PHALLUS DEI

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4.5 stars really!!!

Out of the future ashes of the Munich-based hippy commune of Amon Düül, came this unit that seemed more serious about making music, other than as a social and political statement, Amon Duul II rose like a phoenix and built around Karrer (guitar), Rogner (bass) and Serfas (drums) and reputation growing, signed a deal with Liberty records and recrding their debut album in early 69, with two more members: drummer Leopold (from the other AD group) and bassist Anderson (pushing Rogner onto the keyboard stool). With two star guests, Burchard (Embryo, crosstown rivals) Trutzsch (Popol Vuh, also from the city), produced by Passport's Kübler, and graced with an astonishing psyched-out tree-and-sky artwork (courtesy of KB man Rogner), Phallus Dei is a landmark in Krautrock, also sung in a sort of medieval Upper German

Their sound is somewhat the full-on revolutionary psych of the sister group AD and much more accomplished psych groups like Floyd and the jammy Jefferson Airplane, yet having that typical early Krautrock raw sound of Can's Monster Movie. Opening the album on an Indian sitar and Burchard's vibes, the short Kanaan is an invitation to glide some 10 miles into the stratosphere on grass smoked-filled clouds for a 4-minutes short flight. The much slower strating Dem Guten Schonen Wahren turns quickly into a Floyd-like freak out (Saucerful-era) with its repetitive riff (but not too much, either) with some silly Zappa-like vocals and other artefacts like a semblance of Gregorian choirs and tons of others. Luzifers Gholom is the centrepiece of this first side, an ever-changing piece filled with an Eastern-sounding horn disappearing to let drum and bongo duet rhythming the track to chitter-chatter-like scat vocals and wild stop/go riffs, decadent ambiance and grass fumes floating about. The Henriette piece is a martial beat with semi-operatic vocals from Renate, but simply to short (2 mins) to make an impact on the album.

Of course, the album's tour de force is the title track, filling the flipside with plenty of freaky spacey sounds filling the first few minutes, much reminiscent of early TD, PV, Cluster or Kraftwerk, but past this lengthy improvised intro, Leopold (drums) and Karrer (fuzz guitar) pull the track out in open field under Andersson's pulsing and hypnotic bass (you can hear early Hawkwind in there). Later on, a weird sort of space whisper from Renate (not unlike Gilly Smyth's whims) over a Floyd-like organ, a lengthy percussion duet filled with weird sounds, including the eastern-sounding kazoo/oboe, still later Karrer's un-tuned violin, an hypnotic slow guitar until a slow ending, are the successive features of this monster track. Definitely one of ADII's crowning achievement.

With PD (the first of the Liberty Records era trilogy) is a much more accomplished album than their sister group AD could ever dream of. Later that year, the group would have one of their gig filmed while touring for this album and the film gave Amon Duul II plays Phallus Dei (now on DVD as well), but it is a still camera shooting part of the group and is best forgotten. Also that year, they would compose the soundtrack of a film San Domingo, for which they would receive a national award prize. So, while still a very inexperienced group (some members were still learning their instruments), PD remains one of those historically essential albums in rock's history.

Konnoisseur Kraut

Listened to this for the first time today, so have had no time to get a real "feel" for the album - but my first impressions are that here we have a prog album for the connoisseur.

If Jilly Goulden was reviewing this album, she'd probably say "I'm getting Hawkwind, Floyd, Jefferson Airplane and Focus - I'm getting Sandalwood, Patchouli... holy $^&* I'm getting freaked out!"

Wonderfully improvisational feel, with immediate appeal to lovers of the aforementioned bands, simply because Amon Duul II take their influences without directly plagiarising - and how could they? In 1969, Hawkwind were not the same band that recorded "Space Ritual", Floyd still had Barrett (just about!), Focus had yet to record "Moving Waves", and Jefferson Airplane were one of the most influential psychedelic bands ever.

So, first impressions - Superb psychedelia, but don't expect Genesis or Spock's Beard! Would appeal immediately to fans of post-Barrett Floyd, Lemmy era Hawkwind and Focus, principally because they show flavours of these bands. It's important to note that they are not simply derivative or plagiaristic (except, perhaps, of Airplane/Dead to some extent), and as such you should get a (very nice) surprise!

