Cope wrote his book. Maybe Steven Stapleton should have written it.

I don't get why Neu 1 placed so high (when Neu 75 should have)

Because Neu 1 is better.

I disagree.

So do I

Just wait for Tom's best Neu! track poll then ILX can decide!

Wow, I've just noticed that "Deluxe" was 4th in the poll, that's great!

"Hallo Excentrico" of course (xp)

Für Immer or Hero for me.

I was joking

That out-of-print Sand disc goes for pretty high prices now. I think I just saw it on someone's Rapidshare blog the other day though.

I like it. It's not a flattening revelation for me like it was for Cope and David Tibet, though.

Also, relistened to Trips & Traume yesterday and I really do hear shared musical DNA with ISB, though not an aping of ISB like Strangely Strange. I've only listened to T & T a handful of times compared with many many playings of the 3rd through 6th ISB albums, true.

I never said it was on the same level of quality as Hangman's and Wee Tam, though. It's not. It's more on the level of Changing Horses and I Looked Up. (So I guess I shouldn't have said "pre-Scientology.")

I knew I should've bought that when I saw it years ago.

Right, i listened to Trips & Traume and quite liked it. I shall now go and listen to ISB and compare.

i've only heard T&T once ,but i like it way better than any ISB i've heard (and i own a few)

Herman, I don't know if you bought T & T off eMusic, but they have another of their records on there as well, Der Jesuspilz, which I haven't gotten around to listening to yet.

They also have bazillions of two-sidelong-tracks 70s Klaus Schulze albums which I don't know how to approach. Guess I'll start with Timewind...?

Or Blackdance.

Et Cetera has never been reissued on CD, afaik. eBay is your best bet.

Well, you can hardly call Cope a fool for not including in Krautrocksampler then!

But isn't that the sort of thing Cope would relish doing--hipping people to obscure gems? Seems so to me. His endorsement could've possibly helped to get the album back into print.

God ISB're horrible anyway

Ha ha, you should hear some of the other W+W albums then!

Will have to track them down.

If stodgy German folk music is your bag...

You seem to know a LOT about it!

I know, I was stupid enough to think their other albums might be as good as "Trips & Traume"!

If I recall, the Broselmachine record was pretty decent in the folk vein.

I haven't heard that. Didn't like the Hoelderlin's Traum album much. And Emtidi are well over-rated.

Did you like Hairy Chapter or Jane? I didn't.

i have 2 of their other lps! cmon on, whats not to like about Dracula?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtXCUvmhBto

Did you like Hairy Chapter or Jane? I didn't.

Never heard them. Jane are just a heavy rock band, aren't they? You may as well listen to the Scorpions. I'm wary of a lot of stuff Cope got into after KSampler, barrel-scraping stuff.

i have 2 of their other lps! cmon on, whats not to like about Dracula?

Well that's one good track! There's two or three nice tracks on the first album, but it's just bog standard folk club stuff that happens to be in German.

... wow, great stuff! (xp)

So what other more obscure Krautrock bands do people have to recommend to check out/or avoid?

I recommend listening to the Taj Mahal Travellers instead!

good harmonia turnout in poll

So what other more obscure Krautrock bands do people have to recommend to check out/or avoid?

i don't think anyone's mentioned dom in this thread. so dom edge of time for spacy drifting folk/rock haze. totally in its own world.

Yes, that's good. But most obscure stuff is obscure for a good reason, I find.

yes, lack of distribution.

No, it's shite.

... AND lack of distribution

or your tastes aren't DISCERNING enough, bro. it's cool, we'll just chill out here with our ejwuusl wessahqqan and friedhof albums 'til you're ready.

So what other more obscure Krautrock bands do people have to recommend to check out/or avoid?

I already mentioned it way upthread, but by god if you love Deluxe and '75, get yourself the Michael Rother solo album Flammende Herzen. It even has Jaki on drums.

I promise not to mention it again.

Jon, you're not being obscure enough.

(xp) Well I haven't heard those yet! I've heard plenty of stuff that's supposed to be good and it's turned out to be fucking awful

there's a fairly good chance you'd find those fucking awful too! one man's trash and so on.

I approach every fucking awful obscurity with an open mind!

i totally dig the solo rother, but they're durutti column for those whom durutti column is too 'out there'

True. Talking of the Durutti Column, some of those Virgin-era Ashra albums = dead ringer.

