Klaus Schulze, German Genius and Hero: An Early Work Primer

Today I just want to take a moment to talk about one of my musical heroes, Klaus Schulze. For most music nerds, a mere visit to his Wikipedia Page is enough to stop you in your tracks and fall on your knees. Here are some highlights from his early career: Started Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese, founding member of Ash Ra Tempel (the first record from them being my ultimate kraut rock record) with Manuel Gottsching, the father of techno, created over sixty albums over five decades, most of which are pretty good, several of which are considered ambient masterpieces. This resume makes my head spin.

Anyway, I reviewed my favorite of his solo records, Mirage, a few years ago, so I just want to post links to some of my other favorites from him. This is simply a primer to his early work, everything after is hit or miss, as anyone would be over fifty years of making music. I hope you take the time to really dig in. It pays off!

From his debut album, Irrlicht, 1972:



From Cyborg, 1973:



From Blackdance, 1974:



From Picture Music, 1975:





From Timewind, 1975:





From Moondawn, 1976:

 



From the soundtrack to Body Love, 1977:



From Mirage, 1977:

King Tubby Presents: Niney the Observer - Dubbing with the Observer (Attack, 1975 / Greensleeves, 2014)

If you're like me, every time there is an Osbourne Rudduck reissue, your reaction is "yeah yeah yada yada, more of the same". Well, give this one a shot. It's a nice mix of all the nuances that make his work so important. There are many moods and tempos represented here.

Originally released on the Attack label in England in 1975, and reissued by Greensleeves a few months back, this stand-alone dub album features heavy and stark one-drop rhythms as well as some bouncy Bunny Lee. Most of the tracks are from songs by Dennis Brown. This is a fun one. Atonal dissonance in parts, some really uptempo joints and even a killer tom-based funk jam. It's quite refreshing. This is definitely going to be a staple of my summer repertoire.

BASS: Fully Fullwood, Flabba Holt,Familyman Barrett
DRUMS: Santa Davis, Carlton Barrett
GUITAR: Chinna Smith, Tony Smith, Bingy Bunny
LEAD GUITAR: Hux Brown
KEYBOARDS: Keith Sterling, Gladdy Anderson
HORNS: Bobby Ellis, Tommy McCook, Vin Gordon
PERCUSSION: Skully Production for Niney The Observer - Dubbing With The Observer
PRODUCED BY: Niney
RECORDED AT: Dynamic, Channel One, Federal, Randys, Joe Gibbs, Harry J
MIXED BY: King Tubby

Osamu Kitajima - Benzaiten (Antilles, 1976)

This album is a highly unlikely hybrid. Traditional Japanese instrumentation (flute, biwa, and percussion) fuses with prog rock and western funk (electric wah gutar, clavichord, and thumping basslines). The result is improbably amazing. As far as I'm concerned, everything works perfectly. The album is as tense as it is light-hearted, with a solid narrative. Slow grooves and popping jams glued together by ancient sounding vocals. There are over the top moments but you'll find them as forgivable as I do.

Thanks to Rob for the heads up.

Wire:On the Box 1979 (Pink Flag Archive Series, 2004)

It was a decade ago I wandered into my local record store, saw this CD/DVD release, and immediately proceeded to checkout. I knew it was going to be crucial. What I didn't know was that it would soon be my favorite live concert video of all time. I've not strayed from that opinion in all these years. Wire, in that era, was something that could neither be matched, nor improved upon. I'm still in awe of the creativity displayed with guitar, bass, drums and vocals. They are the kings of angular art house snob music, both for the proles and those at university. If you've not seen it, I urge you to do so now. Masters at work.

I've included a great review by Craig Grannell from the 2004 release:

"The gig happened between Chairs Missing and 154, and finds Wire in typically abrasive mood. In front of a polite, but nonplussed German television audience, Wire race through a set of proto-154 numbers and some older tracks, devoid of Mike Thorne's sometimes heavy-handed production. It's testament to the band's creativity and unique vision that the gig still stands up well today and doesn't sound terribly dated, despite it being over two decades old.