Incredible debut by these Krautrock pioneers. This was one of only two albums to feature British-born bassist Dave Anderson (who would leave this band in order to join HAWKWIND for a short time - and in the 1980s running the Demi Monde label, the label that gave OZRIC TENTACLES their first real record deal). This album was the result of the AMON DÜÜL commune breaking up. The first half was more in the politics and community, but they did record a series of albums all under one jam (excludin 1970's Para Dieswierts Düül which was a separate recording session). Those AMON DÜÜL albums are said to suck (except possibly Para Dieswierts Düül). Then the other half of the AMON DÜÜL was of course, far more musically inclined, and of course that was AMON DÜÜL II.

"Phallus Dei" was the beginning, a wonderful psychedelic offering. Certainly the vocals aren't the best, but most of the time, they chose to sing in German on this album. The sound quality, I hate to say it, is rather trash-can quality, but I guess I expect that with a then-unknown band and the budget they had, and it was 1969. The album has four cuts on side one and a side-length cut on side two. It's with the side-length cuts that show you what the band would be up to on following albums. It stars off in a rather experimental style, not unlike what's on "Tanz der Lemminge", then they go in to a lengthy guitar jam. There's extended use of bongos, before they get in to music.

It's also pretty safe to say that "Phallus Dei" is to AMON DÜÜL II what "Monster Movie" is to CAN: both being their most '60s sounding albums. "Phallus Dei" is a wonderful debut and I particularly recommended this album to those who like the more psychedelic end of Krautrock.

In 1969, AMON DÜÜL II released a curious but incredibely furious album, just before the massive "Yeti" and "Dance of the lemmings". Musically, the band delivers a kind of psychedelic rock, largely made on perpetual jammings with a certain sense of humour, a lot of raw guitar parts and some delicate folk violin parts (the title track). There's also a constant use of percussions, incantatory, haunted voices harmonised by the lovely girl singer Rentate Knaup. The opening track represents Amon Duul typical sound at their beginning: an intense and primitive heavy rock with a great dose of space effects. The additional and unreleased tracks offered on the last edition of this album are also not bad at all (a lot of instrumental improvisations). In its totality, "Phallus Dei" is mesmerizing and remains a fine approach to AMON DÜÜL II musical creativity.

This is a classic example of an artistic, moody and sincere psychedelic recording. Front cover with two transparent images placed upon each other form a surrealistic and dreamlike atmosphere, which is strongly present in their music. The highlights for me in this album are the tracks "Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren", "Luzifers Ghilom" and the title track "Phallus Dei" (penis god or something?). I recommend this classic sincerely, but still with a small precaution. It's kind of a "hard-core" record, and some people who for example like HAWKWIND found this a bit too disturbing music.

A striking debut. This was the musicianly faction of Münich's notorious Amon Düül commune (A cursory listen to PSYCHEDELIC UNDERGROUND, DISASTER, COLLAPSING or EXPERIMENTE should be more than enough to convince you that the "other" Amon Düül are NOT musicians!), and their provocatively-titled debut, while not perfect, was truly stunning.

Guitarist/violinist/singer Chris Karrer stands out on this album. He sings lead on nearly all the songs and his violin playing gives this an eerie feel. "Kanaan" immediately establishes a mood with haunting sitar-like guitar and operatic, wordless backing vocals from Renate. "Dem Guten, Schönen, Wahren" borders on the absurd, with unearthly falsetto vocals from Chris, but definitely sends chills up and down your spine with some memorable violin work. "Luzifers Ghilom" presages Damo Suzuki's singing style in Can with an expressionistic, gibberish-speak section in the middle. The twin guitar attack arrives with this track. The A-side of the original LP closes with "Henriette Krötenschwanz", a morbid musical description of a fatal car-accident with demi-operatic vocals from Renate.

It's the 20 minute title piece that sends this album into the stratosphere, though. A new and exciting model for structured improvisation, it moves from outer space to an intense, tribal middle section with layers of percussion over which the band members scream and wail expressionistically. The closing section, where Chris' singing voice and sawing electric violin enter, is truly striking. It leads you to realize what a TIGHT band this was, that they could make such unforgettable music more or less spontaneously shows that they were a true force to be reckoned with.

Wonderful first album of AMON DUUL II is, along with CAN's "Monster Movie", a cornerstone of German psychedelic kraut-rock. There is a weird collage of jamming guitar solos, loads of hypnotic percussions, strong bass hooks, wall of mellotrons with some Indian influences in the sitar and violin sounds and freaky unintelligible vocals. It is hard to single out any tracks (maybe "Lucifers Ghilliom" with an early take on Hindu scat vocals - a style to be heard subsequently on Sheila Chandra records - and some eerie violin chords) because the album is equally interesting throughout its length. Title track is a side-long psychedelic jam improvisation with several different sections, unlike the monotonous "You Doo Right" of the CAN's debut in the similar long form. Acid rock of the freaked out hippies at its best, although probably a challenging listen for the uninitiated.

