AMON DÜÜL II

Wolf City is an attempt to distill A.D. II's wild psychedelic excursions into a more accessible sound for a mainstream audience. However, by its very nature, A.D. II's traditional sound cannot by contained in an album barely 30 min long. Therein lies the flaw in Wolf City; it is an attempt at an impossible synthesis.

That's not to say that the album fails completely. The band has in fact continued to refine and polish its sound as is shown on the solid opening and closing tracks. In addition, the instrumental Wie der Wind am Ende einer Strasse is a highlight for me. The rest of the album though, seems to come up short. In particular, Jailhouse Frog and the title track always leave me painfully disappointed. The potential for a brilliant album is present in Wolf City if only the band had decided to let loose at the right moments.

I understand the band's need to evolve but IMHO Wolf City abandons what made them great in the first place, the ability to blow our minds with a powerful jam. While I suppose it deserves 3.5 stars for a solid foundation, I feel that ultimately I must round down rather than up.

My first full experience with Krautrock (I have heard various pieces, particularly from Can before) has left me hungry for more. This is a lengthy album full of music that sits just on the edge of my musical comfort zone, inviting me to trespass further outside it. Overall, this album is a blend of psychedelic rock and conservative experimentation; I expect that those who enjoy RIO / avant-garde progressive rock or space rock would be generally pleased with this work. Vocally, however, this album is a wreck. Call it experimental vocals- whatever it is, it sounds exaggerated and just plain awful. Fortunately, singing isn't what this record is about, and the music is incredibly intriguing and enjoyable. This is definitely something worth acquiring, especially for those looking for an entry point to help them to move beyond the classic bands.

"Soap Shop Rock: Burning Sister" What comes to mind here is the sound of psychedelic rock of that time period, like Pink Floyd's debut. It's full of crispy guitar and slightly unconventional chord progressions.

"Soap Shop Rock: Halluzination Guillotine" A flat, fuzzy bass is the main instrument of this more laidback section. The lead guitar stays respectfully reserved.

"Soap Shop Rock: Gulp A Sonata" This terse interlude is weirder, as it mainly consists of bizarre vocals.

"Soap Shop Rock: Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm" The highlight of the four part piece, this has exquisite yet rough violin throughout. The male vocalist warbles along, sounding completely distinct from the rest of the music and just generally bad. The drumming is the strongest constituent, and I particularly enjoy the riff the band uses to end the song (incidentally, it sounds like the start of a new track).

"She Came through the Chimney" Exotic guitar and distant percussion make for a pleasant listening experience. The addition of the pipes adds a mystical, Middle Eastern air to the piece.

"Archangel Thunderbird" This is downright funky, and simply the coolest song on the album- I really dig that bass and guitar groove. It is interrupted by a brief organ part (an electric guitar part the second time around) before resuming. It is one of my favorites- at once very catchy and still "out there."

"Cerberus" The first Amon Düül II piece I ever heard, this is what piqued my interest in the band and served as the impetus for my purchasing this album. It mainly consists of complex acoustic guitar and drumming, which soon morphs into stranger electric fare.

"The Return of Ruebezahl" It's a shame this piece is so underdeveloped, because it truly is one of the strongest moments on the album, full of intricate guitar and bass.

"Eye-Shaking King" Upbeat and all over the place, this heavier piece has stimulating guitar and dramatic vocals that don't show up until toward the very end.

"Pale Gallery" Yet another brief interlude, this one is much more reserved, with subdued backing instrumentation and a some strange sonic experimentation on top of it.

"Yeti (Improvisation)" When I noted the track time in conjunction with the word "improvisation," I thought to myself, "Oh great- here comes "Moonchild," only it will be twice as long!" Admittedly, the beginning is quite a bit of wandering, but I, as someone who values premeditated composition over impromptu creating, could have easily been fooled into believing this piece was constructed over a number of sessions. True extemporaneous creation is a rare art form; it is distinct from "jamming," in which the different musicians take turns soloing over an established rhythm. Those involved must be musically intimate and comfortable enough with one another- they must know each participant's style well enough to somewhat accurately predict what a given player might do next. The bassist and drummer almost seem to be of one mind in this respect, repeating certain phrases and gradually changing the riff until it evolves into something completely different. Two lead guitarists work around and on top each other, such that neither steals the show or produces a cacophony of dissonance. What's more, there are even vocals snuck in, and they really fit. Also, there's a repeated riff toward the end that completely shifts the feel of the song into something more nostalgic, and like a real pro, the bassist adopts the suggestion and helps develop the piece. All in all, this is an amazing example of improvised music.