 Amusingly, the band's on-stage persona seems to be little different from today: Newman a proto-Kraktwerk robot (albeit wearing a tie in those days), barking lyrics, wrestling with his guitar, then twisting like a marionette, dancing in staccato; Lewis flinging his bass around with merry abandon, with eyes that suggest if anyone wants to start anything, he's all-too ready; Gotobed, the metronome—eyes closed, keeping the beat; and Gilbert, at the back of the stage, carefully and purposely adding counterpoint to the Newman guitar. Although a little bass-heavy, the remixed soundtrack pleases, as does the video, which while having some artefacts and colour distortion, is perhaps as good as you'd expect from a 20-year-old television show. Unfortunately, someone saw fit to ignore one of the main bonuses of DVD: the gig has no track markers whatsoever. We presume that Wire's argument will be something like the gig is a whole entity—a complete performance—and should be watched as such, in one sitting. However, part of the magic of DVD is the viewer having the ability to skip to where they want to. Also, track markers to specific tracks would have made sense, seeing as the DVD retains the original broadcast's rather erratic titling.

 Two extras, both desirable, come with this package. The first is an amusing interview conducted with the band after the gig. Wire are their usual obstructive selves, making life difficult for the interviewer and providing succinct, sometimes abstract answers. The video quality of the interview is notably inferior to the gig, but this matters little: the soundtrack is fine, and Gotobed fans will be interested to note that he offers a few well-chosen words part-way through. The other extra is a CD of the entire gig soundtrack—a nice touch, enabling you to listen to the audio wherever you want, rather than being glued to your TV set. Thankfully, the track marker issue doesn't extend to the CD, which enables you to skip tracks as you'd expect. Overall, this is a promising start to the archive series. We hope the lack of track markets will be addressed on future releases, such as the forthcoming Send DVD, but the CD is a welcome bonus, and the gig itself still manages to excite after all these years."

Neil Young with The Ducks - Shows from the Summer of 1977

For a few weeks during the summer of 1977 in Santa Cruz, California, a rock group formed by singer/ songwriter Jeff Blackburn played some shows. The band also consisted of Bob Mosely (Moby Grape), Johnny Craviotto (sessions drummer for Ry Cooder, Arlo Guthrie and Buffy St. Marie), and some guy named Neil Young. They played songs about trucks, girls and bars. Here's a compilation of board recordings from these shows. A little summer music for your winter:

Happy Birthday, Don!****Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - The Spotlight Kid (Reprise, 1972)

Its the only album that was credited soley to Don van Vliet. He wanted to make something a little more accessible. A little bit of bread was appealing. The band was barely eating, living off handouts. They hadn't made any money in three years. What did he do that was so radical? What did he do that made the band hate this collection of songs? What kind of extraordinary preposterous great lengths did he go to?

He wrote some slower songs. Yep, Downtempo. That's all. Slowing these songs down made his vocals feel more like a delta blues singer, garnering a bit of a new audience. This period of time was so tumultuous that the whole band almost abandoned him. Granted, there were more details, like Vliet throwing one of the guitarists into a dumpster as a metaphor. I'm sure the communal residence scenario probably began driving hungry unsatisfied musicians into emotional outbursts of all kinds.

Regardless, this is actually my favorite of his records. Go on, disagree. Lester Bangs liked it, so I stand my ground.

Here's one of my favorite live clips from that album era:



And here's the album in its entirety:

El Topo - OST (1971, Abkco / 2012 LP Re-issue by Real Gone)

Its always strange talking about Jodorowsky films, so I'll keep that aspect to a minimum. We all know what a wonderfully bizarre film-maker he was (I say "we all" because you wouldn't be reading this blog if you weren't fucked in the head like me, in which case you're a weirdo who also loves this man's work), but does everyone know he made the music for his films as well? That's right, and let me tell you, the sounds are equally bizarre and wonderful. He composed this with John Barham, in a working relationship similar to David Lynch and Angelo Badalementi's, only this relationship had much more blood and an infinite amount of hallucinogenics.
 
