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Guldbamsen View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Popol Vuh
    Posted: September 08 2012 at 12:34
I saw an old thread about this band, but it was locked and it hadn't even made 2 pages....Unhappy

I happen to love this band myself. Every album up to Nosferatu is damn near perfect! I love the way Florian Fricke went from experimental approaching avantguarde electronic to his spiritual acoustic Krautrock later on.  

So what about you people out there - anyone into this band? 

Personal faves include:

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2012 at 12:41
I'm still getting acquainted with the band, I have those first two albums you listed.  Very nice stuff, but also quite subtle.  I can imagine it may take a while to sink in.  But I'm in no hurry - I know it's good.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2012 at 12:49
I should start listening to them more frequently: my local library has three or four records - but in the "Original Soundtracks" section. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 08 2012 at 13:11
I love this band and those covers you have posted!  Nosferatu is my favorite! I have about 15 of their cd's. I first heard them in 1979 so I was a late bloomer. I collected almost every LP, bought the first releases on cd, then bought all the remasters. I even have the Celestial Harmonies versions which are a bit mixed up and not contaning the original track listings. They are spiritual and enchanting for me.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 01:19
Spritual acoustic isn't my preference, but I enjoy the spacey ambience of first two albums, "Affenstunde" and "In den garten pharaos" with the Moog synth that Florian sold to Klaus Schulze. I would agree though that the next couple of albums are very well put together.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 09:18
the first 2 albums are total utter genius greatness!! soundtracks-wise my fav has to be Aguirre, such poignant epic stuff..........
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 09:21
Originally posted by Guldbamsen Guldbamsen wrote:

I saw an old thread about this band, but it was locked and it hadn't even made 2 pages....Unhappy

I happen to love this band myself. Every album up to Nosferatu is damn near perfect! I love the way Florian Fricke went from experimental approaching avantguarde electronic to his spiritual acoustic Krautrock later on.  

So what about you people out there - anyone into this band? 

Personal faves include:



goodness here i go again heheh...........seriously you must check out Supersilent - 6, a modern improvised take on the Popol Vuh sound......glacial breathtaking beauty!!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 09:53
I haven't played them much lately David but I do enjoy them.   Strange and trance inducing!Big smile

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 12:33
Everything I've heard by them is gorgeous. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 12:56
 Love everything they recorded up to and including 1981's Sei still, wisse ICH BIN.

These two are great and somewhat overlooked

The other Nosferatu-album (released with a couple of different covers) + Herz Aus Glas (also different cover)


Such beauty








Edited by Saperlipopette! - September 09 2012 at 14:04
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 13:02
One of my favourite bands to come out of Germany in the 1970's. Pretty rare stuff to find in your average record store, but I'm fortunate to have a local shop that specializes in rare imports such as Popul Vuh, Ash Ra Tempel and all that good stuff. As for the music, I've been listening to quite a bit lately, particularly their classic, essential material - Hosianna Mantra and In De Garten. Beautiful and spiritual - love it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 13:04
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 16:42
Hi,
 
If you all, ever,  have the chance, there is in the ProgArchives cemetary, a really nice interview by Archie Patterson with Florian before he passed away. It is lovely and also gives a really good insight into the mind of Werner Herzog and what could be considered "krautfilm" at the time which was also experimental, and free form, pretty much the same thing as the music did!
 
There is very little work by Florian that was not special ... and the one thing that most can not appreciate and too many folks in the "new age" crowd would not get, is that the spiritual work does not need advertising to tell you what it is about. One of the stores here in Portland immediately pulled all Popol Vuh after I said it, and were upset I was not agreeing with their cheap choices ... and not have Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and Ryuichi Sakamoto ... in their shelves.
 
For all intents and purposes, that store was out of business within the year ... I've said all along that if you are not spirit, you can not stand up to spirit and think that you can win and beat it, even if it is money!
 
Mind you, the time that these albums came up, and that Robert Fripp and Eno, had not quite ... yet ... started on their quiet stuff ... which makes this stuff even more important and valuable, along with the really early Tangerine Dream stuff, prior to "Stratosfear" ... where Popol Vuh was more spiritual and intuitive, I would say that Tangerine Dream's was more ... "dopey" and more intelectual, by comparison.
 
