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TOMORROW'S GIFT

Jazz Rock/Fusion • Germany


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Tomorrow's Gift biography
Tomorrow's Gift (along with similar bands, Frumpy and Joy Unlimited) originally formed as a blues and soul-rock band evolving by the end of the '60s into progressive rock, but still remind faithful to their roots. The line up consisted of Ellen Meyer (Vocals) Carlo Karges (guitar, percussion), Manfred Rurup (organ), Wolfgang Trescher (flute), Bernd Kiefer (bass) and Olaf Casalich (drums). Casalich was later replaced by Gerd Paetzke. In 1970 the young band (three members were still teenagers) set out to release their debt double vinyl. As expected the production yielded a rough unpolished edge giving the album the typical vintage progressive sound. The album Features an abundance of guitars, organ, flute and drum solos accompanied by Meyer's vocals which have been likened to Janis Joplin. Most believe this album would have proved stronger if edited onto just a single disc!

After their self titled effort the band had split in 1971. It was now down to Manfred Rurup and Bernd Kiefer the keep the flame lit. Recruiting "Zabba" Linder (drums) the band pushed forward as a three piece, going on to release 'Goodbye Future' (1972). The sound of the band had totally changed, with a more technical edge and much improved sound production. They took a more Jazz mind into the studio resulting in a mainly instrumental Jazz-rock album, focusing on the keen interplay between keyboard and bass. The overall sound was quite varied: incorporating the lighter Canterbury-jazz sound with an almost Zappa-esque humour.

This was to be the last record under the name Tomorrow's Gift. In 1973, guitarist Uli Trepte (previously of Guru Guru) joined, only to quit just half a year later and was replaced promptly by sax and clarinet player Norbert Jacobsen. The band now changed their name to Release Music Orchestra under which name they released five records.

==Written by Black Velvet (Adam)==

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TOMORROW'S GIFT discography


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3.59 | 38 ratings
Tomorrow's Gift
1970
3.80 | 36 ratings
Goodbye Future
1973

TOMORROW'S GIFT Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

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TOMORROW'S GIFT Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

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TOMORROW'S GIFT Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Tomorrow's Gift  by TOMORROW'S GIFT album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.59 | 38 ratings

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Tomorrow's Gift
Tomorrow's Gift Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Fantastic Kraut-Prog band from Hamburg with an original and groundbreaking sound few acts were producing in ealy-70's.The initial steps found Tomorrow's Gift covering tracks from tne famous British/American Rock bands of late-60's and material from the late-69'/70' can be heard in the ''Pop & Blues Festival 1970'' and ''Love And Peace'' compilations, but at the same time the band was preparing for its debut, writing and recording original songs.Tomorrow's Gift's self-titled double-LP debut was the first album to be released on the short-lived yet legendary Plus label in 1970 with a 6-piece line-up of Ellen Meier (vocals), Wolfgang Trescher (flute), Carlo Karges (guitars, percussion), Bernd Kiefer (bass), Gerd Paetzke (drums), Manfred Rürup (keyboards).

These talented Germans sound like a band struggling to stay calm with the ordinary Psych/Blues/Hard Rock style, which was pretty popular in 1970, and simultaneously trying to push the limits of Rock music to a next level.The album yet contains the basic elements of Hard/Blues Rock, characterized by the powerful grooves, the mindblowing guitar solos, the tremendous energy of the rhythm section, the dominant Hammond organ parts and the sharp riffs, while next to these you get a singer who sounds a lot like JANIS JOPLIN.But things are actually way more complicated.Along with the basic rockin' passages you will get series of driving flutes with both Kraut and symphonic leanings, Classical-inpired keyboard textures (even some lovely clavinet appears in one track), massive sudden breaks, elaborate and refined interplays and impressive changing tempos.The daring face of the group does not stop here.The longer tracks even contain the fundamental color of early German Kraut Rock: long, powerful and pounding jams, based on furious, psychedelic grooves with guitars and organ in the forefront and yet another solid performance by the tireless rhythm section.

Among the best ever Kraut Rock debuts.A fascinating mix of Psychedelic, Hard, Symphonic and early-70's Progressive Rock, that is sure to satisfy even the most demanding proghead out there.An instant and highly recommended purchase.

 Goodbye Future by TOMORROW'S GIFT album cover Studio Album, 1973
3.80 | 36 ratings

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Goodbye Future
Tomorrow's Gift Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars This is TOMORROW'S GIFT's second and final album released in 1973. It apparently sounds nothing like the debut which had a Folk vibe to it with female vocals. The band completely broke up after that one. The bass player and keyboardist decided to keep it going by adding a drummer and carrying on as a trio. This album is one of those releases I felt I took a gamble on and hit the jackpot. This is pure Krautrock my friends and I love it ! Sure it has a Jazz flavour and some Zappa-like humour, but this one album of their's is Krautrock all the way. In the liner notes this record is described as being "... a varied album : Canterbury influenced Jazz-Rock with improvised Free Jazz parts". Great sound as well with Conny Plank doing the engineering and production.

"Jazzi Jazzi" opens with keys as a beat comes in with silliness going on all around it. "Der Geier Fliegt Vorbei" opens with keys and bass as flute-like sounds comes in. It's building as drums come in. Check out the fuzzed out bass ! Amazing sound here. A change after 3 minutes as the tempo slows and it becomes experimental. It sounds better after 4 minutes as it becomes darker and more solemn. Great sound the rest of the way. Fantastic ! "Allerheiligen" opens with deep bass sounds and synths with drums. Some fuzz a minute in (and later) as drums pound away. It settles after 2 1/2 minutes with intricate sounds.

