The short-lived band named Asterix was a direct precursor of the better-known Lucifer's Friend, having in fact the same exact lineup of vocalist John Lawton, guitarist Peter Hesslein, organist Peter Hecht, bassist Dieter Horns, and drummer Joachim Rietenbach when they recorded their sole, eponymous album, in 1970. A single called "Everybody" (b/w "If I Could Fly") had actually been released earlier that year while the group was still working with one George Monroe as singer, but it was obviously Lawton's presence that catalyzed their evolution into Lucifer's Friend, whose classic eponymous album would soon emerge through Phillips and signal the retirement of the Asterix moniker. Line-up / Musicians Peter Hecht/keyboards Peter Hesslein/guitar Dieter Horns/bass George Monroe/vocals Joachim Rietenbach/drums Discography(Album) Asterix 1970
1.Look Out 2.Gone From My Life 3.Broken Home 4.Time Again 5.Jump Into My Action 6.Open Up Your Mind 7.Corner Street Girl 8.Chance In You 9.Morning At My Dawn
ASHRA was Manuel GÖTTSCHING's continuation of ASH RA TEMPEL, moving from the outerspace psychedelic realms of the temple to the electronic domain of Berlin characterized by TANGERINE DREAM. It's this aspect which leads to the "New Age", which has since been quite successful. The spiralling guitars and electronic layers create calm ambiences which are the basis of this style.There were four excellent albums in the late 70's/early 80's: "New Age of Earth", "Blackouts", "Correlations" and "Belle Alliance". "New Age of Earth" (mainly synth but with some guitar) was the result of his new direction. This is a beautiful, lyrical release, with solo guitar against tapestries of electronics, which has a much more 'human' feel than other similar 'Berlin school' works of the same period. "Blackouts" is very relaxing and a great way to unwind after a difficult day. Line-up / Musicians Manuel Göttsching/keyboards,synthesizer,guitar Discography(Album) New Age Of Earth 1977
1.Sunrain 2.Ocean of Tenderness 3.Deep Distance 4.Nightdust
One of the most formidable of the German Krautrock groups, ASH RA TEMPEL were a powerful force led by guitarist Manuel GÖTTSCHING, and also included former TANGERINE DREAM drummer Klaus SCHULZE at various points. Their music is very spacy and psychedelic, in the manner popularized by early HAWKWIND and AMON DÜÜL II. Their albums are all classics; those with Klaus SCHULZE ("Ash Ra Tempel" and "Join Inn") are the best. ASH RA TEMPEL's first release is a classic of the space/cosmic genre. This is definitively the one to start with if you're not familiar with this band. "Schwingungen" is a vastly underrated album even by ardent fans of the band. Basically, "Join Inn", along with the two albums, are supposed to be the essential woks from ASH RA TEMPEL. GÖTTSCHING's later work varied between solo albums and those within a group format.Later, after recording the dreamy soundtrack "Le Berceau de Cristal" (1975 unreleased until the 90's) ASH RA TEMPEL changed name to ASHRA, making a more melodic synthesizer based music. In the year 2000 the ASH RA TEMPEL moniker was reborn. Joined by long-time colleague Klaus SCHULZE, the appropriately titled "Friendship" was released. This is the best release by Manuel since "Blackouts" and shows that he hasn't lost his touch. ASH RA TEMPEL is probably the best known band of the German space scene. Line-up / Musicians Manuel Göttsching/guitar,voice,electronics Hartmut Enke/bass Klaus Schulze/drums,electronics Discography(Album) Ash Ra Tempel 1971
