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ROCKPOMMEL'S LAND

Grobschnitt

Symphonic Prog


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Grobschnitt Rockpommel's Land album cover
3.87 | 281 ratings | 42 reviews | 36% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 1977

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Ernie's Reise (10:56)
2. Severity town (10:05)
3. Anywhere (4:13)
4. Rockpommel's Land (20:55)

Total Time: 52:24

Bonus track on 1998 remaster:
5. Tontillon (6:15)

Bonus track on 2007 remaster:
5. Rockpommel's Pott Püree (Live *) (16:40)

* Recorded at Bremen Stadthalle, Nov 30th 1979.

Bonus tracks on 2015 remaster:
5. Anywhere (Meditative Instrumental Mix) (4:15)
6. Rockpommel's Land (Meditative Instrumental Mix) (19:27)
7. Rockpommel's Medley (Live At Schwarzwaldhalle, Appenweier / 1981) (10:06)

Bonus CD from 2015 remaster:
1. Hallo Hamburg (Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (5:17)
2. Eroc Tells ... (Pt. 1 / Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (4:24)
3. Ernie's Reise (Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (10:36)
4. Lupo Tells ... (Pt. 1 / Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (0:43)
5. Severity Town (Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (9:48)
6. Eroc Tells ... (Pt. 2 / Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (3:26)
7. Rockpommel's Land (Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (20:48)
8. Lupo Tells ... (Pt. 2 / Live At Winterhuder Fährhaus, Hamburg / 1977) (3:27)
9. Anywhere (Live At Grugahalle, Essen / 1979) (3:47)
10. Rockpommel's Medley (Live At Stadthalle, Bremen / 1979) (16:47)

Total time 79:03

Line-up / Musicians

- Stefan Danielak (Wildschwein) / lead vocals, electric & acoustic guitars
- Gerd-Otto Kühn (Lupo) / lead & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Volker Kahrs (Mist) / organ, piano, Mellotron, synth
- Wolfgang Jäger (Popo) / bass
- Joachim Ehrig (Eroc) / drums, percussion, electronic effects

Releases information

Artwork: Heinz Dofflein with Volker Kahrs (paintings)

LP Brain ‎- 60.041 (1977, Germany)

CD Metronome ‎- 837 985-2 (1989, Germany)
CD Repertoire Records ‎- PMS 7095-WP (1998, Germany) Remastered by Eroc with a bonus track
CD Brain ‎- SPV 49812 CD (2007, Germany) Remixed by Eroc & Conny Plank with a bonus track
2xCD Brain ‎- 602537651191 (2015, Germany) Remaster by Eroc w/ 13 bonus tracks, extra disc

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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GROBSCHNITT Rockpommel's Land ratings distribution


3.87
(281 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(36%)
36%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(41%)
41%
Good, but non-essential (18%)
18%
Collectors/fans only (5%)
5%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

GROBSCHNITT Rockpommel's Land reviews


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Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by loserboy
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars For me this is the album of all albums.......This is certainly one of the most brilliant prog recordings ever. Based on a very captivating child-like concept, GROBSCHNITT take you clearly into their (Ernie's) own world via a winged like loyal creature named Maraboo. This recording shows GROBSCHNITT's amazing musicianship and song writing skills... The music is lush and runs nicely along as each song builds on each another. This is an essential recording and needs to be listened to without any distractions loud! In many ways I get a strong YES-like feel to it, but of course never sounding to close to YES.
Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
3 stars 3,5 stars maximum!

IMHO, this is one of the most over-rated albums on the Archives. It is still good and will please the majority of progheads but everything about this album spells lack of personality! Even down to the false Roger Dean cover (although a good drawings, it borrows everything to the master), the relatively hollow concept (a boy Ernie escaping to a dream world with some kind of huge bird piloting him around ) , and very borrowed sounds from some of the English super-prog bands of the time.

The songwriting is impeccable and the musicianship never flashy staying very subdued to serve well the music , excellent high-strung vocals are the main positive points to this album! On the downside, I can point out a lack of energy and real inspiration, but I personally always found late 70's German symphonic rock (with the notable exception of Epidaurus's debut album) the same flaws. Novalis, Holderlin (except for their fabulous debut), Anyone's Daughter, and many more are there to prove my point. If you want the real essence of Grobschnitt, get the live album; the best proof that they could be full of energy.

Actually the best track on this album is IMHO the bonus track that grew out of a jam. Tontillon starts with some beautiful bells and other percussion to slowly build up to a heavenly end wishing that this tune would last for twice the length it did! Rarely has a bonus track bettered a rating of an album in my book, but it is the case here.

