Kluster ‎– "Zwei-Osterei" (Schwann AMS Studio ‎– ams studio 512) 1971

Oh Shiiiiiiit!....Just hearing the voice of Manfred Paethe, as a teutonic version of Larry Olivier doing Richard the Third,but in the Gestapo. Gives me waking nightmares of being interrogated by a psychopath with the backing of the state. This is the music ,or more accurately Non-Music, that plays as you wait for electrodes to be applied to your balls,or the hammer on the inside of your knee,before they dunk your head in the bath of shit.......but you don't know anything! Not that knowing something will save you of course. Such is the power of the German language,to send shivvers down the spine,and hair stand on end,even on my bald head, in sheer terror!
The music/Non-Music, is the essence of the scraping violins from Hitchcocks "Psycho", but slowed down to a grating crawl,like a slowly inserting knife in the liver.The voice, that Voice, is the blade twisting.
Is this the very first Industrial album?....I reckon it is,or its sister album "Klopfzeichen",whichever was released first.
Its beyond merely Avant Garde, its Avant Industrial.Recording the noise of the modern planet and feeding its horror back at us.
Krautrock this is not, but it gets lumped in there with Guru Guru as the same stuff,that German Stuff. Like all the Kosmiche musick,it ain't nothing to do with Rock whatsoever.
After another couple of official albums in 1971, Konrad Schnitzler went solo, and the remaining two (Mobeius,and Roedelius) changed the 'K' to a 'C' and became ambient legends Cluster.Three people who have,possibly, never made a (s)hit record......shiiiiit!

Tracklist:

A Electric Music Und Text
[Sprecher] – Manfred Paethe 22:50
B Kluster 4 22:09

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Guru Guru ‎– "UFO" (Ohr ‎– OMM 56 005) 1970

Probably my favourite Kraut Freak-out album from Rocks golden era is "UFO",This is how to abuse an electric guitar,whilst walking a delicate line between control and chaos,with a loose but tight rhythm unit rumbling along behind the electric storm clouds of Ax Genrich.
The sister of a now deceased German friend of mine, Uli, who looked not unlike a member Guru Guru; told me at his funeral, that Mani Neumeier  (the drummer of Guru Guru)once suggested that she have sex with him.A request to which, she understandably refused vigorously.Looking at the band pictures its a wonder any of these Free Rock legends got laid at all.
From this peak,they slowly decended that well trodden down escalator to Jazz Rock Hell.

Tracklist:

A1 Stone In 5:42
A2 Girl Call 6:15
A3 Next Time See You At The Dalai Lhama 6:10
B1 Ufo 10:15
B2 Der LSD-Marsch 8:25

DOWNLOAD then U F Off HERE!

Guru Guru ‎– "Wiesbaden 1972" (Garden Of Delights ‎– CD 129) 2007

Our favourite teutonic free rock trio take their lengthy freak-outs to Wiesbaden, as they approach the "KanGuru" album era.A suitably ragged set is unleashed on the sparce audience in the Wartburg Pub on november 4th 1972,and then some clever fucker recorded it!? Then an even cleverer fucker made it available for free download.


Tracklist:

1 Oxymoron 28:32
2 Baby Cake Walk 23:50
3 Ooga Booga 22:05

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Guru Guru ‎– "Essen 1970" (Garden Of Delights ‎– CD 075) 2002

Looking at the repulsive band shot on the cover,This is what I always imagined West Germans looked like. Rather like Americans and Japanese think Brits always run around in suits,wear Bowler Hats and carry an umbrella......and worse have an errant son with a red Mohawk who hangs out sniffing glue in Camden,with the rest of the Artful Dodgers gang of pickpockets.
And of course its nearly all true, because most every German I've encountered looks like a member of Guru Guru,but I can't find a Bowler Hat for myself that actually fits!
Despite, what dull commonsense retorts I may receive to the contrary, its a laugh to be able to spot any nationality from any generalistion at 1000 yards. See a dirty Hippie, and a pound to a pinch of shit they'll either be French or German.Get closer and the smellier ones will be the French version.Also the French version will have, invariably, some ali baba balloon pants, and a scarf adorning neck and shoulders, singing the praises of Zer Doorsss,and Soopertrrramp.
The Germans have better taste in music,so they're easier to spot.
Guru Guru, like Jimi Hendrix a lot,and it shows in their particular style of Free Rock mixed with a bit of Ornette Coleman theory;both big names to drop in late sixties universities.
Ax Genrich,not anywhere near Hendrix's level of guitar craft,is mixed rather low in the mix for this Live outing at the 'Essener Pop- & Blues-Festival in Essen 25/10/1970;but he does manage to make some jolly pleasurable noises,that would have made a great soundtrack to the thousands of tonnes of TNT the RAF dropped on Essen in World War Two, many of which were dropped by my late father.So, sorry to any family member of the very polite audience who got killed by my fathers bombing....after all, he was "Just Obeying Orders!?"

Tracklist:

1 Stone In 12:00
2 Der LSD-Marsch 14:22
3 Bo Diddley 11:27

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A.R. & Machines - " A. R. IV" (Zebra ‎– 2949 008) 1973

Krautrock-fusion with a hint of Soft Machine 'Third' onwards......and whats wrong with that? Was the rhetorical question.

Tracklist:

1. Vita (22:13)
2. Aqua (23:12)

DOWNLOAD the fourth reichel HERE!