The first record from AMON DUUL II is significant,in that it is one of the first offerings from the genre of Krautrock.The precussion on this disc is pretty amazing at times,this recording features a drummer,a percussionist,a bongo player, and guest musician Holger Trutzsch playing Turkish drums.Holger would go on to be the drummer for POPUL VUH's first two albums.One thing that did surprise me about this record was how much structure there was in a lot of the songs.Having delved in some Krautrock that is very free form,i thought this would be more along those lines. "Kanaan" has an Eastern feel to it,and the drums are prominant.German vocals a minute in,and some good guitar melodies 3 minutes in."Dem Guten,Schonen,Wahren" is a great tune.Crazy vocals,synths and drums early in the song.The sound is wonderful 2 minutes in.The bass from Dave Anderson (from the UK) is really good.Aggressive guitar 5 minutes in as drums pound away."Luzifers Ghilom" has some cool percussion and a catchy beat.Vocals follow ,and the drumming is fabulous."Henriette Krotenschwarz" features marching like drums throughout and female vocals."Phallus Dei" the title track is over 20 minutes of brilliance.The first section is experimental,with various disturbing noises.Then we are treated to some incredible tribal like percussion,as the guitar melodies join in.Female vocal melodies 8 minutes in as the sound softens.Things pick up again as the guitar is emphasized, more craziness and percussion.Male vocals come in as the sound totally changes,then we hear violin solos that sound like they are straight from hell.Absolutely scorching violin melodies!I have heard nothing like this before!What a way to end the show! My particular cd has some bonus tracks that were previously unreleased from around the same time period.And as bonus tracks go,these are amazing songs.A four part suite called "Freak Out Requiem" is incredible! This is easily a 4 star record,that needs to be heard.

"Phallus Dei" is, most of all, a relevant seminal album for the krautrock genre, and as such, it set the pace for a special way of doing prog rock: a way based on the dynamic tension originated by the mixture of Floyd-inspired psychedelia, spacey ambiences, ethnic textures and avant-garde free-form experimentation. Since Amon Duul II was the most proficient section of the Amon Duul musical entity, it is no wonder, after all, that the musical achievement delivered in the "Phallus Dei" album turned out to be so magnificent and groundbreaking in its time. The use of archaic German in the sung parts surely helped to increase the aura of weird mysticism spread all over the album's repertoire. The first half of the album is a set of 4 numbers that range between 2 and 8 minute spans. The instrumental excursions, which are all both fascinating and fashionably unpolished, are properly set on their own architectonics without getting too square, and definitely, Amon Duul's music couldn't go for that - the sonic richness is so tense that the sense of ordainment has to serve as a complementation to its various nuances, not really as a conventional musical frame. Meanwhile, the vocal deliveries are odd enough in their half-bewitching, half-operatic craziness to evoke images of exorcisms, nightmarish daydreaming and mystic revelations. The first two tracks are genuinely revealing of the band's ideology, but my personal favourites from this first half are 'Luzifers Gholom' and 'Henriette Krotenschwanz'. The former bears an amazingly dense sense of mystery that evolves across its different passages in a very csustained manner, while the latter is set on a captivating martial pace that adds fule to its almost satyrical spirit. All in all, the album's definite gem is the namesake suite that occupies its second half. The 20+ minute 'Phallus Dei' is a real marriage of Kosmos and Chaos, fused together in a unique, unnamable musical source that seems to direct the performers' creative forces all the way through the various excursions that are being installed and disrupted successively. In the beginning we have a hypnotic prelude that seems somehow creepy but mostly is dark and inscrutable, a prelude in which disjointed chords on guitar, violin and sax float in communion with soaring synthesizer layers. Then we have an exciting jam whose harmonic bases and atmospheres are properly led by the guitar solos, accompanied by exorcising occasional chantings. When we get to minute 12, a percussive section appears in the shape of an exotic rhythmic "Kamasutra" expanded on a massive tribal environment. The last four minutes are filled with a more articulated section, in fact, the most articulated musical passage in the entire album. Defined melodies and recognizable guitar riffs conform the nucleus for a music that has stopped being tense and has begun being dynamic in a less unconventional fashion. This factor seems prepared to convey some sort of joyful air, an idea that makes itself clearer with the appearance of a wickedly playful violin solo. Now, going for the album as a whole, a large parte of its particular beauty and artistic relevance lies in the successful amalgam of two fires: the flame of European deconstruction (incarnated in the guitar and keyboard sounds) and the bonfire of ethnic colors (mostly represented by the rhythm section). Regarding the latter factor, Dave Anderson's bass input must receive a special accolade, since it combines rhythm and melodic interaction in a very distinctive manner, although Karrer's guitar and sax duties remain always central in the band's sonic load. There is so much more that I feel I need to say about this album, but I think I'll just stop it here... not before proclaiming Amon Duul II as real supreme masters of krautrock, an this should make their debut album a masterpiece in itself.