"Wienersatz" is just over 2 minutes of pure psychedelia. People are talking as drums and bass sounds come and go. Synths come in as silly vocal melodies arrive. Haha. "Naturgemass" is the almost 17 minute epic. This also is very psychedelic to start out as sounds come and go with no real melody. Drums and bass start to make some sense as dissonant piano comes and goes after 8 minutes. It settles and then starts to slowly build with synths and a trippy beat. You can hear water and nature sounds in the background. The last minute of the song is powerful and dissonant with some fuzz. "Didden Fur Dunden" is very strange and psychedelic. This song is one freaked out trip man. For some reason I see a connection between the fried egg on the album cover and this song. Haha.

A must for Krautrock fans. Easily 4 stars. I have to comment on the 2 bonus tracks. I must say I usually don't say anything about bonus material because it's not part of the original album but for these two 20 minute jams i'll make an exception. Both tracks are live and from two different concerts. They also were recorded before their first album was released. So we get a taste of the female vocalist. Yikes ! The first track though is beyond incredible with the fantastic organ runs and trippy sound.The guitarist as well rips it up for a long time. The second song isn't as good but it sure has it's moments.

 Goodbye Future by TOMORROW'S GIFT album cover Studio Album, 1973
3.80 | 36 ratings

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Goodbye Future
Tomorrow's Gift Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by jandmdavies261

5 stars Goodbye Future is , for me , one of the essential albums of the Krautrock genre. starting fairly jovially with JAZZI JAZZI , the album quickly transforms into a nightmare - inducing paranoid musical landscape , often sounding like a hybrid of early 70's Can and Egg/Soft Machine. Stand outs for me are DER GEIER FLIEGT VORBEI and the lengthy , ' vaguely psychotic soundin NATURGEMASS. A fantastic LP , and well worth seeking out. Incidentally , there is an edition of the LP from 1972 on the private KRAUT label , with a different sleeve. This version is extremely rare.
 Tomorrow's Gift  by TOMORROW'S GIFT album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.59 | 38 ratings

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Tomorrow's Gift
Tomorrow's Gift Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

3 stars This is one of the most over-rated album of all times in the collectioner world . Do not believe all of those dythirambic reviews as T's G is a good rock band with progressive leanings but this is absolutely no masterpiece. I have read less reviews since this was re- released but I find it a shame that they could fit those two short vinyls onto one CD , which tells you a bit of the expoitation that some want to make out out of a rare and slightly above average vinyl.

This is really too bad as the music is a good bluesy prog not unlike the better known Affinity and is also fronted by a goodlooking and good singing broad.

 Tomorrow's Gift  by TOMORROW'S GIFT album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.59 | 38 ratings

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Tomorrow's Gift
Tomorrow's Gift Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by Proghead
Prog Reviewer

3 stars TOMORROW'S GIFT was an early German prog rock band, totally avoiding the Krautrock sound like many of their contemporaries (CAN, AMON DÜÜL II, etc.) and going for an early, rough, unpolished prog rock sound, much like JETHRO TULL. The band featured female vocalist Ellen Meyer, who apparently had a very poor grasp of the English language. If you thought ELOY's Frank Bornemann had trouble with the English language, wait until you hear this lady. Another notworthy member is guitarist Carlo Karges. He was later a member of NOVALIS (only on their self-entitled second album from 1975), and in the 1980s, was found playing for Nena (the lady who gave us that worn-out synth-pop hit, "99 Red Balloons", or as it's known in German, "99 Luftballoons"). Well, don't let the Nena connections scare you off, 1984 was a totally different world from 1970, and it really isn't too much different from comparing what GENESIS did in 1970 ("Trespass") to what the did in 1983 (their self-entitled album with "Illegal Alien").

Anyway, the self-entitled album from TOMORROW'S GIFT was their debut, and a double album released on a very short lived label called +Plus+ (owned by IKARUS member Jochen Petersen). Here you get early prog, much in the British style, with only the ridiculous accented vocals of Ellen Meyer herself to reveal this isn't British. "Prayin' To Satan" is that prime example, get a load on how she sings the word "Satan"! There's some gems here too like "Breeds There a Man" and "King in a Nook". The former even features the use of clavinet, I guess that shouldn't be any surprise, since Hohner, famous for accordions and harmonicas, made clavinets, and the company was based in Germany. But then this album also has its pitfalls. Double album but not enough good material to warrant anything more than a single album set. The most problematic is "The First Seasons After the Destruction". At 13 minutes, it degenerates in to a pointless wankfest, and that boring drum solo sure doesn't help manners any. The other lenthy cut, the 8 minute "Sandy Concert" is another pointless piece, with Jochen Petersen guesting on sax here. It's basically a sax solo with a riff repeated ad nauseum.

Not the best album on the +Plus+ label (that goes to the self-entitled IKARUS album from 1971, who was definately a better band). Anyway, this album would be a masterpiece if they rid of the wankfests on the lengthier pieces, other than that, only a good, not great early prog album.

 Goodbye Future by TOMORROW'S GIFT album cover Studio Album, 1973
3.80 | 36 ratings

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Goodbye Future
Tomorrow's Gift Jazz Rock/Fusion

Review by loserboy
Prog Reviewer

3 stars On "Goodbye Future", TOMORROW'S GIFT has been reduced to a trio (drums, keys and bass) and also opted for a more improvised progressive sound with harder edged keyboard and bass interplay. Of course the engineering and production were handled by Konrad Plank. "Goodbye Future" is indeed a very varied album and contains a certain strange ZAPPA-esque wierdness throughout. This album contains some simply mind numbing space explorations carrying a certain improvised Canterbury-influenced jazz-rock feel throughout. I would certainly consider this to be classic Krautrock for sure as it carries that underground German prog sound that we have all love. An excellent album full of grand percussion, keyboard and bass interplay.
Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition.

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