In North America, prior to the internet, only the most weathered record store employee had any awareness of a Krautrock beyond late Kraftwerk, late Tangerine Dream and a Can comp or two.
Looking at Julian Cope's guidebook in a mid-nineties Virgin Megastore, I thought for sure that I'd never get a chance to hear all of the bands he goes on about. Damn if I was going to drop $30 (half a day as a wage slave) on some import CD without hearing it first and knowing if it would get more than a single play. And now there's blogs with file sharing
links to all of this stuff, and even posts with a scan of Cope's book itself...so I can slowly make my way through his top 50 list. It's possible that, one day, I'll have built up a significant quantity of hot air for the purpose of impassioned arguments with similarly pathetic music dorks. As far as purchasing any of it, owning some physical copy, I'd have to say that it seems sadly unlikely. I thought that I would be a more positive associate to musicians at one point, but poverty has decided that this is not my fate...Perhaps some real music will appear one day and wipe away everything we thought we knew.
ln
I have to say that, personally, the first couple of Amon Düül LPs don't really rise to the hype. They just aren't druggy or rocking enough for me. I thought that this live show might shine some light on the appeal of the group, but I'm still no fan. The high quality of the files making their rounds on the internet make this easy to watch, however...Its a beautifully filmed TV program with an in studio concert and lengthy discussions with the group. If you like Düül, you want this... The only bummer is the time code. Other than that the quality is ace.
running order:
01. Archy the Robot
02. Lonely Woman
03. Jam Session I
04. discussion with studio guests (part 1)
05. Surrounded By The Stars
06. discussion with studio guests (part 2)
07. Jam Session II
08. Traveller
09. discussion with studio guests (part 3)
10. La Paloma Jam
Renate Knaup Krštenschwanz - voc, percussion
Chris Karrer - guitar, sax, violin, voc
John Weinzierl - guitar, voc
Lothar Meid - bass
Falk Rogner - keys
Peter Leopold - drums
unknown keyboard guesting on La Paloma Jam
Attributes:
Video Format: PAL
Size [720 x 576] 25.00 fps 8.00 Mbps
Audio : Mpeg 1 layer 3
32 kbps 44100 Hz
What is it like? It's certainly unique. On one hand, you have the cabaret styling of the frontman. On the other, you have a group embarking on muso flights of jazz fusion. Only in the serious toned interviews do you get any impression of a hippie commune counterculture that music scribes tell us was the origin of their association. Of course, this is 1974, at this point, Germany's branch of flower power was aggressively fighting a losing battle with being marginalized out of existence.
I suppose I'll just use this post to scrabble down my impressions of the peak Kraut achievements, updated as the spirit moves me. Below is a youtube linked Rough Guide for Dummies to the Cope cited 50...I've got a much less tolerant ear than most. Kosmische= synths and a groove..Prog and Flute bore me, so much of the genre gets a quick dismissal.
1. Ash Ra Temple "Amboss"
2. Can "Mother Sky" "Mushroom"
3. Harmona "Watussi"
4. Neu "Hallogallo" "Negativland"
5. Tangerine Dream "Ashes to Ashes"
The Soul Jazz people, who rarely put out a record which doesn't have a good track on it, have just comped a krautrock sampler (misnamed as electronica because it rarely is)- I've only clicked the 30 second samples, and can say that there is a lot of variety to what's on hand
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