GÄA

GÄA's first LP released on the small Kerston label in 1974, Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus (On the Path to Uranus) is an interesting time capsule of space rock / acid rock from the far West of Germany.

Album opener "Uranus" has a mysterious intro with a spoken overture that explodes into a psychedelic wah guitar section. It then softens down to droning organ lines and a horror film soundtrack passage of quiet and foreboding. Acoustic guitar textures, organ, and wailing psych guitar create an astral psychedelic dream. This first song is the most experimental on the LP, for as it continues, it settles into a mostly guitar-driven groove-oriented acid rock that features quieter interludes interspersed.

While the recording isn't high-quality, it is certainly not lo-fi. It does, however, have a certain haziness to it. It often feels as if it was excavated from a long-hidden time capsule and hasn't had all the dust cleaned off quite yet. It is rough around the edges, much like good garage rock from America, so go in expecting this rather than intricate and spacious prog rock with demonstrations of virtuosity.

The band name derives from Gaia--goddess of Earth and fertility. The lyrics were written in German despite great difficulty in doing so as the band members are from Saarland and a different dialect is spoken there, as well as French (this German state borders France and Luxembourg).

The Stratocaster guitar tone of Werner Frey has a nice dirtiness to it and feels quite inspired by Hendrix. The bass and drums (Peter Bell and Stefan Door) keep things simple, yet rock steady and establish a solid "groove". There are many moments when you will hear what we might refer to now as a very American "jam band" style in their music.

"Mutter Erde" (Mother Earth) is an up-tempo West Coast acid rock revival--swirling organ, fuzzy guitar & harmonized chorus of vocals. It would've made a good set opener and is the more conventional/least experimental of the tunes on this record. This is not what you might think--a tribute to the Earth and nature--in fact quite the opposite as they sing "Mother Earth eats her children" and "you want peace and she dreams of war."

"Welt Im Dunkel" and "GÄA" continue in this direction--ending the LP with a long jam. Fans of hard rock & acid rock will be quite pleased. Had the LP dared to stretch out in a similar vein to the experimentation of the first track, one feels it may have been, in the long run, more satisfying.

The Garden of Delights LP reissue includes extensive band and label history and is recommended.

Such an earthy sound and spacey picture like their moniker and the title of their album. "Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus" was out in 1974 as the debut (and the most famous) album by a short-lived Krautrock legend GÄA. Pretty promising is the uncanny sleeve pic through that you could imagine how crazy this opus be, but via the whole creation you would get authentic psychedelic blues rock with trippy dry-fruity mellotron-based electronic congestion.

Contrary to inorganic spacey voice shots in the beginning, hard and bluesy melody lines based upon heartwarming mellotron-oriented atmosphere plus mystic acoustic guitar spices are crazy impressive via the first track "Uranus". This prologue explains their policy a lot. Basically their musical polarity should be not pushing artistic eccentricity nor asserting hallucinogenic weirdness but launching decent soundscape filled with catchy moments and unexpected cold electronic deposits. Given one of trends in early 70s Krautrock scene, this well-balanced and matured mixture (that reminds me of the similarity to Pinguin's "Der Grosse Rote Vogel" or Air's "Teilweise Kacke ... Aber Stereo") can be heard naturally. "Tanz Mit Dem Mond" has fascinating mellow texture, along with acoustic guitar and soft piano playing ... the last powerful electroguitar explosion is also enchanting though. "Mutter Erde" is another delightful pop / rock featuring immersive guitar sounds and a tad cheap chorus. Sometimes rhythmic distortion and melodic dissection can be heard but who cares ... this manner might make you smile. So-called slowtempo bluesy rock-ish temperature is in the following stuff "Welt Im Dunkel". The song itself is not so interesting indeed but mysterious air is all around amazingly. The self-titled epilogue has the most bombastic, shoegazey energy. Grateful improvised movements seasoned with hightone fulte-managed madness should be another pleasure of German Psychedelic Rock. They could have played this masterpiece upon stage incredibly with relaxing ... you can see easily.

Above mentioned, not so perverted nor kinky as sorta cannabis-created improvisational Krautrock vanguard, but hardrock-y psychedelic enough with sarcastic facets and cool structures. Another royalty of Krautrock? Yes.

GÄA is one of those obscure Krautrock bands that formed in 1973 and then released this one album AUF DER BAHN ZUM URANUS (On The Way To Uranus) the following year and then fell into obscurity. Much of it had to do with the fact that only 300 copies were printed and then tensions between the band the record label grew out of the quickie job given to production and the label basically kissed the band goodbye. The results of which made this release a rare collector's item for decades before its re-release. You know this is a very much a local homegrown release because even my 2007 remastered release is all in German. The band was from the Saarland region of Germany (the tiny state that borders France and Luxembourg).