A.R. & Machines - "AR3" - (Zebra Records) 1972

I may change my mind tomorrow but, I reckon this is the best one of the Reichel and Machines albums.Sounds like more of a group effort than the others,hypnotic and even rocking at some points.The birth of Shoegaze I suggest,or Glenn Branca before Branca? Theoretically, theoretical before the Theoretical Girls were even Girls? Keine Deutsche Welle (thanks Walter) or Deutsche No Wave?..... or probably just standard German early seventies motorik space rock?......with echo_boxes.
Yes, I Like It!?

Tracklist:

1.Warum Peter Nur Noch Ferien Macht 7:26
2.Tarzan’s Abenteuer Im Sommerschlußverkauf 5:20
3.10 Jahre Lebenslänglich 7:26
4.Die Tochter Des Frostriesen 2:19
5.Die Eigentümer Der Welt 6:46
6.Heute Ist Es Wärmer Als Draussen 3:15
7.Auf Deutsch Heisst Das Gewissensbisse 3:49
8.Wie Ich Mir So Ich Dir 2:20
9.Alles Geht Nach Goa 5:20

DOWNLOAD the third reichel HERE!

A.R. & Machines - "Echo" (Polydor) 1972

Time for more Kraut echo box rock that you can march to if you're so inclined,but more likely you can pass your smoking drugs around at your slacker party and lose yourself in the swirling repetition.
The Nazis were on the wrong drugs,they took 'Pervitin' en masse apparently,which was an over the counter Meth-Ampethamine that turned one into a sleepless, fearless, fighting machine.Not the kind of Machine that Reichel uses,and definitely NOT to be taken listening to this;But for invading and over-running a neighbouring state with a daring pincer movement in a few days, its perfect.
Hypnotic stuff indeed,except for the inevitable parts where Achim vocalizes into his machine,which is supremely irritating. ...but supposedly intended to amuse?.....wrong!

Tracklist:

1 Einladung (Invitation)
2 Das Echo Der Gegenwart (The Echo Of The Presence)
3 Das Echo Der Zeit (The Echo Of Time)
4 Das Echo Der Zukunft (The Echo Of The Future)
5 Das Echo Der Vergangenheit (The Echo Of The Past)

DOWNLOAD the second reichel HERE!

A.R. & Machines ‎– "Die Grüne Reise - The Green Journey" (Polydor ‎– 2371 128) 1971

A.R.,also known as Achim Reichel (dunno if he's related to Hans Reichel or not?), bought his echo box in around 1970,and never put it back in the cupboard for at least four years at the start of the seventies.Most people just fart around with their effects in private in their bedrooms,but not Achim....he farts around on magnetic tape, and released it all on vinyl.
You can do virtually anything through an Echo effect and it'll sound great.Something that was discovered early on by Elvis and Sun Records, then later in the eighties by legions of Industrial bedroom dwellers.
Nowadays, everyone has a vast collection of effects pedals,shiney Fender Jazzmasters,and 128 track digital recording facilities, so don't bother buying the deluxe editions of these albums,just do it yourself,and please....keep it to yourself!
The Green journey in this case, is downloading music files as the only Green way to consume music.No packaging, no plastic used,no greenhouse gas producing delivery.....feel smug as you're not part of the problem anymore.Saving the planet by sharing stuff that only exists as 1's and zero's.Lets pat ourselves on the back as the Amazon Rainforest burns,and we listen to some German Hippies get self-indulgent with some effects....that they bought from some music emporium no doubt?...CONSUMERS!!!!

Tracklist: 

1.Globus
2.In The Same Boat
3.Beautiful Babylon
4.I'll Be Your Singer. You'll Be My Song
5.Body
6.A Book's Blues
7.As If I Have Seen All This Before.
8. Cosmic Vibration (An Afternoon Concert)
9. Come On, People
10.Truth And Probability (A Lexicon For Self-Knowledge)

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Manuel Göttsching ‎– "Inventions For Electric Guitar" (Kosmische Musik ‎– KM 58.015) 1975

One thing about Manuel Göttsching is that he did have a liking for quality knitwear.Never too far away from a cosy purple sweater, never mind a lengthy nylon scarf, as pictured here in front of that standard prog rock accessory, a Gong.Probably one of the best/horrific album covers of all time.
The music,however, is the logical extention of that Pink Floyd slap back echo guitar/effect interplay so beloved of several Krautrock guitarists.Its hypnotic qualities cannot be overrated,have a go yourself, its easy,all you need is an electric guitar,an echo device and a sense of a 4/4 time signature,no rhythmic affinity necessary.Germans always find it difficult to stray from a marching beat,and this album is no different.Although its another proto-trance classic further cementing the reputation of Germany as the birthplace of House/techno.

Tracklist:

A1 Echo Waves 17:45
A2 Quasarsphere 6:34
B Pluralis 21:36

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Ash Ra Tempel ‎– "The Private Tapes Vol. 6" (Manikin Records ‎– MRCD 7016) 1996

Three Ash Ra tracks, the first of which sounds like some guitar hero wanna be playing along with a home organ enthusiast. The other two are from a concert  in Berlin in 1979, and benefits from some crisp live drumming, but strays into very dodgy Carlos Santana areas that should be strictly Verboten,especially for Carlos himself.
The live classic Ash Ra Tempel line up treat us to a lo-fi recording of Klaus Schulze's last ART concert in Bern from 1971, before going solo.I have no smart arse comments to add to this uninspired piece of blurb...track four's good anyway.

Tracklist:

1 –Ashra - Hausaufgabe (1978) 11:47
2 –Ashra - Ice Train (1979) 6:26
3 –Ashra - Phantasus (1979) 5:26
4 –Ash Ra Tempel - Ein Würdiger Abschluss (1971) 54:16

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Ash Ra Tempel ‎– "The Private Tapes Vol. 5" (Manikin Records ‎– MRCD 7015) 1996

Out comes the echo-box again,as Manuel strives for that Dave Gilmore sound once more.
Oh yeah!..There's a live Ash Ra Tempel track recorded in Cologne in feb 1973 that has its moments,but thats about it for volume 5.

