AMON DUUL II, Phallus Dei (1969, krautrock)

Even if I think that every one interested in psych rock should buy at least one AMON DÜÜL's album, I could'nt help sharing all of them. So here starts an AMON DÜÜL II series, I will upload all the official albums, what it's no use for kraut & psych freaks who already owne all of them (I suppose).

At first, their incredible "Phallus Dei", that appears to my ears as a "pre-SONIC YOUTH" album (same strange chords with bizarre distorted guitar), though it's much crazier. Not the easiest way to enter the A.D.'s world. The sound seems a bit amateurish, but it's a good thing : it mixes rock elements with tribal drums and shouts, to the best. Highly recommended (I'd give a 9/10).

Here you'll find the remastered version (re-edited by REPERTOIRE), without the bonus tracks. YOU LIKE IT, YOU BUY IT.

DEUTER, Celebration / Haleakala (1976/77, ambient krautrock)

Back to kraut.
After his second album "Aum" (his best in my opinion), Georg DEUTER moved to India, the country he seemed to dream of when making his music.
Here are the first 2 recordings he produced there; logically, they are even more meditative than "Aum", but, maybe because they are not so richly textured, because they are more abstract and also sound brighter, they are not so touching, though still fascinating (especially "Haleakala"). They are considered a new step towards "new age" music, but are far better than its cliché.
Two CDs in one file that you'll find here.

SETI, Pharos (1995, ambient electronica)

After the incredible TERRE THAEMLITZ album previously posted, another item from the "Instinct Ambient" label (and its awful artworks). Very good floating electronics, meditative and sweat melodies. Not to be confused with Lagowski's S.E.T.I.
Two CDs : 1st here and 2nd here.

UNIT, Hello my name is (electronica)

End of UNIT downloads, with this first EP, a good introduction to its follower, NARCOLEPTIC SYMPHONY.

Try it here

UNIT, I care here to tell you how it's going to begin (2004, electronica)

Back again, sorry for being so long, and thanks for your very appreciated comments.

Here is the 2nd album by UNIT. By far not so interesting as his first, though it contains some interesting tracks. I was told that UNIT is preparing a new album that could be released on WARP. To be confirmed of course.

Download it here
(no artwork found)

UNIT, The Narcoleptic Symphony (1999, electronica)

1st "electronica" post. UNIT made 2 LPs and 1 EP of very good ambiant electronica, a kind of melodic and minimalist AUTECHRE that is easier to listen to, by far. But not as good, in my opinion.

Try it here

Comments are always highly recommended, as I may feel that this blog is no use and stop... Thank you.

CLASSIC EXPERIMENTAL MOVIES ON THE WEB

Take a look at Brothers Quay, Patrick Bokanowski, Alejandro Jodorowski, Gaspar Noé and more posted at http://merzboy-goes-conceptual.blogspot.com/, who makes a great job.

BRAINTICKET, Celestial Ocean (1973, krautrock)

3rd album by Brainticket, a band that made 3 freaky albums in the early 70s, before re-emerging in the 80s with very different but interesting ambiant recordings. Celestial Ocean is probably the strangest, the most interesting but also the most pretentious, and may contain some irritant tracks. But it's full of inventions and is really worth trying for those who love Pink Floyd-styled krautrock.
Download it here .

It's the last krautrock album posted here for several weeks, I've tried to post the best I have. I'll try in the next days an "electronica" section (1995/2005). But feel free to ask, if I have albums you want I'll post them.

Thanks.

SAND, Ultrasonic Seraphim (1974, krautrock, re-up)

Finally, here is the link to download the entire demo album included in the CD version of Ultrasonic Seraphim. Don't be to tough when a link or a file seems corrupted and just say it...
Thanks.

DEUTER, first 2 albums (1971/72, ambiant krautrock)

Very good debut album from Georg DEUTER, made in his in home studio (rare at this time), and his second, "Aum", is even better and is one of my favorite krautrock albums (I'll make a top 20 list, I hope you'll make yours).
From the Crack in the Cosmic Egg encyclopedia : "Deuter was amongst the earliest of multi-instrumental soloists in Germany. Because of his talent for always embracing new musical forms, and especially combining the new and the old, Deuter was always at the pioneering forefront in new musical forms (...) With an instrumentation including guitars, sitar, organ, harmonium, Asian and Oriental percussives, etc., his debut "D" was a mixture of psychedelic underground rock (hinting at early Amon Düül II), cosmic music (akin to Klaus Schulze) and ethnic fusion (Between and Popol Vuh realms), though not all at the same time, but in varying quantities, being constantly an album of surprises. AUM contrasted somewhat, in that much of the rock aspect was dropped, in favour of atmosphere, being a more mysterious collage of shorter pieces, with lots of percussion, sound effects and echo-guitar. Sometimes akin to Achim Reichel, it had a magical quality, balancing melodic and more experimental musics.

