...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...


..::OPIS::..

Rewelacja! Wydany w 1970 roku debiutancki, autentycznie wyśmienity album niemieckiej progresywnej formacji, bardzo przypominający nagrania wczesnych Jethro Tull, ale podane bardziej na surowo i w lekko psychodelicznej stylistyce. Czytelna melodyka, mnóstwo fletu, zagęszczone bębny, przesterowana gitara. Zespół wydał płytę własnym sumptem w nakładzie 500 egzemplarzy, a oryginalne winyle w rzadko widywanym świetnym stanie warte są ponad 1000 euro! Dodatkowo umieszczono dwa kawałki z 1970 roku, które nie zmieściły się na oryginalny LP oraz wczesną wersję utworu, który pojawił się na drugim albumie, "Phallobst" (1971). Moim zdaniem to jeden z najlepszych dziesięciu tytułów z kręgu niemieckiego prog-rocka! Bez wątpienia jest to najlepiej brzmiąca wersja CD!

JL

This wonderful debut album by the roots-oriented German prog act made a big impression on me, when I bought it over ten years ago. This is one of the few albums which has stood the test of time, and listening to it is still gives me lots of enjoyment enriched with nostalgia. Though the music is impressionistic and wild, it mostly bluesy 1970's rock oriented by jazz, folk and slightly psychedelic influences. I think that the most talented musician of the band is Udo Dahmen playing the drums. There are evident classic jazz influences to be heard in his playing. Klaus Gülden's flute is also a good extra color in the band's palette, creating both soothing and chaotic sounds. The album begins with "Walpurgisnacht", a stoned bluesy rocker in the vein of early Jane. The second song "Knight of 3rd Degree" has Spanish and medieval elements in the music, and its metaphorical lyrics are fine, making up this track as one of the top moments of this wonderful album. The following songs "Spanferkel" and "Freitag" are instrumental numbers, the last one having very insane and painful sounding guitar solo. The second side of the LP holds the title track "Weiß der Teufel", which concludes many different elements like Gershwin's "Summertime" and mad flute solos to a wonderful avant-garde rock epic. Very emotional and powerful stuff. My copy of this album is a vinyl released by Little Wing, so it doesn't have the bonus live material from Aachen, but I have heard them from my "Avalon and On" boxed set, and at least the live version from their "Avalon Suite" is a good performance of a fine tune. A very recommendable, wonderful album.

Eetu Pellonpaa


What an aggressive flute performance. RUFUS ZUPHALL's debut album "Weiß Der Teufel ..." has got to be one of hard Krautrock pioneers.
Firstly, the last titled track is the masterpiece, based upon a standard jazz number "Summertime". Klaus' floating flute playing and hard-edged rock phrases are amazingly violent although based upon such a jazz standard one. Their improvised heavy rock riffs in the beginning part and flexible drum machinegun-ish meteor shower remind me hard / shoegaze / freestyled Krautrock like Guru Guru or Ash Ra Tempel. Whilst the following one with Summertime's phrases, featuring stable jazz essence and steady flute punches, give us a momentary comfort. And the middle is kinda killa for us ... complex, eccentric flute violence makes a definite explosion as a percussive device, with crazy meaningless shouts. This part is very exciting and experimental, that can be suitable to be called as Krautrock. Basically not leans toward other Prog Folk outfits featuring beautiful flute sounds like Jethro Tull. They played with kaleidoscopic soundscape, with burning sunlight and cool moonlight. Not only simply jazzy footprints they'd left but also splendid kinky freaky experiment expression, let me say.

Not only the masterpiece above mentioned, we can enjoy their brilliant, delightful sounds, especially via Klaus' flute launcher. The third track "Spanferkel" is the shortest in this album but one of the most powerful, the most thrilling attacks too, where massive flute bomb makes exposures of eruption again and again. Their perfect innovation of sound drives us mad. On the contrary, the fourth (the last of Side A) one "Freitag" sounds a bit unrefined (in a fine sense) along with tense, slightly cynical deep riffs like jazz Krautrocker Xhol Caravan or Air in the same nation. In the first track "Walpurgisnacht" we can enjoy hard pop with fantastic flute-based dry-fruity tips as if we would throw ourselves into old-fashioned "non-kosmische" German rock really. Through the whole creation, we can feel very colourful structure here and there.

Anyway off-topic, this album was recommended by a Krautrock specialist Philippe Blache as a brilliant flute-fronted one. Let me say thanks to Philippe and I wish I could be such a killer flutist. :)

DamoXt7942



..::TRACK-LIST::..

1. Walpurgisnight 3:00
2. Knight Of Third Degree (Percussion Erich Engels) 7:32
3. Spanferkel 2:20
4. Freitag 7:14
5. Weiß Der Teufel 17:09

Bonus Tracks:
6. The Ballad of Hollis Brown (Album Outtake, 1970) 12:25
7. Granum Cerebri (Album Outtake, 1970) 4:05
8. Portland Town (Earle Version, 1971) 4:20



..::OBSADA::..

Bass - Helmut Lieblang
Drums, Tabla - Udo Dahmen
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals - Günter Krause
Flute, Percussion, Soprano Saxophone - Klaus Gülden




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h92i_8Nt9uo



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