Review by Cesar Inca
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This album signals the apex of Grobschnitt's symphonic prog side, a trend the band set up to explore consciously after their multi-faceted "Ballerman" album. It is a concept- album revolving around a clever boy's journey through a magic land and ultimately finding some sort of wisdom about human nature as well as piece of mind. The storyline is so deliberately naive - and let's consider that this album was recorded in the latter half of the 70s - that all you can do about it is keep in mind that Grobschnitt was always keen on humor (remember the intro speech for the "Ballerman" opener?). And look at the cover... it all reeks of parody. But the music doesn't: it is ostensibly the result of a serious work at writing, arranging and performing. The overall repertoire feels closely related to Nektar's "Remember the Future" - the storyline developed by the guys of Grobschnitt is quite similar, in fact - with hints to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" and a less fusion-esque Yes's "Tales", as well as some additional hints to the symphonic prog with a notable spacey edge that their fellow country band Eloy was creating by that time ("Dawn", "Ocean"). The result is a richly ornamented sequence of well outlined melodic lines performed with ease and refinement by the interaction of lead guitar and synth layers/orchestrations/solos, smoothly sustained by the rhythm section: the long songs (3 out of 4) go flowing on through the listener's ears in a most fluid manner, never getting oppressive nor exhausting. The complexity is mostly derived to the level of subtlety, although there's also a healthy dose of pyrotechnics in some places, which, by the way, don't interrupt the general spirit but provide some interesting variations. 'Ernie's Reise' pretty much serves as an accurate taster for the album's main musical focus, while the follower 'Severity Town' conveys a more complex sonic spectrum - its harder passages feel a bit somber, although not getting really sinister. The acoustic ballad 'Anywhere' brings the most relaxing moments of the album, which is a proper relief before the emergence of the namesake sidelong suite. The 21- minute 'Rockpommel's Land' is mostly an extended recapitulation of the ambiences portrayed in tracks 1 & 2, albeit elaborated in a more pompous way: the interplaying between guitar and synth for the soloing sections is well accomplished, while the keyboard layers stage the path for the other instruments almost all the time. The languid climatic ending is one of the most beautiful musical ideas in Grobschnitt history.
Review by erik neuteboom
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars After the a bit polished LP "Jumbo", Grobschnitt released this concept-album, an obvious more adventurous one! The brainchild behind "Rockpommel's land" is keyboard player Mist delivering the wonderful cover paintings (in the vein of Roger Dean), theme and conception.

Analysing the music in the four compositions (between 4 and 21 minutes), the focus on is the inspired vocal performance, the strong and varied guitarplay and the inventive drum work along tasteful colouring from the keyboards (strings, Mellotron, synthesizers, piano, clavinet, organ). On side one the music is dreamy (sometimes a bit tame) with only some eruptions and accellarations. But gradually it carries you more and more away to progheaven, culminating in the amazing titletrack on side two with halfway moving choir-Mellotron waves and then lots of flowing changing climates featuring mellow parts with wonderful twanging acoustic guitar and compelling eruptions with fiery electric guitar and bombastic keyboards. The final part contains a wonderful build-up, first soaring keyboards and fine electric guitar and then sparkling piano and sensitive, howling electric guitar runs, bombastic organ and adventurous drums, WONDERFUL AND MOVING, what a 'grand finale'!

Review by Progbear
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Ordinarily, I don't care for concept albums, and this one still strikes me as a bit corny. But Grobschnitt's self-effacing humour makes sure you know that they're taking it about as seriously as you are (i.e.: not at all), and that seems to make everything okay. Somehow, this makes the touching ballad "Anywhere" that much stronger.

Musically, this is pretty much on a par with the great "Jumbo". It takes a while for it to grow on you (probably because it's hard to get past the silly, childish concept), but once it does, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Mist's layered keys and Lupo's emotional guitarwork highlight the band's instrumental attack, while Wildschwein's quirky yet affable singing voice sells the songs with just the right amount of conviction.

Review by Alucard
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars 'Rockpommel's Land' released in 1977, was Grobschnitt's Prog-swan song before they moved into main stream Rock. The record has a perfect production, good ideas and arrangements, but is missing the humour and down-to-earth side of 'Grobschnitt'. It's a concept record with a Tolkien inspired Fantasy story line about a little boy, a big bird with magic power and then some... ( BTW on stage the bird was hilarious and brought back some of the fun missing on the record)

Side one opens with 'Ernie's Reise' a dynamic track, starting with guitar and organ, then the main theme, followed by a first break, a trademark 'Grobschnitt' double lead run. The track evolves into a slow groove, supporting Danielak's bluesy vocals. After an echoed guitar solo by Kühn and a reprise of the main theme starts a longer passage for piano, supporting a narration part of the story, interwoven again with double lead lines over waving synth chords. Interesting ideas, but slightly too long.

