KRAUTROCK TOP#43 : SIDDHARTA, Weltschmerz (1975)

To say the truth, this is probably one of my favoutite krautrock albums these days, but I wouldn't admit it until now.
It's one of the later bands of what I consider the "classic period" of krautrock (AMON DÜÜL 2, AGITATION FREE etc...), they released one album only, and the least you may notice is its weirdness! Why?
1. It's absolutely dark and "pre-gothic" in the tone (extraordinary series of minor chords to awake the dead and scare your gand-ma!)
2. I don't know another album where there are so many breaks and changes in rythm, sometimes several times in 10 seconds, as if it was a problem for the band to keep the same tempo for one minute or more.
3. It's very rich in the instruments, but doesn't sound like a demonstration.
4. You'll hear plenty of harmonies and melodies, alternating with some more improvised moments, in an almost prog style, but typically german and kraut.
5. the band seems to have great technical skills, I wish I saw them playing live, were they able to play their music as well as in the album? Their weakness is probably the voices, that may be surprising at first glance (listen to the female voice that appears in the first second? Surprising no?), but I love them now.
For all those reasons, and because the production is (unfortunately) rather amateurish, I suggest you listen to the album many times and carefully if you want to appreciate it. Finally, I would compare it to a dark early NEKTAR, to a prog PATER NOSTER, to a dark PINK FLOYD in its 70/72 era.
here's is the link.

KRAUTROCK TOP#42 : LILIENTAL, st (1978)

Well, the "supergroup" LILIENTAL will particularly interest those who like CLUSTER, NEU and HARMONIA. It's basically a CLUSTER side project with jazz krautorock band KRAAN members and the producer Conrad Plank, and it's very similar to CLUSTER / HARMONIA albums of the same era. It's sometimes naive early electronic music, sometimes space and nearly drone music, even if it's sometimes a little boring it's a very good and tasty album.
Find it here.
And, yes, I'll try to post more albums in the next days and weeks...

KRAUTROCK TOP#41 : ELOY, Inside (1973)

Obviously not the best krautrock you've heard here, "Inside" has its moments nevertheless, especially in the opening 17 minutes long track. And there's this almost classic tune that ends the album, the very melancolic "Up and down" - I love it, what a pity the sound is not better. Well, it's 25 minutes of good music (the album is only 37 minutes long), not so bad...

What do you have to know about ELOY..? Well, after a rather mediocre and straight rock 1st album, the band discovered space and prog rock; it resulted in "Inside" and, the year after, "Floating" (very similar though a little harder, that's the reason why you'll find the album too here). In 1975, ELOY seemed to enjoy so much the new direction taken by PINK FLOYD with "Dark side" and "I wish you were here" that they simply copied them; and sometimes it was rather good, like "Power and the passion" in 1975, but the truth is that it was often very boring (I can't understand why their double "Ocean" is so reputed... not bad, but so so so boring...).
In the 80s, the band has probably moved towards more 80s prog rock, but I don't really have listened to the albums...

Of course it's not the funniest nor the newest music of this selection, but "Inside" and "Floating" are really worth listening.
Find "Inside" here and "Floating" there.

KRAUTROCK TOP#40 : TANGERINE DREAM, Rubycon (1974)

Problems with my uploads make me late in the top 50, I'm sorry for this.
I was absolutely sure that I had already posted this, but... where is the post?
It's the second album of TD' "second era", after "Phaedra", their first album for Virgin. I prefer this one, it's really good if you play it loud. The two tracks are structured in the same way : at first, some ambiant noises and waves (almost new-age on side A, darker and almost like an horror movie soundtrack on side B), and then a shift towards bass sequences and simple synth / electric piano melodies, that create a fascinating soundscape in my opinion.
TD would try one last album in this style, "Stratosfear" (not forgetting the good live album "Ricochet" before falling into pure cheesy new-age music - I confess I don't know it much...
If you don't have it, find "Rubycon" here.