WIND

One of the pioneers of the early 70's German progressive rock scene.They were formed in mid- 60's in Erlangen under the name Bentox and offering a beat sound.In 1969 they were renamed to Chromosom,this time they added elements from the West Coast sound in their style.By 1970 Bernd Leistner leads the band as a vocalist and the band dramatically changed its sound,now under the name Wind.Their debut ''Seasons'' was released in 1971 on the obscure low budget label +Plus+,which managed to release only three albums before closing.

''Seasons'' is a nice example of Heavy and Prog Rock mix,typical of early 70's.''What Do We Do Now'' is an alternating cut between VANILLA FUDGE Heavy Rock and smooth organ/acoustic guitar/flute passages with aggresive vocals.''Now It's Over'' is characterized by its psych organ- driven softness,while the short ''Romance'' shows evident influences from the romantic period under organ and piano sounds.''Springwind'' is a magnificent piece of heavy organ-driven prog with massive multi-vocals and slight classical influences.The flipside opens with ''Dear Little Friend'',which is strongly influenced by DEEP PURPLE filled with organ,complex guitar work and aggresive vocals,another strong track.I would expect more from the epic of the album ''Red Morningbird'',slow psychedelic start with Teutonic vocals and harmonica before the short guitar/organ Hard Rock explosion,then the mellow harmonica/organ style will return till the nice complicated end with the hard rockin' guitar riffing and the haunting vocals.

''Seasons'' is placed exactly on the line between the Hard Rock sound of the early 70's and the upcoming snowball of the Progresive Rock movement.The album and the band deserve some wider recognition for their daring sound and high levels of energy throughout the listening.Strongly recommended to fans of the new-born progressive sound around 1970...3.5 stars.

This is a prog rock classic from Germany. The debut of Wind is a keyboard orientated work, heavily influenced by the first three albums of Uriah Heep. Nevertheless, they have their own sound, which is more in the underground vein, like many other albums recorded in Germany during the early 70's. Four of the five band members sing (well) and there is no german accent, typical of many Krautrock bands back then. Wind tried their best to achieve success, and maybe they would if they continued to write and record albums like their debut. A weak point in "Seasons" is the sound. The music of Wind demanded a better sound production, and even for a 1971 album the sound is a bit poor.The heaviness in music and vocals reminds of 2066 And Then and Jane. The songwriting is really good. There are heavy prog songs, like the fantastic opener "What Do We Do Now" and "Dear Little Friend", and calm, like "Now It's Over" and "Romance", a keyboard melody passage, which serves as a bridge before the floating melodies of "Springwind"."Red Morningbird" is the 16-minute album's epic, my favourite album track. The band's character is in full display here, including heavy, melodic and deeply emotional moments, which reach a peak in the beginning of the 11th minute before a rather psychedelic ending. Great album.

Very much an organ driven band who put out two albums in the early seventies. I must admit i've struggled with my rating here. I love Krautrock but this album comes across more like a URIAH HEEP record at times, a band i'm not too fond of. Now it's certainly not all like that. I really like when they slow things down.The sound quality is okay but poor by todays standards. Love the pictures of the band, three of the guys have the biggest afros I think i've ever seen(haha).

"What do we Do Now" opens with organ before vocals and a full sound join in. A calm with flute after 1 1/2 minutes then it kicks back in as contrasts continue. The organ is great 6 1/2 minutes in and it's followed by a guitar solo. "Now It's Over" is my favourite. The organ floats as gentle guitar and reserved vocals join in. Very FLOYD-like. "Romance" is a short piano filled track.

"Springwind" is my second favourite. It features organ and piano early as the wind blows in. It kicks in after a minute. The vocals sound so good,different from normal. The guitar and organ are ripping it up before 6 minutes. "Dear Little Friend" features powerful organ in fact it's nasty at times. Some guitar before 3 minutes. "Red Morningbird" is the almost 16 minute closer. It's pastoral with nature sounds early. Vocals after 3 minutes then it kicks in around 5 minutes. The guitar lights it up a minute after that. Another calm then heaviness after 12 minutes. It settles once more to end it.

It's funny but the two songs I like the best sound different from all the rest. I'm giving it 3.5 stars but will continue to listen, so I may upgrade it down the road.