'Severity town' is the masterpiece of the record, a beautiful theme introduced first by glockenspiel and then by piano, followed by a second theme (sung) that is supported by a chord progression that reminds 'Carpert Crawlers'. The track becomes then heavier and evolves into a heavy funk, with great bass and double lead work, ending with another narration part over a 'Genesis' like passage, the introduction of the 'Anywhere ' theme, and the advice to either turn around the record or to eat a hot dog....

I decided to turn the record around and got instead of a hot dog, 'Anywhere ', a FM acoustic guitar ballad ( pull out your lighter and wave it from left to right with watery eyes) saved only by the guitar of Kühn.

Side two ends with the 20minute showdown 'Rockpommel's Land', a track with good ideas, but being too long.The track opens with an athmospheric intro, the 'march of the stonefaces', with genuine troll vocals, evolving first into a slow groove, followed by a shuffle with great double acoustic guitar work. A 'funny' (pitched up voices) Goblin choir, leads into a longer passage, based on double leads, followed by a slow passgae that prepares and mounts to the climax,a theme played by Kühn on Electric.

On the 'Repertoire' CD,is a great bonus 'Tontillon' : an instrumental, build around the main theme of 'Severity town', played with a great funky e-piano sound over a slow groove with brillant soloing by Kahrs.

The last important studio record of 'Grobschnitt'.

Review by Modrigue
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars 2.5 stars

What a deception! "Rockpommel's Land" is one of the most overrated albums of the progressive rock world. GROBSCHNITT goes truly symphonic and takes notes on YES for this one. For sure, the disc has good passages on it, like the catchy "Ernie's Reise" and the final section of the twenty minutes title suites, but these are not sufficient to make a good record. Most of the music here is difficult to enter into and unfortunately lacks direction.

In fact, "Tontillon" is the best song here. It is nearly the first time that a bonus track is actually better than the songs from the album! From its magic opening with smooth bells, the tune evolves and grows in intensity more and more to a beautiful melancholic melody. An important but uneven release from GROBSCHNITT.

Review by febus
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam
3 stars THE GROBSCHNITT MASTERPIECE? NOT MINE REALLY!

ROCKPOMMELS ISLAND is viewed by a lot of prog fans and Grobschnitt lovers as their main achievement and even by some as one of the best prog album ever recorded.I wouldn't go that far as ROCKPOMMEL ISLAND follows the symphonic formula of JUMBO which i think doesn't really suit the members of this band.But once again, that's just me!.

GROBSCHNITT was definitely a very serious band by 1977 having forgotten about all their craziness and sheerful playing from their beginning. With ROCKPOMMEL ISLAND, even pomposity was on its way. The band decided to record a concept album ( like every good serious prog band). So we have the ''pleasure'' to be introduced to littlle ERNIE, a young boy running from home looking for a fantasy world he will reach by going to the ROCKPOMMEL ISLAND.Of course, he wouldn't have been able to do it alone if it hadn't been helped by the big bird MARABOO. Thanks, Maraboo!! After that, the young boy will meet Good and Evil. Do i really still keep telling more? No ? Thanks.

To make it more ''reall'', the band even went for a ROGER DEAN-cover, no less. Now we are in serious symphonic territory. Not all the band members were crazy about this new GROBSCHNITT formula as EROC the drummer and POP0 the bassist wanted to go back to the earlier sound and ''rock''. ROCKPOMMEL ISLAND is once again the brainchild of keyboardist MIST with LUPO the guitarist helping a lot.So do we have another CLOSE TO THE EDGE here?

Definitely not! this album has a lot of similarities with JUMBO.This is well recorded, well played, every second of the music has been well thought making sure every detail has been perfected.Meaning that the music has no spontaneity at all, all freshness of the past is a distant memory.Once again this is a German band trying to produce YES , better GENESIS music but not able to perform it with their own personality.

There are 4 tracks, 3 ''epics'' and the short 4mns ANYWHERE. I don't know if there is a better track than others as they all sound similar. They all have beautiful guitar breaks and magnificent keyboard arrangements and lush arrangements. There is a lot of hard work on ROCKPOMMEL ISLAND, you can feel it. GROBSCHNITT tried hard to record the ultimate prog masterpiece; i guess they succeed as this album did well commercially and it is considered as a prog treasure by a lot of prog aficionados.

Is it because i am not a great GENESIS fan, but i can't really take off when listening to this album. I remember how i couldn't wait to get this album a long time ago after reading all those glorious recommendations by friends and reviewers and the look at the cover design sure made me think i would be there for a real treat. I am listening now to the last part the 20mns title track, that's beautiful music for sure with grandiose organ, dreamy guitar and all but something is not working, but once again that's just me.

You know what is my biggest pleasure on this CD i have? the bonus track! TONTILLON is a beautiful instrumental with a fantastic theme played on electric piano powered by a great EROC on drums. Now, i am finally taking off on my way to heaven!!!