Taking cues from Rota and Morriconne, the instrumentation includes flutes, horns, accordions and organs. There are orchestral waltzes, mariachi flavors, parlor jazz and some classic 70's "tripped out with sunshine on the camera" ballads. This is a real treat and I'm very happy that it has been re-issued on 180 gram vinyl. The gatefold package also includes a lovely 4 page booklet of photo stills. Now you too can own a copy of the score to this twisted, blood-drenched, drugged out, Christian allegorical, Zen Buddhist, avant garde, psychedelic fantasy / nightmare that changed film forever.



Get the LP HERE

Asei Kobayashi & Mickey Yoshino - Hausu OST (Nippon Columbia, 1977)

I think the Criterion Collection synopsis describes this film best in one sentence, "An episode of Scooby Doo directed by Mario Brava." So, with that in mind, you can imagine how strange the soundtrack must be. Its not your typical horror music at all. Then again, when do the Japanese do anything typical? Its actually light on the spooky and heavy on the slap bass. Yep, aliens came to earth and made a score based on funky slap rhythm section, flute, piano, and synth. To be honest, some of the tracks have borderline porn sounds, and I prefer to  disregard the piece that sounds as though Steely Dan were scoring Saturday morning cartoons. Although, this is supposed to be trippy, so whatever. Truly bizarre music, especially when paired with watching the film.





Get it HERE

Sybille Baier - The Colour Green (Orange Twin, 2006 / recorded 1970-73)

Fans of director Wim Wenders' first knew Sybille Baier's face from the 1973 film Alice in the Cities. Her music has been featured in Jochen Richter's Umarmungen und Andere Sachen(1975) and in Wim Wenders' Palermo Shooting(2008).

Much the same as Nick Drake, it was decades after the fact that her music gained general notoriety. With one of the most charming voices I've heard, she sang brave and honest pastoral folk songs that she composed in her dark, bleak manner. I'm reminded of Sylvia Plath every time I listen. Unlike the hippie psych folk popularized by Vashti Bunyan, Baier didn't need any gimmicks, bells or whistles. This fraulein kept it simple but somehow elegant with production akin to the atmosphere of early Leonard Cohen recordings. I only wish there was more.

Brainticket - Celestial Ocean (Hallelujah, 1974)

“Celestial Ocean” is both an adventure and voyage for explorers of the human experience. In other words, the walls are breathing. Or maybe it is the projection of your own vibration as the air comes in and then out again. Either way this album is pure cosmic indulgence on a “space is deep” kind of level. Whoever has taken strong psychedelics will try and convince someone that this or that is the best music to fall into the depths of time and space. But the truth is, any kind of music or sound can seem completely psychedelic when under the influence. And with that said, there is a difference between just any kind of music and musicnauts who actually prepare to take you into the abyss and then do it with grace. Brainticket are one of those musical groups.

Brainticket is a collection of middle European musicians, primarily consisting of German and Swiss descent. The band started releasing albums in the early seventies. The two albums that precede “Celestial Ocean” were “Cottonwood Hill”(1971) and “Psychonaut”(1972). These albums gave guidance to what would be expected. Which means it is not safe to expect something in particular of the sound of Brainticket. Just know that the 1974 release of “Celestial Ocean” expanded the already vastness of life and all perceptions of it. The album tells a story of an ancient Egyptian king traveling on a ship that courses though the afterlife, inspired by the Egyptian book of the dead. One thing should be understood, Brainticket takes themselves seriously when presenting the subject matter of other and ancient worlds with space ships and dreams. Some people get turned off when musicians and artists wholeheartedly believe in what they feel no matter how unreal it may seem. Most roll the psychedelic mumbo jumbo off as being playful and goofy, like a “arn't I just the strangest thing” sorta way, not Brainticket.