Some of the prettiest stuff ever done by a single artist!


Edited by moshkito - September 09 2012 at 16:44
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 16:57
What?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 17:16
Thank you for that link Dean. Much appreciated.

Regarding the thread, I am glad to see so many positive voices here. In many ways that is also what Florian's music was about, and sorry if that came off sounding incredibly corny, but it's the truth. Not only did his music radiate tenderness and compassion like a fullblown musical religion, the way it got played by the musicians was beautifully democratic. Even with a superb lead guitarist like Connie Veit guesting in on some of the albums, that omnipresent vibe of a living breathing musical collective playing democratically together always comes first. Shines through.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 18:02
I only have In De Garten Pharaos. Vuh is one of the best epics I've ever heard. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 22:23
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Hi,
 
If you all, ever,  have the chance, there is in the ProgArchives cemetary, a really nice interview by Archie Patterson with Florian before he passed away. It is lovely and also gives a really good insight into the mind of Werner Herzog and what could be considered "krautfilm" at the time which was also experimental, and free form, pretty much the same thing as the music did!
 
Archie is a real character! He is a great pioneer vendor/writer/promoter of the Berlin scene, I've had long discussions with him about electronic artists/musicians I have attempted to re-connect with over the years. His brain is a encyclopedia and he has helped me track people. Artists that are virtually unknown today that entered the electronic scenes in the late 70's and early 80's producing some very worthy work. A flippin' shame their back catalogs were never re-released in the digital age and also a shame that they may have been only once in the early 90's and never to surface again. Like the guy who released electronic music under the name of Wizard Projects. At this point in time I am trying to locate the master tapes of "Neptune" by Celluloid which is an album of all mellotron recorded by Chuck Minuto in 83'. Chuck has been institutionalized for quite some time and I've had long discussions with him over the phone and he doesn't seem to recall where the masters are. In the meantime, investors with the interest of professionally having his works released on LP have contacted me requesting his unreleased material that was mastered for me in a studio in Connecticut.  Chuck has given me verbal permission to do what I want with his music, but so far I have done nothing and I probably won't until I find a trust worthy individual with money, power, and a personal humble interest in his music
 
There is very little work by Florian that was not special ... and the one thing that most can not appreciate and too many folks in the "new age" crowd would not get, is that the spiritual work does not need advertising to tell you what it is about. One of the stores here in Portland immediately pulled all Popol Vuh after I said it, and were upset I was not agreeing with their cheap choices ... and not have Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and Ryuichi Sakamoto ... in their shelves.
 
For all intents and purposes, that store was out of business within the year ... I've said all along that if you are not spirit, you can not stand up to spirit and think that you can win and beat it, even if it is money!
 
Mind you, the time that these albums came up, and that Robert Fripp and Eno, had not quite ... yet ... started on their quiet stuff ... which makes this stuff even more important and valuable, along with the really early Tangerine Dream stuff, prior to "Stratosfear" ... where Popol Vuh was more spiritual and intuitive, I would say that Tangerine Dream's was more ... "dopey" and more intelectual, by comparison.
 
Some of the prettiest stuff ever done by a single artist!
  Very interesting historical points about the development of Electronic music.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 23:14
I'm only familiar with the soundtrack to "Aguirre, The Wrath of God" (one of my all-time favorite movies!), and it is absolutely gorgeous!!  

If you've never seen this, check it out!!  

The instrument used in the opening is fascinating...I used to think it was a Mellotron with 8-voice choir tapes (like "Dance with the Moonlit Knight" intro), but it is instead a different beast called a "choir organ."  It was also used on seminal Kraut-Rock works like "Wolf City" by Amon Duul II!  Read about it here http://www.popolvuh.nl/pvchoir




Edited by cstack3 - September 09 2012 at 23:17
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 09 2012 at 23:14
^ Yes, that website is really cool, especially the photo gallery.

It's really a shame that I haven't heard most of the Vuh's efforts in their entirety, even though I'm really into Aguirre, some of the stuff on Hosianna Mantra, and a few other tracks. At least I never called myself a big Vuh fan, but I really like those guys. Fricke was certainly a gifted musician, with an ear for tone and melody.

