Quote:
Originally Posted by elphenor
Amon Duul II are still crazy by today's standards
but more importantly their music is top notch
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Yes, elphenor. I agree: in fact you have pre-empted some closing remarks I was planning to make:
I'm worried that I might've sounded rather dismissive with these reviews. As a guy who can't play a note of music, I should declare that AD are constantly doing a thousand clever things that I can't begin to appreciate. Also, all these reviews are based on first or second impressions, so any tracks that "grow on you" have gotten a raw deal from me.
Compared to Faust or Can, ADII present the gentle face of Krautrock, with prog-folk, spacy, pastoral elements that bring them closer to English bands of the time, most notably Pink Floyd. As elph says, their music is top notch - and so is their musicianship. They work as an ensemble, with, as far as I can see, no standout guitar hero who makes or breaks each track. That's partly why female vocalist Renate Knaupz is the only member who gets a name-check in my reviews. Plus, perhaps intentionally, there's never a band photo of the front cover of these albums. To redress that a little, here's the roll call, first from Pallus Dei and then from Vive La Trance:-
ADII in 1969:
-
Renate Knaup / vocals, tambourine
- Christian "Shrat" Thiele / bongos, violin, vocals
-
Chris Karrer / violin, guitar, 12-string guitar, soprano sax, vocals
-
Falk Rogner / organ
- John Weinzierl / bass, guitar, 12-string guitar
- Dave Anderson / bass (3)
- Dieter Serfas / drums, electric cymbals
-
Peter Leopold / drums
With:
- Holger Trülzsch / Turkish drums
- Christian Burchard / vibraphone
ADII in 1974:
Renate Knaupz / lead & backing vocals
- John Weinzierl / acoustic & electric guitars, bass, vocals
-
Chris Karrer / electric & 12-string guitars, violin, saxophone, Mellotron & maracas, vocals
-
Falk Rogner / organ, VCS3 synthesizer, harmonium
- Robby Heibl / bass, electric & 12-string guitars, violin, cello & backing vocals, gurke, lead vocals
-
Peter Leopold / drums, percussion, grand piano
With:
- Desmond Bonner / lead & backing vocals
- Lothar Meid / backing vocals
- Peter Kramper / grand piano
- Keith Forsey / percussion & backing vocals
So four musicians have been at the heart of AD during their so-called "classic period". They have created an ouvre of great albums, which I'm sure I will enjoy re-hearing after this exploratory run through. And yet there are two things that I never really found: (i) that brilliant musical moment that makes you think, "Wow, I must hear that again" or (ii) a tune I can hum on my way to work.
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And finally, after Vive La Trance, I'm taking a break from Amon Duul II because:
i) these are considered their classic albums
ii) next up would be their "Live in London" album, which is perhaps something of a compilation exercise
iii) '69 to '74 are the years covered on a "Best of ADII" released by their record label
iv) with one exception, their albums hereafter get a pretty low star-rating from allmusic.com - like half the number of stars awarded to the albums I've looked at! What happened?! That is a question for another day...