Tracklist:

1 –Manuel Göttsching - Ultramarine (1978) 22:24
2 –Manuel Göttsching - Lotus (1976) 19:41
3 –Manuel Göttsching - Ivresse De Lune (1973) 2:27
4 –Manuel Göttsching - Ivresse De Soleil (1973) 2:59
5 –Ash Ra Tempel -  Ooze Away (1973) 28:00
6 –Manuel Göttsching - Interview (1989) 2:59

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Ash Ra Tempel ‎– "The Private Tapes Vol. 4" (Manikin Records ‎– MRCD 7014) 1996

They all do it at some point don't they?
Get ideas beyond their station and Go Jazz Fusion!?.......but not the good Jazz Fusion like Miles Davis etc,this is awful Pat Methany style Jazz Rock fusion.Krautrock Legends, Guru Guru also befell this same fate on their 1974 "Dance Of The Flames" album,terrible stuff.Even Zoot Horn Rollo went 'Jazz' on his sole solo album a few years ago, but he's a better guitarist than Göttsching,so he got away with it.Basically, Jazz and electric guitar shouldn't be said in the same sentence.....ever!
I suppose there are some Pat Methany fans who will take offence at my use of their hero as the comparison point for 'awful' on the Jazz Fusion barometer of shite; but thats how it is on these pages.Heaven knows the pain just a few notes of any Methany tunes have caused the boredom sector of my delicate frontal lobe,so he deserves it.
As terrible the first three tracks are, its more than made up for by  repetitive sequencer driven proto-trance number "Niemand Lacht Rückwärts".
Finishing off this episode we have a rather below par Ash Ra Tempel freak out.....sounding...dare I say....a bit Jazzy(!?)in places....not good.

Tracklist:

1 –Ashra - Club Cannibal (1979) 14:48
2 –Ashra - Sausalito (1979) 3:40
3 –Ashra - Ain't No Time For Tears (1979) 7:12
4 –Manuel Göttsching - Niemand Lacht Rückwärts (1979) 11:56
5 –Ash Ra Tempel - Dédié à Hartmut (1973) 39:59

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Ash Ra Tempel ‎– "The Private Tapes Vol. 3" (Manikin Records ‎– MRCD 7013) 1996

Some say that these private tapes should have remained private......and they may have a point.
The high point for me on Volume three has to be the Free Rock of Ash Ra Tempel.Turn the volume from 3 to 11 to enjoy it to the maximum.
Tracks 2&4 are, however, superior trancey numbers to keep you company in your flotation tank of an evening,after a hard days grovelling.

Tracklist:

1 –Manuel Göttsching - Whoopee (1973) 3:17
2 –Manuel Göttsching - Der Lauf Der Giraffen (1973) 3:17
3 –Ashra - Schwerer Dino (1974) 27:27
4 –Manuel Göttsching - Halensee (1973) 12:21
5 –Ash Ra Tempel - Le Bruit Des Origines (1971) 32:04

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Ash Ra Tempel - "The Private Tapes Vol. 2" (Manikin Records ‎– MRCD 7012) 1996

Manuel Göttsching is often credited with inventing 'House'(shame on you!), with the mind numbingly boring "E2-E4" album.Its repetative synth lines were hardly original,and the terrible drum machine in the background wasn't either;but that LP and "Trans-europe Express" seem to put this mind-controling genre firmly in the land that gave us MK Ultra.Maybe Göttsching was a fourth Reich Nazi drone,programed to infiltrate the counter-culture and stealthily introduce this form of fake decadant marching musick to the masses...very sucessfully I may add.
Personally,I place the blame at the feet of the minimal composers of the sixties and seventies,Glass, Reich, Riley etc, plus Kraftwerk...maybe?
The first three tracks on volume two wouldn't be out of place at some drugged up chill-out area at a late eighties illegal rave party somewhere near Basildon (Essex?)
For me, the live Ash Ra Tempel track is the reason to have this in your collection. Live improvised electric freak outs are my favorite background music. You can read to it, take drugs to it, invite the neighbours round for a Fondue,its perfect music...even if it is done by a bunch of West German hippies who would have loved to be Pink Floyd in 1967......in fact I would have loved to be Pink Floyd in 1967 too!?...Who in their right mind wouldn't? 

Tracklist:

1 –Manuel Göttsching - Deep Distance (1976) 21:11
2 –Manuel Göttsching - Shuttle Cock (1976) 18:12
3 –Manuel Göttsching - Wall Of Sound (1979) 12:03
4 –Ash Ra Tempel - Soirée Académique (1971) 24:17
5 –Ash Ra Tempel - Interview (1970) (KS) 0:22

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Ash Ra Tempel - "The Private Tapes Vol. 1" (Manikin Records ‎– MRCD 7011) 1996

So, we've established that 'Krautrock' was a rougher form of prog rock by German groups who wanted to be Pink Floyd,with splashes of Zappa,Soft Machine, and The Velvet Underground.They weren't gonna be doing world tours or hiring jumbo jets or anything like ELP or Led Zeppelin anytime soon, so they could get a bit more unpalatable for the stinking masses than any Anglo-American group were allowed to.

Firmly in the Pink Floyd-a-like camp are the various incarnations of Ash Ra Tempel supremo, Manuel Gottsching.

This is the first volume in a series of six CDs of unreleased historic recordings from the seventies by Manuel and his groups Ash Ra Tempel & Ashra.

