STERN-COMBO MEISSEN

This was the MEISSEN's first album and was actually a live recording capturing IMHO them at their height of their career. This is classic German space prog with some grand interludes and otherworldly atmospheres. I love this album with their featured 2 analog keyboardists (Lothar Kramar and Thomas Kurzhals) who play a great array of 70's vintage keys. These guys play with a high degree of intuition and almost sound at times as if they are talking to each other. The other instrumentalists are equally solid (guitar, bass and percussion/drums) and an exceptional lead singer who sings in native German with great conviction. I would definitely put these guys in the "GROBSCHNITT" / "Ego On The Rocks" camp of progressive rock. A top notch album that I would highly recommend to all lovers of German Space progressive rock.

Stern Combo meissen's first LP is a gem of an LP in a field - East German Prog - not exactly bursting at the seams with masterpieces (unlike Italian Prog). But this great debut is worth checking out, blending Hawkwind-lie space-rock with prog dynamics. On "Der Kampf um den Sudpol" the first side opens with atmospheric wind effects until an icy Rick Wright-type organs starts snaking out of the ether in a sublime Eastern modality, while synths fizzle and fart in the background, oscillating their way into the stratosphere. SCM sing in German, which also sets them apart from a lot of german bands (Eloy, Jane), but I think in the end this is better as the German vocal inflection often struggles around English language lyrics (see Grobschnitt's "RockPommels Land"). Stern Combo Meissen's LP's suffer from a bad vinyl pressing like many Eastern European rock LP's but the energy of their arrangements overcomes this one minor quibble. "Eine nacht auf dem Kahlen Berge" opens Side Two with some great keyboard work - its the keyboards that really shine on this LP as the six-man line-up boasts three keyboardists!! Thomas Kurzhals moog work is first rate, reminding me of the style of SBB from Poland. LP closer "Licht in das Dunkel" finishes in style with a great extended Yes-like dynamic, lots of moog-riffs and great swathes of string backing on organ and string-synth (although the sleeves dont' discern - it sounds like SCM use Solina string synths rather than Mellotron's giving them a Tangerine Dream like texture). Overall, a charming little addition to the German Prog collection - a band with a very varied sound taking in influences from Wish You Were Here-era Floyd, ELP, Hawkwind and Yes. A great mix of space-rock and prog and a keyboard players dream.

I like this album very much. It's really German but how to describe that. Just great playing, live album, germal lyrics, just reminds you to Novalis, but much better I think. Highlight is the absolutely stunning opening track which has a fantastic melodic line AND great German lyrics about discovering the south-pole. If you're second, you don't count. I can't describe what's it really like, it's smooth, well played, progressive, if you have the change to listen to the opening track, DO SO!

In 1977 it was time for the first official release of Stern Combo Meissen.Their classic track ''Der Kampf um den Südpol'', already presented live by the group, started hitting the charts and remains actually a hit until today.Surprisingly the official debut of the band was another live recording, carrying the band's name as a title and released on Amiga in 1977.

Not the average keyboard-driven band,Stern Combo Meissen mix in their debut lots of different styles,remaining a band with a wide sound spectrum as in their early years.''Der Kampf um den Südpol'' sounds sort of psychedelic rock with nice organ and is led by the vocals of Reinhard Fißler,while on ''Der Alte auf der Müllkippe'' the funky rhythm section blends with the spacey moog synths of the keyboard duo.''Mütter gehn fort ohne Laut'' is the first track where the band shows of their symphonic tendencies with mellow classical-influenced synths and organs leading the way.''Eine Nacht af dem Kahlen Berge'' is nothing else than Stern Combo Meissen's adaption on the classic Mussorgsky piece ''Night on the Bald Mountain''.A 13 minute track,where the band capture all of the classic piece's dramatic atmosphere through the fiery organ and the closing section full of moog sounds and deep bass lines.''Licht das Dunkel'' closes the album in a rather soft way with hypnotic bass lines around moog solos and dreamy vocals,while its ending sounds like a familiar complex ELP jam.

Stern Combo Meissen were among the daring bands in DDR (East Germany) to produce some highly sophisticated music.Their debut is a nice delivery of classical-influenced prog rock and deserves a wider recognition...3.5 stars.

This is the first full album released by the East German band, Stern Combo Meissen. The bands name translates to "Star Combo Meissen" - Meissen being their home city, now famous for their porcelain production. The eponymous album title is sometimes listed as "No. 1" in compilation releases.

The first track, translated to "The Fight for the South Pole" tells the story about Amundsen and Scott in their fight to be the first to reach the south pole and how the winner's name would be remembered after death. The race, incidentally, was won by Amundsen. All of the lyrics are sung in their native German language which I don't understand, but that doesn't bother me because the vocals are pleasantly melodic and present themselves as just another instrument in the band. The track starts with some cool, windy synth effects that could have been lifted from Jean Michel Jarre's Equinox. The most prominent feature throughout the piece, however, is the bass play, which provides a head-nodding rhythm to keep the track moving forward. This track has become a signature piece that the band often plays in their live sets, even to this day.

The second track, "The Old Man on the Dump" presents a 1980's pop feel, which would become their dominant style on later albums. The song tells the story of a 70 year old man and his dog who sort through and guard the rubble in the dump as a way of making themselves feel useful. Parts of the track remind me of Thomas Dolby, and there's even a brief harmonic vocal (da-ba-dum) passage that conjures up early Yes. Again the bass play is front and center.

Track three, "Mothers Go Away Without a Sound" tells the story of ones mother fading from our life -- a victim of our haste. It's a soft piece, with nicely melodic vocals and simple keyboard lines.

Track four, "One Night on the Bald Mountains" is a Modest Mussorgsky composition with a "musical recast" by Stern Combo Meissen. The track starts with ominous, foreboding synth sound effects that gives way to multiple, layered keyboards and the ever-present forward bass play. This track gives the first hint at something like Keith Emerson -- i.e. classical training applied to modern (at the time) synths, with nimble-fingered keyboard work. The chosen synth patches and style of play all bring Keith Emerson to mind. The vocal track at the end, about lovelessness and loneliness, obviously veers away from Mussorgsky's tone poem about witches and devilry. Well performed, perhaps the best track on the album.

The fifth track, "Light in the Dark" is a vocal-centric track, somewhat theatrical at times, about man's discovery of fire to provide both light and warmth. There is some nice keyboard work in the second half of the track, with a great bass guitar foil behind it. Overall, the track is a little scattered, style-wise and mood-wise. It presents many nice moments, but not well integrated compositionally. Perhaps a better comprehension of the German lyrics would have helped me mentally tie it all together.

Overall, this album is a nice listen. While there are some weaker tracks (2,3,5) among the stronger tracks (1,4), they are not unpleasant or distracting from the overall enjoyment of the album. A fine debut album. I give it 3 stars.