3 STARS.

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars "Grobschnitt" is investigating deeper into the symphonic genre, and left aside their irresistible sense of humour. Maybe to add some more seriousness to this "concept" album.

Unlike many reviewers, I found that "Jumbo" (their previous release) was really good and I can't consider this one as some sort of a good follow-up.

There are some very nice melodies featured on this album and lots of lush keyboards but something is missing though. Maybe this little extra craziness that could be found in their earlier releases. This feeling is fully represented in "Severity Town".

Not a bad track in essence but at no moment does it take off. Somewhat "Yes" oriented at times, it features weak "vocals" during the first half of it. It gets better though as it goes along thanks to some good guitar work while the rhythm is picking up. As if the band wants to show that they rock alright.but not enough.

I can' t really be thrilled with a song as "Anywhere". A mellow, acoustic and pastoral ballad. You can easily press next.

The epic and closing number from the original album needs some time to really start. At times this track vaguely resembles to "Supper's Ready" but it is not really evident. Actually, the long vocals part is not really interesting (but it lasts for about ten minutes).

During the instrumental second half, some elegant keyboards will shine for a while but the mood is very tranquil and uniform. This piece stands shy when compared to "The Excursion of Father" or "Sunny Sunday's Sunset" from "Jumbo" (I 'm even not talking about "Solar Music" of course). Only the last two minutes of this song reminds me of their bombastic and grandiose style.

A bit short, isn't it ?

This album doesn't work very well for me. And to mention than one of the best moment of the remastered version is the bonus track says sufficient about this. Don't get me wrong of course, this is not a bad album but the weakest "Grobschnitt" one so far IMHHO.

Five out of ten, upgraded to three stars.

Review by fuxi
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars A MINOR SYMPHONIC MASTERPIECE???

ROCKPOMMEL'S LAND is a surprising piece of work in more ways than one. I got interested in it because I'd known for a long time that 1970s German bands were quite good at symphonic prog (I've got a soft spot for Novalis) and because I read that ROCKPOMMEL'S LAND was Grobschnitt's answer to classic Yes. The cover art looks suspiciously like Roger Dean, and the original album contained two pieces of around ten minutes as well as a longer piece of nearly twenty minutes - it all looked very promising.

Perhaps the most curious fact of all is that the album was recorded by the legendary producer Conny Planck (famous for his work with Kraftwerk, Neu, Guru Guru, Cluster and a whole load of New Wave bands, both English and German), in Planck's own studio, during 1976/1977 (the halcyon days of David Bowie's so-called Berlin Trilogy and Iggy Pop's THE IDIOT), although it has nothing in common with New Wave or the progressive avant-garde. Rather, it looks back to (and is clearly influenced by) the symphonic prog of Yes, Genesis and Camel circa 1973-1974.

The first time I played ROCKPOMMEL'S LAND I'm afraid I listened to the lead vocals somewhat too carefully. The plot (of course it's a CONCEPT album) is based on a terribly naive fairy-tale, somewhat similar in structure and mood to Zappa's 'Gregory Peccary' and Utopia's 'Singring and the Glass Guitar'. Grobschnitt even try to liven the whole thing up with comedy voices in the style of Genesis' LAMB: not an entirely convincing stunt if you're not native speakers of the language you're trying to be funny in (English, in this case).

But upon later hearings, when I just enjoyed the music for what it was, I got carried away by the bright, airy playing, the soaring lead guitar lines, and even the singing which (if you disregard the words) seems to be full of romantic yearning. I was a prog fan in the mid-seventies but didn't know Grobschnitt back then. All through the wilderness years of the 1980s and 1990s I longed to discover bands who adhered to the standards of my favourite (British) symphonic bands. It's only recently that I've started to discover their Italian contemporaries. ROCKPOMMEL'S LAND may not be quite on the same level as PFM or Le Orme at their best, but I strongly recommend it to anyone who longs to hear refreshing sounds from the 1970s. Three and a half stars!

Review by kenethlevine
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Team
4 stars On "Rockpommel's Land", Grobschnitt produced their most unabashedly symphonic effort, with plenty of sweet sounding guitars and synthesizers, and an overarching concept tying together the songs. But Grobschnitt are not Yes or Genesis, so they still interject some of their characteristic silliness into the proceedings. These forays make one wonder if the album is a mere spoof of the genre or as serious as Grobschnitt can bring themselves to be, and I do find this detracting from the general beauty of the material.

Nonetheless "Ernie's Reise" and "Anywhere" are simply too gorgeous to dismiss, while both "Severity Town" and the side long title cut have many lovely moments, children's choir and goofy vocals notwithstanding. Wildschwein's voice is at its best for the most part and some of the harmonies work especially well. The buildup in the last few minutes is truly majestic.