The first track from 1979 is an insipid new age foray into the unforgiving world of bland medatative neck pick-up guitar noodling.

Next up we get a Berlin School influenced proto ambient trance seqencer piece,think Tangerine Dream but crapper.
The catchily titled,"Begleitmusik Zu Einem Hörspiel"is classic, get yer echo boxes out Pink Floyd mimickry, then back to new age beige for "Bois De La Lune"

Track 5 is a truly terrible sixties German high school blues band atrocity.....it can only get better...and it does.... on volume 2.

Tracklist:

1 –Manuel Göttsching -  Bois De Soleil (1979) 3:14
2 –Manuel Göttsching - Eloquentes Wiesel (1979) 28:47
3 –Manuel Göttsching - Begleitmusik Zu Einem Hörspiel (1974) 24:41
4 –Manuel Göttsching - Bois De La Lune (1979) 7:26
5 –Steeple Chase Bluesband -Chicken Maladie (1970) 9:52

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Amon Düül II ‎– "Yeti" (Liberty ‎– LBS 83 359/60 X) 1970

Yup, obviously their best album......apart from that,you'll be pleased to know that I have little to say on the subject.

Tracklist:

1.Soap Shop Rock
.a Burning Sister 3:41
.b Halluzination Guillotine 3:05
.c Gulp A Sonata 0:45
.d Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm 5:53
2. She Came Through The Chimney 3:56
3. Archangels Thunderbird 3:30
4. Cerberus 4:18
5. The Return Of Ruebezahl 1:35
6. Eye-Shaking King 6:37
7. Pale Gallery 2:11
8. Yeti (Improvisation) 18:00
9. Yeti Talks To Yogi (Improvisation) 6:06
10. Sandoz In The Rain (Improvisation) 8:55

DOWNLOAD to brighten up a Düül evening HERE!

Amon Düül II ‎– "Phallus Dei" (Liberty ‎– LBS 83 279 I) 1969

Don't wanna bore you with too much obvious 'Krautrock' stuff, and you've probably all got this,soooooo,.....oh alright then, here's Amon Düül II's first album, which,retrospectively, lost out in the race to be the first 'Krautrock' album in perpetuity to Amon Düül mark I.
If you like a bunch of hippies all playing their instruments at the same time then this is most definitely for you.Like a Grateful Dead live bootleg with the really boring bits on a loop, this is 1969 encapsulated in one small package.
Of course I exaggerate, but i can't see what made this seem so 'out there' for its time. Not all 'Krautrock' albums sounded like this however. 'twas one of those made-up scenes designed to package a collection of recordings that you're supposed to like 'if you're Cool'.It'd be like calling all the groups from the UK in the sixties, Brit Wave....total nonsense....like that toe-curling Britpop nonsense which ended guitar driven pop for good.
Krautrock was just ,basically, the German arm of the Progressive Rock fad but produced some very unique groups, due to the fact that they didn't have the same commercial pressures that groups in the UK and USA had....such is artistic freedom, and nothing whatsoever to do with nationality, or scenes.
I much prefer Amon Düül I's output to this poor man's Electric Ladyland made for and by homeless hippie types, and wanna be political terrorists.
All this stuff was in the 'European Rock' section in my local record emporium, not a mention of 'Krautrock',a phrase that became more popular in the 90's when this stuff was very a la mode.New discoveries of truly terrible 'Krautrock' recordings were made almost weekly.Lets face it, most of it was utterly awful rubbish,like in all artificial scenes.The cream naturally rose to the top, Ash Ra, Can, Neu, TD,Cluster, etc.....notably NOT including Amon Düül II....and all became equally apalling after 1974.
"Phallus Dei", or...tee hee hee giggle giggle...God's Penis, is likely their best album,or maybe 'Yeti' is...they both sound exactly the same so its a toss up.

Tracklist:

1 Kanaan 4:02
2 Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren 6:12
3 Luzifers Ghilom 8:34
4 Henriette Krötenschwanz 2:03
5 Phallus Dei 20:47
Bonus Tracks
6 Freak Out Requiem I 4:02
7 Freak Out Requiem II 3:47
8 Freak Out Requiem III 0:42
9 Freak Out Requiem IV 7:49
10 Cymbals In The End 0:31

DOWNLOAD from the phallus HERE!

Amon Düül ‎– "Collapsing Singvögel Rückwärts & Co." ( Metronome ‎– SMLP 012) 1969

How more black can an album be,and the answer is 'None...None more ....black!'

'More recordings from the 1969 "Psychedelic Underground" sessions. A more diverse second album, a number of the tracks involve multi-tracking, and there are lots of sound effects, cuts/splices/cross-fades, etc. As with its predecessor, all glitches and errors are intentional. 

I couldn't be arsed to write anything vaguely witty,so the first paragraph was lifted from Discogs,but Amon Duul 1 seems to have elicited a wordy response from the general public(you!),specifically on the subject of what, and what is not, 'Krautrock'.Basically Krautrock is Prog Rock,and Space Rock played by Germans;But Amon Dull..er sorry...Düül, certainly is not progressive rock,but displys an independant spirit that German musik between 1968 and 1974 had in buckets.Basically, they hadn't a cat in hells chance of getting a hit record in the UK/US charts, so they had a freedom to do whatever they wanted themselves,resulting in some pretty unique takes on progressive rock and space Rock. In their attempts to break the shackles of Anglo-American rock they mostly seemed to have a strong desire to be Pink Floyd...and why not? A few groups stood out as being glaringly unique, such as Can, Neu,and Kluster,but the rest could be compared to a lot of anglo-american equivalents. Amon Düül were like any number of Hippie commune collectives across the western world. Compared to the Can's of this vague genre, Amon Düül one were patently awful, but thats kinda what I like about 'em innit?

