Beyond The Wizards Sleeve "Spring" 2006***

I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not into electronic music, like, at all. I mean it occupies a very small corner in my wall-to-wall CD shelves. Just a few very mainstream stuff: Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk etc. So what is a 12'' "dance" vinyl by a couple of underground UK DJ's doing in my collection? I stumbled on it by accident at my neighborhood record store's bargain bin, and was drawn by the cover artwork. So I took it to the shop's listening station and liked what I heard. First of all, a few words about the artist: As it turns out, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve consists of two famous London DJ's. One of them (Richard Norris) used to work for Bam-Caruso in the 80s; I have some fabulous 60's popsike compilations by that label, and can only imagine how much psychedelic music flowed into their offices for them to be able to compile those LPs. So it's not surprising that Norris himself likens it to "going to psychedelic university". Since he came in contact with these psychedelic 60's rarities, his self-confessed obsession became to combine them with modern dance music, something that drove him to get involved in the acid house scene of the late 80's. Finding a kindred spirit in DJ/producer/remixer Erol Alkan, they starting organizing DJ sets together and re-editing some of their psychedelic faves for the dancefloor. Spring marks one of their earlier releases, showcasing their ability to bring new life to psych pop classics by re-editing them, adding beats, and inserting samples both of older works and of newly constructed music by the duo. Two of the pieces they choose to cover are fairly well-known: The Rolling Stones' "2000 Light Years from Home" (1967) and Neu!'s - "Hallogallo" (1972). From the fact that the sale of this release on discogs isn't permitted, I would guess that the guys haven't exactly obtained permission for their use of these samples. "Light Years" (as it's called here) sounds trippy in this incarnation, but then again so does the original. Seeing as it's such an overly familiar tune, I may have like to hear it more transformed. I prefer what they did with The Neu! song (here under the name "I Swim Around"): it's chugging along in its familiar motorik rhythm but it's far more spacy. According to the whosampled website, it also contains a sample of "The Other Side" by Tiny Tim (1968). Opener "Don't Cry Girl" is really Illés' "A Bolond Lány" (1967), an upbeat rocker from Hungary with a funky beat that lends itself well to a dance-floor friendly re-imagination. Ditto with "Words", originally a glam pop single called "It's Only Words" (1973) by completely unknown (to me, that is) band Rescue Co. No. 1. "The Fifth Note" meshes garage rocker "Black Butter, Present" by Strawberry Alarm Clock with spoken word "The  Blue Sari" by Chiitra Neogy (both 1968), while closer "The Perfumed Garden" only utilizes the spoken word intro on "Romany Soup"  by Tyrannosaurus Rex (1969) backed by a music carpet of spacey/psychedelic sound effects. This mix of classic psychedelia with dance music seems to have created an exciting sub-genre: Another band in the same vein would be The Amorphous Androgynous (also known as the psychedelic side project of techno duo The Future Sound Of London). Their Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble compilations are also highly recommnded.

**** for Words, I Swim Around

*** for Don't Cry Girl, The Fifth Note, Light Years 

** for The Perfumed Garden

Can "Tago Mago" 1971*****

Tago Mago is a standard addition to best-albums-ever lists. Understandable, since it's the quintessential Can/Kraut Rock album. American singer Malcolm Mooney had just returned to his homeland and his replacement was another foreigner, Japanese Damo Suzuki, whom the band found playing music on the streets of Munich. His style suited Can's experimentalism. He was more of a whisperer and screamer rather than a conventional singer and his interplay with the other musicians is phenomenal, everyone seemingly in his own little universe yet the band playing as if they share a collective mind. "Paperhouse" starts the album off and for a few seconds it sounds like West Coast psychedelia before any notion of a song is dissolved in chaos. Great improvisational jazzy guitar and drumming, with Suzuki mumbling in the background, shouting and then hiding again. "Mushroom" is a chilly song about Hiroshima that draws a nakedly emotional performance from Suzuki, while the band plays with controlled menace. It sounds like nothing ever heard up to that point, paving the way for future bands from Radiohead to The Fall. "Oh Yeah" is an atmospheric song with a steady motorik rhythm. Once more the guitar work is excellent and Suzuki sings partly in Japanese. I'm willing to bet it's just stream-of-consciousness nonsense but it sounds nevertheless great. "Halleluwah"is an 18,5 minute monster of a track. It starts off with a bluesy intro and soon enters into a funky groove - I'd say about as funky as genetically possible for a bunch of  German guys. There's a long drumming section, various effects and vocals alternating between lazy and loud. All in all, a mindblowing achievement. Following track "Aumgn" is almost its equal in duration but an exercise in tunelessness full of effects, shrieks and barks. Some interesting drumming appears halfway into the song, but otherwise just a curiosity. "Peking O" is another experimental song with frantic and unintelligible vocals. It reminds me of Captain Beefhart in Trout Mask Replica. Like that album, depending on where you stand, it can be considered either genius or nonsense. I'm more of the second opinion, myself.  Finally "Bring Me Coffee or Tea" closes the album with some cool atmospheric pre-chillout pre-new wave music. Overall it's an amazing record. Though by no means an easily accessible one, it's full of original ideas and proved an influential landmark, a mysterious monolith of an album that appeared out of nowhere,  dispensing inspiration and creating evolution without giving any clues to its true nature (cool 2001:Space Odyssey reference, ja?). Some of its dark magic may be explained by the supposed links to occultist and high priest of Satanism Aleister Crowley who is somehow connected to the enigmatically named Isla de Tagomago (just off Ibiza) whence this album's title stems.