So, while this album may only match "Jumbo" in quality, it has a more transcendent aspect thanks to the concept such as it is, and just feels more cohesive than anything the group had done up to that point, like a symphonic fairy tale. "Rockpommel's Land" is a good place to meet the sound of Grobschnitt. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars The Roger Dean-like cover tells it all: as soon as you put the record on you´ll know Grobschnitt´s greater influence (at least for this album): Yes. Fortunatly those germans don´t try to emulate Jon Anderson´s angelic vocals, neither that group´s harmonies. So while the music isn´t all that original, it is very good and symphonic in a good way. The vocals are quite different, sometimes bordering the whimisical side of it (as I always heard Grobschinitt was).

This is a concept album, but you can live without understanding the storyline (a bit too silly for my taste). The music is very good and while it might takes some spins to really sink in, it is quite addictive. Excellent guitar and keybaords work (much in the vein of Yes, of course), while the drum patterns are very creative, different and give a special colouring to the music (and fits the concept very well). Like I said before vocals are the most original and intriguing aspects of this band´s sound landscape: half sung, half spoken, you don´t know if those guys are acting out or just being funny. Actually they are ok for this record in its own way. Certainly the singer knows how to interpretate the characters convincily.

In all there are only 4 tracks, the ost interesting being the title track with its almost 20 minute duration. It is on this track that we are able to appreciate all the fine nuances this group is cappable of. The ending part is quite poignant. Nothing to write home about it, but very good nevertheless. Productin is ok. My CD came with an extra track, the instrumental Tontillon, a very strong tune as good as (or even better) than the original other four.

All in all a fine CD. Not really essential nor very original, but very interesting and enjoyable. 3,5 stars.

Review by DamoXt7942
FORUM & SITE ADMIN GROUP Avant/Cross/Neo/Post Teams
4 stars To the Grobschnitt's fairy land with your mind relaxed...

Pardon me but I wanna say this album's atmosphere can taste my old days...why? Where did I hear the sound ??? Always mysterious feeling wraps me up...

This is a fairy tale of Ernie the boy hero written by EROC. GROBSCHNITT could play the album, with their relaxed and laid back sound and melody. Typical fairy tale songs or albums have a bit difficult lyrics & contents or mysterious sound & melody...I suggest. However, their music style is so easy to understand in spite of their progressiveness. This 'EASE' can let us listeners be happier and more flexible, and it's GROBSCHNITT's identity in the Rockpommel's period.

With the first track Ernie's Reise Eroc presented the story Ernie could fly on his hand made paperplane and on the back of a big bird named Maraboo. This part can teach us GROBSCHNITT's flexibility and eccentricity (of course, good meaning!). In Severity Town there's very hard-to-enjoy atmosphere...with sad noises (e.g. beep-beep, crush)...no, no, their playstyle is laidback too, I'm surprised. Anywhere is such a beautiful song with full of their gentle heart. Without my intention I always croon in a low voice. The last track Rockpommel's Land is a long highlight of this story, with pleasant sound effects and naughty kids' voice...what a pleasure, I wanna say.

There's no difficult theory or reason. You can enjoy this work, NATURALLY. This is a fairytale.

Review by CCVP
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Grobschnitt's best studio album = classical Grobschnitt + Yes!

Grobschnitt have always been a dificult band to classify because they have always been, at least until Rockpommel's Land, a borderline symphonic / space rock band. However, in Rockpommel's Land the band incorporated many symphonic prog influences, mainly from Yes, in their music, resulting in a full symphonic masterpiece. Many say that, when they did it, they lost some of their characteristics, like their humorous lyrics and outgoing music, meaning that they have become way too serious about their music and, also, that they lost their space rock mood by becoming a full symphonic band.

Personally, i could not care less about those complains. First because their music is pretty original, so they made a real effort not to sound like Yes, and they really don't sound like them, they are just influenced by Yes. Second because i want to listen to good music and not to humorous music, since the joke gradually loses its ability to amuse as time passes. Third because i really don't care what style of music or genre the band plays, i just want it to sound good. So, if you are really able to keep that in mind and just sit back and enjoy great music, you will see (or more likely hear) great music here.

One interesting thing about this album is that it has the same album structure as Eloy's Ocean, also from 1977.

Despite the obvious change of pace that Rockpommel's Land have from the other Grobschnitt albums, the band's main playing pattern continued. I mean, the guitars were still the main instrument, the bass was still laying the base melodic line of the overall harmony and the keyboards are still, mostly, the same moody harmonic instrument as before, though in some parts, also like in previous albums, the keys played a question - answer duet with the main guitar or they played as a third voice, along with both guitars.

The highlights go to all songs. The album is just great!

