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GELB

Conrad Schnitzler

Progressive Electronic


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Conrad Schnitzler Gelb album cover
3.97 | 10 ratings | 4 reviews | 10% 5 stars

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Studio Album, released in 1981

Songs / Tracks Listing

Side One:
12 Stucke Aus Dem Jehr 1974 / 1 - 5 (18:52)

Side Two:
12 Stucke Aus Dem Jehr 1974 / 6 - 12 (21:02)

Line-up / Musicians

Conrad Schnitzler /electronic & effects

Releases information

Edition Block EB 110
LP (circulation 500 copies - re-issue of The Black Cassette, 1974 )

Thanks to tony r for the addition
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CONRAD SCHNITZLER Gelb ratings distribution


3.97
(10 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(10%)
10%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(60%)
60%
Good, but non-essential (20%)
20%
Collectors/fans only (10%)
10%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

CONRAD SCHNITZLER Gelb reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by philippe
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Among Schnitzler's finest materials. It keeps the original mix of long spaced out synth chords with hypno like electronic rhythms (albums like "Zug"...). Side one reaches the listener into an effervescent instrumentation, including looped drums and dreamy like keys. After 5 minutes of hypnotic torment, the composition carries on a long astral interlude, combining molecular noises to detached synth notes. Side two is surfing on the same imaginative collection of sounds, outer space sequences, haunting motifs and harmonic noises. This album makes the strength of Schnitzler's music thanks to a great harmony between sonic analog processing and running drums. Perfect in an installation environnement or to satisfy static journey throw mental pictures. Highly recommended for everyone into experimental electronics.
Review by colorofmoney91
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Gelb by the electronic kosmische master, Conrad Schnitzler, is 12 parts of various atmospheres all strung together to form a very eclectic album. Gelb is purely progressive experimental electronic music, but it all has a very krautrock kind of attitude to it.

A few of these tracks include acoustic samples from birds and ocean waves, but they are sparse in the music, and because of these samples some of the tracks have a very earthy feel. Some tracks have a metallic resonating and piercing alarm sounds that make the music sound like a soundtrack to an active factory full of working machinery, while some have a deep- space atmosphere with droning electronics and hypnotic pulses. All of these imaginary settings and different sounds make this one of the more eclectic sounding prog electronic albums I've heard, which is great, because I personally love some variation. In addition to great atmosphere, the melodies and beats that are created on the synthesizer on this album are kind of catchy, but remain untainted by poppiness like some of Schnitzler's contemporaries at around this time, which makes this album a bit accessible and situationally important.

Highly recommended.

Review by Dobermensch
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Old Conrad was really adventurous with some of his front covers wasn't he? Happily the sounds within are far more appealing. Proto industrial electronics are at play in this excellent instrumental recording from 1974 which finally saw the light of day in '81.

This is one of his more listener friendly albums if such a thing were possible. There's some sort of semblance of tune and construction on each of the tracks unlike a lot of his recordings which sound quite random in approach and execution. All are entirely electronic in nature, but more than likely, not in the way you've heard electronic music before if you're new to this type of sound.

Things kick off with a heavy and oppressive sequenced bunch of electronics - which pretty much sets out the stall of 'Gelb'. It's surprisingly heavy in atmosphere for a Schnitzler album. Antiquated drum machines phase in and out between tunes. You know the type - those 1973 ones that go: Tip, tip, thump, thump, tip, tip,thump, thump.

'Gelb' reminds me a lot of 'MB' - the Italian industrial artist from the early 80's. It's dark and oppressive throughout it's duration. Fans of Klaus Schulze's 'Cyborg' would do well to check this out.

Don't be put off by the sleeve, this is one of Schnitzler's best recordings amongst his huge catalogue.

Review by admireArt
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Dirty drum boxes, imaginative synth riffs and noises, plus a subtle pre- "punk" attitude, add up for great electronics!

Another Conrad Schnitzler work, with a low-profile "artwork" cover. Probably as ground breaking as his "Ballet Statique" (1978), which is also a personal favorite. "Gelb" meaning yellow, as the flat yellow color of your edition, depending on its date of re/issue. Schnitzler's albums usually go through a lot of re-editions, this one was originally released as "The Black Cassette", way back in 1974 & re-issued in 1981, as the "Gelb" album, I am reviewing.

The best of this project is its diversity of directions, without the endless experimental repetitions, (which he, more than once can be accused of releasing). Each piece has a unique identity, purpose and goal. Each song sounds like the result of experimentation, not the process of it. As usual, his electronics are "raw to the bone", yet his notion of musical composition and personal daring sense of performance, outweights again the limitations of the recording techniques and the "low-tech" electronic gadgets, available at the time. In fact its "roughness", sets it quiet close to today's electronic noise experimentations, without the emphasis on noise solely, of course.

Creative pieces of early prog-electronics, which are as simple sounding, as daring as timeless. The "world" each song suggests, is still something to rave on, even though its technical limitations, his songwriting skills make up for a very good electronic album.

****4 PA stars

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