MADE IN GERMANY

AMON DUUL II were probably among the most "German-sounding" of all the Krautrock bands, with that often serious and menacing "Teutonic" or "Gothic" feel. On the other hand they successfully destroyed the myth of Germans as being too serious and humourless people, with their often hilariously funny lyrics and crazy mocking vocals and arrangements. "Made in Germany" is seemingly a sort of satiric look at their homeland, starting with symphonic orchestra intro and recalling several notable German historic figures like Kaiser Wilhelm, Ludwig (van Beethoven I guess), Fritz Lang or Adolf Hitler, along with German personification in the character of certain Mr. Kraut. And while the overall sound picture of this conceptual album is filled with jocular personas and backed by very competent and strong musicianship, and especially the excellent vocals of Renate Knaup, the double-disc set seems overloaded with patchy collection of tunes and jolly moments, often without any direction of where the adventure leads to. It is not the problem that they turned poppy at times, but the problem is for me that I can, after several thorough listenings, select only 1-2 songs as really fine compositions, namely "Loosey Girls" and "Dreams". The remaining stuff is interesting enough to catch attention of most of Kraut-rockers, but perhaps not so for general prog fans. Still, this is a good album which is an acquired taste, but for me slightly lesser effort than "Vive la Trance". 3 stars sharp!