For the record: I've never quite bought into this whole "spirituality and religious experience" thing. Never been into religion, but I don't have to be in order to enjoy their music.


Edited by Dayvenkirq - September 09 2012 at 23:16
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 10 2012 at 13:29
It was actually our dear Finnish friend Eetu that made me revisit Popol Vuh with his recent review stint.
This one tends to be overlooked, which is such a shame:
Popol Vuh - Das Hohelied Salomos CD (album) cover

DAS HOHELIED SALOMOS

Popol Vuh

 

Krautrock

3.69 | 42 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Eetu Pellonpää 
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5 stars Popol vuh returns to biblical themes by drawing inspiration from the Song of Songs. These ancient love poems were at some point combined to the myths of King Solomon, and thus this Hebrew tradition heritage also as a part of the Old Testament. Musically Florian's and Daniel's piano & guitar driven core is supported again by Djong Yun's voice, and is also strengthened by Indian sitar-tabla duo, creating wonderful world music fusion tapestries for this adorable song from Middle-Eastern legacy. Though these texts can be interpreted from different religious and political viewpoints, I believe Florian approached them as ultimate dedications for human loving. The blossoming album covers introduce well the theme of earthly paradise for man and woman, relating with its visual appearance to the Garden of Eden of Genesis, and also containing both allegorical and concrete sceneries of vineyards and nature's fertile richness.

On the first side "O fairest of women" standing forth for being observed, is revealed with powerful mystical sonic displays, leading to a romantic hymn of weaving guitars trough the more vividly twisting amplified opening track. The vocal presence is also now stronger than on the earlier record "Einsjäger & Siebenjäger". Oriental sound textures merge wonderfully to the guitar and percussive driven sounds, allowing glimpses to similarly holy and sensual visions. Both album sides culminate to an impressionistic still life of King Solomon, centralizing as the kind king reining the kingdom for supreme praises of feminine adorations. The first evocation of the Son of Salomon is encircled by some sort of visions of nocturnal alleys. I believe these parts describe the dreams of poem's maiden searching her lover from the nocturnal streets. On the first dream she finds him, the wedding progressions leading to first encounter of the son of David, and the second dream denies her lover's discovery, leaving her alone with the city guards. The first vision of Solomon flows with most sacred solemnity, reaching ultimate heights of sanctity trough weeps of guitar and divine singing, the night visions around him being first quite fearful, second run escaping to joys of on drum supported rock melody explorations, thus possibly studying the tale from reverse chronology.

On the second side of the album the winter has passed after the night's dream sequences, the rains being over and gone. Indian tabla and sitar dialogue is introduced here to the music, exploding as really euphoric all-loving tonal art expression. The blossoms of poetic genius bloom on the descriptions of lively vineyards, representing the fair woman appreciated; "How much sweeter is your love than wine", these lyrics hovering on the wings of truth towards the infinity. The second apparition of King Solomon might be seen as governor of these vineyards and lands, the holy grandiose theme studied now both trough the licks of the sitar and full presence of the orchestra repertoire, embodying as a powerful mythic oriental colossus, protecting the gardens of love with firm soul of kindness. Instead of governing vineyards and the lands, the mortal male character of the poem is satisfied the vineyard being the woman of his love; "You drink me with your kiss", closing the record with the ecstatic determination of rolling forward on the path of life, blessed with gift of love's bounds.

I consider this clearly thematic album as musically masterful accomplishment, culminating the spontaneous musical ideas to more concrete end result than on the few earlier recordings. It can certainly be rejoiced as earthly or spiritual sensation, still in my opinion honoring the ancient traditional concept aiming to the kind loving aspects of mankind, refreshingly instead the usual mad violent dreams of megalomania. Also the minor discontinuity of spontaneous musical realizations through fade-ins and outs flow here more smoothly than on the earlier record, maybe due more powerfully dominating presence of loving adoration on the sonic aims, the general calmness of the whole album, and by support of clearer record theme. I would recommend especially this album along with "Hosianna Mantra" from Popol Vuh's wonderful album repertoire for those in need of healing freely flowing progressive rock music.


“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

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