"Yeti Talks to Yogi (Improvisation)" This picks up from where the previous track left off. There's something of a percussion solo here, with insidiously arcane music loitering in the background. Soaring feminine vocals emerge from this.

"Sandoz in the Rain (Improvisation)" Another distinct favorite of mine, this final piece has a gorgeous acoustic guitar theme and a woodwind that transports me to the hazy desert (despite the title). The hand percussion is a lovely touch, and the descending bass riff about halfway through is just remarkable. I honestly don't believe this is improvisation (again, despite the title), because it's simply too well constructed and an all-around amazing piece. If I'm wrong, though, then Amon Düül II are the masters of the art of improvisation.

Mainstream Krautrock?

On their fifth studio album, AMON DÜÜL II has chosen to adapt a more mainstream approach to their original & eccentric brand of German psychedelia. Do not let this factor mislead you; Wolf City is one of the best albums I've heard this year. It is incredibly infectious; once you listen to it once, you won't be able to stop, and the listening experience will only get better every time you spin this wonderful record.

A key theme that dominates this recording is a strong Far East influence; the sounds echoing from nations such as India & Nepal. "Surrounded By The Stars" begins with a standard, psychedelic/progressive rock feel, the vocals only contributing to the mystic nature of this track. Later on, the vocals gain a very high-pitched style, an obvious influence on the vocals of Geddy Lee in the Canadian prog rock group RUSH later on in the 1970's. The lyrics of the album are absolutely hilarious; my favorite being the track "Wolf City", which has the feel of a 70's psychedelic rock tune, infused with the typical experimentation of the Kosmische Musik movement. Another highlight is the composition "Deutsch Nepal", a short tune that prominently displays the group's love for experimentation and the avant-garde.

All in all, this album is a great listen. Don't be fooled by the relatively short song lengths; Wolf City is a progressive album worthy of the ears of a progressive listener.

For those new to Krautrock, this album, as well as Neu's 1972 self-titled debut album, are excellent starting points.

Long haired freaky people of the Earth rejoice !

Lofty east Indian influences dominate Amon Duul II`s entrancing fifth album. Stranded in a mystical locale called Wolf City and still waiting for the train out of the sixties, Wolf City abounds with ancient environs and plenty of strange psychedelic electronic effects from guitars being played with bows to tablas, sitars, angry saxes and environmental effects. You can almost smell the incense burning on this love in.

Although the band had pretty much ditched it`s penchant for extended out-of-control freakouts by the previous Carnival In Babylon album, the music on Wolf City commands an airy buoyancy throughout and combined with efxceptional anologue production makes the original album seem longer than a mere 34 minutes and 41 seconds.So it`s a bit of a pity that some of the fade-outs weren`t allowed to develop into their full potential as extennded tracks but this is compensated for on the CD remaster with 2 bonus tracks and a 10 minute studio jam from that era. Renate Kanup becomes a star once again on the title track, the acid drenched Green Bubble Raincoated Man and the trippy psuedo-pop track Surounded By The Stars which nods back to the earlier Phallus Dei / Yeti freakout era with a short improv section which was cut out of the single release. The bulldozing Deutsch Nepal adds a bizarre touch he here with it`s gothic barrage of overdriven synths and organs which demonstrate just how devastatingly ahead of their time they were even if the rest of the album seems stuck in a time warp sometime in 1968.

One of Amon Duul IIs last albums that would still hold appeal for the fans of their freakout era and certainly the best produced Amon Duul II up to `73, Wolf City headphones cranked to eleven are definitely in order for this early 70s jewel.