Grade and Final Thoughts

Although we should talk about progressive rock in ProgArchives, lots of people just don't like changes, but guess what? Prog IS about changing all the time. Just sit back and enjoy the great songs inside this great album with a great (Roger Dean) cover. So, 5 stars to the Rockpommel's Land and to Grobschnitt.

Review by friso
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Grobschnitt is symphonic prog band from Germany that also released some mighty space influenced symphonic prog (the 'Solar Music' suite). On Rockpommel's land the band delivers its second concept album, which is quite an improvement over 1975's 'Jumbo'. Grobschnitt combines (often light and gentle) melodic symphonic prog (almost like Camel's 'Snow Goose') with a children's story-line in order to create that happy-sad melancholy childhood feel. The enthusiasm of the band and the stream of great melodies is endless supply here and the album just never slows down. The band does occasionally rock out, but the guitars remain surprisingly gentle compared to the heavy metal guitars of 'Solar Music Live'. The story is about the young boy 'Ernie' who escapes his home to head for Rockpommel's land with the help of the bird Maribu in the hope to release the children's friends Mr Glee. Silly as it may seem, the story does ad a lot to the melancholy and legitimacy of the music. If you're not allergic to its humorist vibe and the expressive vocals of 'Wildschwein' this surely will end up among your favorite symphonic prog albums of the seventies.
Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars GROBSCHNITT's keyboardist was a huge GENESIS and YES fan, and he would be the one to come up with the concept here and Symphonic style of music. GENESIS came to my mind quite often actually. The concept is really a children's fairy tale so it may not appeal to everyone. I'm not a fan of concept albums anyway but I do really enjoy parts of this album musically. The vocals are hard to digest at times as well. There is mellotron on every track though.

"Ernie's Reise" is laid back with reserved vocals. This is very GENESIS-like here and I like it. A fuller sound before 3 minutes. Vocals are back but more passionate this time. Some narration after 7 minutes and I like the intricate guitar before 9 minutes. "Severity Town" has this child- like intro. Vocals a minute in. I don't like them around 3 1/2 minutes at all. Or later at 6 1/2 minutes. More narration after 8 minutes. "Anywhere" is mostly acoustic guitar and reserved vocals. I like when the mellotron comes in later.

"Rockpommel's Land" is the side long closing track. It opens with marching sounds as the music kicks in quickly. Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in. Synths follow. Marching styled drums after 6 minutes. Great sound before 8 minutes. Some samples a minute later. Organ and a heavier sound 10 1/2 minutes in before it settles after 14 minutes. That same mellow sound from the start of the album is back then comes the emotional guitar that sounds so good.

Many rate this 5 stars and I can see why, but overall this doesn't suit my musical taste to warrant even 4 stars.

Review by stefro
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Released in 1977, well after the prog bubble had been well and truly burst by punk's onslaught, Grobschnitt's fourth album would prove to be the band's glittering farewell to the genre. But what a way to say goodbye. After the relatively disappointing and curiously short 1975 album 'Jumbo', 'Rockpommel's Land' would see the German group not only hit the gorgeous symphonic heights of 1974's 'Ballermann', but also surpass them. 'Rockpommel's Land' would prove to be an extravagant, fairy-tale themed double concept album featuring the band's trademark lush keyboards and soaring guitars, telling the somewhat surreal tale of a young boy who is whisked away from boring reality by a giant bird and taken to a far away land dominated by the nefarious black-shirts and inhabited by wizards, giant stone trolls and many other strange and mythical characters. The story is spread over four tracks, three of which break the ten minute mark, and the band manage to capture the magical essence of their fictional world with bravura gusto, spinning their magical yarn with an almost Spielbergian confidence that embellishes the music with genuine pathos. To put it simply, 'Rockpommel's Land' is pure prog. Grobschnitt have taken the fantasy-themed landscapes of Yes' Roger Dean-designed artwork and taken them to the next logical level, adding their own narratives and characters to Dean's iconic drawings and creating a world very much of their own making, filling it with sumptuous symphonic prog. Despite the album being released during progressive rock's downfall it would, somehow, become Grobschnitt's most commercially successful release, rewarding the band for almost a decade of highly creative hard work and capping off the group's phase of progressive studio albums nicely. 1977 and 1978 would see Grobschnitt release their two greatest albums, with 'Rockpommel's Land' quickly followed up just under a year later by the scintillating live effort 'Solar Music Live', which saw the group stretch their epic, 30- minute long track from 'Ballermann' into an album-length piece, showcasing the band's phenomenal live playing. Both albums would find the band at their very peak and their success found them writing shorter, more commercially-orientated pieces once the 1980's began and, sadly, the classic-era Grobschnitt was no more. A wonderful album filled with beautiful moments, 'Rockpommel's Land' really does whisk the listener away to an enchanting world far, far away. It may, for some at least, sum up everything that is pompous and indulgent about the genre of progressive rock but it also shows just what an exciting and creative genre it is, combining dazzling music with sumptuous visuals and pulling off that very difficult trick of creating a truly conceptual piece of music. Not only is 'Rockpommel's Land' one of the finest progressive rock albums to come out of Germany, it is one of the finest to come out of Europe. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010
Review by Matti
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Ah, I'm finally getting closer contact with vintage prog from continental Europe, namely Germany, France and Italy (after visiting Helsinki and its music library last week). My knowledge of German prog has been narrow (Tangerine Dream, krautrock, some fusion...), and GROBSCHNITT's classic fairy tale album is actually my first Symphonic Prog from Germany. Wow, it was a delight. A quick look at the previous reviews reveals very warm response while some more critical minds think this is *very* overrated. I can understand the latter opinion too. Right from the Roger Dean -style cover art one confronts strong influence from British prog greats, especially YES. The liner notes tell that the keyboard player was a big fan of Yes, and like Rick Wakeman, he had a fortress of various keyboards. And then there is the fact that it was 1977, which means that the majority of all great Symphonic Prog had been already made. But these things are not that relevant when judging an album personally, I think. They shouldn't prevent one from enjoying the music with an open heart.