***** for Mushroom, Halleluhwah 

**** for Paperhouse, Oh Yeah

*** for Bring Me Coffee or Tea

** for Aumgn, Peking O.

Jane "Between Heaven And Hell" 1977***

For my part, I think of Rock music as an international musical language and I am always interested on how it is interpreted by bands throughout the world. Which is why I've tried to present music from all over the world in this blog. Up to now, in less than 200 reviews, I've reviewed CD's from 25 or so countries. By and large, though, important or successful rock groups are an Anglo-American affair. I can only think of one band from the continent that rivals them in success: Certain hard rockers from Hannover, Germany. I'm not talking of Jane, of course, but of fellow Hannoverites The Scorpions. Not that Jane have reason to complain: How many bands can boast of a career that has lasted 45 years during which they've released something like 20 records? Incidentally, Scorpions guitarist Matthias Jabs is one of many musicians that joined Jane's ranks, albeit for a short period. "Between Heaven And Hell" is their 6th LP and one of the relatively higher rated by the progheads at progarchives.com - no doubt thanks to the same-named track that takes up all of Side 1. Progheads are notoriously fond of long meandering song-suits. Though I also enjoy complex compositions and arrangements, I find it a hit-and-miss strategy. Sometimes, like in Pink Floyd's "Echoes", the various elements within the song flow naturally into each other, while other times, like in Jane's "Heaven And Hell", they seem disjointed. The said track opens up with washes of synthesizer effects and soundwaves reminiscent of Tangerine Dream. After the 4-minute mark the rest of the band introduce themselves with loud drumming and Gilmour-like guitar solos, Around the 6th minute appear the vocals, first disengaged and floating and then assertive, accompanied with hard rock guitar riffing and maniacal female laughter. This excerpt from the song makes for a successful Teutonic take on early Pink Floyd, but it's abruptly cut short by what sounds like monks singing Gregorian hymns before the return to a more electronic (again Floydian, circa "Meddle") section, ending with a short reprise of the monks and a verse of the more melodic vocals. I like all the ingredients used here, but object to the cooking. It doesn't quite end up as a complete failure, but neither does it amount to anything special. Second track "Twilight" is, to my ears, far better. A hard rocker halfway between Uriah Heep and Eloy, it starts sensibly with the harder stuff and spreads out with the spacier sounds later. "Voice in the wind" is a melodic ballad dominated by a lush keyboard sound and romantic singing. It's the album's second best song. The album closes in a completely different mood, with a hard rock boogie called "Your circle" and singer Klaus Hess seemingly emulating...Lou Reed? After 3'50'' the song comes to an abrupt stop. A nice album for fans of 70's progressive rock but not likely to appeal to many others...