Kaleidoscopic sounds twist around synthesized rhythms that continually grow and decay while creating a unknown landscape as a cacophony of voices clutter and vanish in the same breath. Yeah, it's really like that. The album is presented in a book end form, opening with “Egyptian Kings” and closing with a reprise of the beginning track, titled “Visions”. Everything in between is an absolute pleasure. At times it creates a yoga or meditation environment. Nobody thinks flutes are cool anymore. Well, they have their place along side with such complementary instruments as organs, zithers and odd sound generators. O.K. This review was my own indulgence in describing the pure psychedelic force that is Brainticket. All I really had to say was that the band is called Brainticket and don't take more than you can handle. But seriously, this should get the party started if the kind of party you like is the one where everyone lies naked on the floor and forget they have bodies and lose all concepts of reality. Just moans of ecstasy and fear as the collective consciousness merrily drifts up and down the celestial ocean. Yo! I said it. Yo! Buy the ticket, take the ride.

--Sean Dail

Get it Here

Chrome - Half Machine Lip Moves (Siren, 1979)

More weirdo sounds from San Francisco, this time from the late 70's. Helios Creed and Damon Edge used guitar, bass, trashed drumkits, various moogs and tape loop noise to create some of the coolest noise rock ever made. Way way way before its time. Everything and the kitchen sink is thrown in a tree mulcher alongside an intense punk vibe driven by a kraut / motorik / industrial groove. Oh, and lots of sheet metal clanging around. Chrome are the definition of cyberpunk. Sci-fi as fuck. One of the best Rock albums ever made. Cheers.

Get It Here

Gentle Giant - Acquiring the Taste (Mercury, 1971)

The English troubadours and minstrels of the umphteenth degree couldn't have heard their own fantastic nightmares of bliss and domination. So let the 1970's prog rockers in, they have been waiting for five hundred years. They just needed someone to teach them heavy blues licks and introduce them to the melotron, that's all.

Hither come Gentle Giant and their 1971 album “Acquiring the Taste”. This second album of the quintessential British progressive rock group found themselves in depths of the wolves den. And willing as they were to go there, Gentle Giant abandoned the blues and soul drivin' sound of their previous album. This was a common transition for English groups of the late 60's and early 70's. They realized that no matter how hard they tried to sound like the coolest southern black man from the bayou, they were still pale, penny loafing and quite too proper. “Acquiring the Taste” is an amazing album. To try and sum up the sound, if you are not familiar with Gentle Giant, there is gloomy chamber chanting cut off by heavy rock riffs while the ever looming melotron cast a shadow of Imperial sounding British horns that dive behind spiny harpsichord taps or Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull directed a love scene where Sabbath and ELO make elegant gestures toward one another without touching. Hmmm, well here is an excerpt from the liner notes of the album. It is their declaration into departure.


"...It is our goal to expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of being very unpopular. We have recorded each composition with the one thought - that it should be unique, adventurous and fascinating. It has taken every shred of our combined musical and technical knowledge to achieve this. From the outset we have abandoned all preconceived thoughts of blatant commercialism. Instead we hope to give you something far more substantial and fulfilling. All you need to do is sit back, and acquire the taste."

--Sean Dail

Acquire the Taste Here

Or:

Frumpy - Frumpy 2 - 1971

This is 70's German Progressive Hard Rock at its finest. That statement may not mean much to some of you reading this but there was an extraordinary amount of creativity manifested in that scene. Check out the German television program "Die Deutschrock Nacht" and you'll understand.

Frumpy’s second album consists of four lengthy tracks, ripe with swirling and busy keyboard wizardry, guitar that is sporadically interspersed to be a mere additive, strong bass playing obviously influenced by Holger Czukay, and tasteful subtle driving drumming matched with the oddly charming sound of Inga Rumpf’s raspy and hoarse singing.

This album is is an example of the impact American and British Hard Rock had on Germany and how this band managed to utilize that influence while incorporating their own distinct Krautrock originality. Jeff Beck, Jefferson Airplane and Grand Funk join forces with Can, Neu and early Kraftwerk.

Get It Here

Or: