Amon Düül II--Classic or Dud?

Once again I agree with Pashmina, a worrying development for both of us I feel - title of the last track: "Sleepwalkers Timeless Bridge", written, sung and mostly played by everyone's favourite drummer/guitarist, Daniel Secundus Fichelscher. As for the objections to "Lemmings" being based on a "knee-jerk reaction to the more superficially "prog-rock" sound" - well, if we leave the knees out of it, the fact that it's more prog rocky than the earlier albums is indeed one of the main problems with it except that "Wolf City" is much more proggy and is much better.

Cope's book is entertaining yet frustrating. I really wish he made his top 50 list in order of preference rather than alphabetical. Occasionally he would make a solid statement, like, "this is my favorite Can album" (Ege Bamyasi). I made a top 13 of Cope's picks, gauging them by the amount of hyperbole he spewed.

1 Ash Ra Tempel
2 La Dusseldorf
3 Neu! 75
4 Can - Ege Bamyasi
5 Ash Ra Tempel - Schwingungen
6 Neu!
7 Amon Duul II - Yeti
8 Popol Vuh - In den Garten Pharoas
9 Harmonia - Deluxe
10 Tangerine Dream - Zeit
11 Cluster - Zuckerzeit
12 Can - Tago Mago
13 Tangerine Dream - Alpha Centauri

I need to check to see if there have been any exceptional remasters of any of the above in addition to Amon Duul II. Anyone know?

I don't know that anyone will answer, as I don't know that anyone will find this with both the Search and New Answers functions broken. I found this thread with Google. Sigh.

these albums were already re-mastered in '02. read the thread linked above

"Vive la Trance" is so f'in great. I don't see many folks vouching hard for anything thereafter, but I just gotta check more stuff out... if the SONGZ stay even 1/2 as good...!

Also, as mentioned above -- the last track on "Wolf City" = 8-)))

My favorite Krauts by far!

I have at least one later than Vive La Trance called Hijack. It's awful.

See, I may have bought that once and then returned it, I can't remember! Maybe I'll skip to "Made in Germany"; the allmusic write-up on that one makes it sound pretty great...

Something about the funny/serious, clever without being too goofy, great songwriting that's self-confident without taking itself too seriously, thing on those later albums really hits a sweet spot for me... I'd try to name a few other bands that kinda work the same way, but it'd seem flighty, they're all so dissimilar. (I guess Guru Guru does something kinda equivalent for me, without the songwriting part; they're similar enough.)

It's like this certain vibe -- adult musicians at the peak of their playing and songwriting prowess; so great at what they do that they can be totally relaxed, though focused and totally on-point; a little dryly "whimsical," almost underplaying their hand, but also "nailing" it somehow...

it's been a while, but I'm starting to appreciate the post Wolf City stuff.

1978's Only Human doesn't get nearly enough love. It's my favorite AD2 release post-Wolf City.. very different, but still well crafted. Some songs work better than others. "Kirk Morgan" is so ahead of its time as far as the guitar playing and electronic beats.

APOCALYPTIC BORE

Amon Düül >>>> Amon Düül II

Yawn

Amon Düül >>>> Amon Düül II

APOCALYPTIC BORE

I will take this opportunity to once again rep for live in london. yeti and lemmings are great but live in london is loud.

Did you ever get Made In Germany morris? I like that one more than Hijack but not as much as any of the earlier ones.

"Hijack" is rubbish. "Made In Germany" is actually quite good if you cherrypick the good tracks, it's a guilty pleasue of mine.

I don't think "Hijack" is entirely rubbish. I love the tape-loop disco of "Da Guadaloop," "Lonely Woman" sets lyrics to the (uncredited) Ornette Coleman melody, and there's another couple quirky pop tunes here and there. Not as good as "Made In Germany" though, which I really do like front to back.

Is that the full double-lp "Germany" or the single version?

The one I like front to back? American single LP. I've never heard the double.

WHY DIDN'T I GET INTO THESE DUDES EARLIER???

i had heard stuff at friend's houses and shit and liked it but only today bought this The UA Years 69-74 comp cuz it was in the CD cutout bin at electric fetus...

so good!

The thread should have been titled Classic or Düüd, though.

I still haven't checked out the original AD, nor acquired Yeti. I did pick up a Krautrock DVD at the Tower closing sale but haven't played it yet (ADII are on it).

Only Human!

After Kraftwerk, the best Krautrock band by far. Yes better than Can!

Wau I dunno if I feel ya on that, though they are absolutely fantastic. Top 5 kraut for sure.
I am actually more of an AD I guy. Longer jams. More hippie vibing.

Not saying they're more important/influential. Just more consistently rewarding.

The wonders of personal preference.

I'd put Can ahead of Kraftwerk, and both ahead of ADII.

Can is fucking awesome, but you have to admit they are pretty damn awkward more often than not. Tago Mago is not exactly fun to listen to... and I love difficult/extreme music.

But I am definitely talking personal opinion here.

This is kind of new - http://www.furious.com/perfect/amonduulII.html

I was listening to Wolf City, Vive La Trance, and Made In Germany last night as my vinyl was being sold off. Wolf City is just so so good. Vive La Trance isn't perfect, but it's highlights.. holy shit. "Mozambique" and "Mimikry" are two of AD2's best songs. I'm not so much on the Made In Germany wagon, although there definitely are moments.

By Pyrogany 10th, they pretty much changed into a prog/pop rock band, but there are always good moments on all these albums all the way to and including Vortex. Only Human is definitely slept on.

BTW, this has to be the FULL version of "Mozambique". Huge difference.. the second half of "Mozambique" = :-O

For some reason I've never liked these guys... and I'm a sucker for most any krautrock out there. They are probably the only "important" krautrock band that I just don't get.

whoah that is some major dissing of the Amon Duul records in that Weinzerl interview.

"Very important: we are NOT a Krautrock band."

Oops!

"Eye-shaking king" is still one of the heaviest/ more fucked-up/ plainly weird songs ever.
Yeti = the real soundtrack to Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain (unintentionally funny bits included).

"Very important: we are NOT a Krautrock band."

Oops!

Has any 'Krautrock' band ever said, "We're a Krautrock band"?

What you call a "conscious repurposing", I call lazily stealing some lines to fill out a lyric

It just makes it more interesting for me, more than if Lothar Meid had scrambled his brains to come up with two or three more lines of English lyric.

made in germany is interesting because it's one of those records where a completely different guy takes over and then vanishes, in this case a guy named nando tischer

i guess it's kind of the end of "classic era" adii tho... lothar, falk-u, and renate's last '70s outing with them, right?

Lothar's not on it I think? It's the bass player from "Vive La Trance", Robby Heibl, but Danny Fichelscher is on at least one track!

The comings and goings in this band make Hawkwind seem steady and sedate.

can't believe they stole some lyrics on uh Hijack