GROBSCHNITT

One of my all time favorite bands, not one of my favorite prog recordings though. The first album of the German band actually was quite a sensation at the time it was released, but it was clearly overshadowed in time by subsequent productions as "Rockpommel's Land" and inarguably by "Solar Music" as well.

Despite being or not my favorite album ever, I recognize its purity and its almost perfection and I applaud the clarity the English lyrics sound off in this album (they certainly beat TRIUMVIRAT there). This symphonic album has gorgeous, enchanting suites like the very one "Symphony", an almost 14 minutes piece that comes across five levels before taking you to primary ecstasy, before getting you prepared to the next step to take in the album called "Sun Trip" that's also got itself five stages to be enjoyed. The truthful meaning of this album, is absolutely the bonus track previously unreleased, "Die Sinfonie" (contained partly within the "Solar Music" live recording as "The missing 13 minutes" song).

Live recorded at Volkspark, Hagen, Germany, on September 1971 (this apparently meaningless facts may be useful to you one day and you'll think of me then); is the ultimate German symphonic prog rock. Exquisitely composed, perfectly taken to diverse mood levels and fitted particularly to a live performance, gives us that feel of angst, euphoria and emotion never experienced before. Peculiar, strange maybe; "Grobschnitt" is the album for prog rockers always concerned about rediscovering, for the ones preoccupied about the constant changes in music, for those constantly amazed and endlessly defeated by curiosity. This is the album for you. Sit back and enjoy. Wiedersehen!