PYRAGONY X

I wanted to see how AMON DÜÜL II sounded later on, so I picked this album. To me, I think the band really lost it by this point. Here the band is trying for more conventional symphonic prog. I don't have any problem with that. This is 1976, after all, you don't get albums like ASH RA TEMPEL's "Seven Up", CAN's "Tago Mago", or AMON DÜÜL's "Tanz der Lemminge", for that matter, being released in 1976. Bands that survived this long turned either to electronic music (TANGERINE DREAM, for that matter ASH RA TEMPEL as they became ASHRA) or symphonic prog (ELOY, BIRTH CONTROL).

Unfortunately on "Pyrogany X", AMON DÜÜL II sounds totally clueless playing conventional symphonic prog. Most of the compositions are non-memorable, in fact a title like "Sally the Seducer" is more memorable for its title than the music. Then you have "Telly Vision", with lyrics referring to Ronald McDonald. For me, it's much better to stick with their early albums, like "Phallas Dei", "Yeti", "Tanz der Lemminge", perhaps "Carnival in Babylon" and "Wolf City" than this later offering.