GÄA's music is on the same branch of Krautrock that includes other bands like Electric Sandwich. The emphasis is not on the spacey side of music but rather on the bluesy rock inspired melodies that have a light jazzy feel to them. The songs are very catchy and although all sung in German very poetic in the lyrical contents. In fact at times the melodic phrasing reminds me a lot of the industrial metal band Rammstein only in a calmer mid-tempo folky way rather in an aggressive one. The spaciness is subordinate to the melodic approach and not the other way around. There are strong pulsating rhythms that keep the music churning due to the heavy use of percussion. There are strong drumming patterns and congas alike. The music is light and fluffy with pleasant flutes and acoustic guitars. There are times when the band really rocks out and sounds more like a German version of Deep Purple particularly on the title track, but for the most part this is nice pleasant folklore inspired mid-tempo style of Krautrock.

I have to admit that i was a little underwhelmed upon first listen. This really didn't sound different enough from many a similar sounding folk rock band with psychedelic and hippie inspirations to take you to the clouds and beyond. The vocals are probably the weakest aspect of the sound, but after many listens i have grown accustomed to their sound as a whole and find myself liking this more upon every spin. I was all prepared to give this a 3.5 and round it down but after one more listen it really clicked and cast its spell on me so i will have to round it up now.

Named after the ancient Greek word for the goddess of Earth, this German group from Saarland came in life in 1973 from friends and ex-The Phantoms bandmates Helmut Heisel (guitar), Peter Beil (bass) and Stefan Doerr (drums).The line-up was expanded with the addition of Guenter Lackes (keyboards), Werner Frey (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Werner Jungmann (congas), but soon after Heisel decided to leave Gaa.Anyway, they were discovered in one of their first gigs by the leader of Kerston label Alfred Kersten, who initially supported the group, but finally he found little time and space in his studio in the viilage of Forst near Stuttgart for the band.The recording sessions were eventually finished and Gaa's debut ''Auf der bahn zum Uranus'' was released in 1974.

As Kraut Rock was very popular around the time, it is pretty strange why Kersten lost his initial interest in Gaa, who's sound was full of nice surprises, especially in the long opener ''Uranus'', a beautiful piece, crossing MYTHOS-like obscure narrations, Psych/Space Rock with mid-70's ELOY touches and Classical-drenched soft organs with a LE ORME attitude.The rest of the album is more in a typical Kraut Rock style, combined with strong psychedelic flavors and supporting the powerful electric guitars and the muddy rhythm section with mellow piano lines and plenty of acoustic guitars.For the most of its part ''Auf der bahn zum Uranus'' walks on a Heavy Rock path with bombastic grooves, crunchy Hammond organ and sharp, old-fashioned electrified instrumentals with breaks into more atmospheric, vocal-led passages.A few bluesy influences are also present, as in the ''Welt im dunkel'', which sounds like how ELOY would sound a couple of years later, based on hypnotic keyboards and choir-type of wordless voices supporting Frey's lead vocals, or the closing ''Gaa'', which surprisingly contains some nice hard-styled flutes wrapped in an energetic jamming atmosphere, akin to RUFUS ZUPHALL.

The original vinyl was pressed in only 300 copies as a result of Kesner's fading interest in the group, making it one of the rarest Kraut Rock albums around.Fortunately it has been reissued several times both on CD and vinyl, giving the chance to fans of the style to taste another worthy addition of the endless Kraut Rock list.Recommended.

Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus. The interesting debut album from this original german progressive rock band called GÄA. A valuable and rare item. Their music is trippy, rhythmic and psychedelic. The instruments and performance are very well done. The recording quality and the jam solos will satisfy you krautrock fan looking for something new. Well, I am used to stabilish a strong line with the album art while listening to the music. The first time I have seen this album the character in the cover reminds me of Gally/Alita from the Gunnm Battle Angel Alita japanese cyberpunk series. Face to face with the album, there's nothing to do with Alita, but this first impression makes me think of sci-fi, trash, underground pubs and bizarre elements while I am tripping with my music, looking at this strange album cover. My musical experiences with this album are great, I think this is a good and underrated album, achieving the cult status.

The bad point are the vocals. Sometimes are very boring for me, mainly in the first track, Uranus. GÄA has a small catalogue, featuring only two obscure recordings (unfortunatelly, their second album isn't that cool...), and this one is the one for who wants to check them out. Not a must, but if you have a chance to try this spacey job, don't waste your time.