I only have Flammende Herzen and Katzenmusik. The latter is not as good. I can believe his solo stuff gets more bland as it goes. But the guitars on Flammende are tuff enuff and there's plenty of drive.

Also, must admit I had Durutti pegged as sleepytime stuff. No? Where to start then?

Yes. He gets steadily worse as goes on. Until he discovers sampling and nosedives dramatically. (xp)

Wjat do people get out of 'Yeti' (except the awesomeness of Archangels Thunderbird")? I never really got that album or maybe I haven't spent enough time with it.

Yes, I know Taj Mahal Travellers, Tom. i know Dom .

I only have Flammende Herzen and Katzenmusik.

That's the ones I've heard.

Haven't you got enough stuff to be going on with?

Never!

Have you?

you'd think 16 people can't be wrong, but maybe i just need to persevere. tago mago sounds cool whilst you're listening to it, but it leaves absolutely no impression whatsoever. whereas the boredoms' super roots 7, a piece of music one could probably describe as krautrock-influenced, kicks ass in my head throughout the day. why is can not reaching me?

Mushroom and Halleluwah don't leave an impression on you??

ok halleluwah was pretty neat but i can't remember any of it.

I think you really need to hear Monster Movie and Future Days.

Have you heard Neu! , Tangerine Dream, Amon Düül II, Faust, La Dusseldorf yet?

no...

(lemme guess, they're all GREAT)

It's all a matter of opinion. But Avoid TD after 1980.. And later Amon Duul II isn't too hot either. Metropolis is a great track. But stick to the earlier albums. The 3 Neu! albums are great as are the two La Dusseldorf in this poll are great!

No, they're NOT all great, esp. to someone who's having problems with Can (as am I; see my post above). "Father Cannot Yell" off Monster Movie reached me instantly. To my ears, it shares every quality of a Nuggets-style garage raver save for length. So start with that track. If that doesn't reach you, then do NOT proceed towards Future Days. Just come back to Krautrock another day.

You might want to try Hawkwind if you haven't already. They rock out more single-mindedly (a good thing in my book) but space out enough for most psych (maybe even Krautrock) fans. Even there, though, I'd go the individual track route. Suggestions: "Brainstorm" (probably my fave), "Assault & Battery," "Silver Machine," "Magnu," "Hassan I Sabha," "You Shouldn't Do That," and "Master of the Universe."

I'm assuming, though, that you dig the Nuggets/James Brown part of Can more than the Pink Floyd/psych chunk, that you dig the first three tracks of Tago Mago more than funkless epics like "Augm" or however it's spelled. If that's NOT the case, then you'll have to turn to someone else. But I guarantee you're going to get diminishing returns the farther you stray from the big names above. Much as I appreciate the suggestions of folks on this thread, I found the Et Cetera and Sand albums damn near unlistenable and praise whoever I didn't blow $50 on either of them.

I still havent heard Et Cetera. Sand I do like however.

Best Tangerine Dream Album (1970-1979)

Forced Exposure are selling some WITTHUSER & WESTRUPP lps.

I've got 'Warrior on The Edge Of Time' and I agree that 'Assault And Battery/The Golden Void' and 'Magnu' are pretty immense workouts.

Get Space Ritual

Et Cetera video containing a medley of tracks from their s/t LP. Beware: It's very "unlistenable."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iVl654-UAGY

Is there a German Et Cetera and a Canadian one?

Yes. The German one is much better, from what I've heard.

Search just about anything done by Wolfgang Dauner, Et Cetera's leader. Ouput (on ECM) is especially great.

Output, rather.

So which Et Cetera were people talking about earlier?

The German one. Because this is a KRAUTROCK thread, right?

I didn't realise the german one had a self titled album, I thought they only had one album(after checking AMG). Obviously AMG just didn't list them all.

I used to love Wolfgang Dauner in the late seventies. Not sure what he has to do with krautrock though. He is a piano player coming from jazz. He did some great solo piano albums. I have the impression that krautrock is a rather lazy term as it subsumes many totally different styles. Like for example ambient, world music, new age, electronic music etc.

not to forget jazz, prog, experimental and meditation.