Their self-titled album is a heavy progressive masterpiece with excellent, Hendrix-influenced guitar work and vocals by Frank Diez. Armaggedon was the start of his long and impressive career. Their album had six tracks, and two of them were cover versions. Most impressive was the 10-minute version of Jeff Beck Group's "Rice Pudding". This track had some of the greatest heavy guitar riffing to appear on a German record. Their version of Spooky Tooth's "Better By You, Better Than Me" was also competent enough. In addition, both Frank Diez and Manfred Galatik (electric piano, bass and vocals) wrote great songs, as typified by the tracks "People Talking" and "Open". Michael Nurnberg (bass, rhythm guitar) and Jurgen Lorenzen (drums) provided a strong backing. Armaggedon's album has rocketed in price during recent years, due to the ever increasing interest. However, demand for the group was poor way back in 1970, and Armaggedon soon broke up. Diez never played material with a similar energy again, his next step was to join the 'slightly-above-average' jazz-rockers Emergency. He later played with Randy Pie, Karthago, Ihre Kinder and Atlantis. Line-up / Musicians Frank Diez/guitar,vocals Peter Seeger/vocals Manfred Galatik/piano,bass,vocals Michael Nürnberg/bass,guitar Jürgen Lorenzen/drums Discography(Album) Armaggedon 1970
1.Round 2.Open 3.Oh Man 4.Rice Pudding 5.People Talking 6.Better by You, Better Than Me
The German psych/prog label called Garden of Delights recently made a campaign to reissue a bunch of lost krautrock classics, Arktis is at the top of these 70s obscurities. Formed in 1973, the band released their first album the same year. This self title album revisits a conventional heavy rock style mixed with freak out improvisations largely made of fuzzy guitars. In 1974 has been published an album with many demos. Konrad Plank was the producer. After a rather poor commercial support the band split. In 1975 will be released an other effort including many Arktis demos tape sessions. The music always features colourful heavy fuzz jams. Line-up / Musicians Karin Töppig/vocals Klaus Blachut/guitar Harry Kottek/drums,vocals Klaus Göllner/bass Discography(Album) Arktis 1973
1.Student's Idyll 2.Outcasted 3.Jeff the Fool 4.Rare Girl Bonus tracks: 5.Is it Real 6.Sky Drive 7.Don't Hang Around
Aqua were founded in Kassel in 1972. They played progressive rock like it was at fashion at those times, thus with a lot of organ. In 1972, too they recorded four self-written songs for to show to promoters and record companies. Though they couldn't make a record company to become interested they got a lot of gigs. Thus, they themselves released a 7" single in 1978, already more smoothed out. In 1981 they did an LP which already was mainstream, like it was up to date, then. The number of copies released was 1000 for each record. The here available CD contains the until now unreleased four songs of 1972, both tracks of their single, and according to the demand of the artists two songs from the LP which still show some progressive influences. Line-up / Musicians Martin Ulrich/guitar,bass,vocals Klaus Borucki/vocals Martin Großkurth/keyboards,vocals Georg Röber/bass Bernd Billhardt/drums Jörg Rainer Wiesner/keyboards Wolfgang Eckhardt/bass,vocals Roy Kaleve/drums,vocals Mike Fajgel/vocals Wolfgang Ide/bass,flute Matthias Reim/vocals Discography(Album) Aqua 2008
1.Bolero 2.Soul of My Soul 3.Tempest 4.There Is a Place 5.Going My Way 6.Teenage Feelings 7.No Use to Live On 8.No More Love
DROSSELBART is a Krautrock band from Germany featuring the talents of Peter Randt on guitar, Jemina on vocals, Christian Trachsel on keyboards, Dietmar Mainka on guitar, Werner Schuler on bass, and Martin Honemeyer on drums. The band have released one self titled studio album in 1970, and 2 singles lifted from the LP "Jemima / Du Bist Der Eine Weg" 1970, and "An Einem Tag Im August / O'Driscoll" 1971. The music is keyboard driven with the melodic vocals of Jemima, along with psychedelic textures and church organ passages. The band utilize a Hammond organ sound at times, swathes of ethereal synthesizers and then launch into heavy rock guitar in the vein of DEEP PURPLE or URIAH HEEP. There is a beauty in the sound infused with heavier aggressive riffs. The German vocals are expressive, often crying out, similar to the German vocals of DR. WOLFFF or EULENSPYGEL. Line-up / Musicians Peter Randt/vocals,guitar Jemina/vocals Christian Trachsel/keyboards Dietmar Mainka/guitar Werner Schuler/bass Martin Honemeyer/drums Discography(Album) Drosselbart 1970