This album is so loved because in a way it's a school example of Symphonic Prog work. All the hallmarks are there: theatrical feel, grandness of epic structure, lush keyboards, other-worldly concept - the story, which is quite naive but in a charming way, is about a little boy taken into a fantasy world; a helpful gigantic marabou, a magic feather, a dystopic city where everything is forbidden, a rescue quest, etc. - , even the English lyrics. Usually I like to see bands using their mother tongue, but on the other hand, German is not so beautiful language to my ears. Since this music isn't typically German to start with, English suits better.

The atmosphere is close to one of a fairy tale; quite accessible, melodic, mostly very mellow and pastoral. Only occasionally the overwhelming narrative level eats the music with silliness. But these faults are very minor in a very enjoyable entity. Rockpommel's Land is an excellent addition to anyone enjoying Symphonic Prog, despite the obvious lack of originality.

Review by Rune2000
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars I had a short-lived fling with Grobschnitt around 2008 when I was generally trying to expand my horizons towards French and German prog music. My first experience of the band was through their magnificent live album called Solar Music - Live and then decided to follow it up with an album that featured a Roger Dean-inspired album cover.

What I got out of this release was not exactly what I originally anticipated since Solar Music - Live was much more inspired by the Space Rock movement while Rockpommel's Land can be described like a Symphonic Prog concept album. This sudden change of direction didn't discourage me from giving the album it's proper share of listening time but eventually I it was placed on a storage shelf. It's not that Rockpommel's Land is a bad album, in fact it's pretty decent, but I just can't see anything special about it. Yes, the instrumental arrangements are great, the vocals are sugary but without making me feel uncomfortable and the concept itself is just plain weird. It's not like this is the first time an album just didn't click with me but usually I have something more substantial to say about my reasons behind the final rating. This is really not the case with this Grobschnitt release. I can't even dismiss as a clone of the UK Symphonic Prog movement since it only vaguely follows that formula while still maintaining a clear sense of originality with its music.

My final verdict is very mixed one since I do generally recommend experiencing this album although I can't exactly pinpoint any clear target audience for Rockpommel's Land. The album is very highly devoted to maintaining the narrative in focus and is therefore a definite departure from the other Grobschnitt releases while the fans of Symphonic Prog probably won't lay their money down for this rather unusual release.

**** star songs: Ernie's Reise (11:04) Severity Town (10:00) Rockpommel's Land (19:58)

*** star songs: Anywhere (4:20)

Review by Bonnek
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars After the disappointing Jumbo, Grobschnitt continued their Yes-gone-quirky-in-German-bunker approach and delivered a good album with theatrical vocals and fluently rocking Sympho. The vocals remain an acquired taste but the melodies are better developed then on Jumbo and the German crooner influences are toned down luckily.

The music sticks to the path laid out by Yes and Genesis in the preceding years and will fit most sympho fans like a glove, but I can't relate to the vocals which are too forced for me. Wildschwein deems it necessary to emphasize every syllable with an equal dose of artsy theatricality and makes things sound rather contrived to my ears. The crooner influences haven't disappeared neither, as testified by Anywhere.

If you can stomach the vocal histrionics, this album will add a nice slab of symphonic prog to your collection. Not entirely original but competent and willful enough to pass for more then just a Yes and Genesis clone. This sure is a remarkable band, but I can do with the debut and Solar Music.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Rockpommel's Land is probably the album which, above all their other work, justifies Grobschnitt's presence in the Symphonic prog section. Turning their backs almost entirely on the space rock (and lapses into contrived comedy) that was a feature of their previous albums, Grobschnitt plunge into a style influenced by Yes and Genesis and tell the magical tale of a special bird that takes a small child to a mysterious fantasy land.

