KRAUTROCK Listening Klub! - New Albums Every Wednesday

ok - got a minute.

running theme will be underrated albums from some of the big players.

here goes!

harmonia - live 1974 (1974, 2007)
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/tapehiss/61HleCYfNtL_SS500_.jpg

killer live set comparable in quality to the two studio albums - which is saying something!

they're working in long-form mode on here and it is wonderful. the tracks streeeeeeetch into infinity. love this stuff.

ashra - blackouts (1977)
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LrzVEXjp5mA/S6P7uqOI7tI/AAAAAAAADTM/30eN16zkwN8/s400/image.bmp

I believe this is all manuel göttsching's doing, which would make sense since it was later reissued under his name.

as you might expect from ashra/solo göttsching, you're in store for a slab of mellow electronics with clean soloing on top. but this is a particularly great example of the style. I probably listen to this more than anything else in the ash ra tempel/ashra/göttsching family.

quality youtube comment for standout track 'midnight on mars':

Good hypnotic sound to escape from the shit of society - For awile anyway.

amon düül II - wolf city (1972)
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000O78BEQ.jpg

ok, this is no yeti but a solid album nonetheless. epic psych rock. you know the drill.

Live 1974 and Wolf City are both incredibly good.

totally. all three of these picks have gotten much play from me over the last few years. live 1974 in particular.

was also tempted to pick circle's prospekt but wasn't sure if it would ruffle purist feathers. but seek it out if you haven't heard it!

^^Holy SHIT I love all three of those records A LOT.
Those are definitely my favorite records by by Amon Duul II and Ash Ra.
I really think Wolf City is a more consistent and listenable record than Yeti, I listen to it way more.
I also really REALLY love Vive La Trance, but that may have something to do with finding a cheap original VG vinyl copy of it.
I should listen to that live Harmonia record again soon. It's really really good.

lol xpost^

wolf city is definitely more consistent than yeti (not including a side of sprawling improv will do that) but I still think that the highs are higher on yeti.

in any case, both records RULE.

I only know the song "wolf city," which is probably my favorite ADII song I've heard.

Sleepwalker's Timeless Bridge may be my favorite ADII song.
I mean...besides Archangel's Thunderbird, which is pretty unfuckwithable, of course, but everyone knows that one.

Hurrah, all of these are on Spotify!

Ashra: http://open.spotify.com/album/140BMrMHrJKORgGdutEFde
Amon Duul II: http://open.spotify.com/album/2F6AmLF30r4QZbU59SQPUW
Harmonia: http://open.spotify.com/album/2F6AmLF30r4QZbU59SQPUW

Wolf City is ADII's last good album. After that they range from patchy to abysmal.

i have listened to blackouts more times than i care to remember. amazing album.

for some reason i've never heard wolf city! i need to change this

ok, this is no yeti but a solid album nonetheless. epic psych rock. you know the drill.

Ya bastard, "Wolf City" was on my list for my next picks. FWIW this is probably my favourite ADII album, certainly the one that gets played most. Band was sort of falling apart all the time by this album, so it's like four different bands on one album, Side 2 doesn't even sound like ADII for the most part. Also greatest use of Jimmy Jackson and His Amazing Choir Organ on this album, outside of Popol Vuh's "Aguirre".

:-o

fwiw, I didn't know the back story behind wolf city until now or much of the ADII history in general. interesting stuff.

which reminds me, can anyone recommend a good book on this scene? obviously, there's julian cope's book but it's way oop and pricey. I've seen pdfs online but I don't think I would care to read the whole thing on a computer or screen of any sort.

anything else worth looking into?

i love wolf city, tom you can do tanz.. next

Nah, I'm actually not that a big a fan of ADII.

yeah, yeti and wolf city are the only ADII I listen to as well. given cursory listens to the rest of the early stuff but none of it ever clicked. not ruling them out but not in a rush to re-evaluate either.

love "between the eyes" tho:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSAk1O0B6sg

the riff 1:14 into that live clip is all-time.

^That is a good one.
I was looking for a video for the AD2 song "Trap" from Vive Le Trance, it's a really great pop-rock song.
Couldn't find one.

tanz der lemminge is great. As is Phallus Dei, Yeti & wolf city. Not heard vive le trance for years but i seem to recall liking it

and i like this later period song a lot. Closest they got to a pop song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKSVgOFO2ng

tbh I play "Made In Germany" far more often than I play "Dance of the Lemmings"!

you would!

21/07 - Ian
28/07 - psychgawsple
04/08 - pfunkboy
11/08 - Tom D
18/08 - von kelson

what happened to this week's jams?

and this weeks???

did this go the way of the reggae listening club?

Ian didn't show up, will reschedule him.
I'd like to keep it going, you all up for keeping it going?

