Search - Grobschnitt :: Grobschnitt

A great debut!

fu wai | Hong Kong, not applicable Hong Kong | 08/13/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Great German krautrock's best album is surely "solar music live", however, their debut is already great for any krautrock lovers. The diversity of musical influence appear here. The best cuts: Wonderful Music (a gentle playful tune, with flute..etc) and Sun Trip (great! With spoken german and a medley of great original songs.WOnderful dual guitar work and fascinating arrangement) The first half is more playful while the second side is more tight and spacy. There are some boring moments in the first side, so I reduce the rating to only 4 stars. Nevertheless, a great classics."

Great start for this German band

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 03/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Grobschnitt often explored different styles, Krautrock, space rock, symphonic prog. In the realms of symphonic prog, it's Rockpommel's Land (1977) that many regard as their finest symphonic release, while "Solar Music" was their big space rock statement, with the original being found on the second disc off Ballermann (1974), and a must-have 1978 live version off Solar Music Live ("Solar Music" seemed as much a staple of Grobschnitt concerts as "Dark Star" was to Grateful Dead concerts in their first several years, you can get other versions of "Solar Music" from the History of Solar Music series).



In 1972 comes their self-entitled debut, and the lineup is a bit different from the ones that created their best material in the late '70s (Rockpommel's Land, Solar Music Live). The lineup consisted of Joachim Ehrig (Eroc) on drums, percussion, and electronic effects, second drummer Axel Harlos (Felix), Stefan Danielak (Wilschein) on vocals and rhythm guitar, Bernhard Uhlemann (Bär) on bass, flute, and percussion, Ger-Otto Kühn (Lupo) on lead guitar, and Hermann Quetting (Quecksilber) on keyboards. Notice this early version of Grobschnitt featured two drummers, and the fact several members also played percussion, it ends up sounding like a more prog version of Santana! Quecksilber often played organ similar to Gregg Rolie, and the percussion isn't unlike that of Santana. "Symphony" is that prime example what I'm talking about, great use of guitar, and even in this early phase in their career, I can still easily recognize Wildschein's voice. The music then mellows out into Pink Floyd territory, where Lupo gives some David Gilmour-like lead guitar. Space rock tendencies pop up, with some space electronic effects. "Travelling" is another aggressive piece, again in Santana territory, but with a prog bent. "Wonderful Music" has a more medieval feel, which is something I never expected off Grobschnitt. It's a great piece to say the least. "Sun Trip" is the "space rock" piece on this album. Apparently the lyrics are anti-war, with references to Vietnam and you even hear the sounds of gunfire and air raid sirens (electronically produced). This piece has some slow passages, as well, so it required me a few listens to get it.



CD reissue also includes "Die Sympnonie", an early performance from 1971, which is essentially an early version of "Symphony", but far more extended.



While I can't help but comparing this to Santana, I notice that early German prog style that Eloy explored on Inside and Floating, Nektar (OK, so they're British, but residing in Germany) with Journey to the Centre of the Eye, or perhaps even Jane's first album, Together, naturally making this album a must have for those who enjoyed such albums.



The only reason I knocked off a star is some of the slow passages, particularly on parts of "Sun Trip", but it's still a great debut."