Find "D" here and "AUM" there

COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME

RE-UPS

COVERS Vol.2 (special french edition) is available there. Be quick before it's deleted again.

Thanks for comments.

SAND, Ultrasonic Seraphim (1974, krautrock)

This is the album I discovered krautrock with, just before ASH RA TEMPEL's "Seven Up", AMON DÜÜL 2's "Yeti" and AGITATION FREE's "Malesh" - what an initiation...
I confess it was a real shock, it's a fabulous album that contains fascinating and beautiful "songs", with apocalyptic lyrics I love. Listen to the mystical "Sarah", repeating endlessly : "Is it you Sarah? / No, it's the stoooorm". Aaarrggghh, fabulous, listen to that voice!!! Don't be afraid of the repetitiveness that appears first, it really sounds hypnotic when you pay attention to it.

But The Crack in the Comisc Egg book explains it better than me : "Notable for being produced by Klaus Schulze, and also the unique creation of combining cosmic synthesizer, folk and rock musics, sans drums or any conventional instrumental structures, GOLEM is a mystical album rich with the creative spirit of the era. A little hint of Pink Floyd here and there, and obvious Schulze influence, are the only references I could quote as pointers. A really trippy album, with swirling string-synthesizers, cosmic electronics, beyond the nether regions of cosmic Witthüser+Westrupp. Magic!"

Here you'll find the entire original album, and there the demos album (with 2 long and rather borring tracks, but the version of "Sarah" is better than the album's, and and there's this magic "Desert Storm"), I consciously don't share the whole CD re-issued by NURSE WITH WOUND and CURRENT93 (thanks!), that contains more bonus material, some of which is pretty good. It's really worth buying it if you like it.

Pour les copains français, j'ajoute qu'il faut ABSOLUMENT charger cet album, à l'ambiance de désert brulant, dont au moins 3 titres sont définitivement magiques, à l'écoute desquels on sort transformé : Helicopter, Sarah et Desert Storm. Pas le plus facile sans doute, mais meilleur kraut "de tous les temps".

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

HARMONIA 76, Tracks&Traces (1976, ambiant krautrock)

HARMONIA is considered one of the finest example of krautrock, asides the likes of CAN, KRAFTWERK, NEU, CLUSTER. When you know HARMONIA was composed by members of NEU and CLUSTER it's not a surprise its style is pretty similar to theirs, with more space in it.
"HARMONIA 76" is HARMONIA+BRIAN ENO, and is even spacier. ENO also worked in the same period with CLUSTER and would bring this inspiration to DAVID BOWIE for his "german period" in a more rock-oriented style.

Enjoy "Tracks& Traces" here

AGITATION FREE, Malesh (1972, krautrock)

Malesh is one of the first 5 albums I've discovered krautrock with. It's an absolute classic and really fits for a beginning, if you've heard about krautrock but don't know what it is or hesitate before trying, as it's easy to listen to. It's krautrock for everyone, space tracks and groovy tunes that taste really good, a kind of PINK FLOYD with more rythms.
I couldn't help sharing it as it seems not to be on other blogs (but I can be wrong).
Try it here

THE SUPREME DICKS, 2 albums (1994/1996, lo-fi krautrock-like)

I know nothing about this band (what an amazing name!) but I've found this on the web : "The Supreme Dicks were among the most intriguing followers of the aesthetics that equates "creative" and "primitive". The kind of drunk, dissonant folk music of their debut evolved towards the avantgarde and psychedelia on The Emotional Plague (1996), an ambitious work that resorted to sparse, dilated and warped structures."
Every kraut freak (but not only!) should try, there's a kind of vintage Ash Ra Tempel's touch here. Both albums, especially "The Emotionnal Plague", contain many beautiful moments, it's a curiosity I recommend absolutely.

Get "The Emotional Plague" (1996) here
and "Workingman's Dick" (1994) here

Thanks to Bertrand without whom I wouldn't know this odd band.

2 KRAUTROCK MASTERPIECES FOUND ON THE WEB

Before the links are dead...

In my opinion, GURU GURU's "Kan-Guru" is their best album and a good start in true krautrock, with their typical "Hendrixian" touch in the guitar playing style (crazy noises, very weird treatment). It's more accessible than their debut "Ufo" (a kind of pre- TRHOBBING GRISTLE) and more exciting than they made later (they've turned to jazz rock). One track appeared in my "Krautrock for beginners 4".
You'll find the entire album here (thanks to De Musica Alterque).

DZYAN's "Electric Silence" is a very strange experience, hard to describe in english. It's one those crazy and exciting albums that krautrock bands were capable of, mixing eastern influences with space rock, jazz with experimental noises. As quoted on "Crack in the cosmic" boo, "ELECTRIC SILENCE was even more out on a limb, bringing weird avant-garde elements together with jazz, rock and various ethnic musics; all together in an extreme melting pot of styles, ideas and fertile imagination. Running from free-jazz through medieval cum raga-rock (cf. Third Ear Band) and intense rock improvisation it is indeed one of the landmarks in experimental rock".
A must have you can get here.
If you like it, try the first 2 albums, even if they are more jazz-oriented (thanks to De Musica Alterque).
S/T here
Time Machine here

KRAUTROCK FOR BEGINNERS, 5 V/A + artworks

Here, you'll find artworks like this one for your "KRAUTROCK FOR BEGINNERS" CDs (if you made some), thanks to Gael who made a great job.