**** for Twilight

*** for Between Heaven And Hell, Voices in the Wind, Your Circle

Novalis "Sommerabend" 1976****

Novalis' "Sommerabend" has one of the prettiest album covers in my collection. Even if you're not familiar with the German romantic poet from whom the band took its name, the beauty and serenity of its cover should give you an idea of its content, which is melodic symphonic prog. Similar to Eloy and Camel, but with a dark folk influence evident in the acoustic guitars and sombre singing (in German). Use of the German language is one of the band's strong points, as it sounds right for their music. Since I don't speak German, I am free to conjure whatever images I want to accompany this music and it filled my mind with images from the fabulous (and simultaneously horrible) fairy tale world of the Grimm brothers' stories. "Aufbruch", the first of the 3 lengthy tracks, is an instrumental and the most experimental of the three. It contains both heavy and light passages, with imposing keyboards, jazzy piano and electric guitars, giving the musicians a chance to show off their skill. ELP and Eloy come to mind. The next track is called "Wunderschätze", which translates roughly as "wondrous treasure". The lyric is a poem by Novalis (written in 1798) and music closer to a classic rock ballad, dominated by acoustic guitars. Only towards the end does the sound get fuller and more electric. The third track, which took up all of LP's second side (You do know what an LP is and that it has two sides? Sometimes I wonder...) is "Sommerabend" which means, I guess, "Summer evening" (zomeravond in Dutch). It is a long suite comprised by various movements, as was the fashion with rock musicians who wanted to emulate classical music. The first part "Wetterleuchten" consists of synth-generated atmospheric soundscapes a la Tangerine Dream, while the second "Am Strand" ("On the beach", of course - See? I do know German after all) is introduced with an acoustic guitar playing what sounds like the intro to "House Of The Rising Sun", also known as guitar lesson number 1. Regardless, it's a beautiful piece with melancholic vocals and the sound of splashing waves at the background. Third part "Der Traum" is another romantic ballad with acoustic guitar, followed by "Ein neuer Tag", which is fast with soaring synths and guitars and choral vocals, while the song comes full circle with "Ins Licht", an atmospheric synth-dominated track in the spirit of early Pink Floyd. I'm always impressed by the tendency of German groups (and Italian ones, e.g. Le Orme) to transcend the confines of rock and seek inspiration elsewhere, be it classical, jazz, folk or electronic music. Not that musical adventurism has a nationality, of course. In any case, Novalis "Sommerabend" is an ideal introduction to the world of progressive rock, thanks to its enchanted melodies and lack of instrumental noodling which is endemic in this genre.

**** for Wunderschätze, Am Strand, Der Traum

*** for Aufbruch, Wetterleuchten, Ein neuer Tag, Ins Licht

Kin Ping Meh "Kin Ping Meh" 1971***

Yet Another German rock CD? Well that's random for you. Not that I mind, it's a good one to present from a rather underrated band. Curiously, I always got their name wrong. Even after buying this album I was sure they were called "King Pin Men". Because, you know, it makes some sense, "king pin" meaning according to the Urban Dictionary "the leader of a crime syndicate or organisation". So my eye always auto-corrected "Kin Ping Meh", because it seemed meaningless. Researching the band for some background information I found out that their name was of Chinese origin and probably derived from a German mistranslation of a medieval Chinese pornographic novel, Jin Ping Mei (金瓶梅, known in English as The Golden Lotus). Now the cover makes more sense...These guys from Mannheim, Germany never hit the big time despite being accomplished musicians. Their music was hard rock with nice guitar/organ interplay. It reminds me a lot of Atomic Rooster and, at places, of Uriah Heep. The heavy guitar and emphasis on keyboards is typical of Kraut bands of the era but thankfully the singer's vocals are devoid of any heavy German accent and there are also some pleasant vocal harmonies to lighten the overall atmosphere. Opener "Fairy Tales" is probably their best song and, at 10+ minutes, gives enough space to the guitarist and organist to stretch out. The long drums passage is mis-judged, I think, but should be a highlight of the live shows. "Sometime" is an excellent ballad with soaring organ and mellotron and "Don't You Know" a good prog song with many changes, almost ruined by the inclusion of gunfire and other effects. "Too Many People" is, for a change, a folky number with harmonica and handclaps. "Drugsen's Trip" is another "trippy" hard prog number, followed by one of the highlights, a melodic song with mellotron called "My Dove", reminiscent of Barclay James Harvest. "Everything" is a good rocker with great guitar work but silly lyrics. The last song on the original album was "My Future", a short melodic folky number with light percussion and CSNY-style vocal harmonies. Repeating the phrase "I hold my future in my hands" over and over is a nice way to close the album with a dose of healthy hippy optimism, rapidly going out of style by 1971. My edition includes 4 bonus tracks taken from concurrent singles. "Everything's My Way" is another version of the album's "Everything" and sounds better, with a more Santana-influenced sound and less of the silly refrain."Woman" a ballad with beautiful organ and harmony vocals. "Every Day" and the country-ish "Alexandra" are just OK.