Backing up a bit, I think Louis should probably give up on Can for now. He's not feeling it, clearly. Later, give an ear to the first Cannibalism disc, where you get judiciously edited mixes of halleluwah, Mother Sky, Soup and Aumgn along with a nice selection of the shorter tracks and the full Yoo Doo Right. I prefer the full sidelong versions, but Czukay did these edits and they do have a point to them.

Meanwhile, Louis, I would say you should move over to the Neu-and-fam axis. If you love Super Roots 7 so much (me too) I cannot imagine you will not get something out of these tracks:

Neu- Hallogallo off the first album, Fur Immer off the 2nd
Harmonia- Immer Weider off Deluxe
Neu- first track and "Hero" off '75
First La Dusseldorf album

These are straight up Greatest Hits kind of selections, the Eight Miles Highs and She Said She Saids of motorik.

(to get his interest call them Super Furry Animals or Mansun greatest hits of motorik)

I used to love Wolfgang Dauner in the late seventies. Not sure what he has to do with krautrock though.

True, but with Et Cetera, he deviated into some experimental weirdness that touched on rock, electronic music, raga, and with "Lady Blue," a bizarre spoken-word/psychedelic ballad hybrid.

I have the impression that krautrock is a rather lazy term as it subsumes many totally different styles.

That's a valid point.

dont forget spacerock

I have the impression that krautrock is a rather lazy term as it subsumes many totally different styles.

i don't know about lazy so much as hopelessly broad and far too specific all at once. i wind up having to explain that bands from france/sweden/ameria/whatever are like "krautrock that isn't from germany" unless i want to get into a huge three-hour explanation about how they're not really prog, not really psych, etc.

http://www.suzannedoucet.com/images/zweisteincover2.jpg

i don't know about lazy so much as hopelessly broad and far too specific all at once. i wind up having to explain that bands from france/sweden/ameria/whatever are like "krautrock that isn't from germany" unless i want to get into a huge three-hour explanation about how they're not really prog, not really psych, etc.

I just avoid all such arguments. Not That I know many people into Krautrock mind you. Those I do think Jane are krautrock.

i like wolfgang dauner's oimels lp, its pretty spacejazzy, i never heard any of his others though, isnt it all connected to that black forest jazz stuff

Have you heard that Zweistein album, Am0n?

The Zweistein's pretty good. Wouldn't make it into my top albums list, but is definitely worth a few spins.

yes i've heard it

I haven't. Guess That's one to check out.

it's pretty uninteresting to my ears. very "well, we've got studio time let's do something dudes."

yeah except its not that at all

except it is. let's do this all night!

A decade before the musically unskilled Half Japanese audaciously released their debut full-length as a three-record box set, the equally musically unskilled German group Zweistein pulled off the same stunt, and even topped Half Japanese by having their three-LP set issued by Philips, a major label. Zweistein and their album are one of the strangest episodes in the history of Krautrock, an era where bands in general weren't exactly known for restraint. Though not much is known about this mysterious group, Zweistein was mostly the work of Jacques Dorian, without help from his wife and kids, as well as studio engineer Peter Kramper. They released the single "I'm a Melody Maker b/w "A Very Simple Song," a pair of acoustic folk songs, for Philips in 1970. The resident producer at Philips had the hots for either Dorian's wife or another woman in the group, and she convinced the producer to let Zweistein go ahead with a full-length record. Late at night with everyone except the children under the influence of LSD, they recorded enough material for what would become a grand concept three-LP set called Trip Flipout Meditation marking the three stages of an acid trip. Amateurish and over-indulgent and not very well recorded, the record reveled in excesses, as the group mostly dropped their folk leanings for studio effects, spacey sounds, and long creepy organ tones, and distorted vocal noises, with a crude song thrown in here and there. To make matters worse, the records were issued in an elaborate metallic gold and silver box with a mirror embedded in the front cover. When the record came out, later in 1970, the producer at Philips was quickly fired for the costly fiasco, and in weeks the company deleted Trip Flipout Meditation from their catalog. Whereas some have reviled Zweistein's effort as an excessive mess, others have hailed it as a flawed masterpiece in strangeness. Zweistein never made another album, though engineer Kramper went on to play keyboards and Moog in Amon Düül II and the Amon Düül off-shoot Utopia while the others vanished completely from the music scene.

Is the story behind it better than the music?

totally. it's not worth either "reviling" or "hailing."

