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SHAA KHAN

Heavy Prog • Germany


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Shaa Khan biography
SHAA KHAN are a german heavy prog rock band which produced two LPs and two singles. Drummer Walter Kaulhausen and guitarist Roland Soltysiak started at the beginning of 1970 to play hard rock songs from Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. The band name has no common sense - just a pun which pleased the musicians. After some line-up changes Jochen Gutermut (bass) became a permanent member. Because they were participating at courses of the Akademie Remscheid their style changed to a jazz rock direction more and more. During the years 1973/74 they played gigs as the supporting act for Earth & Fire, Sweet, Smokie, UFO und Nektar.

To reach for a better endurance in 1974 Heiner Waldmann (vocals, guitar), Horst "Schröder" Schlechtriemen (keyboards) and Klaus Grandt (vocals, percussion) joined in and they rounded up the line-up to prepare for the first studio recordings. SHAA KHAN developed a rock concept based on two vocalists with self composed songs and simultaneously they made gigs in the neighbourhood of Duisburg to check out the feedback.

1976 the order to compose theater stage music followed and they gave lessons to talented musicians. The fee was intended for the first LP production. In summer 1977 the band entered the Dierks Studio and produced 'The World Will End On Friday' which was released 1978 by the german label Sky Records. The same year SHAA KHAN won a rock festival contest where 40 bands from germany took part. In may 1979 the second LP 'Anything Wrong?' was finished. An effort which is more diversified and balanced. The band could evolve the concept - german heavy rock with english lyrics influenced by Genesis and Yes.

At the beginning of the 80s the band managed to produce two new singles for the Bellaphone label. 'Someone's Calling/Running' got relatively famous with 12 weeks in the WDR radio charts and brought them a lot of gigs in clubs and on festivals. The second single 'Radio/Rock Mafia' had less success. With the arising 'Neue Deutsche Welle' SHAA KHAN got less important and under the alias SK2 they produced some songs with german titles which finally no company wanted to release. But the band went on - with a tour in Lithuania as one highlight. SHAA KHAN could be seen on the stage for the last time in the year 1993 during a concert together with Bröselmaschine and Sheevon in Duisburg.

Now it looks like the story of SHAA KHAN has to be opened once again. In 2007 the former band members met again to plan some reviva...
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SHAA KHAN discography


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SHAA KHAN top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.57 | 31 ratings
The World Will End On Friday
1977
3.14 | 20 ratings
Anything Wrong?
1979

SHAA KHAN Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 1 ratings
Live 2009!
2009

SHAA KHAN Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

SHAA KHAN Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

SHAA KHAN Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings
Someone's Calling
1980
0.00 | 0 ratings
Radio
1981

SHAA KHAN Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Anything Wrong? by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1979
3.14 | 20 ratings

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Anything Wrong?
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by maryes

3 stars I think this second album from this German band entitled "ANYTHING WRONG?" is a more close from a eclectic prog or crossover prog than a totally "framed" in the heavy-prog categegory. I expose my idea with an analization of some of their tracks. Starting from the first track "Anything Wrong?" which have a clearly symphonic prog approach with a melodic "languidness", the track 3 "Howy The Professional" a blues-country ballad and the track 4 " Another Flight" and a "flamenco celebration" in the track middle section ( around 2:58 min until 3:52 min ). In my point of view is not a great album, however is a pleasent audience in all tracks. My rate is 3 stars !!!
 The World Will End On Friday by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.57 | 31 ratings

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The World Will End On Friday
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by Aussie-Byrd-Brother
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Shaa Khan's `The World Will End On Friday' could easily be listed as Neo-prog in addition to heavy prog! To me it sounds quite similar to the later neo bands like IQ, and therefore of course Genesis, with lead vocalist having a tone quite similar to IQ's Pete Nicholls in the quieter and more emotional moments. The band frequently uses majestic melodic guitar similar to that band too. There's a bit more emphasize on harder rock moments, with spacey moments similar to Pink Floyd and Eloy, in addition to other harsh vocals much like Birth Control. But they do have their own sound, and are not mere clones of those other bands in any way.

Beginning with strange electronics, gentle percussion and subtle bass, `White Room' sets up a very eerie mood similar to `Nursery Cryme' era Genesis. Whispered vocals enhance the drama, the band comes a little closer, with twins vocals from lead Klaus Grandt and Heiner Waldermann really unleashing and getting unhinged! Next up, the title track has a restrained and emotional lead vocal from Grandt, with subtle Eloy like keyboards washing the background and lovely guitar work that reminds me of the classic early Genesis albums. It also has a gorgeous choir Mellotron fuelled middle section and outro, before a really abrupt fade out. `Graveyard' begins with a majestic electric guitar melody that repeats throughout the track, reminding me of similar parts of the terrific Pentacle `La Clef Des Songes' album. The two vocalists share this piece, and there's a hard sound to their singing. A beautifully emotive guitar solo in the middle of the track, with a more wailing one nearer the end, backed by plodding bass and steady drum-work. Still seems to finish too soon, though, with another quick fadeout! More problems with that on the second side too...