Yeti, Amon Duul II, 1970 Now this is a very interesting one to try to break down. Amon Duul II's second effort is huge leap  forwards from the already pretty strong Phallus Dei, and, interestingly enough, it uses the double-LP format to allow the band to both expand their existing lengthy, bleak and atmospheric improvisations and to complement them with the sonic seltzer of a half dozen or so classy, energetic rock pieces. The resultant album has many, many high points, an astoundingly unique mood to it, and throughout displays both compositional and performing excellence and some very charming, despite the accents, vocalists. Where the problems creep in is maintaining the listener's interest for the whole length of the album and in trying to create a coherent work from so many improv-rooted pieces. That, for me, weakens the album's impact and keeps it, at least, a notch below Wolf City in terms of listening time. 'Objective'/importance says 5 stars, but my enjoyment only allows for 4.

The lengthy opening suite, Soap Shop Rock, transforms quickly from a slightly clumsy rocker to an intense, involving and surrealistic bit of psychedelia, with particularly memorable work from the rhythm section of Peter Leopold and Dave Anderson, as well as the multi-talented Chris Karrer. More unusual, perhaps are Renate Knaup-Groschweitz's high and distinctive backing vocals, taking over the role a keyboard or two normally would. From the raw rock of the opening Burning Sister to the psychedelic craze of Halluzination Guillotine to the light-hearted operatic vocals of Gulp A Sonata, this piece is excellent, but the real gem is the final 'movement', the astounding Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm, opening with an absolutely jaw-dropping violin lick from Karrer and then developing with crazy going-off-all-over-the-place vocals and whistling mixing in with the unpredictable rhythm section and some astounding violin soloing and high-register organ. A quick repeat of the opening phrase rounds off the song, and, even though it's quite neat, you have to admit that the anti-climactic ending doesn't quite fit it. An astounding piece of music, in terms of conceptualisation, playing and ideas, and the mood is set quite nicely for the album... as micky remarks, not exactly coherent, and that does hurt it a little.

The following She Came In Through The Chimney is a much more calm and collected number, with a relatively consistent six-string guitar part being imaginatively expanded upon and improvised over, with some particularly superb Ratledge-like work from Falk Rogner on what I think is a lowry organ. The imagination of the bongo parts is very neat as a feature... you don't get all that many bands really treating them in the same way they would another instrument. Smooth stuff, not really a highlight for me, but a nice lead up. Edit: took another look at the reviews already up, and the consensus is that some of said Ratledgeism is a violin. They're probably right... though I'm still somewhat convinced the organ's on there.

The most straightforward rocker on the album follows this on pretty sharply, with a kicking main riff, killer drumming, lead vocals throughout most of it and some psychedelic organ and guitar soloing thrown into the breaks. Always nice to see a very eclectic band take on and easily conquer the basic rock song, and Renate Knaupf throwing her range all over the place as a lead vocalist is a real bonus, even if her backing parts are maybe what makes the album so atmospherically dense.

A bit of a storm-in-a-teacup next with the high-tempo folk-based number Cerberus, fully exploring the interplay between the two guitarists, with the bass (Dave Anderson) and the bongos (Shrat) effectively taking on the part of soloists for this one, before electric-feedback-land comes in and takes over the groundwork of the acoustics. A very unique and well-explored piece, with a bit more of an eastern European vibe... maybe the best prepared track on the album.

The Return of Reubezahl is an intense, concise, almost soundtrack-like preparatory piece for Eye-Shaking King, with its smoking blues/rock ending leading into the fiery maw of viciously distorted-vocals, distorted guitar, fuzzed-up-bass and thundering drumming, a heavy trip from that prelude through the wilderness of the mind. Exceptional.

The briefer, on my reissue, at least, Pale Gallery, is a bit less astounding, relying on a slightly insistent and mechanical drum pattern as well as some very interesting organ and violin work. Unfortunately, the sort of ghosts-flitting-around image doesn't really transform into something really solid and striking. Nice, but is it really adding anything?

The second original LP is made up of three distinct, individual and creative improvs, and I think it represents the album and creates a mood even more effectively than the first. You can see the band is confident enough to strip back its sound, and to try some new and effective things even in full improvised flow. Describing it fully is obviously a waste of time, but a general mood thing isn't out of order.