Tracklist:

A1 Booster (Kolkraben) 3:03
A2 Bass, Gestrichen (Pot Plantage, Kollaps) 3:25
A3 Tusch Ff. 3:53
A4 Singvögel Rückwärts (Singvögel Vorwärts) 4:11
A5 Lua-Lua-He (Chor Der Wiesenpieper) 1:40
B1 Shattering & Fading (Flattermänner) 4:25
B2 Nachrichten Aus Cannabistan 3:13
B3 Big Sound (Die Show Der Blaumeisen) 2:09
B4 Krawall (Repressiver Montag) 3:31
B5 Blech & Aufbau (Bau, Steine & Erden) 2:06
B6 Natur (Auf Dem Lande) 1:52

DOWNLOAD this load of kollaps HERE!

Captain Beefheart - "Lick My Decals Off, Baby (Outtakes)" (Bootleg) 1970

If you ever wanted a soundtrack for an alternative Karaoki soirée,then this is perfect for you. Nineteen instrumental Beefheart tracks from the 'Lick My Decals Off, Baby' sessions;then beaf(pun intended) it up with the instrumental tracks from the "Trout Mask House Sessions", and you got yerself a swinging avant-blues Karaoki night.......I'm reserving 'Dachau Blues' for my Beefheart Party,hows 'bout yous?

Tracklist:

01-Lick My Decals Off,Baby
02-Doctor Dark
03-I Love You Big Dummy
04-Bellerin' Plain
05-Woe Is Uh Me Bop
06-Japan In A Dishpan
07-Big Toe # 25
08-Petrified Forest
09-The Buggy Boogie-Woogie
10-The Big Dig (The Smithsonian Institute Blues)
11-Space Age Couple
12-Clouds Are Full Of Wine
13-Flash Gordon's Ape
14-Japan In A Dishpan (Take 2)
15-Japan In A Dishpan (Take 4)
16-Japan In A Dishpan (Bass & Drums)
17-Flash Gordon's Ape # 1
18-Flash Gordon's Ape # 2
19-Bellerin' Plain (No Overdub)
20-The Buggy Boogie Woogie (Vocals Only)
21-Well Well Well (Rockette Morton on vocals)

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Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band ‎– "The Spotlight Kid Outtakes 1971-1972" (Bootleg)

There were two other sessions in 1971 1nd 1972 before "The Brown Star Sessions," and they provide us with a load more unheard or rejected classic period Beefheart tracks consigned to the rubbish heap.
It's all in that slow tempo we all either like or dislike on "The Spotlight Kid" album, slow like a slow pourin' cup of southern molasses direct into yer ear'oles.
Well I like slow Beefheart, it got dat Voodoo.
Zoot Horn Rollo thinks it 'Sucks',but it wasn't about what Zoot wanted was it?
Again, a lot of this resurfaced in later years on the post 'Bat Chain Puller' albums in different forms,before he retired to the desert to do his paintings,and battle with multiple sclerosis.

Tracklist:

1 Drink Paint Run Run 7:28
2 Seam Crooked Sam #2 2:18
3 Dirty Blue Gene #1 2:54
4 Sun Zoom Spark #3 4:12
5 Kiss Me My Love 2:38
6 Funeral Hill #1 6:46
7 Harry Irene 2:51
8 Open Pins 5:41
9 Dual & Abdul 2:44
10 Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian #2 3:05
11 Balladino 2:27
12 Clear Spot (Instrumental) 4:46
13 Circumstances 9:09
14 I'm Gonna Booglarize You, Baby (Instrumental) 5:54
15 Low Yo Yo Stuff (Instrumental) 6:08
16 Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian #1 4:11
17 Little Scratch #2 2:53
18 Pompadour I

19 Pompadour II
20 Suzy Murder Wrist 3:47
21 U Bean So Cinquo 2:51
22 The Witch Doctor Life 3:51
23 Little Scratch #1 4:48
24 Flaming Autograph 4:44
25 Love Grip 4:48
26 No Flower Shall Grow 5:44
27 Best Batch Yet #1 (3 Takes) 3:40
28 Your Love Brought Me To Life (2 Takes) 4:10
29 That Little Girl 5:18
30 Campfires 5:47
31 Well Well Well (Rockette Morton on vox) 1:57
32 Funeral Hill #3 3:55
33 Seam Crooked Sam #1 2:15
34 Alice In Blunderland 3:55
35 Funeral Hill #2 3:17
36 Best Batch Yet #2 2:14
37 Dirty Blue Gene #2 3:14
38 Sun Zoom Spark #1 8:03
39 Scratch My Back 1:51
40 Blues Medley 7:16
   a/Down In The Bottom
   b/Key To The Highway
   c/Grandpa Don't Love Grandma No More
41 Sun Zoom Spark #2 8:28

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Amon Düül ‎– "Psychedelic Underground" (Metronome ‎– MLP 15.332) 1969