Whilst the music retains enough of Grobschnitt's personality to save the album from being a cloning exercise, at the same time it seems rather uninspired - the album seems designed in a calculating way to check all the boxes on the symphonic prog checklist, right down to the cover art, and consequently comes across as pandering to mainstream prog fans as opposed to being a genuine and honest expression of the band's desired creative direction - and the fact that they would never again make an album in this style only goes to prove the point. Three stars.

Review by b_olariu
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Grobschnitt - Rockpommel's land from 1977 is considered by many their peak, I'm agree with that, keeping in mind that this album is the most symphonic release they ever done. Better in any aspect then previous Jumbo this album keeps the flag high in prog music. With this offer Grobschnitt turns from a krautrock band with edhy passages from early years into some symphonic band very similar in aproch, musicaly and visualy in the end with Yes same period. Complex arrangements with one big pieces the title track clocking around 20 min is a true testament left by the band in the golden era of prog. Very discred musicianship but well performed , they never burst in some fascinating parts but manage to keep the listner intrested on whole album. Another highlight of the album, is to me Severity town , with great druming, good harsh vocals and pleasent keyboards passages. I do not consider this one amomg my fav album from that period or in general but I like what I've heared here, is more then usual stuff for sure. The music is grandious, not to flashy but aswell not monotonous with plenty of memorable passages. I think one of the better album coming from Germany from that period in prog music. 4 stars, the similarity with Yes album Dean era are more then obvious here.
Review by Neu!mann
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars I realize a lot of Grobschnitt fans prefer the band's earlier albums, and argue that exposure to YES cost the group a large measure of individuality. It's a valid criticism, but my knee-jerk counter-argument is two-fold.

Firstly, most of that early individuality never really existed. The debut Grobschnitt albums may have been less derivative, but also had far less character, with no distinct style (original or otherwise) to grab hold of. And secondly, while the band's Prog Rock period may have been (check that: was) influenced by established English role models, they were certainly no Yes clone, even with the second-rate Roger Dean gatefold artwork for this LP.

What the two groups had in common was a musical optimism flying in the face of current events (the late '70s erosion of hippie idealism, so forth), expressed here in a somewhat awkward fantasy narrative about a lonely young boy and the giant pipe-smoking bird who becomes his companion. The escapism of the storyline sounds a little contrived today, but the music survives as a quintessential sampling of Symphonic Prog Rock from the absolute apex of its Golden Age.

The band's newfound melodic flair, originally hatched during the sessions for their 1974 album "Jumbo", reached its full maturity on this project. It's true some of Gerd-Otto Kühn's guitar runs were unmistakably Steve Howe inspired. But there's real magic here, from the uplifting chime of the 12-string album intro to the gorgeous orchestral finale closing the side-long title track. And the CD bonus "Tontillon" adds a fitting epilogue to the saga, with a lovely, loose improvisation of a theme from the song "Ernie's Reise".

That track title is, by the way, the one exception to the convenient Anglicizing of the entire album: a common practice among Continental Proggers at the time. In this case I suspect it was rendered in German because a direct translation ("Ernie's Journey") might have suggested an episode of Sesame Street.

Okay, I guess there's a third point to make after all. Grobschnitt needed to pass through this symphonic portal before they could revisit their epic "Solar Music" jam and nail it in vinyl on stage the following year. The earlier, heavier (and to my ears more ponderous) Grobschnitt showed only one face of a two-sided musical coin, and by exploring another, more delicate aspect of their personality the band was finally able to establish its own holistic identity, and better late (almost too late, by 1977) than never.

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Report this review (#194623) | Posted by manofmystery | Monday, December 22, 2008 | Review Permanlink

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Report this review (#184789) | Posted by digdug | Sunday, October 5, 2008 | Review Permanlink

4 stars I remember a buddy of mine finding this album in the import rack back in 1977. The cover was WAY cool...we hadn't seen a good Roger Dean cover in a while (Yesterdays by Yes was the most recent one...)... I remember liking it a lot..in a somewhat altered state...lenghty, spacey songs with a ... (read more)

Report this review (#159649) | Posted by Rutgers Joe | Thursday, January 24, 2008 | Review Permanlink

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Report this review (#144024) | Posted by Ootsandnoots | Friday, October 12, 2007 | Review Permanlink

5 stars A suprising album if you were following Grobshnitt back in the seventies album by album. They really pull a rabbit out of a hat on this one. One of the most beautiful prog albums of all time as Grobshnitt abanons it`sillines and presents their most ambitious work. Fantasy abounds on Rockpomme ... (read more)

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Report this review (#19532) | Posted by | Monday, April 25, 2005 | Review Permanlink

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