The title track, a dark, brooding, scenic number, in addition to the typically excellent and pacy work from the rhythm section, features all sorts of feedback, demonstrative twangs from the 12-strings, and violently clashing electrics, producing an overall dense forests-and-mountains mood accompanied by an impressively dense aggression and movement. Some wordless vocals, both male and female, fill out the abstract fog in this musical forest, while a more mournful conclusion harnesses all this restless energy to a more introspective and exotic end. All in all, Yeti is an extremely well thought-out and followed-through bit of improvisation, with a wonderful freedom of interpretation, as well as some distinctly avant-garde organ and violin work.

Yeti Talks To Yogi is a bit more light-hearted, starting out with a dense clump of instruments, which gradually collaborate (with some fantastic bongo-work from Shrat) to work out each others' space and produce a very dense, dark mood, from which the conversational wails of the violin or the feedback from the guitar pre-empt the very loose and touching herdlike vocals. Admittedly, the ending is a bit overly curt, but otherwise another amazing piece.

Sandoz In The Rain, with guest flautist 'Thomas' and a further guitarist/vocalist and bassist, features a much calmer and more capable mood, with some superb acoustic work, a full, probably improvised, lyrical section, pretty work between the violin and the flute, and for me, it conjures up memories of walking along steeper paths by rivers in Wales and the North, with a slight misty/rainy vibe to it. Again, evocative, touching, and excellent improvisation. Particularly lush is the amazing roll of the drums and thundering feel of the line, 'Sundrops in your eyes.' Simply put, the inclusion of the lyrics gives this the most pictorial and absolute feel of the three improvisations, but at the same time, the band adapt that to create a more free-flowing, abstract picture for your mind to fill in. Again, maybe trails off a bit too sharply, but that doesn't obscure the merit of the rest of it.

So, all in all, a collection of The Good Stuff. The second half is particularly good and has clarity in those improvs that Phallus Dei wasn't quite self-confident enough to achieve, as well as a really striking mood, and most of the first half isn't much weaker at all. Still, problems creep in from trying to unite and compile all this work into one album. Yes, it's not quite perfect, and yes, there are some tracks which are markedly less interesting than others, but just look at the release date... 1970: it really sounds nothing quite like anything else out there. Remarkable for its time, and it's a gem of the Kraut Rock and Psych Rock (and, you could say, 'Heavy Prog') genres... a must have for anyone, and a very secure four stars. Maybe worth listening to the two 'halves' separately if you find it a bit too much heavy going.

Rating: Four stars, 'Objective' five, 13/15 Favourite track: Sandoz in the Rain

I'm not a big fan of krautrock at all, in fact I only listen to Faust and Amon Duul II at the moment, but this album caught my attention. It starts off with the acoustic-guitar dominated song Syntelmans March of the Roaring Seventies which with it's Dylan-esque lyrics and folk-rock/krautrock sound totally amazes me.

"After a long introduction you can hear the story which happend during the roaring seventies. In July, people sweat in the sun sitting feet-by-feet watching the big game."

The next song, Restless Skylight Transistor Child, is a lot heavier and more krautrock but is still pretty good. The Marilyn Monroe Memorial Church is one of my favorite improvisations, a type of music which I don't care much for. The last three songs sound pretty close to the same to me but they are all good and you have to love the title Stumbling Over Melted Moonlight! This is probably the best krautrock album ever!

With it`s Beatlesque string intro on the first track I Can`t Wait Part I, it is immediately evident to those familiar with previous work from the band that this is going to be a different Amon Duul II record. If the streamlining that occurred on the band`s 1972 Carnival In Babylon album caused a stir amongst fans then the cohesive song structures, vocal harmonies and orchestral arrangements on Amon Duul`s 7th studio album, Hijack, would prove to be even more mutinying and harder to swallow. By the time sessions began for Hijack, Amon Duul II had pretty much abandoned the free form cosmic experimental spaced out collage approach to their music and the album marked a period of a band in transition and introspection. Although not a concept album per se ( that would come on the subsequent Made In Germany album ) each track on the album has it`s own special individual message and musical identity making it one of the most diverse and interesting records in the band`s catologue.