Not only is it the fiftieth anniversary of the Moon Landings,the Manson Killings,'Trout Mask Replica',and Woodstock, its 50 years since the birth of Krautrock on vinyl, via West German hippie cult jam miesters,Amon Düül.
For me, any bunch of middle class drop-outs who hang out in communes are liable to be labelled a 'Cult'.
Amon Düül grew out of the Kronwinkl commune in Munich that mixed radical political criticism with a unique vision of free-form improvisation.Sounds like a lot of fun does it not?Especially when those fun-lovin' Nutty socialists, the Baader-Meinhof gang, or The Red Army Faction, started to hang with the Amon Düül crew. 
Chris Karrer himself stated when interviewed by Audion Mgazine and also, Off the record, Renate and Christian Burchard, among others  concurred on this matter, all stating that these sexy terrorists would bring a whole groupie crowd, booze and drugs with them. But they were really more trouble than beneficial in the long run. It seems at first that no one knew of their politics, until the band's commune was raided by the cops.....I find it hard to believe that the Baader-Meinhoff lot could possibly keep their mouths shut about their socialist utopia,and bore everybody shitless,but after the Police raids they were swiftly moved on.Or maybe they were moved on to avoid endless monologues about how removing incentives from life is a really good thing;and how this could be schieved by killing a few people,and hi-jacking Lufthansa jets.I can imagine that they were potentially even more tiresome than Crass.
There's no information as to whether those trendy terrorists actually joined in the Jam session that led to the four Amon Düül albums or not...personally I'd like to think that they did, which cranks up the ghoul status a few notches at least.
They missed out on an opportunity to be the teutonic Manson family by half a hijacked inch.
Personally I prefer Amon Düül to Amon Düül II, as the offshoot was far too musicianly than version 'I'.There's a much freer tribalistic feel to Amon Düül one that I prefer.
I dunno if this was the first 'Official' Krautrock album or was it 'Monster Movie' by CAN....I kinda view CAN as something different myself,outside of the Krautrock bracket,alongside Neu. So, that would leave this album as the official begining of Krautrock then or what?...discuss.

Tracklist:

A1 Ein Wunderschönes Mädchen Träumt Von Sandosa 16:50
A2 Kaskados Minnelied 2:47
A3 Mama Düül Und Ihre Sauerkrautband Spielt Auf 2:49
B1 Im Garten Sandosa 7:42
B2 Der Garten Sandosa Im Morgentau 8:19
B3 Bitterlings Verwandlung 2:24

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Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band - "The Brown Star Sessions" (Bootleg) 1972

The cult continued,during the 1972 sessions that produced the Spotlight Kid and Clear Spot LPs but ,unlike other 'cult leaders',this marked a new era  with the Captain appearing to have loosened the structural death grip he imposed on his musicians since the Trout Mask Replica LP,allowing them to improvise and express themselves a tad.
These were sessions intended for an album called "Brown Star", but ended up mainly as the style from which 'The Spotlight Kid was culled. A few of the songs were spruced up for "Clear Spot" and even later albums.
There are indeed a few lost classics that should have seen the light of day,but were never revisted, like "Kiss Me My Love"and  "Funeral Hill",which was at least mixed for inclusion on "Spotlight Kid, but never made the cut, as didn't 'Harry Irene'.
There are many versions of songs that hung around for decades before appearing on the later albums, like "Dirty Blue Gene" which was around since near the inception of the group,at least since '67 anyway;then waited 15 years before inclusion on "Doc at the Radar Station".This feels like a lost album,all fleshed out with an obligatory handful of marimba and guitar instrumentals and why not?....I guess the phrase 'Brown Star' is street slang for an asshole is it not? He always had a sense of humour inbetween the pretentiousness and bullying.

Here's Don's painting called,funnily enough, "Brown Star"

I may unleash a tumult of astonishment here, but Don Van Vliet's paintings aren't actually very good are they?
I quite enjoy looking at them, but they're pretty unoriginal,and a tad pointless.I said the same when i saw an exhibition of paintings done by Chimpanzees. They were 'as good', but not, 'better than'.
Donny should have stuck with music;he had potential.
Having said that,as rock star painters go he's far better than Ronnie Wood, whose paintings really are shit.

Tracklist:

1 Boogler Risin'
2 Dirty Blue Gene I
3 Dirty Blue Gene II
4 Clear Spot (instrumental)
5 Harry Irene
6 Happy Blue Pumpkin
7 Kiss me my love
8 Little Scratch
9 Your Love Brought Me To Life
10 Pompadour Swamp
11 Funeral Hill I
12 Frying Pan
13 Dual And Abdul
14 Best Batch Yet (instrumental)
15 Suzy Murder Wrist
16 I Can't Do This Unless I Can Do This
17 Obenso Cinquo
18 Funeral Hill II
19 Flaming Autograph
20 Scratch My Back

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Crass ‎– "Live In Belfast September 1982" (Warzone Tapes ‎– 001) 1982

Most English groups were shit scared to play in Northern Ireland during 'The Troubles'.....a fine example of Irish understatement  was 'The Troubles'.I doubt the IRA had too high an opinion of Anarchy, them being a Marxist organisation an' all.
English groups especially had a very basic understanding of the situation in Ulster,the best example of this has to be Sham 69's obscure reference to these problems in their sing-a-long anthem,"Ulster",which patronisingly informed the northern Irish that they were all 'Losers' if they didn't stop being nasty to each other.
The closest Crass get to that is "Fight War Not Wars",which has more of a general 'peace' vibe to it rather than being condecended to by a stage school cockney. I dunno if Steve Ignorant ever went to Stage school,but it wouldn't surprise me.Someone in Crass had to play the part of the Cockney oik among the other blatantly posh anarcho trust fund punks.
Chumbawumba anyone?

Tracklist: 

1 So What
2 Don't Tell Me You Care
3 Shaved Women
4 Nagasaki Nightmare
5 Mother
6 Beg Your Pardon
7 Contaminational Power
8 Major General Despair
9 Fight War Not Wars
10 Do They Owe Us A Living?
11 What the Fuck
12 Banned from The Roxy
13 G's Song
14 Securicor
15 How Does It Feel
16 Big A little a
17 Reality Whitewash
18 Nineteen Eighty Bore
19 Mother Love
20 Rival Tribal Revel Rebel
21 You've Got Big Hands
22 Poison In A pretty Pill
23 Darling.