Once again, here are the links for the first 5 compilations - tracklists further in this blog.

Vol. 1 : "SOME OTHER GROOVES" here
Vol. 2 : "DARK SIDE BLACK LIGHT" here
Vol. 3 : "CLASSIC & TIMELESS" here
Vol. 4 : "PSYCHEDELIC TUNES" here
Vol. 5 : "SPACE IS THE PLACE" here

Merci Gael!

SOME GOOD COVERS, vol.2 (special french edition)

For this occasion, a selection of pretty good french pop tracks, some of which have gained an international success (but much of them are local hits only. Try them!)
1/9 : Rectangle - 2001 version by JACNO, original JACNO (1982?)
2/10 : Joe le Taxi - cover by HANAYO, original VANESSA PARADIS
3/11 : 3è Sexe - cover by MISS KITTIN, original INDOCHINE
4/12 : Nouvelle Vague - cover by STEREO TOTAL, original RICHARD ANTHONY
5/13 : Une histoire de plage - cover by SONOKO, original BRIGITTE BARDOT
6/14 : Les amours perdues - cover by ELYSIAN FIELDS, original SERGE GAINSBOURG
7/15 : Tes états d'âme Eric - live cover by SEBASTIEN TELLIER, original LUNA PARKER
8/16 : Jet'm - cover by EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, original (Je t'aime... moi non plus) by SERGE GAINSBOURG & JANE BIRKIN

Try this selection here

NB :
- "3è sexe" by MISS KITTIN begins in a rude cut, it's the only version I've found.
- STEREO TOTAL, as you may know, made dozens of covers, almost all of them are recommended.
- The real original version of "Je t'aime..." is by SERGE GAINSBOURG & BRIGITTE BARDOT, but I prefer this one.

NB2 : COMMENTS PLEASE, if someone is interested and listen to these "covers" compilation; it's a lot of work for me, 3 or 4 more selections are ready, but OF COURSE IF NO ONE IS INTERESTED I STOP. Thanks.

LEGENDARY PINK DOTS, Live in Nantes, France, 2.12.1992

From the SOUND DESK, recorded on tape (very good sound quality, but some tracks are cut)
Track list :
1. City of needles
2. Ghosts of unborn children
3. Stichting time
4. Evolution
5. Wild life estate
6 Zero zero
7 Encore une fois
8 Maniac
9 Windows on the world
10 We bring the day (short version)
11 Poppy Day
12 Just a lifetime
13 The death of Jack the Ripper
14 Disturbance

Every one who is interested in psych music (and bizarre electronic music, as they are a kind of krautrock band in the 80s/90s) should absolutely know this crazy band; there are considered an underground classic now, but never gained an international success. Maybe because they have produced too much - we're lost in the jungle of their albums (how many? 50? a lot more, if the side projects are included?). Maybe because they were associated to gothic rock, what obviously they were not!
This live recording is from their "Malachai" tour, one of their best period in my opinion, they were at a peak in creativity as you may here in the psychedelic tunes "City of needles" or "Evolution", and made some really moving songs ("Ghosts of unborn children", Poppy Day"). So... try it and enjoy.

I split it in 2 PARTS (duration : 90') :
1st part here
2nd part here

At last, a message to their fans : I have a video from this performance, recorded on VHS. If someone wants it, tell me how I can put it in the computer and make RAR files, I know nothing about video! Thanks!

SOME GOOD COVERS, vol.1

TrackList :
1/9 : Kathleen - cover by TINDERSTICKS, original TOWNES VAN ZANDT
2/10 : Ziggy Stardust - cover by BAUHAUS, original DAVID BOWIE
3/11 : I started a joke - cover by LOW, original BEE GEES
4/12 : Hells Bells - cover DANDY WARHOLS, original AC/DC
5/13 : Angel - cover by CHRISTIAN DEATH, original JIMMI HENDRIX
6/14 : Don't talk - cover by FENNESZ, original BEACH BOYS
7/15 : These foolish things - cover by BRYAN FERRY, original FRANCK SINATRA
8/16 : I've been losing you - cover by RE-MODEL (myself), original A-HA

Comments :
Of course many of these songs and the cover versions you may know, but I couldn't help assembling them in a single list. There may be between 5 and 10 of these compilations if you like this. I'll put in some of them my own home made covers, recorded and mixed on GarageBand, sung by my dear friend Ketty. Don't hesitate to comment it, even if you find it awful.

This 1st compilation here

Thanks for your comments, they can help.