A groundbreaking, gritty, psychedelic record ahead of it's time.

'Phallus Dei' (literally god's penis) is one of the records that got me into kraut, it's quite a varied album with despairing moments of psychosis, powerful jamming and righteous riffing there is a lot to like here. The album opens with the worldy 'kanaan' conveying images of Indian slums and sheesha smoke hazes with a rich flowing sound, there are a lot of elements of late 60's psychedelia here too but taken to something of an extreme. The intensity gets dialed up on the next and my personal favourite song 'Dem Guten Schonen Wahren' with an opening riff straight out of a bad acid trip and fevered vocals speaking in tongues things look up a little with some psychedelic jamming before the next acid tab kicks in.

The album lightens up a bit with the upbeat 'Luzifers Ghilom' with some slightly more accessible material, there are some great riffs and moments here and some great jamming. Then after the filler track 'Henriette Krotenschwanz' we move onto the next side with the leviathan 20 minute title track (pretty well unheard of in those days) and we are subjected to a lot of avant-garde freakout noise for a few minutes before the bass kicks in and the song builds into a full blown jam lasting many minutes before a percussion respite followed by you guessed it - more jamming!, a pretty satisfying epic song in the end.

The musicianship on this album is fantastic, jamming and jamming well is hard, really hard and the key component to successful psychedelic jams is the drummer and as you'd expect from krautrock even very early krautrock the drumming is magnificent, very flowing and commanding, the percussion too as you'd expect from any decent kraut recording is amazing particularly in kanaan and Luzifers Ghilom. The guitar work is really good too, some great jam soloing and riffage to be had, I particularly like the clean diminished arpeggios in 'Dem Guten Schonen Wahren'. The bass is like all the other instruments is exemplary, it slots in nicely with the drums and guitar and is also nice and high in the mix which I always like. There is some great 'righteous triforce jamming' (as it has been so named by my band mates) between guitar, drums and bass where they all get into a groove yet are doing their own thing respectively - it just works. another thing I particularly like about this album is the organ and synth sounds, they add some great textures. The vocals would be my only major gripe when it comes to instrumentation, they can be a tad annoying at times with high pitched wailings and the like but for the most part the focus is on the instruments so it doesn't factor in an awful lot. Another thing I really enjoy the gritty 60's production of this album, it suits the music perfectly and enhances certain emotions and experiences.

Overall it's a great album worth 4 stars probably about 4.5, it just lacks a little direction in places and there are a lot of great things that aren't really repeated, well worth while for any fan of kraut or late 60's psychedelia.

Oh baby!!! Groove me out in pyschodelic German trippiness.

The title track is weird and wonderful. This track always reminds me of some crazy spaced out Halloween party.

It opens with spooky weirdness and wails that you're granny does to try and scare the kids at Halloween except far far more musical. Come to think of ti, the kids woudl be a lot more scared of this album than gran trying to do ghost impersonations.

The mood moves on to up tempo jazzy riffing jazzy riffs with, at times, a guitar sound that reminds me of Toni Iommi. In fact, if you know early Black Sabbath then if you can imagine some of their jazzy interludes, you're not to far aware from one of the major passages in Pallus Dei. Since, Sabbath is good in my book, this saves the album from the liquidizer. Still working as a beer mat though.

Once the twiddling is over we enter the dark and mysterious world of echonig howling and screams (all of course still done in a musical way). Obviously gran has been Ushered out of the House, and Weird Uncle Al has come in the back door, a bit worse for wear, intent on rehashing his werewolf routine. Luckily for the listener he passes out and a new phase begins. the music lurches along with a passable rhythm and vaguely folky instrumentation, unfortunately cousin BinLid has escaped form the local asylum and starts giving his best Yip Yip Blurble Blurble over the increasingly manic drums (hmm is Uncle Al trying to get to the WC??). there's a sound of crashing galss, that must have been gran hurling herself out the window in an effort to preserve her own sanity.

Some sort of order is restored. Uncle Al pipes up "Oh I'm getting sick!". better out than in I say. That is until we listen to the fiddle. I'm sure in krautrock land this passes for excellence but for an ear brought up on traditional irish folk it has the same effect as scraping a fork across a greasy plate.