1.Inferno/Drosselbart 2.Jemima 3.Liebe ist nur ein Wort 4.Du bist der eine Weg 5.Engel des Todes 6.Böse Buben 7.Vater unser 8.Folg mir 9.Montag 10.Nach einer langen Nacht 11.Der Sommer
Another symphonic German band in the vein of Eloy, Anyone's Daughter were formed in the seventies and disbanded with the release of 1986's Last Track album. The band reformed in 2000 to release two additional studios and one live album. While the band originally recorded mostly English lyrics, they returned to their native German the last several years of their original existence. Their debut album Adonis is distinguished by the sidelong track of the same name, a four-part epic featuring heavy use of keyboards (primarily Moog), and periodic violent crescendos combined with languid guitar lulls. The band's subsequent albums were increasingly filled with shorter, often experimental works and occasional spoken-word passages. While the early music can be favorably compared to Genesis, their later work is more in the style of German contemporaries like Grobschnitt and Amenophis. The band's musical peak is arguably their third release Piktors Verwandlungen, a ranging experimental concept album based loosely on Herman Hesse's novel "Pictor's Metamorphosis", a brooding lament of lost innocence and spiritual exploration. This was also the band's first recording in their native German tongue. The band toured heavily in the early eighties before civil service commitments and outside interests caused their eventual fracture in 1986. With their reformation in 2000, the band has returned to English vocals, and have adopted a sound that ranges from electronica to jazz/fusion, but is primarily hard rocking with ranges of intensity. Line-up / Musicians Harald Bareth/bass,vocals Uwe Karpa/guitars Kono Konopik/drums Matthias Ulmer/keyboards,vocals Discography(Album) Adonis 1979
No information available for this album Line-up / Musicians Frank Dostal/vocals Kuno Dreyse/bass Michael Anton Eckard/vocals,guitar Peter Hecht/keyboards Peter Hesslein/guitar Achim Reichel/guitar,vocals Dicky Tarrach/drums Discography(Album) Jesus Makes You High 1971
1.Jesus Makes You High 2.Sing And Pray 3.Doctor Jesus 4.Look At Birds 5.Gospel Train (Ride On) 6.Stranger Man 7.Twelve Men 8.It's A Miracle 9.Love Your Enemy 10.Get Out Of My Temple
Formed in 1978 by multi-instrumentalist Claus Neide, the original Antares German trio started with Bernd Menssen on guitar/synths/vocals and Axel Cornelius on drums/vocals.The next year Menssen quits and Ludwig Eilers and Helmut Stamm jump in on guitar/synths and bass respectively.Stamm soon departed to be replaced by Jimmy Schimmelpfennig.In 1981 the band was again shortened to a trio with Neide, Eilers and new drummer Helge Bulow, formerly with the Neo/Symphonic Rock band Tau.It was time for the band's first full-length album and the LP ''Over the hills'' was released in 1982, distributed by Bellaphon Records.Neide claims to have been influenced by GENESIS, YES and SAGA and the truth is that these influences somewhat sum up Antares' style.For the most of its part ''Over the hills'' is great Neo/Symphonic Rock with dramatic atmospheres and demanding musicianship, though the heavy synthesizer sounds and the mediocre production may disturb the Classic Prog fan's ear.But no one can deny that the album is filled with some very good arrangements, performed by a trio with talent and interesting ideas, where the melodic but also dynamic guitar work of Eiders meets the grandiose keyboard passages of Neide, no unlike the rich sound delivered by ANYONE'S DAUGHTER around the time.Additionally the trio offers plenty of complex interplays and dramatic solos along with some nervous vocals, often with a theatrical edge, to make the sound deeply underground and obscure.The sharp synthesizers, distorted vocals and strong bass remind also of British progsters QUASAR.And there is a heavy amount of GENESIS' inspired symphonic lines to make this album far from commercial and deeply emotional. Line-up / Musicians Claus Neide/vocals,keyboards,guitar Lugwig Eilers/guitar Helge Büow/drums Discography(Album) Over the Hills 1982
