AMON DÜÜL
''TANZ DER LEMMINGE''
MARCH 1971
68:43
1/Syntelman's March of the Roaring Twenties/15:50
- In The Glassgarden (1:39)
- Pull Down Your Mask (4:39)
- Prayer To The Silence (1:04)
- Telephonecomplex (8:26)
Chris Karrer / Falk U. Rogner
2/Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child/19:33
- Landing In A Ditch (1:12)
- Dehynotized Toothpaste (0:52)
- A Short Stop St The Transylvanian Brain Surgery (5:00)
- Race From Here To Your Ears
a) Little Tornadoes (2:08)
b) Overheated Tiara (1:46)
c) The Flyweighted Five (1:26)
- Riding On A Cloud (2:33)
- Paralized Paradise (3:07)
- HG Well's Take Off (1:26)
John Weinzierl
Chamsin Soundtrack
3/The Marilyn Monroe-Memorial-Church/18:09
Lothar Meid
4/Chewing Gum Telegram/2:45
Chris Karrer / Lothar Meid
5/Stumbling over Melted Moonlight/4:38
Chris Karrer / Lothar Meid
6/Toxicological Whispering/7:48
Dave Anderson /Bass
Danny Secundus Fichelscher /Drums
Alois Gromer /Sitar
Karl Heinz Hausmann /Keyboards
Jim Jackson /Keyboards
Chris Karrer /Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals
Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz /Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Henrietto Kroetenschwarg /Vocals
Peter Leopold /Drums, Percussion
Lothar Meid /Keyboards
Falk U. Rogner /Bass, Keyboards
Dieter Serfas /Drums, Percussion
Shrat /Percussion, Violin, Vocals
John Weinzierl /Bass, Guitar
Rolf Zacher /Vocals
REVIEW
by Ned Raggett
There aren't many double art-rock albums from the early '70s that have stood the test of time, but then again, there aren't many albums like Tanz, and there certainly aren't many groups like Amon Düül II. While exact agreement over which of their classic albums is the absolute standout may never be reached, in terms of ambition combined with good musicianship and good humor, the group's third album, is probably the best candidate still. The musical emphasis is more on expansive arrangements and a generally gentler, acoustic or soft electric vibe; the brain-melting guitar from Yeti isn't as prominent on Tanz, for example, aside from the odd freakout here and there. You will find lengthy songs divided up into various movements, but with titles like "Dehypnotized Toothpaste" and "Overheated Tiara," po-faced seriousness is left at the door. The music isn't always wacky per se, but knowing that the group can laugh at itself is a great benefit. The first three tracks each take up a side of vinyl on the original release, and all are quite marvelous. "Syntelman's March of the Roaring Seventies" works through a variety of acoustic parts, steering away from folksiness for a more abstract, almost playfully classical sense of space and arrangement, before concluding with a brief jam. "Restless Skylight-Transistor Child" is more fragmented, switching between aggressive (and aggressively weird) and subtle passages. One part features Meid and Knaup singing over an arrangement of guitars, synths and mock choirs that's particularly fine, and quite trippy to boot. "Chamsin Soundtrack" exchanges variety for a slow sense of mystery and menace, with instruments weaving in and out of the mix while never losing the central feel of the song. Three briefer songs close out the record, a nice way to get in some quick grooves at the end.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steven McDonald
Amon Düül preferred the commune life to the hurly-burly of the music business, releasing several albums edited from recordings of a single extended jam session conducted in 1968. Several commune members with greater musical ambitions formed Amon Düül II -- they saw no reason to struggle for a new name, or argue over the original. The new group was helmed by John Weinzierl, Chris Karrer and Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz, and set to work to produce an impressive debut with Phallus Dei. This was followed quickly by the double album Yeti, the cover of which features one of the band's roadies.
1972 brought the release of another two-LP set -- Tanz der Lemminge ("Dance of the Lemmings"), a recording widely considered to be the keystone of the Amon Düül II catalog. With stylistic abandon, the album mixed together everything from straight-ahead rock to experimental noodling, all built around a series of science-fiction themes. The band performed with a joyfulness that belied the real seriousness of the experimental work involved.
They continued on this path for several years, continuing to release highly regarded albums that achieved only moderate sales, at best. 1975's Made in Germany (released in two-LP and single-LP versions) found the band making an attempt to present a more commercially appealing side, with little effect on the market. Continuing failure to crack the mainstream eventually brought the band back to its more experimental roots, though not before causing the core unit to fall moribund for a while.
In 1981, a further spin-off, formed by John Weinzierl under the original name (and also known as Amon Düül UK and, rarely, as Amon Düül III) recorded sporadically in the 1980s. Weinzierl worked with former Hawkwind member Dave Anderson on a total of five albums (one of which, Airs on a Shoestring, was a compilation drawn from the first two, with additional material salted in), with additional bandmembers coming from all walks of the British progressive/psychedelic scene. For Lösung, Weinzierl and Anderson collaborated with the late Robert Calvert, as well as drummer Guy Evans.
Amon Düül II reappeared during the 1990s, producing a series of remixes and original material, as well as Live in Tokyo and the intriguing benefit album Kobe (Reconstruction), which focused on material from 1969-1971. Members continue to be active with both solo and band projects. EastWest Records Germany released a four-CD retrospective box set in 1997. The '90s renewed interest in Krautrock culminated with the re-release of three of the group's albums -- Wolf City, Yeti and Viva la Trance -- in 1999.
