OK here are this week's offerings. Thanks to everyone who has left a comment or e-mailed me!

The Velvet Underground - 1969: The Velvet Underground Live













Originally a two-record set, this live recording has been split and released as separate albums, volume 1 and volume 2. No matter, it's an essential document of one of the finest and most innovative rock bands of all time. 1969: Live catches the band at a juncture in their career, still reeling from the departure of John Cale and settling into the addition of multi-instrumentalist Doug Yule, who would help the band find their rocking heart. Thank god that Maureen Tucker was still around--her inspired, primal drumming makes this recording such a delight. Her quiet thumping on "Lisa Says" is understated and touching, and her timpanic, thunderous rolls on "New Age" are nothing short of awesome. Lou Reed is particularly loose and chatty, more comfortable with his voice as he stretches to hit some tender passages. And the version of "Rock and Roll" here is perhaps the finest of all it's many versions, epic in scope and focused in intensity. (amazon.com)

Vol. 1
Part 1 Part 2

Vol. 2
Part 1 Part 2

Drosselbart - Drosselbart (1970)

An extremely obscure early Krautrock band, Drosselbart played a heavy psychedelic rock, with lots of weird touches, heavy wedges of organ and strange songs in German. Very little is known about them. Drawing influences from both American and British 60's styles, they steeped their music with lots of Teutonic strangeness, akin to early Tomorrow's Gift or Eulenspygel. The German lyrics were well-written, very doomy and aggressive, dealing with with religious symbols and mankind's vicious nature. Although admittedly dated, Drosselbart's music is still remarkably volatile and surprising, and is one of the earliest examples of the stranger side of Krautrock psychedelia.

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Apocalypse - Apocalypse (1970)

A German band with a name like Apocalypse, you might expect a lot of Sturm und Drang, but this fine album is actually at the pop (not the throwaway kind) end of the krautrock spectrum, full of excellent harmony laden pop tinged by psychedelia. The album has a lush, full sound - it was produced by Giorgio Morodor. With some great guitar sounds and some fine songs, the whole proceeding is very Anglo-sounding, and the group was obviously influenced by The Beatles.

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Eddie Boyd With Fleetwood Mac - 7936 South Rhodes (1968)

Recorded in London in January 1968 with three members of the early lineup of Fleetwood Mac (the one that played blues, not pop/rock): Peter Green (guitar), John McVie (bass), and Mick Fleetwood (drums). It's an adequate setting for Boyd's straight Chicago piano blues, going heavier on the slow-to-mid-tempo numbers than the high-spirited ones, though Green is a far more sympathetic accompanist than the rhythm section. (Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide)

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Erna Schmidt - Erna Schmidt Live '69 - '71

This release by Erna Schmidt, on the Garden Of Delights label, represents the first and only release from the band, recorded live over the years 1969 - 1971 (though mostly from 1970). The line up for most of this set is: Hubert Stutz on guitar; Hartmut Mau on flute, sax, oboe and ocarina; Walter Laible on bass, and Wolfgang Mathias on drums and percussion. The sound quality on this disk is so clear that one only realizes that it is a live recording when the audience applauds. The pieces on this live document are part composition, part improv, but everything meshes so well, it's hard to tell.

Hubert Stutz plays some fantastic, taut, bluesy leads, making this an air-guitarists delight. His style does owe a lot to Hendrix, but not only Hendrix, as I think of Eric Clapton at times at well. As Cream is mentioned as an "example" to follow, this is not surprising. There are so many great moments here -- the high energy of "Ein Tag Aus Dem Leben Des Menschen P," for example. A hard blues rocker where Stutz just lets loose... as does drummer Wolfgang Mathias, who gets to solo about two-thirds of the way in. "Rulaman" which is a foot-tapper -- nay, a foot-dancer -- with Middle Eastern phrasing. The Led Zeppelin-esque "La Folle D'Espagne." "Erna Schmidt" is a signature piece that hints at all the directions the band will be taking with the rest of the tracks, including both rock and pastoral passages, giving focus to guitars and flutes, without overshadowing the contributions by bass and drums. This track itself builds and builds into a flurry of hard driving sound. "Woischwiemoin" is another standout track, a slow, bluesy number.

There were moments on this release where I also thought of The Guess Who, The Beatles, and Jethro Tull, though with the latter, I have to admit it was mainly due to the flute playing of Hartmut Mau (on "La Folle D'Espange"). "Kleines Idyll" begins with Mau on flute, creating a very pastoral setting; this made me think of The Guess Who's "Share The Land," but this quickly goes off into a different direction. A quickly paced wah-wahed guitar workout, with flute just audible in the background, concluding in a manner that hints at "Strawberry Fields," though I don't think this is deliberate, as the The Guess Whoness of it also remains. Mau's flute is very sweet, and very clear.

Erna Schmidt had the stuff, that's for sure. This album is proof of that. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this, and recommend it not only to Krautrock fans, but also to fans of music in general. (Stephanie Sollow)

Part 1 Part 2

Madison Dyke - Zeitmaschine (1977)

The only album from German band Madison Dyke is complex progressive rock with occasional hard rock tendencies, similar in a way to Jane, or maybe Novalis. This has pretty much what lovers of 1970's German progressive rock are looking for - strong tunes based around string synths, acoustic and Floydian electric guitars, and flute.

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Arthur Lee & Love - Black Beauty & Rarities

This bootleg does diehard Love fans a considerable service by gathering Arthur Lee's rarest work together in one place. Holding by far the most interest are the first nine cuts, which assemble the rare pre-Love cuts from 1963 - 65 that Lee was involved with as writer, performer, producer, or some combination thereof. This includes the tame soul instrumentals by the L.A.G.'s in 1963; the far more confident American Four tracks from 1964, highlighted by the exuberant "Twist and Shout" ripoff "Luci Baines" (with Lee vocals); the Curtis Mayfield-ish soul of Ronnie & the Pamona Casuals; the Spectorish production of Little Ray's "I Been Trying"; and the nifty soul of Rosa Lee Brooks' 1964 single "My Diary," which features Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Tracks 10 - 19 are a 1973 unreleased album by Lee and/or Love, Black Beauty, which is typical of the music Lee was recording in the early 1970's. There's also an unreleased 1977 cut, and a couple of decent versions of "Feathered Fish" (which Lee wrote in the mid-'60s, although Love didn't record it) from 1994 that show a bit of the old energy. (Bitrate - 160)

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Triumvirat - Illusions On A Double Dimple (1974)

"Illusions On A Double Dimple" is a breathtaking masterpiece and perhaps the best of all Triumvirat's albums. “Illusions” is essentially 2 epic tracks and stands as highly creative in scope and ambition with its fusion of classical, pop, rock and even some jazz elements. Most discerning listeners will love this album with continuously shifting musical interludes and dazzling mood and tempos shifts. The songs themselves are brilliantly written and the Harvest Records Remastered version brings out the deep tonal sophistication and true analog feel the album is rich in. Band line up is Jurgen Fritz (keyboards), Hans Bathelt (drums), and Helmut Kollen (guitar, bass, vocals). The overall sound of the album is very crisp and fresh sounding not sounding like an old 1970’s release. I hear lots of elements on “Illusions” with allusions to ELP (Obviously) , Beatles, ELO, and YES. This is an album that either you love to death or I guess don’t get, but I definitely love this album all the way thru and will take this one to the desert Island.
(Wonderful World Of Progressive Rock)

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That's it, then. See you next week.