ANDROMEDA

ANDROMEDA was a very short lived Krautrock band that pretty much existed in the year 1970 in Cologne, Germany. One of the most obscure of the early Kraut artists, this band is further obscured by having adopted a moniker that was already taken by the English band of the same name that released its sole album the year prior in 1969 and was the direct progenitor to Atomic Rooster. This ANDROMEDA had nothing to do with that one yet in many ways adopted the same stylistic approach of heavy prog rock centered around the keyboard talents of Peter Schild. The other notable star of the show was Günter Steinborn whose style was more carved out fo the jazz world than rock and was a cut above the average drumming style of the era. The band was rounded out by bassist Gerry Fleming and guitarist Tony Hendrik who released a few singles with The Tony Hendrik Five in the late 60s.

Only one self-titled was released by ANDROMEDA before its short lifespan ended abruptly. Sounding somewhat of a more psychedelic version of The Nice with dominant classical keyboard rolls as the center of focus, the band was very much a part of the spacier side of hard progressive rock from this era. The music ranges from the heavier side of the equation in somewhat of an Atomic Rooster vein on the first few tracks to the softer ballad styles heard on "A World On A Star" which even then allows the keyboard solos to dominate while the other instruments are relegated to mere subordinate rhythmic supporters. The crossover attempts were quite blatant however the singer (not disclosed which of these guys actually performed that role) was quite weak and struggles to carry a proper tune. "Space Trip" is probably the most notable track on board with its bantering keyboard styles in a Deep Purple on caffeine feistiness and a sci-fi theme. Unfortunately the vocals show their limitations even more on tracks like this. There are however some of the most twisted and adventurous time signature workouts on this one. It also features a rather unnecessary drum solo.

"Rockets" may be the highlight of the album. At 8 1/2 minutes it is the lengthiest and probably has the best mix of memorable hooks, interesting prog ideas and the best mix of organ sounds and piano rolls. The band just gels more here and the vocalist isn't quite as annoying. However even here it sounds like amateur hour. I just can't stand the vocalist! This would be so much better if it was instrumental. The closing "Silvery Lady Star" is another ballad and even though it's a bit better than the other one is too little too late. Here the singer opts for a more falsetto approach and has backup singers to pick up the slack. Still though nothing out of the ordinary and a little too pop oriented to fit in with the Kraut and heavy prog tracks.

Perhaps ANDROMEDA would be even more forgotten if not for the fact that Conny Plank was the producer thus making this album a must for Kraut completists who have to hear it all ( i think i qualify!). In the end this is an extremely forgettable album and a reminder that there was some really substandard attempts at creating prog oriented albums in those days! They weren't all as perfectly channeled as Amon Duul, Can and Popol Vuh! Krautrock covered a wide range of different musical styles tinged with a psychedelic otherworldliness but ANDROMEDA didn't really succeed at capturing any new aspects but rather tried to go where bands like Atomic Rooster were heading yet weren't quite up to the task. Perhaps another album would've been beneficial for the band to hone its songwriting skills but as the sole representation of its existence i'm not fond of this one in the least. All in all this is one of the worst Kraut bands i've ever heard!