Nothing says the sixties better than the words
hippy commune, and that's where our last actual band to be featured for 1969 began, in a political, artistic and radical commune in Munich. Perhaps disturbingly, it seems future founders of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist group were also members. Hmm. Anyway, apparently many of the members of the commune – which was called Amon Duul – didn't think that talent or musical ability was that necessary for what they wanted to do, but others did, and so the more musically proficient (and you would have to say, based on their success, the more serious) members split into a faction which became known as Amon Duul II, in order to differentiate it from the other, less musical Amon Duul. This is supposedly widely believed to be one of the first Krautrock albums.
Album title: Phallus Dei
Artiste: Amon Duul II
Nationality: German
Label: Liberty Records
Year: 1969
Grade: B
Previous Experience of this Artiste: Zero
The Trollheart Factor: 0
Landmark value: Seen as the first Krautrock album, as above, and therefore also makes Amon Duul II the fathers of the entire Krautrock scene, if true.
Tracklisting: Kanaan/Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren/Luzifer's Ghilom/Henriette Krötenschwanz/Phallus Dei
Comments: Sounds like sitar and drums with a nice bassline opening the album, and now we get some vocals, though they appear to be spoken in German (obviously) while some woman croons or moans behind the male voice. Picks up a fair lick of speed as it goes along. Some very cool guitar indeed bringing the song to something of a crashing close and we're on to the second track, which is a little more pastoral, almost like someone running up octaves on a fretboard, while a weird and warbly voice says something I can't understand and laughs a lot. Music is decent though. Next one seems a bit more cohesive, very nice rapid acoustic guitar and percussion, no vocal yet ... oh. Sounds like he's rapping in German, though of course I guess rapping wasn't even a thing this early. Well, talking fast and in rhythm certainly.
Pretty atmospheric opening to the title track (all twenty minutes of it), kind of like a film score or maybe incidental music to same; lots of weird sounds, effects, someone chanting or moaning, someone shouting and now we have a snarling sax. I'm willing to bet Frownland loves this album. In fairness, it's not as harsh as I might have expected, but it's a little formless in terms of being able to review it. Eventually a bassline is laid down with some percussion then some good fast guitar and a violin join in. Sounds like a rendition of “While shepherds watched their flocks by night” to be honest, then it all dissolves into a mad tribal drumfest with lots of yelling and cheering.
Favourite track(s): I can't honestly say I enjoyed any of that; I doubt I could remember much of it but similarly
Least favourite track(s): can't say I hated anything enough either.
Overall impression: ? Well, all I can say is that if that's the serious musicians I'd hate to hear the other side! No, seriously though, it's clear these people could play; they just chose to do so in a ... different way. Still, if this is Krautrock, or proto-Krautrock, ain't likely to be for me.
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Final Rating: 