A curiously uninvolving slab of cosmic krautrock, Gaa's one-and-only album is a genuine oddity, an album that mixes elements of early Pink Floyd, Jane and Jefferson Airplane with that eccentric teutonic touch that colours so much of the countries early-seventies underground musical produce. Imagine Jane were actually a bunch of tripped-out hippies, or, simply, just crossed with those commune-dwelling psych-rockers Amon Dull II and you get the idea, though a strong folk undercurrent occasionally struggles to be heard. Klaus Schulze-style whooshes-and-washes - low-budget style - also waft around at the album's edges, though the dominant forces here are still the occasionally-treated guitar and fuzz-toned organ. Some consider 'Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus' to be something of a cult classic, though that's missing the point. Rather experimental in nature, this inconsistent album smacks of a group unsure of what exactly it is they are trying to achieve, and therefore must be put down as a semi-interesting failure. Alternately timid, tepid and tedious, though with a fairly strong progressive streak that hints at talented creators, Gaa's sole contribution to the space-rock genre simply defies any concrete categorisation, with criticism in the face of such indecision seemingly superfluous. Pointedly, 'Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus' has built up something of a reputation in the 21st century CD reissue arena, and maybe that shows there is something to this album only hardcore fans can really decipher. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

Gäa is one of those typical German obscurities from the 70s, a band that was still lingering in the 60s and that brought the kind of heavy acid rock mixed in with 60s pop, trippy jams and pastoral elements that you might expect from a 1969 record rather then from a 1974. As such it's a bit of an awkward listen, a psych retro album from 1974. Why not.

The opener is one of the most interesting tracks, featuring lots of fuzzy reverbed guitars and vocals, and with a quiet acoustic middle section that reminds of bands like DOM or MYTHOS. The song ends with a 60s pop chorus, reminding of German 'schlager'. Be it with lots of reverb... After a shorter folksy tune, 'Tanz Mit dem Mond' features more psych-schlager and pastoral vibes. Nice one.

Side 2 starts with the disappointing 'Mutter Erde', a 60s pop song with some heavy rock riffs and - if still needed mention - lots of reverb. Too 60s and cliché for me. The remaining two songs pick up the momentum again. 'Welt Im Dunkel' is a delightful mellow ballad and 'GAA' an energetic jammy rocking wake-up call that is the most kraut-y thing next to the opener that you will find on this album.

Overall a nice album that has enough going to have reached a sort of small 'cult' status. But I wouldn't recommend it unless you really like the music of the 60s, both its pop and its trippy side. 3 stars.

"Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus" is a typical example of german underground progressive spece rock of the 70's, with more emphasis in the underground element. Lack of prefessionalism (compared to other similar bands in the same scene) is the only weak point in this album, though it gives more passion to the album. The psychedelic elements are dominating in many album tracks with a bluesy feel in some, like the last song of side B ("Gäa") or even occult, like in "Welt Im Dunkel". My favourite album track is the opener, "Uranus", which is structured on a space atmosphere with an excellent use of acoustic guitar (not only in this one). My opinion is 4/5, but I don't think it is essential for any prog fan. Thus, 3.5 stars.

I love how this album sounds. This is trippy and laid back psychedelic music with German vocals, guitar and organ standing out. The band named themselves after the goddess of earth (that's her on the album cover) while the album's title means "On the road to Uranus" (haha).

"Uranus" opens with acoustic guitar and bass that slowly rise up as spoken words and synths join in. It's building. Drums and electric guitar after 2 minutes. Nice. Vocals follow. It then settles with floating organ and vocal melodies. Spoken words 7 minutes in and then it kicks back in before 8 minutes and the guitar sounds great. "Bossa Rustical" is an instrumental that opens with strummed acoustic guitar before electric guitar, congas and drums join in. Back to acoustic guitar only followed by a bass solo before we get a full sound. "Tanz Mit Dem Mond" opens with acoustic guitar then piano and bass take over as reserved vocals join in. It kicks in around 3 minutes with prominant guitar. It settles again as themes are repeated. Check out the guitar to end it.

"Mutter Erde" has a catchy uptempo intro with vocals, it settles before 1 1/2 minutes. Contrasts continue. Check out the organ runs 3 1/2 minutes in. Vocal melodies before 6 minutes include some yelling. Lots of fun. "Welt Im Dunkel" settles with organ quickly then drums and guitar join in. It's still fairly laid back as vocal melodies join in then vocals. The tasteful guitar sounds great after 4 1/2 minutes, more vocal melodies follow. It kicks into gear after 6 minutes to end it. "Gaa" has a good drum / guitar intro before the main melody arrives around a minute. Some flute in this song. Vocal melodies join in as well. This is great ! Guitar 3 1/2 minutes in before it settles with bass. Acoustic guitar and a spacey soundscape take over including flute. It's building again. The drumming and guitar are impressive.

Nothing revolutionary here but this is my kind of music. They call it Krautrock and it's outstanding !

Fans of gorgeous psych guitars and kraut-spaced out dementia should avoid this album at all cost. With their first effort, Gaa delivered what I consider to be a true krautrock masterpiece: a mesmerizing trip full of intergalactic electronic grooves, kick ass fuzzing bluesy guitars and explosive improv/ instrumental parts. This second album is terribly weak compared to Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus. I just can't understand the new turn taken by the band, especially because Alraunes Alptraum has been recorded just one year later. This album has no memorable songs, it consists only of souless conventional pop rockin' songs with bad vocals and really poor arrangements. The song Inspektion is just atrocious, delivering a commercial, electronic orientated song without any relief. There's no energy or invention here and the result is without interest. Extremely bad. Needless to say that is probably the worst album I've heard from the adventurous krautrock scene.