DIE LÖSUNG

This was the last studio album from AMON DUUL UK. It features as usual the original AMON DUUL II pair of Dave Anderson and John Weinzierl also known as Hawk and Penguin. Again like on "Fool Moon" Robert Calvert is here on vocals along with Julie Wareing. Guy Evans is again on drums and for the first time we get the OZRIC TENTACLES duo of Joie Hinton and Ed Wynne helping out on synths and guitar. The first thing I noticed with this album is how different it is from the previous ones. I would never had guessed this was AMON DUUL UK. It's a very straight forward album with little in the way of progressive moments. It was released in 1989 and it is very eighties sounding. Funny how I never heard this album before but when listening to it i'm taken back to this period of time.Calvert doesn't sound much like himself here, he sounds more like a cross between the singers for BLUE RODEO, REM and CHALK CIRCLE from this time period.The music is catchy and enjoyable but I miss those experimental and freakish moments.This is FM music for the masses really.

"Big Wheel" is a straight forward tune with vocals and some outbursts of guitar. Synths also come and go. It's funny listening to Calvert's vocal style and the music here because it's like a flashback in time for me. "Urban Indian" has some heavier guitar as the vocals join in. A good rhythm late to end it. "Adrenalin Rush" has almost a country vibe to it. The tempo picks up on the chorus. A ripping guitar solo starts before 3 1/2 minutes.

"Visions Of Fire" has a bit of a reggae flavour. Nice guitar solo 3 minutes in. "Drawn To The Flame Pt.1" sounds great when the tempo picks up before a minute. Synths are a nice touch as well. It settles back then kicks in again at 6 minutes. Nice. "They Call It Home" opens with what sounds like an electrical hum then it kicks in. Female vocals this time before 1 1/2 minutes. "Die Losung" has both female vocals and male spoken words in this uptempo track. "Drawn To The Flame Pt.2" is much like Part 1 really but it stays mid paced until after 5 1/2 minutes when the tempo picks up.

This is still a good album but if you want to hear AMON DUUL UK i'd go with either "Hawk Meets Penguin" or "Fool Moon".