''TANZ DER LEMMINGE''
MARCH 1971
68:43
1/Syntelman's March of the Roaring Twenties/15:50
- In The Glassgarden (1:39)
- Pull Down Your Mask (4:39)
- Prayer To The Silence (1:04)
- Telephonecomplex (8:26)
Chris Karrer / Falk U. Rogner
2/Restless Skylight-Transistor-Child/19:33
- Landing In A Ditch (1:12)
- Dehynotized Toothpaste (0:52)
- A Short Stop St The Transylvanian Brain Surgery (5:00)
- Race From Here To Your Ears
a) Little Tornadoes (2:08)
b) Overheated Tiara (1:46)
c) The Flyweighted Five (1:26)
- Riding On A Cloud (2:33)
- Paralized Paradise (3:07)
- HG Well's Take Off (1:26)
John Weinzierl
Chamsin Soundtrack
3/The Marilyn Monroe-Memorial-Church/18:09
Lothar Meid
4/Chewing Gum Telegram/2:45
Chris Karrer / Lothar Meid
5/Stumbling over Melted Moonlight/4:38
Chris Karrer / Lothar Meid
6/Toxicological Whispering/7:48
Dave Anderson /Bass
Danny Secundus Fichelscher /Drums
Alois Gromer /Sitar
Karl Heinz Hausmann /Keyboards
Jim Jackson /Keyboards
Chris Karrer /Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals
Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz /Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Henrietto Kroetenschwarg /Vocals
Peter Leopold /Drums, Percussion
Lothar Meid /Keyboards
Falk U. Rogner /Bass, Keyboards
Dieter Serfas /Drums, Percussion
Shrat /Percussion, Violin, Vocals
John Weinzierl /Bass, Guitar
Rolf Zacher /Vocals
REVIEW
by Ned Raggett
There aren't many double art-rock albums from the early '70s that have stood the test of time, but then again, there aren't many albums like Tanz, and there certainly aren't many groups like Amon Düül II. While exact agreement over which of their classic albums is the absolute standout may never be reached, in terms of ambition combined with good musicianship and good humor, the group's third album, is probably the best candidate still. The musical emphasis is more on expansive arrangements and a generally gentler, acoustic or soft electric vibe; the brain-melting guitar from Yeti isn't as prominent on Tanz, for example, aside from the odd freakout here and there. You will find lengthy songs divided up into various movements, but with titles like "Dehypnotized Toothpaste" and "Overheated Tiara," po-faced seriousness is left at the door. The music isn't always wacky per se, but knowing that the group can laugh at itself is a great benefit. The first three tracks each take up a side of vinyl on the original release, and all are quite marvelous. "Syntelman's March of the Roaring Seventies" works through a variety of acoustic parts, steering away from folksiness for a more abstract, almost playfully classical sense of space and arrangement, before concluding with a brief jam. "Restless Skylight-Transistor Child" is more fragmented, switching between aggressive (and aggressively weird) and subtle passages. One part features Meid and Knaup singing over an arrangement of guitars, synths and mock choirs that's particularly fine, and quite trippy to boot. "Chamsin Soundtrack" exchanges variety for a slow sense of mystery and menace, with instruments weaving in and out of the mix while never losing the central feel of the song. Three briefer songs close out the record, a nice way to get in some quick grooves at the end.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steven McDonald
Amon Düül preferred the commune life to the hurly-burly of the music business, releasing several albums edited from recordings of a single extended jam session conducted in 1968. Several commune members with greater musical ambitions formed Amon Düül II -- they saw no reason to struggle for a new name, or argue over the original. The new group was helmed by John Weinzierl, Chris Karrer and Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz, and set to work to produce an impressive debut with Phallus Dei. This was followed quickly by the double album Yeti, the cover of which features one of the band's roadies.
1972 brought the release of another two-LP set -- Tanz der Lemminge ("Dance of the Lemmings"), a recording widely considered to be the keystone of the Amon Düül II catalog. With stylistic abandon, the album mixed together everything from straight-ahead rock to experimental noodling, all built around a series of science-fiction themes. The band performed with a joyfulness that belied the real seriousness of the experimental work involved.
They continued on this path for several years, continuing to release highly regarded albums that achieved only moderate sales, at best. 1975's Made in Germany (released in two-LP and single-LP versions) found the band making an attempt to present a more commercially appealing side, with little effect on the market. Continuing failure to crack the mainstream eventually brought the band back to its more experimental roots, though not before causing the core unit to fall moribund for a while.
In 1981, a further spin-off, formed by John Weinzierl under the original name (and also known as Amon Düül UK and, rarely, as Amon Düül III) recorded sporadically in the 1980s. Weinzierl worked with former Hawkwind member Dave Anderson on a total of five albums (one of which, Airs on a Shoestring, was a compilation drawn from the first two, with additional material salted in), with additional bandmembers coming from all walks of the British progressive/psychedelic scene. For Lösung, Weinzierl and Anderson collaborated with the late Robert Calvert, as well as drummer Guy Evans.
Amon Düül II reappeared during the 1990s, producing a series of remixes and original material, as well as Live in Tokyo and the intriguing benefit album Kobe (Reconstruction), which focused on material from 1969-1971. Members continue to be active with both solo and band projects. EastWest Records Germany released a four-CD retrospective box set in 1997. The '90s renewed interest in Krautrock culminated with the re-release of three of the group's albums -- Wolf City, Yeti and Viva la Trance -- in 1999.
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