1.Over The Hills 2.Opening 3.Back On My Mind 4.Jumping 5.Bound 6.The Only Way
Another fine jazz influenced krautrock band which delivers ambitious, inventive sounds. As it was said, the geographical roots of the band are from Kamp-Lintfort near Düsseldorf back to 1967. At this time the musicians were connected with a local religious brass band and then they decided to form a "cosmic" rock band to expand their own musical ideas and to put the stress on the jazziest side of their music. Very interlocking their first album released in 1970 for the ohr label definitely represents the fusion between "cosmic" music and jazz rock. Their strange, psych improvisations are mixed with weird space / electronic effects. Wind instruments (mainly the flute and the trumpet) are associated to the electric organ and conventional electric guitar parts. These combinations offer a tasteful musical ensemble. Recorded in 1972, their following album is maybe more elaborated, more evident with a very accomplished improvisatory approach. Consequently two remarkable efforts which contributed to the development of the Krautrock scene.Annexus Quam's first record, originally released in 1970, is a peculiar mix of psychedelic rock and jazz, one of those distinctly Krautrock records from that era. There are plenty of spacy sound effects as well as drugged-out vocal moaning, while primitive rhythms pound away with savage ferocity, especially on the second track. The longer third cut slows things down slightly, with plenty of soloing of guitar, keyboard, and more vocal moaning over the rhythmic washes of sound and ragged percussion, and then adds in some cosmic electric guitar riffing toward the end. The side-long fourth track is far mellower, as a piano leads into a relaxed but swinging number that is far jazzier than the rest of the disc, though still based more in underground rock than jazz. The piece soon takes on the psychedelic weirdness of the earlier tracks as it starts to sway off kilter with more wordless vocals and studio effects and many transitions of sound. Line-up / Musicians Uwe Bick/drums,vocals,percussion Jürgen Jonuschies/bass,vocals,percussion Werner Hostermann/clarinet,organ,vocals,percussion Peter Werner/guitar,vocals,percussion Hans Kämper/guitar,trombone,vocals,percussion Ove Volquartz/saxophone,flute Harald Klemm/flute,vocals,percussion Discography(Album) Osmose 1970
A German band formed in 1978 largely of musicians from the Giessen region, Anabis produced three studio albums before disbanding in 1988. The band's music has proven somewhat difficult to classify, with a psychedelic element that has been compared to fellow countrymen Eloy, and a singer (Holger Sann) who has engendered comparisons to the theatrics of Gabriel-era Genesis.Like many other largely forgotten progressive bands of their era, the band's discography is somewhat confusing with the album Wer Will listed as their debut and alternately as their second studio release. The album has also been issued under two separate covers, which may explain the confusion about its origin. The band's final release included only drummer Mike Morkel from the original lineup augmented by a variety of studio musicians, and has been issued with the title Theatre as well as Success. All the band's albums have been reissued at one point of another under a variety of labels. The band distinguished themselves on early albums with the use of flute, as well as heavy and psychedelic keyboards, German vocals, and cynical lyrics. Each of the first two albums is structured with a long, epic work anchoring a number of other, largely thematic tracks. Their final release is a more contemporary rock album with English vocals, as well as an infusion of horns and a heavier guitar sound. Anabis can be found referred to in almost mythical terms on a variety of progressive, krautrock, neo-progressive, and psychedelic web sites and newsgroups, although they have also shown up on numerous 'all-time worst' band listings, usually in reference to their Theatre release. Line-up / Musicians Bert Beck/bass,percussion,vocals Roland Dörr/keyboards Mike Morkel/drums,percusion,vocals Peter Müller/guitars Holger Sann/vocals,flute,guitar,percussion Erhard Waschke/guitars Discography(Album) Heaven On Earth 1980
