OK! First off, a great big thank you to all who took the time to leave a comment last week. It really was something, quite a response. I'm sorry that I let them build up to the point that I couldn't answer each comment individually, but please know that I'm grateful - not dead! LOL! Well here we go.

Amon Düül II - Live Club Barmen 4-19-03

This is an excellent stereo audience recording of Amon Düül II playing in a small club in Wuppertal, Germany. Can these 'old farts' still rock it? Damn right they can - this thing is great. Mostly original members doing versions of some of their best material, a lot of younger bands would be jealous, if only they had a clue. They start off with an awesome take on one of my favorite tunes, "Eye-Shaking King", and there's no let-up til the end of the second disc. Every krautrock fan needs this. I'm not kidding - this is hot.

CD1
1.eye-shaking king
2.apocalyptic bore
3.dry your ears
4.wolf city / cerberus
5.flower of the orient
6.deutsch-nepal
7.speed inside my shoes
8.all the years round
9.kanaan
10.improvisation

CD2
1.surrounded by the stars
2.green-bubble raincoated man
3.improvisation
4.archangels thunderbird
5.renate's ostergruss

Renate Knaup
Peter Leopold
Chris Karrer
John Weinzierl
Lothar Meid
Jan Kahlert

Crabby Appleton - Crabby Appleton (1970)

Great album of early 70's rock, a little on the power-pop side, but the band could rock pretty hard too. Front man and vocalist Michael Fennelly, who wrote all the songs on this debut album, is backed by a bunch of talented musicians, whose instrumental interplay can only be described as tight. Some songs are punchy and forceful melodic hard rock, some are delicate and plaintive. Some have a Latin flavor thanks to 'Flaco' Falcon on timbales. The songs are all about love, tolerance and brotherhood. A brilliant set of tunes from a forgotten, underrated band with a ridiculous name. Yeah! My rip @ highVBR w/scans.

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Red Dirt - Red Dirt (1970)

If a band like Crabby Appleton can have a polar opposite, Red Dirt is it! Releasing only one album in 1970, this British band featured a singer that probably learned to sing at the same whiskey bar as Edgar Broughton. Talk about raspy. No power pop or melodic hard rock here. The music is down and dirty, low-down, grungy, fuzzed-out blues rock. This is nasty and uncouth, completely uncalled for. Four bonus tracks are different somehow, much more polished but still good!

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Ashra - New Age Of Earth (1977)

More brilliant electronica from Manuel Gottsching, formerly of Cosmic Jokers and Ash Ra Tempel. I'm pretty sure all of you know what to expect here - low-key, otherworldly guitar playing against a flowing tapestry of synthesizer sounds. Lyrical and beautiful.

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Hanuman - Hanuman (1971)

Hanuman was started by former Murphy Blend organist Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig, they put out this one album and changed their name to Lied Des Teufels after Uhlig left. The music is very jazzy and teutonic, a good progressive rock album. A lot of people might have trouble with the vocals, including me, as they are very, ah, "German". Maybe too German for some of us. After a couple listens they don't sound too very weird though.

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Fresh Blueberry Pancake - Heavy (1970)

This band was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They formed in 1968 and by 1970 they were performing primarily original material which necessitated the recording of this demo album. Only 54 copies were pressed, and they were used for promotion... it's now rather difficult to locate! The music ranges from post-Hendrix/Blue Cheer brain-numbingly heavy acid-rock (watch out for the opener, Hassles), through bluesy moods, lighter jazzy touches, to jangley almost-folk-rock restraint. The lyrics occasionally head in a religious direction but are not preachy; the overall feel is more one of "Old Crow" than "Old Testament". (Fuzz, Acid & Flowers)

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OK later.