21/07 - Ian
28/07 - psychgawsple
04/08 - Ian
11/08 - Tom D
18/08 - von kelson
35/08 - pfunkboy

i'd like to keep it going too. will post mine in a few...

alright here goes... aiming for a couple albums of later period kraut electronics, maybe even some new agey/smoother stuff than most of the earlier selections but in a good way. and one is only tangentially german, but hope you guys dig these...

harald grosskopf - synthesist (1980)

http://i.imgur.com/S4xkH.jpg

(from mutant sounds)
"German drummer and synthesist. Grosskopf is member of Ashra and has some kind of a cult status and he has been around for quite a while too. He has played with Agitation Free, the Cosmic Jokers, Ash Ra Tempel, Ashra and Manuel Goettsching, Klaus Schulze, Bernd Kistenmacher, among others, released several solo albums and is still actively involved in the production and playing for many artists. His albums are a must for Berlin School completist and simply a great listen.Here's his first solo recording!Absolutely stunning synth album!"

not spotify

michael shrieve - transfer station blue (1986)

http://dreamchimney.com/slvs/Transfer_Station_Blue_20090727125818.jpg

can't find a good writeup on this one. it's a sort-of solo album from shrieve, who was at one point the drummer for santana (in the 70s i believe) BUT don't let that dissuade you if that doesn't exactly sound promising. klaus schulze has really a pretty amazing presence on this album, credited with 'Yamaha C.S.80, Fairlight GDS, PPG Wave 2.3 synthesizers', and the percussion is also pretty incredible. lots of people think that lindstrom stole all his moves on 'where you go i go too' from this record, and i can definitely see why. also- the album was originally brought to my attention b/c the title track was used in dj harvey's 'sarcastic disco vol. 1' mix.

not spotify

leda - welcome to joyland (1979)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2670125600_ffb91b9e8c.jpg?v=0

pretty amazing and often overlooked album from peter baumann, a former member of tangerine dream. recorded under a psuedonym in the late 70s, i also am having some difficulty finding any good writeups on this one but trust me! it is excellent.

not spotify

sorry for the delay, esp for all the europeans on a much different time zone than me

These all look really interesting. A friend of mine was getting rid of a copy of Synthesist I think.
I thought it looked cool. The Ashra connection is enough to encourage me to ask if he's still got it.

Synthesist is a really good album. Great pick

ahhh! i knew i forgot something!! fml. i'll remember this time. i'm setting a reminder on my retarded computer calendar.

oh and just a warning, the leda one is pretty much italo disco. so if that's not really your thing, be prepared. if it is, you will definitely be rewarded

Love that creepy cover for the Leda album, and German italodisco sounds great!

oh and just a warning, the leda one is pretty much italo disco. so if that's not really your thing, be prepared. if it is, you will definitely be rewarded

Okay, I'm not much into the new agey side of kraut, but this sounds like an amazing idea. Will definitely try to listen to this one.

I recognise that creepy Leda cover. In fact I seem to think I recognise all of these albums from bargain bins of yore, and yet I've never heard any of them. Harald = much better drummer than Klaus Schulze!

ive only heard of the harald one

i'm going for a more dance-oriented approach to the digging this week, but i definitely love the more proggy/psychedelic side of things that has already been explored on this thread so i hope i'm not harshing anyone's mellow. i'd totally understand if some of you hated the last two, but it's a side of kraut i've been exploring more frequently lately and thought it'd at least add a little diversity.

also totally would have posted that conrad schnitzler if someone hadn't already beat me to the punch

i really like transfer station blue. it was an interesting divergence for shrieve. for those santana haters out there - try 'caravanserai': easily their best album - latin but jazzy; no hits; just great playing.

I like that Shrieve record too, thanks for introducing it to me, and no problem on the electronic bent to your selections, I'm all for it!

Harald Grosskopf album is really good - enough to have his old bosses, Gottsching and Schulze looking over their shoulders I would have thought - dude should have made more albums (maybe he did?)

Liked the 1st side of the Michael Shrieve album but lost interest when the guitars came in.

I confess i don't really know what Italo Disco is (I know, what am I doing on ILM?) Leda album sounds to me like an attempt to make a pop album - and better than Peter Baumann's own efforts at making a pop album!

Hello Krautrock listening club!
This week I have a few minor suggestions for you all even though you might dislike them severely because you're not into fairies and wizards and whatever.

1. Witthuser & Westrupp: Trips Und Traume
http://zengiz.mydnd.com/images/trips-und-traume.jpeg
blogged: http://spoiledmetropolis.blogspot.com/2007/06/witthuser-westrup-trips-und-traume-1971.html

I think this to be a strangely affecting listen, given that things in 'other' languages don't usually resonate with me emotionally, but a few of the songs here do. Really beautiful stuff, IMO, and a kinda goof track about smoking doobies too.

Will post two more albums as workday allows.

11/08 - Tom D
18/08 - von kelson

Anyone for afters? I cant take a turn for a couple of weeks due to metal poll.

Surprised to find that there's stuff in my collection that hasn't been posted yet, so I'll gladly take a turn.

11/08 - Tom D
18/08 - von kelson
25/08

anyone else? Happy to keep club going as long as there is interest.

i can't do 25/8 but will be happy for the week after that

Record #2:
http://www.psychedelicfolk.com/files/kalacakra.jpg
http://sharebee.com/d7d736fb
Kalacakra's "Crawling To Lhasa" is a much darker psych folk affair with more obvious eastern influence.
The incomprehensible, mumbled and slurred vocals are a nice touch.

from 72.

i love that kalacakra album, as well as fairies and wizards and whatever

I've heard a lot about Kalacakra, but never heard it before so look forward to listening this.