1.Heaven On Earth 2.Water-Problem 3.Faded Dreams 4.Malleus Malificarum 5.Assassination
70's psych / progressive collective from Germany underground, incorporating fuzzed out guitar improvisations, west coast influences, "retro" pop elements and folk acoustic "exoticism". The band was formed by Dietmar Burmeister (Agitation Free, Ashra Tempel). Their album "We hope to see you" (1974) has been published on German label Delta Acoustics (known for the releases of Sand and Code III). The recordings are blending several styles in its entirety making it really impossible to categorize. Line-up / Musicians Michael Sauber/sax,flute Bernie Schumacher/sax Jorg Hahnfeld/bass,guitar Dietmar Burmeister/drums,percussion Lothar Muschinski/vocals,guitar Klaus Pankau/guitars,vocals Discography(Album) We Hope To See You 1974
1.Out Of The City 2.Seerock 3.Scizoid Game 4.Black Suits 5.Espresso Brasil
AMOS KEY is a classically influenced, and keyboard driven band from Germany. The lineup consisted of Thomas Molin (keyboards, vocals), Andreas Gross (bass, guitar, vocals), and Lutz Ludwig (drums). Their debut release was 1973's "First Key". To show their dedication to the masters, the album was dedicated to Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. The German trio are mostly compared to EKSEPTION, ELP, DEEP PURPLE and THE NICE. There have been comparisons also with ATLANTIC PHILHARMONIC, MARIAN VARGA and COLLEGIUM MUSICUM.Unlike many of their contemporaries, AMOS KEY favored shorter songs over longer epics. Around 1975 AMOS KEY again entered the studio to record another album but unfortunately it was not to be. The album was never finished, but a few demos have come to light. For a long hiatus the band became more obscure with their one and only release. Line-up / Musicians Thomas Molin/keyboards,vocals Andreas Gross/guitar,bass,vocals Lutz Ludwig/drums Discography(Album) First Key 1973
1.Shoebread 2.Ensterknickstimmstamm 3.Knecht Ruprecht 4.Sometimes... 5.Got The Feelin 6.Escape 7.Important Matter 8.Dragon's Walk 9.First Key
AMON DÜÜL II was born of an artistic and political community called AMON DÜÜL (which recorded during the late sixties a long live session made around collective and free musical improvisations). The band emerged from the underground German rock scene with a very original and eccentric album called "Phallus Dei" (1969). The musicians who participated to this delirious and psychedelic experience were (among others) Peter Leopold (ex AMON DÜÜL), the front woman and singer Renate Knaup, John Weinzierl on the guitars... with guests as Holger Trützsch who plays tribal percussions (original member of Popol Vuh). Then almost with the same musicians the band recorded the seminal "Yeti" (1970). An album in a similar vein than the previous but more accomplished (with a few structured songs and numerous pieces of epic improvisations). "Yeti" will launch AMON DÜÜL II career outside Germany. The same year the bass guitarist Dave Anderson leaves the band to join HAWKWIND. "Tanz Der Lemminge" which follows directly "Yeti" is an impressive work with a great diversity of powerful, emotional songs with some folk accents next to long free space jamming. Recorded in 1972, "Carnival in Babylon" announces a slight new musical direction taken by the band. This album is dominated by shorter songs with the omnipresent and beautiful Renate Knaup's vocals. A more conventional work with a few memorable prog-folk ballads. The classical period of the band will end with "Wolf City" (1972) and "Viva La Trance" (1973). After the departure of Renate Knaup who joins Popol Vuh in 1974 and the release of a few albums, AMON DÜÜL II split up. In 1981, with the album "Vortex" Chris Karrer tried without success to reform the band. Line-up / Musicians Renate Knaup/vocals,tambourine Chris Karrer/violin,guitars,vocals John Weinzierl/guitars,vocals Falk Rogner/organ Peter Leopold/drums Dave Anderson/bass Shrat/bongos,vocals Discography(Album) Yeti 1970