Even so, there are echoes of Amon Duul II`s acid soaked past on tracks such as the psyched out Explode Like A Star presented in two sections with cool spacey synths and Renate Kanup`s female vocal interpolations. The instrumental Da Guadaloop with it`s tripped out primordial rythms predates disco with a psychedelic twist replete with elephant roars and female drill sergeant commands amongst other sonic novelties It is certainly the most bizarre track on the album which should satisfy the long haired freaky people who were into earlier albums like Yeti, Phallus Dei and Tanz Der Lemminge.

Apart from these two cosmic excursions Amon Duul had never sounded so commercial but at the same time retained some lyrical dark visions they were known for, especially on the introductory two parter Can`t Wait ( Parts I & II ) and the danceable Mirror which reflect on a bleak future and the guilty confessions of a TV addict respectively, emphasized by the lackadaisical vocals of bassist Lothar Meid who had returned to the band from 18 Karat to join the original lineup for the Hijack project. In fact most of the album was the brainchild of Meid`s who contributed the orchestral arrangements which featured 8 guest musicians. The album`s name even comes from Meid`s nickname which was Jack.

Other tracks offer chasms of contrast fluctuating from comical proportions to pensive atmospheres. Archy the Robot ( see album cover art ) is about a a mischievous toy robot with a mind of his own who travels through time and space and kidnaps Satan and God along the way accompanied by a cabaret-like brass section! The thoughtful You`re Not Alone whose simplistic droning guitar chords support Meid`s once again sombre yet passionate vocals about being at peace with oneself while Traveller and Liquid Whisper feature Renate Kanup singing fluid and lyrically vocals rather than her previous witchy vocalizations as heard on tracks like Archangel`s Thunderbird or Green Bubble Raincoated Man. One of the most unusual musical deviations for Amon Duul II up to the time is to be heard on a cover version of an Ornette Coleman composition, the dark lament Lonely Woman with a subtlle jazzy bossa nova beat whispered rather than sung by multi instrumentalist Chris Karrer underscored by a smoky tenor sax accompaniment.

It`s unfortunate that the acid drenched relentless freaking out heard on earlier Amon Duul 2 albums create false impressions, get more attention and overshadow most of the band`s recording career. Hijack is a testament to the songwriting and actual musical abilities of of the original lineup plus the crucial contributions of Lothar Meid. It`s a pity that it constantly comes under scrutiny so often for being too commercial. Some critics have even called it their worst album! In essence Hijack depicts a band finally coming of age and a fitting prelude to 1975`s Made In Germany concept opus magus. One of the best and diverse Amon Duul albums where the individual members demonstrate that they can adapt to just about any style. Not to be ignored by anyone who wants to explore the weird and wonderful world of Amon Duul II. 4½ stars no problem.

Amon Duul II's worst album is still a good album.

Although ADII evolved quite a bit throughout their lifespan, I would not say that they ever progressed. They simply changed from psychadelic krautrock to accessible pop/rock with experimental and psychadelic tendencies...and the evolution is evident from album to album. While songs may differ largely in overall excellence, every track this band ever recorded is easily enjoyable, that is to say they never made a bad song or album. If Pyragony X were my introduction to ADII, I may have been more hesitant to immediately consume all they have to offer, but such was not the case.

As far as variety goes, Pyragony X holds its own. No two tracks mirror each other in the least, unlike earlier efforts that hold a similar sound throughout. The opening track-1)Flower Of The Orient-is easily the best on the album and is a 5 star song in my opinion. A luscious and trippy experience with an eastern feel. 2)Merlin is cheesy and fun, sounding like a hybrid of earlier ADII and 70's blues/rock, complete with overindulgent guitar solo. The instrumental 3)Crystal Hexagram pulls me into a slight trance with it's spacey goodness, another highlight of the album. 4)Lost In Space starts out ok, but quickly becomes simple and boring, and just as quickly pulls out of the lull for an excellent fading finish. 5) Sally The Seducer has some good interludes between verses, but thats about it. 6)Telly Vision is a quirky song with goofy lyrics, and always puts me in a good mood. Nothing exceptional, just one of those perfect Sunday afternoon songs. 7)The Only Thing starts with promise, but fails to deliver, seemingly repeating itself for close to 8 minutes. Not a bad song, not as good as it could have been either. Thankfully the album closes on a good note:8)Cappuccino. I will say this song, much like the one before it, does not live up to it's potential, but it is an extremely pleasant little number. The chorus has a delightful hook to it that could easily have been exercised into something more powerful and emotional. Regardless, Cappuccino is a short and sweet outro.