The very over-the-top `Ocean' on side B is full of wild theatrical vocals and spoken word pieces in various characters, creating a very fantasy-like dream-world. There's an oddly campy quality to this piece, but I'm not sure if it was intended that way! Terrific rattling bass and rapid-fire drumming throughout, with a fiery guitar solo to go out on. `Seasons' has a very pretty melody contrasted with riff-heavy breaks. The track has several instrumental sections, with dirty bass, quirky keyboards and fuzzy hammond organ breaking through all the time. That IQ-like neo-prog sound pops up in the final minutes of this one again too, with highly dramatic and threatening vocals, before a completely stupid fadeout while the music and vocals are still going! No big finale or grand climax - it just disappears! A real error in judgment there. The band are credited to the production themselves, so I don't know what they were thinking. Being their debut album, perhaps just inexperience.

I used to unfairly dismiss this album, based on the wild expressive vocals. I'm not a massive fan of all the harsher sections, and they frequently have a really high-pitched wailing tone as if they're from a metal album! They work much better when they're toned down, where they have quite a pleading and thoughtful quality. The shared vocals do give the album a very unique and interesting sound, though.

Despite how uneven the singing is, and the fact that several of the tracks are let down by sudden and unnecessary fades, Shaa Khan are a tight band of solid musicians playing imaginative high quality progressive rock with a special harder sound. The negative elements I've mentioned on this album are outweighed constantly by the snappy playing, energetic solos and clever arrangements. It's well worth checking out if you find it at an affordable price. It's also great that, for an album released in 1978, the music is uncommercial and defiantly progressive rock.

 Anything Wrong? by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1979
3.14 | 20 ratings

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Anything Wrong?
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by raul_siberian

1 stars After their good debut album it was the turn of their second.

This album unfortunately...fails , it has nothing interesting; In fact, when I first heard the beginning of "Anything Wrong?" I thought inmediately of Kansas` "Carry On Wayward Son". So imagine what comes next... Yeah, Nothing but accesible songs (Yuck!). Although there are songs that are up to 5 minutes none of them offers something really amazing.

I'm NOT saying that the music on this album ist pure crap... NO!. The music on this album is all well played... but there`s lack of what I like... Prog!.

So I conclude by saying; Shaa Khan`s second LP "Anything Wrong? is a failure inside prog`s world, an album that has nothing to do with it... Totally not recommended.

So I will give to this record

1 Star (0.75 really)

 The World Will End On Friday by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.57 | 31 ratings

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The World Will End On Friday
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by raul_siberian

3 stars This album deserves more attention

"White Room" (3.25 Out of 5.00) This is the first track of the album and my favorite. This song starts in an enigmatic form, creating a perfect ambient, as it progresses turns into heavy-rock.

"World Will End On Friday" (2.50 Out of 5.00) This is an unadventurous song, not bad and it`s quite enjoyable.

"Graveyard" (3.00 Out of 5.00) Another enjoyable song and my second favorite. I like the lyrics and the duties of both vocalist, the last 3 minutes are pure heavy-rock catharsis! that makes me crazy. Definitely another highlight of the album.

"Ocean" (2.50 Out of 5.00) The weaker; a complex song where I have lost a bit of interest (Just a bit).

"Seasons" (2.75 Out of 5.00) This is the conclusion; well composed and well played. This german band have done a very good job right here and overall.

So I will give it

2.75 rounded to 3 stars because it deserves

 The World Will End On Friday by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.57 | 31 ratings

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The World Will End On Friday
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars Duisburg-based SHAA KHAN began their career in 1970 as a school band,initially having a heavy rock sound close to the likes of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin,soon to add some jazz elements to their music.However it wasn't until 1974 when the band finally had a stable line-up with the addition of Heiner Waldmann, Horst Schlechtriemen and Klaus Grandt next to founding members Roland Soltysiak and Walter Kaulhausen and the bassist Jochen Gutermuth (who was a member since 1971).In 1977 SHAA KHAN enter the studio to record their first album "The World Will End On Friday",released in 1978 on Sky Records.

STYLE: SHAA KHAN's music is very melodic,yet it maintains a typical Kraut feeling throughout,maybe because of the vocals and the obscure organ work.Opener ''White room'' has an impressive spacey/kraut feeling well hidden under the melodic guitars and the light keys,while the eponymous track is driven by acoustic guitars,haunting mellotron and the fantastic vocal work.On ''Graveyard'' the band sounds very British,again the track lies somewhere between Space and Kraut Prog with heavy bluesy riffs,smooth rhythm section and plenty of organ deliveries.Surprisingly ''Ocean'' is a number with lots of theatrical sides,featuring nice spoken parts and Hackett-ish guitars.''Season'',the longest of all tracks,alternates between melodic acoustic instrumentation and typical Heavy-Kraut Rock riffing along with the usual organ solos,trademark of the band.Five mostly long tracks with plenty of emotional tastes.

INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: It is almost impossible not to think of ELOY listening to this album,while the heavier moments contain hints of BIRTH CONTROL.Add also some GENESIS elements to the mix to get the full picture.