1.Soap Shop Rock 2.She Came through the Chimney 3.Archangels Thunderbird 4.Cerberus 5.The Return of Ruebezahl 6.Eye-Shaking King 7.Pale Gallery 8.Yeti (Improvisation) 9.Yeti Talks to Yogi (Improvisation) 10.Sandoz in the Rain (Improvisation)
Amon Düül were a huge musical collective that had a spectacular appearance in a tv-show in 1968. Before they put out their first album they split though, and one half set off to form Amon Düül 2. The others kept the name Amon Düül and in 1969 published the first Krautrock album ever, "Psychedelic Underground". Obscure upon release and obscure even now, for all the cult appeal, Underground is music at its most experimental and relentlessly uncommercial, using late-'60s inspirations as a launching ground for what came to be described as Krautrock. Psych-folk was another common term, one which applies just fine to much of the music here, feeling like an enthusiastic medieval festival gone just out of control enough, and with electricity to boot. Taken from a jam session from the previous year, but treated with many studio effects that enhance the strangeness of the collection, Underground rocks to its own weird beat. Opening track "Ein Wunderhubsches Madchen Traumt von Sandosa" captures what sounds like a great experience for everyone involved, a 17-minute composition heavy on the drums and percussion, with a basic, chugging guitar riff in one channel and chanting, call-and-response vocals located throughout the mix. At one point the jam is faded out in favor of piano parts, train noises, and the like, only to be brought back in again just as strongly, before finally fading into the gentler "Kaskados Minnelied," a mix of acoustic and electric guitars, along with a stringed instrument of some sort, that favors drones as much as it does soft riffs. The tracks on the second side have the same understandable vibe, but some are sparer in comparison, as with the keening strummed guitar/vocal combination "Im Garten Sandosa" and "Mama Duul und Ihre Sauerkrautband spielt auf," which is mostly clattering percussion in one stereo channel! You could say the sound quality isn't the best, but given the year of recording and the prevalence of lo-fi production approaches in more recent years, it doesn't sound that bad at all. Line-up / Musicians Angelica Filanda/vocals,percussion Helge Filanda/congas,anvil Ella Bauer/vocals,percussion Rainer Bauer/guitar,vocals Ullrich Leopold/bass Peter Leopold/drums Uschi Obermaier/percussion Wolfgang Krischke/piano,percussion Discography(Album) Psychedelic Underground 1969
1.Ein Wunderhübsches Mädchen Träumt von Sandosa 2.Kaskados Minnelied 3.Mama Düül und Ihre Sauerkrautband Spielt Auf 4.Im Garten Sandosa 5.Der Garten Sandosa im Morgentau 6.Bitterlings Verwandlung
Amenophis was founded in 1978 by Michael Roessman, Wolfgang Vollmuth, and Stefan Roessmann. The name was taken from an Egyptian Pharoah, and was meant to have international appeal. They recorded their first album in their own apartment / studio in the summer of 1983. Lack of sales forced them to sell all of the equipment, thus breaking up the band. In 1987 fate smiled with an offer to record a second album. This lineup would include Kurt Poppe on keyboards, René Kius on drums and Elke Moehle on vocals. Stephan was replaced (with his blessing) due to health problems. The tour for "You and I" lasted until the summer of 1989. Line-up / Musicians Stefan Rößmann/drums,keyboards,guitar Michael Rößmann/guitars,keyboards Wolfgang Vollmuth/bass,guitar,keyboards,vocals Discography(Album) Amenophis 1983
1.Suntower 2.The flower 3.Venus 4.The last requiem