That proto prog albums even exist post 1970 is mystifying to me, but I suppose that is a pitfall of our man made classification system. I guess it would be more accurate to say that proto prog seems like an embryonic sub genre to me, and I can't fathom why a baby would continue to crawl when it now possesses the faculties to walk and run. Nor surprisingly, apart from a few landmarks, the lion's share of such late model recordings are of little interest. "Dawn" fits snugly into this grouping, with similarities to all the usual suspects (Cressida, Fantasy, 60s psych) but nods to the Moody Blues and King Crimson.

Probably the most unique piece is "The Princess And The Minstrel", with spoken verses and harmonious choruses that recalls "The Balance" by the Moodys but an essence of medieval minstrelsy (in both subject matter and style) redolent of The Incredible String Band. Both "Dragon's Maid" and "Carnival" offer the remaining highlights and the most pure expression of an erstwhile "modern" progressive voice, thanks to some powerful mellotron blasts and majestic vocals that suggest Greg Lake in his King Crimson suit. But I do not mean to suggest that this is top drawer paraphernalia.

The remaining tracks are dull, limp snippets of psychedelia with no relation to their predecessors. It's hard to conjecture the evolutionary path of this album, and whether the group found its new voice and shoved the best material up front, or simply couldn't muster 40 minutes of more adventurous material so tacked on ersatz and passe tunes as filler. But the net result is the same - half a good album and half a poor album adds up to a Wind that, while not foul, fails to invigorate.

I found this album quite a long time ago and I still don´t know much about it. Only one review? I´ve never listened to their first CD but this is surely a transitional work as far as I can see. What they would come up with is anyone´s guess, since they broke up soon after Morning was released. It´s hard to find out where they were really aimind at (believing they were aiming at something, of course). The CD is a mixed bag and lacks direction.

Let´s see: they start with the 60´s influenced, beatles-like, Morning Song. Not an outstanding tune. Then jump to the whimsical, storytelling, of The Princess And The Minstrel. Third track Wind becomes more symphonic, with strong King Crimson influences on The Dragon´s Maid (my CD has this track so badly mixed I think it was a defective copy). Track four, Carnival, is totally Crimson´s Epitaph with some changes here and there. Then comes the short instrumental Schlittenfahrt , that leads to the strightforward blues rock Puppet Master. The acoustic, folkish, Tommy´s Song continues this saga without adding much - like most of the stuff here it goes nowhere. Josephine reminds me of one the Monkees tunes.

Ok, they were good musicians and could actually handle a wide range of styles, but the band at the time could not decided what they were going to. Nor come up with real strong original material. The best track is a King Crimson reharsh. Production is only average. This is definitly for collectors and fans only. 2 stars.

4.5 stars. Really.

This album was a pleasant surprise considering nobody reviewed it.

Much different (and better IHMO) than their debut album. This album will sure to please anyone who liked the apocolyptic feel of King Crimson's Epitah with the mellotron swirls and melancholic melodies that reflect doom.

For anyone who likes mellotrons, I highly recommend this. The vocalist at times reminds me of Peter Gabriel but he's not a clone in any way/shape or form.

In addition to the mellotron swirls and sometimes dramatic vocals, it was a pleasant surprise to hear vocal harmonies much in the way of early Crosby Stills and Nash.

The only weak song on this album is the closing track Josephine which should have perhaps been left off the album. It's not a horrible song. It's just a straight ahead rocker with no progressive tendancies and has nothing to do with the general flow of the album. Consider that song the Cat food of King Crimson's 2nd album.

Other than that, there's really not much more to say. If you like the King Crimson Epitaph sound with a little bit of the Gabriel delivery, you should not be disappointed. Like most other progressive albums, a few listens to let it grow.

Best track is Dragon's Maid but they're all good except for the closer.

I had a pleasure to listen the album a long time ago. My attention was attracted by two perfect songs.

First was What do we do now. The tunes were very similar to Jane music - a little bit agressive but worth listening!

Second was a ballad Dear little friend, very emotional and very similar to Novalis ballads and Jane as well. I would recommend this album as a compulsory album of kraut-rock for every listener of this kind of music!