All in all, Pyragony X is an album of good songs, most of which could have been better. What the album lacks as a whole is emotion. However, a lethargic Amon Duul II song is usually better and more interesting than that of countless other groups. I love this band, and stand by everything they've released...none of it receiving lower than a C+, most of it getting straight A's.

3 curious stars.

Nada moonshine starts with castaneda da dream which starts very nice very eastern sounding and a very nice bit from renate kind of ahhhing and then a singer comes in[not sure who though]and renate sings and shes still in form for this 1995 release new stuff this song is dreamy to me [not quite but kind of makes me think that way] this is a brilliant start to nada moonshine and this song is one which i will playing for a while or maybe for years to come renate sounds very good on this song and everything else sounds good to especially the acoustic guitar bit very eastern sounding and very addictive indeed and a welcome back from amon duul 11 a brilliant song,next song nada moonshine starts with wake up and this is kind of different for duul i think and renate is ok on this song also but i cant help thinking i,m not that keen on this song especially the first 3 minutes it just says to me turn it down and the rest of the song this dont interest me much but it does get going kind of and renate does sound not bad here at around the 5.28 mark it does get going better and does sound good but to long to wait for me in my opinion,next is speed inside my shoes starts with kind of a eastern sounding acoustic heavier guitar[kind of ]and renate comes in singing the lyrics and this isnt to bad but she has in my opinion sounded better and the music is kind of technoey sounding and the rest is the same for this song really not a bad song and worth listening to when your pissed or on something else lets say,next is sirens in germanistan starts with acoustic guit bi then a kind of techno bit on drums sounding beat comes in and renate sings and sounds great and the guitar sounds ok here to and a bit of sax which goes in with the song very well basic though for a sax player i think and at the 3.28 mark it really gets going and sounds great with children in the background sounds like singing a not bad song attall and kind of gets stuck in ya head kind of to,next is lilac lilies and sounds good here the vocals[not sure who] sounds great and the mellow keyboards sound just great basic but good though and then renate sings with the vocalist[i do recognise his voice but cant remember who]then it gets technoey beat with him sing over it with the keyboards and i think the technoey bit kind of makes it sound stupid it should of been recorded with out the technoey bit as techno is the worsed music ever in my opinion[and yes i do like drum and base etc] it would of been better if they put a good guitar solo with it instead of the stupid techno,next is kissme eee which is weird with renate sounding weird and the music kind of sounds backward not that keen on this attall this is weird for a song but this is amon duul 11 and even in the 90s this shows there not scared to experiment and thats good but this aint brilliant for sure but when the song gets to the 4.20 mark it does sound good not bad and i dont mind this bit and the rest of the song is ok,next is carpetride in velvet night and this is very eastern sounding like kind of the borat movie track[not a bad thing though]this does sound great and the vocals sound good here to[lothar meid and earlier it was lothar on vocals]and with chris karrer to on vocals and he sounds ok to this is a good song very different and a good to hear i really do like this its worth a listen definatly and i liked it first listen,next is black pearl of wisdom and sounds eastern sounding and sounds a little like the last song before this and has renate on vocals i do like the easten sound to this it does sound ok and theres a bit of violin which sounds great to a big welcome to it here in this song i do love this song its listenable everytime but is weird though,next is ca va and starts with a bass sound and is the same a for a while but does get going and when it does it sounds good,next is guadalquivir and is sung by chris karrer and is acoustic guitar and is kind of beaty in the background and theres a acoustic guitar bit which sounds good and then the beat comes more in renate sings her bit [this song is in german] this is an ok song kind of a song you could do an embarrassing drunk dance to when pissed[not taking the pee but thats wat i do] and the song ends and not to bad of an album it is better than almost alive and only human and pyragony,renate knaup just has to be with duul 11 i think there not them otherwise fullstop,i give this 3 stars but might be a 4 when i had a beer or two.