Everytime I listen to Kaanan I want to shout "Yee-Haw!": maybe it's just me but there is definitely some sort of country undertone here. But since this is waaay out there, such banalities are reined in and squished as true krautrock progness is asserted.

The vocals in Dem Guten make me burst out laughing. I just don't get it. it reminds me too much of people extracting the michael. I know it's meant to be serious and tremendous, but I just can't help myself.

Here we face on the the great dilemnas of reviweing a genre that just doesn't float your boat.OK I really can't stand this music. So for me it's a trash it & use the CD as a beer mat, however, each to their own. s.

This is album not for me (but I've already got it). I prefer Wolf City and Dance of the Lemmings, but being honest that's like saying I'd prefer my front teeth pulled out rather than have my tongue hammered flat by a meat tenderizer and spending a day with Blackadder and his codling grinder.

THE BIRTH OF GERMAN ''KRAUTROCK''

AMON DUUL 2!! AMON DUUL 2!! What a mysterious name! How more ''prog'' can you sound than ''AMON DUUL 2?? Tell me! I remember growing up in the beginning of the 70s with DEEP PURPLE,KC, YES and when i visited my favorite record store, there were those AMON DUUL LPs with their strange, psychedelic, stoned i should say, artcovers that told you you would not be getting any straight rock n roll from them. Instead you had a feeling those sublime covers were just a warning telling us: welcome to our world, enjoy your trip but only at your own risk!

My first AD2 purchase was the monumental YETI , their second album , a double LP full of psychedelic freak-out mayhem that remains one of the most essential recording of the prog scene. Only later did i buy PHALLUS DEI (!!!)-no need to translate, i hope.

PHALLUS DEI was AMON DUUL 2 first album, coming out in the musically burgeonning year of 1969 and remains a landmark not only in the AD2 catalog, not only in the Krautworld but is simply a must have to any decent prog collection. Beside its musical brillance, it was also an album that opened the doors to a new genre, inspiring plenty of new bands to produce psychedelic''kraut'' music in Germany and outside of Germany.

Sure, the Munich-based band were not the only ones at that time to introduce us to the German sound. TANGERINE DREAM with Edgar Froese and Klaus Schulze released ELECTRONIC MEDITATION , CAN came out with MONSTER MOVIE that same year, but PHALLUS DEI musically definitely stands above these other LPs.

As for the music, it goes from unstructured jams (you think, but it's not)l, bands like JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and the GRATEFUL DEAD made popular at the same time in the USA to weird singing parts, trippy ''world'' music with some African or Middle Eastern influences, haunting spacey backing vocals, a few good guitar riffs , a lot of violin soloing adding a lot of mystery to the music.

The main piece of meat is the 20mns title track that starts slow with tablas, bongos sounds, evolve in one of those jams before some structure appears with the keys and the great backing vocals from RENATE KNAUP, their female lead singer. Then follows some nice freaky violin parts and ''Phallus Dei''becomes a more structured song with vocals from Chris Karrer, their violin, second guitar and sax player.....A wonderful trippy entrance to the mysterious world of AMON DUUL 2!

The second side (I am talking about the good old LP here) is no letdown , believe me.If someone not aware of prog music would ask me for a good example to hear, KANAAN or DEM GUTEN SCHONEN WAHREN would be my choice....Spacey instrumentation, weird but great vocals, ethnic influences, numerous musical breaks.......everything a ''progger'' asks from this music!

The only downside of this album is the same problem plaguing a lot of German bands: the quality of the vocals or lack of it , i shoud say!! RENATE KNAUP even if she is not the best singer in the world does a great job and her voice fits very well with the music. However, the same cannot be said about CHRIS KARRER: a great composer, a great multi instrumentist but definitely a poor vocalist and the problem seems he doesn't even try like on LUZIFERS GHILOM. Thanks god , RENATE is superb when she comes back to close the album with the wonderful HENRIETTE KROTENSCHWANZ.

My new PHALLUS DEI CD includes 2 great bonus tracks ,the 10mns TOUCH MAPHAI and 10 more mns with I WANT THE SUN TO SHINE which fit very well with the original music....Just be ready for a very stoned hallucinating trip . You have heard nothing yet if you don't know this album!!

Close to a masterpiece, but not quite due of some poor vocals as LUZIFERS GROHM is the only track that fails to mesmerize me like the rest of PHALLUS DEI does.

An indispensable addition to ANY prog music collection,

4.5 STARS!!