**** for Fairy-Tales, Sometime, Everything's My Way

*** for Don't You Know, Too Many People ,My Dove, Drugson's Trip, Everything, My Future, Woman

**  for Every Day, Alexandra

Can "Future Days" 1973*****

Future Days is the last Can album to feature Damo Suzuki, who evidently left the group to join Jehovah's Witnesses (Wow, I didn't know that Jehovah's Witnesses were so anti-rock. Next time they knock on my door, I'm not sending them away politely). Of course an album like "Future Days"  can be labeled rock only in the widest sense i.e. musicians using electric instruments. The album has 4 songs and lasts more than 40 minutes - which is not that rare for 1973, but without solos? Instead of one solo after another, the songs evolve slowly. 1st track "Future Days" starts off with 2 minutes of ambient noise from radio static to sea waves and birds. Slowly a beat establishes itself and keeps driving the song until the end (Some time after the 3rd minute a song does emerge and it is a killer tune). Vocals and guitar are subdued but handled well. There are no concurrent reference points for this kind of music, but think of the tropicalia-styled songs of Beck and Devendra Barnhart, give them a prog twist and you'll have an idea of the pop song hiding inside "Future Days". "Spray" continues on the same ambient motif but this time without the melody. Suzuki's vocals are buried deep in the mix, almost inaudible. "Moonshake" on the other hand is a bona fide pop single, to my ears the equal of their big hit "Vitamin C". Latin percussion, great keyboard work, discrete sax and flawless vocal delivery, all condensed in 3 minutes. Brevity is the one thing missing from "Bel Air". It seems to be an expansive suite edited from a number of improvisational sessions and it is the proggiest piece of the record. Experimental though it is, a couple of songs threaten to emerge (between 0:00'-2:43' and 4:30'-7:14') before the song descends into space-rock chaos. This album is considered required listening and features on a lot of "all-time-greatest-albums" lists. It's easy to see why: rarely have I heard an album pointing to the future so much. Although it also draws from rock's experimental past (Pink Floyd circa Ummagumma), it has created a completely new path for adventurous bands (e.g. Radiohead circa "Kid A") to explore. Very aptly named, then.

***** for Moonshake

**** for Future Days

*** for Spray, Bel Air

Various Artists "Psychedelic Underground 3" 1998(comp)****

Aah, Kraut Rock! An undiscovered continent full of hidden treasure known only to a handful of collectors. Unlike their British counterparts who were inspired by the blues, German bands approached their electric instruments with a more exploratory mood and got the most interesting sounds out of them. This is a limited edition sampler from German label "Garden of Delights" and does indeed offer some rare delights. It presents the labels's releases 021-029 and features one song from every album. It starts off with a live rendition of Bernstein's "America", obviously patterned after Nice's version. Some impressive organ solos there, but in 2:22' it's too short to go anywhere. At 20 minutes, "loneliness" is quite the opposite, allowing the musicians lots of room to stretch. With heavy guitar and organ, it sounds a lot like Eloy while the singer reminds me somewhat of the Scorpions' Klaus Meine (or am I only making the connection because he's German?). #3 is from the early 90's and has a more new wave feel, with female vocals and distorted guitars (reminiscent of early Bevis Frond). "Abflug" is a long song with jazzy improvisations and nice sax. Next we have Gaa who, like Kraftwerk, get their inspiration from the famous autobahn. It's a gothic song with heavy keyboards and thick German vocals. The following band Zyma is much lighter and with airy female vocals, flute,piano and violin. Towards the end it reminds me of  late 60's Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger. "Wreck on the wire" is another excellent atmospheric piece with female vocals and beautiful guitar solos, Next up we have the only group I was familiar with, Agitation Free. Left-wing radicals living in a communal Berlin house, they produced some great improvisatory music. "Silence of the morning sunrise" is part of a live jam, a bucolic instrumental with liquid guitar work and birdlike noises, probably produced by the bands' keyboard meister Michael Hoenig. Siloah are the last of the bunch but their album is the oldest one (1970). They present a beautiful instrumental with acoustic guitars and light percussion. No, wait a minute, there are vocals, they just appear after the 5-minute mark when the song is almost finished. After hearing this I was convinced to dig deeper into the world of Kraut Rock. Keep your eyes open for these groups and take a risk when faced with unknown German bands of the 70's. You may be in for a treat...

**** for Loneliness(Arktis), Autobahn(GÄA), Thoughts(Zyma), Wreck on the wire(Try)

*** for America(Tyburn Tall), Change bad horizons(Crabs), Abflug(Morpheus), In the silence of the morning sunrise(Agitation Free), Road to Laramy(Siloah).