German psych-masters visit Planet Earth for a bit
happydogpotatohead | New Orleans, LA USA | 10/12/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Less lysergic but most lovely album, with Renate Knaup's vocals making their presence known, and the band working to make a slightly more "accessible" and "commercial" sound. Of course it was neither, but as a result the compositions are more organized and only hover a bit above the ground, as opposed to previous albums where they were bound for distant reaches of the universe. A good introduction to Amon Duul II, and a nice in-between stop for Duulians who have already taken the big mystical interstellar journeys, i.e. "Yeti," "Phallus Dei," and "Tanz Der Lemminge" with them."
Love them all !
Igor Kordey | Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada | 03/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"'Vive la trance' was a slight dissapointment for me the first time I played it, because it was immediately after I got totaly hooked on 'Wolf City', for me the One and only. But it was back in '74, I was 17 and very rebelious and not into compromising. Few years later, in the age of Punk movement, I realised how 'Trance' was way ahead of its time and I got back to it With more enthusiasm. I'm talking about a row of firecrackers,
5 crazy short songs at the end of the record. Today, after decades of being into music I still find 'Amon Duul II' incredibly fresh, inovative and
magical. I love them all and have all their records, but for new enthusiasts I'd like to make list of the best 'Duul' records (my opinion of
course):-Wolf City, Yeti, Tanz der Lemminge, Vive la trance, Hi-jack,
Carnival in Babylon,Made in Germany, Nada moonshine, Only human.
That's it. And they cover any niche in contemporary rock, from experimental to pop, and you don't need much more if you have this ultimate collection. And most important, 'Duul' is a group of people with
a lot of sense of humour. Zappa, hope you have fun wherever you are!"
Phoenix rising out of the ash.......
Igor Kordey | 09/01/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After YETI and DANCE OF THE LEMMINGS, two out-of-body albums that contain some of the wildest music ever made, Amon Duul II took a slight breather with this album. More structured than it's two predecessors, it plays kind of like a slightly wilder Jefferson Airplane circa AFTER BATHING AT BAXTERS. Renate Knaup and Chris Karrer's heavily-accented English gives everything a odd cast, but songs like "Tables Are Turned" and "All The Years Round" are charming and pretty. "Hawknose Harliquin" is the only one that goes back deep into freak-out land, with a heavy nod to early Floyd and Dead. If you want to give these German psychedelic warlords a try, get this first, then try YETI or LEMMINGS----and wave that freak flag!"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1