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Amon Düül II

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After Can and Faust came Amon Düül. I was digging deeper and deeper into the german kraut-rock or kosmiche musik genres to find the weirdest possible groups there were. Amon Düül were a very tribal affair and I really enjoyed their neanderthal sounds so I thought I'd check out the "sister" group Amon Düül II (they share one or two members and were split up due to political and artistic differences; the "II" was added to avoid legal problems). I knew they would be different, but not that much.

Amon Düül were tribal and heavy, most of their output was taken from one long motherfucker of a jam, some of it sounds totally chaotic and amateurish, but this is all a part of their charm. Amon Düül II on the other hand still retained some of the heaviness of Amon Düül, but they had a much more structured sound and a penchant for psychedelic acrobatics. Even on their own lengthy jams, the progression is immediately noticeable and they manage to create a thick and intense atmosphere. Both are great, but in very different ways. I am aware however that many fans of progressive rock see Amon Düül as an aberration in the genre (how you can even associate this group with the genre - beside the association with Amon Düül II - is beyond me!).

Amon Düül II's sound seems to split along the way. The changes are rapid from record to record. The first two albums, although showing signs of how they were to sound later on in their career, lean definitely more towards the psychedelic side. Tanz Der Lemminge is a bit half-half and from Carnival In Babylon onwards, they would be much closer in spirit to progressive rock then to the long lengthy jams we had been used to until then. Structure and tempo changes were much more emphasized from then on. The quality of their output soon diminished as their sound became more and more toned-down and mainstream. I consider Viva La Trance to be the group's last worthwhile album. There would be some interesting outputs to come (Made In Germany), but they all pale in comparison to their earlier recordings. Nevertheless, for the incredible quality of these recordings, Amon Düül II have deservedly made it's way into what I call the holy trinity of kraut-rock alongside Can and Faust.

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Album Cover Phallus Dei
Label: Repertoire
Release: 1969
Format: CD
Cat. no: REP 4872

Song list:

  1. Kanaan (4:02)
  2. Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren (6:12)
  3. Luzifers Ghilom (8:34)
  4. Henriette Krütenschwanz (2:03)
  5. Phallus Dei (20:47)
  6. Freak Out Requiem I (4:02)
  7. Freak Out Requiem II (3:47)
  8. Freak Out Requiem III (0:42)
  9. Freak Out Requiem IV (7:49)
  10. Cymbals In The Field (0:31)


Album Cover Yeti
Label: Repertoire
Release: 1970
Format: CD
Cat. no: REP 4914

Song list:

  1. Soap Shop Rock (a. Burning Sister/b. Halluzination Guillotine/c. Gulp A Sonata/d. Flesh Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm) (13:42)
  2. She Came Through The Chimney (2:59)
  3. Archangels Thunderbird (3:32)
  4. Cerberus (4:22)
  5. The Return Of Ruebezahl (1:39)
  6. Eye-Shaking King (5:40)
  7. Pale Gallery (2:15)
  8. Yeti (Improvisation) (18:13)
  9. Yeti Talks To Yogi (Improvisation) (6:15)
  10. Sandoz In The Rain (Improvisation) (8:59)
  11. Rattlesnakeplumcake (3:18)
  12. Between The Eyes (2:27)


Album Cover Tanz Der Lemminge
Label: Repertoire
Release: 1971
Format: CD
Cat. no: REP 4915

Song list:

  1. Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies: In The Glassgarden (1:39)
  2. Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies: Pull Down Your Mask (4:39)
  3. Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies: Prayer To The Silence (1:04)
  4. Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies: Telephonecomplex (8:26)
  5. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Landing In A Ditch (1:12)
  6. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Dehypnotized Toothpaste (0:52)
  7. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: A Short Stop At The Transsylvanian Brain-Surgery (5:00)
  8. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Race From Here To Your Ears a) Little Tornadoes (2:08)
  9. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Race From Here To Your Ears b) Overheated Tiara (1:46)
  10. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Race From Here To Your Ears c) The Flyweighted Five (1:26)
  11. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Riding On A Cloud (2:33)
  12. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: Paralized Paradise (3:07)
  13. Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child: H.G. Well's Take Off (1:26)
  14. Chamsin Soundtrack: The Marilyn Monroe-Memorial-Church (Improvisation) (18:05)
  15. Chamsin Soundtrack: Chewinggum Telegram (2:44)
  16. Chamsin Soundtrack: Stumbling Over Melted Moonlight (4:39)
  17. Chamsin Soundtrack: Toxicological whispering (7:50)


Album Cover Carnival In Babylon
Label: Repertoire
Release: 1972
Format: CD
Cat. no: REP 4986

Song list:

  1. C.I.D. In Uruk (5:31)
  2. All The Years 'Round (7:19)
  3. Shimmering Sand (6:32)
  4. Kronwinkl 12 (3:50)
  5. Tables Are Turned (3:32)
  6. Hawknose Harlequin (9:45)
  7. Light (3:47)
  8. Lemmingmania (2:57)
  9. Between The Eyes (2:24)
  10. All The Years 'Round (Single Version) (4:10)


Album Cover Wolf City
Label: Repertoire
Release: 1972
Format: CD
Cat. no: REP 4987

Song list:

  1. Surrounded By The Stars (7:44)
  2. Green-Bubble-Raincoated-Man (5:03)
  3. Jail-House-Frog (4:50)
  4. Wolf City (3:18)
  5. Wie Der Wind Am Ende Einer Strasse (5:42)
  6. Deutsch Nepal (2:56)
  7. Sleepwalker's Timeless Bridge (4:54)