They're probably like the krautrock equivalent of the godz. It's a great cover, really freaky & trippy. The music struck me as being proto-industrial in places - IIRC one side (!) of one of the albums is mainly a radio tuned between 2 channels. I kind of wich I still had a copy, even though I probably wouldn't listen to it often.

Eh, I didn't realise one of the guys was in AD later on.

i think you posted the false story:

over the course of several emails, suzanne provided me with a wealth of information about zweistein and she even set the record straight in regards to the conflicting stories about the band. i was fascinated to learn that along with her younger sister diane, suzanne recorded the entire triple-lp over a four month period in various locations including prague and munich. after editing the material on suzanne’s tape-recorder, they brought the material to munich and worked with recording engineer peter kramper on adding studio effects and mastering the recordings. initially the sisters played their finished piece for friends, but it wasn’t long before they decided to offer it to a record label. deciding to call the ‘group’ zweistein suzanne offered the production to phonogram / phillips who having recently inked krautrock acts kraftwerk and cluster to recording deals eagerly accepted the album. suzanne sold herself as the producer and maintained the appearance that zweistein was a separate group. being a very well known pop star and not wanting to harm her career by being attached to such an avant-garde project, suzanne used the pseudonym jacques dorian to disguise her identity. as far as the rumors were concerned, there was no secret love affair between her and the producer as the popular legend insists. furthermore, the phillips producer, the late wolfgang kretschmar who was responsible for signing kraftwerk, was not fired for his involvement. the album sold 6,000 copies and was pulled off the shelves a year after its release. the rights to the album returned to suzanne in 1980 at which time she produced and sold 1500 cassette tapes of the album with a zweistein fan located in nuernberg, germany.

the cover is awesome

It is one of the most beautiful record covers I've ever seen, actually.

Norman did you have the lp?

http://www.popsike.com/php/detaildata.php?itemnr=190003351484

Briefly, yes. I sold it for a lot of money, though the amount would probably seem cheap compared w/the insanely stupid unjustifiable prices collector's stuff goes for these days. I also had "Ultima Thule" parts 1 & 2, "contact high with the godz" on esp-disc, loads of shit like that. The only thing I still have these days that is remotely relevant to this discussion is Rabbi Josef Gordan "Competition" which is actually Julian Cope (& which is great) Apart from thatthe only collector stuff I still have is the "Glastonbury Fayre" triple and my Shirley Collins albums.

What you can't tell from that pic too easily is that the sleeve is made of metal foil coated card, silvery finish with a design embossed onto it - IIRC it's the side of a hawk's head, or a bird's head of some sort. (it's like 18yrs since I saw a copy, though so I may be wrong on the specifics) the creature's eye is a metal mirror plate that is glued on. The pictures on the inside of the gatefold are printed on a metallic surface. It's absolutely beautiful.

When did you sell that stuff?

x-post well i guess 18 years may be the answer?

Xpost a few days to Jon Lewis: Cheers, dude! One thing: I can't abide to listen to edits or incomplete works, so with Can I'll have to 'get' the full versions. I'm sure it'll happen soon (as with 'Tilt')!

I did like 'Mother Sky', to be fair, when Kerr sent it my way.

I thought most of Can's stuff was "edits"...

ffs I mean that I don't like listening to music that has been reduced or altered from the artist's published vision.

re: Zweistein

Sounds like I'll be firing up a search of the ol' Kraut sharity blogs after work tonight.

xpost These aren't edited for jukeboxes or anything like that. Czukay did the editing and sequencing.

I thought most of Can's stuff was "edits"

That's a really sharp comment, Todd. Yet again as with 1970s Miles, part of Can's project was to chip away at the supremacy of "the artist's published vision." And while the tracks may not have been edited for jukeboxes (great line!), I wouldn't be shocked if some of them ended up there. Most Krautrock is pleasant enough background to hoisting a stein at the local biergarten (sp?), no?

I can't imagine that happening though.

Apart from thatthe only collector stuff I still have is the "Glastonbury Fayre" triple

... i've got that too!

*COUGHCOUGHAHEM*

no really guys

I'm there, baby! Thanx!!!

Someone has uploaded the top 50 to Rapidshare (beware, NSFW banner ads)...
http://www.theforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=93840

Oops, sorry, someone already posted it. My bad.

although maybe i should have specified what i was linking to