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Crass ‎– "Demos 1977-79" (No Label-unofficial bootleg)

Cults, generally, don't allow room for divergent ideologies,or blatant displays of individualism.Neither do authoritarian regimes, or ,as it seems, Anarcho-Punk bands,and the communes they invariably squat in. They are so convinced that they are right that they feel justified in barking their soapboxy lyrics, which frequently use couplets that tend to rhyme words like 'National Front' with 'Cunts', (National Front Bottoms?) and other, less subtle, excuses.
They like the idea of individual Freedom, with no leaders,except that they all dress in the same uniform,the groups all sound the same, and Crass were the de facto leaders of the Anarchists......an oxymoron I suggest?
One could also rhyme 'National Front' with 'Cult',or, as I prefer, 'Cunts' with 'Cults',or Cunts in Cults?Namely the trust-fund anarchists,read as 'Hippies', clad in black,living in their comfy bubble of self-righteous idealism before they take up that offer to work for the family-owned investment brokers firm at which Pater has kept a position open for you once you'd gotten over your angry years........oooooooooh ain't I cynical?
Musically, I used to think, as with Bob Dylan, that their songs were better played by someone else;but, also,like with Dylan, I now think the opposite.These Demos, especially,have that shitter than shit-fi sound of cheap overdriven transitors,and the very worst possible drumming. The best version of the classic "Do They Owe Us A Living" is here......(sigh!)if only they'd have stopped there?
I thoroughly agree that'They' DO ineed owe us a living.In fact I agree with most of Crass's preachy sermons on the worlds ills.I just think the music is rather shite,incredibly boring,with jolly silly angry yob vocals from the token working class person in the line-up,aka the 'Indian Of the Group', Steven Ignorant,with emphasis on the 'rant'.It just gets tiresome. 
If they had a little more light,shade,space and variation in their output, we'd probably all be anarchists by now......and not all would have a wardrobe full of different shades of black.

Tracklist:

1 Heart Throb Of The Mortuary
2 I Can't Stand It
3 Do They Owe Us A Living
4 Who's Side Are You On ?
5 Angela Rippon
6 End Result
7 G's Song
8 General Bacardi
9 Securicor
10 Punk Is Dead
11 G's Song
12 Count In/Mother earth
13 Fight War Not Wars / They've Got A Bomb
14 Shaved Women
15 Tired
16 So What (Amsterdam Radio Session 1978)
17 OK (Amsterdam Radio Session 1978)
18 You Pay (Amsterdam Radio Session 1978)
19 Do They Owe Us A Living (Amsterdam Radio Session 1978)
20 Steve Ignorant Interview (Amsterdam Radio Session 1978)

21 Dutch Interview (Amsterdam Radio Session 1978)

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Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band ‎– "Grow Fins Vol. II: Trout Mask House Sessions" (Table Of The Elements ‎– Sb 51) /1969/1999

Well, we've been through the 'Cults that made Music' section,and its various offshoot,so its logical to have a go with 'Groups who behaved like cults', one of which was probably the greatest abstract blues band that ever existed,although I can't name you another one....Captain Beefheart and his/the Magic Band.
It's also not only the fiftieth anniversary of the Moon landings,Woodstock, and the Manson murders, more importantly its a half a century since the greatest hour and twenty minutes in musical history were captured on tape.The fiftieth annivesary of when the Moon landed on the Earth,and when Beefheart turned down a slot at Woodstock.
One mentions Charles Manson,well Van Vliet had a lot in common with Manson's methods.The cult members were plyed with lashings of LSD,even though Van Vliet insisted that the band were completely drug free, and they had to sit and listen to his poetry read out loud daily by Antennae Jimmy Semens/Jeff Cotton.
In the only existing interview with Antennae Jimmy Semens,he even mentions this(he said he enjoyed it!?) and that the Captain knew Charlie M. Which was obviously possible. Jimmy also reckons that Don was far more powerful than Manson;but thankfully we didn't see the charming Antennae Jimmy,or Zoot Horn,or even The Mascara Snake stabbing any Hollywood starlets.Jimmy's only atrocities, if we could call them that,amazingly they are still people who regard the whole of 'Trout Mask' an atrocity(!?),were the genius guitar work and magnificent vocals on 'Pena' and 'The Blimp'.
An ephiphanal moment for me came as a Punk infected teenager, when I heard the first few notes of "Frownland" for the first time,and knew imeadiately, that the next 79 minutes were going to be special. I instantly 'got it', unlike the many other TMR fans who said it took three or more listens????..Nah!....this was the music I had been waiting for, like hearing the Pistols for the first time,but this was the next step up, like PiL was giant leap from The Pistols.
This album collects the attempted 'Field Recording' versions of the songs that Zappa wanted to capture,as if it was a nature programe capturing an abstract blues concept band in their natural habitat.
So 'Grow Fins' was a special opportunity to hear the songs without the vocals obscuring the shear genius of the massively complex arrangements, and there are none more complex, or as short, as that achieved for "Frownland" (just check out this in depth analysis of Frownland by a very serious composer...click HERE!)It's only one minute forty seconds long, but,it achieves the effect of an hour long symphony,with all the unecessary bits bypassed.Leaving the most perfect contraction of musical innovation that took lesser lights, like Wagner, 6 or 7 hours to achieve, then still fail.
It seems, that to create 'Great Art' you generally need a single vision, which a rock band very rarely has.Normally the Drummer wants to include one of his songs, the Bass player wants his bass louder,and the keyboardist wants to know why the notes are discordant,and why it sounds 'terrible' before handing out a score for the string arrangement he worked out last night.
Baring that in mind, it begins to make sense as to why Beefheart used these brain-washing tactics to get his vision into reality.
Of course most of the band members (Not Jimmy Semens I have to add,even though he frequently got beaten up!?) have spent the ensuing years moaning about not getting the credit they deserved, the bits they wrote,and what a asshole Van Vliet was.
The work stands up for itself in the perfection of its imperfection.