PLUS: A very strong and uncommercial album for 1978,seems it was recorded around 1974,1975.Intricate and romantic acoustic passages.Very decent vocal work despite the somewhat accented vocals.Good and melodic work on guitars,even better is the keyboard work with some great parts.A nice mixture between Space,Kraut and Symphonic rock.

MINUS: Again we have to deal with a band without a strong personal sound (however to record a pure prog album in 1978 is alone a triumph).The same atmosphere dominates all tracks.The album lacks a bit in energy,propably due to the mellow rhythm section.

WILL APPEAL TO:...as the album comes like a mix of different styles it should certainly appeal to Classic Prog,Symphonic-Space and Kraut Rock fans.

CONCLUSION: ''The World Will End On Friday'' is not an exceptional album,yet it hold lots of interesting moments to satisfy the prog listener,while the year of its release makes it even more attractive.Very nice but definitely not absolutely essential...3.5 stars in my books.

 The World Will End On Friday by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.57 | 31 ratings

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The World Will End On Friday
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by philippe
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars This is a mysterious, enigmatic and highly achieved progressive rock album from Germany Underground. Due to the omnipresence of a lyrical sense of the melody, we can not consider Shaa Khan as a krautrock band, nevertheless this is an efficient evocative musical adventure throw higher "cosmic" spheres. Their style is an original intrication between the musically expressive / fantaisist dreamworld of Genesis, the spacey-rockin waves of Pink Floyd and Eloy connected to explosive, furiously trippy & heavy guitar leads. With obvious influences taken from progressive rock classics, this band successed to describe their own musical world, really original and powerfuly emotional, passionate with a large range of atmospheres and moods, describing different states of human sensibility, from pain, fear and anger to love and spiritual illumination. Beyond the "kosmische" rock, this album is a top class standard of progressive rock, reaching the pinnacle of this specific musical universe. White room opens this ravishing musical trip with a cosmic- like symphony for gorgeous instrumental sections, tragical & theatrical lyrics and majestic heavy-rockin' melodies (closed to things written by the germans of Dschinn). The self title track is an other imaginative travel exploring human subconsciousness and the multi-facets of his personality thanks to a great dose of mysterious, fragile, moody, epic, atmospheric ambiences for synth / e-guitar duo and beautifully immersive lyrics. Graveyard is a subliminal evocative, tormented introspective proggy-piece that reminds me Jane or Novalis at their darkest moments. The melodies are deeply expressive, pefectly composed for intense organ chords, impressively emotional, crying vocals, heavy & floating guitar leads. Almost lost in time, this album remains an ulimate masterpiece and highly recommended for all prog-heads.

 Anything Wrong? by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1979
3.14 | 20 ratings

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Anything Wrong?
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by raleks

4 stars Melodic songs, strong vocals (at least one - very clear and high pitch) and all this made in progressive vein. What to hell we can want more? :) Beside, I like progressive melodic SONGS with vocals. Though. This album is not masterpiece... Most of songs can be rated over 4, several songs are not so good. The result is only 4 stars not 5. :) And what? Do you know many progressive songs with excellent vocals? I don't :) One more time: good album, I like it. PS. I think it is comparable with KESTREL... PPS As usual, sorry for my bad English. I hope you'll understand me :)
 Anything Wrong? by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1979
3.14 | 20 ratings

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Anything Wrong?
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by BWaldmann

4 stars This is a very nice record. The lyrics are great - for example 'Howie the professional' and the title song of course. Maybe sometimes they sound a little bit German. The most exciting thing about this record are the two leadsingers : Klaus & Heiner
 The World Will End On Friday by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.57 | 31 ratings

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The World Will End On Friday
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by BWaldmann

4 stars Oh sorry, last time we ( it was my daughter Julia ) reviewed the other LP 'Anything Wrong?' But this record is very good, too. The two singers are brilliant and there some really nice tracks. The best song to me is the title track 'The World Will End On Friday'. It's a very mystic song about the end of the world as some religious groups think it could happen.
 The World Will End On Friday by SHAA KHAN album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.57 | 31 ratings

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The World Will End On Friday
Shaa Khan Heavy Prog

Review by greenback
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars This record has a very German sound: it is almost progressive hard rock. It consists in cold & melancholic high electric guitars notes and in a mix of vintage and some more "modern" keyboards. If it is classified as progressive rock, then it is a very basic, simple and straightforward one. The songs have a unique sound, and the compositions are not bad at all, although they are not outstanding. The very punchy bass is rather pleasant and elaborated, and the drums are surprisingly varied and elaborated, despite they are not very fast. The good lead vocals have just a slight German accent.

There is often a gentle background organ a la Nektar (A tab in the ocean), and a lightly distorted floating organ a la Focus. The straightforward electric guitars have no significant pedal effects, so that the miscellaneous lazy solos sound a bit like the ones from early Eloy (circa "Inside"). Speaking of the Eloy of the 70's, some keyboards sound a bit the same. There are some acoustic guitars parts like on the "World will end on Friday" track. The electric rhythmic guitar riffs are rather rare. The music has a few elements from Amon Duul 2, except that Amon Duul 2 are much more progressive, elaborated and varied.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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