I have reviewed all the official duul 11 albums so far before this as i have got them all and heres the next review which is vortex,it starts with vortex which is keyboards and slow drum beating which is not a bad start and definatly sounds better than the other two albums before this the keyboards and drum beating goes on for till 2.40 mins in and changes and drumming doesnt change much just the symbol come in [sounds like anyway]and renate doing a ooooohing and ahhhing bit which sounds mellow and for duul it is mellow quite nice actually definatly worth having vortex is it still has the weirdness of duul in this a good start,next is holy west a song which i like alot and renate sounds good here in good form her voice is very good here and the music sounds just as good i think the duul here on this song sound good and as a song for duul is or might be one of my favorites by them and ends at 5.08 which is the right length i think just right,next is die 7 fetten jahre which starts with bass and guitars [acoustic] and then the guitars sound weird [nice though]and not sure whoes singing with renate but this sounds ok and then a bit comes in where theres a bunch of germans[which is kind of funny]and then a guitar bit comes in and soundfs ok and then the song goes back to wat it should be this is quite a good song but not as good as holy west although renate sounds good here and the bunch of germans singing would of been better without this but its stiil ok with the bunch,next iswings of the wind and renate sounds good on this and could of done with more music inthis song not so much drumming i think but it does get going but too much drumming and not enough guitar but there is a bit in this at the 3 minute mark it does sound better more to it,i can imagine a crowd singing tothis though it has that feeling so live probably better,next is mona and i love this song it starts with kind of german sounding [good]and renate is good here and the drumming goes well here i think and with another person singing in parts at times sounds ok to and the bit of sax sounds ok but could of done more of the sax i think near the end the other singers go with renate and ends ok this aint the best song theve done but its not to bad,next is we are machine starts and is the best or equally best with holy west on whole album as its got what duul should sound like on this album a not bad song with ok guitars in with it and renate sounds good here[she makes duul11 really i think] she makes duul sound better the guitar part is what youd expect from duul 11 i think at the later stages but nothing wrong with that[times change and music has to to] the bloke singing sounds ok not sure who though kind of sounds different but probably chris karrer then it ends,next is das gesternist das heute von morgen which starts with renate doing something which sounds good [u mustr hear this it sounds different]and then it gets going and with the others on vocals here in places doing like a german thing [this song is sung in german but it sounds very good actually i think]its a catchey song and the sax part is just what the doctor ordered from duul just what i think makes the song i,d love to hear this live then the song ends a good song,next is vibes in the air starts with slowish drumming with renate on vocals and this is not a bad song but on first listen it aint as if you hear it more it grows on you,at the 2.28 mark a drum bit comes in with renates voice which to me sounds like a march[not a bad thing]it goes out and then back after a bit and the acoustic guitars here remind me of abit of tanz der lermminge in bits in this song and with bits of violin in this song to and it ends the album,i have the reissue revisted rec from 2005 version with 2 bonus tracks with what ever first and is kind of a jam sounding but dont seem to bad of a song but kind of ok i seem to think this is for if your stoned or something like that this aint brilliant but it is listenable but i think it would of been better without this song whatever,next bonus is [ras]putin in der badewanne which is kind of like whatever but a better track and the guitar does sopund like a not to bad bit to learn very easy though just for jamming though i think[nothing else]this is again listenable and more better than whatever as the guitar bit is kind of get in my head a bit although it does same bit ,not to bad after all this album not the best place to start for a amon duul 11 album but ok its got say 3 or 4 songs which are ok holy werst is a good song the best i think on whole cd and concidering it was released in 1981 for the time for german rock it aint to bad but i think punk killed of this kind of music for quite sometime by this time[although i was only 6 at the time lol] i give this 3 stars no more much better than the other two albums before this.