"A Squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is fast'n'bulbous...got me?"......yup.

Tracklist:

1 Untitled 1 4:59
2 Untitled 2 8:18
3 Hair Pie: Bake 1 5:04
4 Hair Pie: Bake 2 2:44
5 Untitled 5 1:04
6 Hobo Chang Ba 2:02
7 Untitled 7 1:57
8 Hobo Chang Ba (Take 2) 3:08
9 Dachau Blues 2:06
10 Old Fart At Play 1:23
11 Untitled 11 1:01
12 Pachuco Cadaver 4:08
13 Sugar N Spikes 2:40
14 Untitled 14 1:00
15 Sweet Sweet Bulbs 2:30
16 Frownland (Take 1) 2:51
17 Frownland 1:52
18 Untitled 18 1:10
19 Ella Guru 2:33
20 Untitled 20 0:08
21 She’s Too Much For My Mirror 1:30
22 Untitled 22 0:35
23 Steal Softly Through Snow 2:22
24 Untitled 24 1:51
25 My Human Gets Me Blues 2:53
26 Untitled 26 1:05
27 When Big Joan Sets Up 4:32
28 Untitled 28 0:04
29 Untitled 29 0:56
30 China Pig 4:14
31 Blimp (Storytime) 5:09
32 Herb (Storytime) 1:06
33 Septic Tank (Storytime) 0:51
34 Overdub (Storytime) 5:26

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The Status Quo ‎– "Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo" (Pye Records ‎– NPL 18220) 1968

"Why is there never any Status Quo on this shit Blog", I hear you screaming!
I agree, so here's The Quo's foray onto the dangerous career path that was Psychsploitation.
Long before our heroes resigned themselves to a lifetime of heads down,no nonsense, mindless boogie, they were the victims of some clueless record company remoulding.
All they wanted to do was play some rock'n'roll, but der management sent them to fancy hairdressers,and to buy the latest psychedelic dandy clothing from 'Granny Takes a Trip' on carnaby street. Then they spent a whole album trying to rewrite their hit, "Pictures Of Matchstick Men" twelve times; admitedly with some help from Marty Wilde and Barry Gibb, and to some extent they succeeded.This really does sound like the same song played over and over again.....and thats what makes it GREAT!
That guitar sound is only second in greatness to that achieved by the peerless Glitter Band...amazing stuff!
My brother's first single was 'Pictures of Matchstick Men',a fucking good first single is that! The best i could do was David Essex , sadly not the incredibly cool 'Rock On', but the later number one 'Gonna Make You A Star',not so cool.....but hey, I like it!
Love the Quo too, mainly because Parfitt and Rossi would be first on my list of fantasy dinner guests.Great chaps,who always seemed to be enjoying life.Unlike Rick Parfitt is now,as he died after several heart attacks. 
During an interview, after he had died for several minutes in Hospital weeks before the fatal attack; he was asked if he'd experienced anything during the time he was 'dead'.....always amusing he answered with a laugh,
"Nah, nothing.....it all just went Black!" (R.I.P, Rick in Peace)

Tracklist:

A1 Black Veils Of Melancholy
Written-By – Rossi 3:13
A2 When My Mind Is Not Alive
Written-By – R. Parfitt Written-By [Uncredited] – Rossi 2:48
A3 Ice In The Sun
Written-By – M. Wilde, R. Scott 2:10
A4 Elizabeth Dreams
Written-By – M. Wilde, R. Scott 3:24
A5 Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe
Written-By – K. Young 2:59
A6 Paradise Flat
Written-By – M. Wilde, R. Scott 3:11
B1 Technicolor Dreams
Written-By – A. King 2:49
B2 Spicks And Specks
Written-By – B. Gibb 2:40
B3 Sheila
Written-By – T. Roe 1:52
B4 Sunny Cellophane Skies
Written-By – A. Lancaster 2:41
B5 Green Tambourine
Written-By – Leka, Pinz 2:14
B6 Pictures Of Matchstick Men
Written-By – Rossi 3:05

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Peter Cook & Dudley Moore ‎– "The L.S. Bumble Bee" (Decca ‎– F.12551) 1967

One thing one couldn't accuse Peter Cook and Dudley Moore of being, are stooges for the state's anti-subversive operations.
There were obvious aspects of Psychedelic culture that were easy targets, and the silly drug mythology was certainly one of them. I'm sure also that Cook and Moore were not aversed to indulging in these drugs themselves,at least when they weren't totally arseholed on the booze....which is certainly what did for Cook in the end.
These forgotten comedy legends do a perfect job here, walking the thin line between satire and propaganda. In fact a lot of the dumber members of the public were certain this was made by The Beatles in cognito, which it was intended to sound like,so this stupid assumption was not totally misunderstandable; actually its a lot better than most of the Fab Four's psychedelic output.
A lot of the same people also thought that The Residents were The Beatles too.....the same for 'Klaatu' also!!!!.....if anyone can think of anymore secret Beatles projects,feel free to inform us for ,we, the amusement, there of,would be grateful.

Tracklist:

A The L.S. Bumble Bee 2:45
B The Bee Side (Spoken Word) 4:44

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