UHRSPRUNG

Excellent German group, propably from Hamburg, associated with the political Rock movement of the country, but structurally much closer to Progressive Rock.They started as an 8-piece act with Kalla Wefel on bass/guitar/voice, Peter Robert on keys, Carl-F. Doerwald on voice/flute, Klaus-Peter Harbort on drums, Hans-Werner Schwarz on guitar and three additional members in choirs, Birger Holm, Axel Ratsch and Philippe Ressing.Their debut ''Uhrsprung'' was recorded at The Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and it was released in 1976 on Trikont.

Das Uhrsprung, that is the alarm clock, ticks at the start of the listening, giving birth to a complex, emphatic and intricate Progressive Rock album, somewhere between the symphonic side of GROBSCHNITT and the adventurous workouts of GENTLE GIANT, although Oktober were actually a very original group.The long tracks consist of very complicated but conveincing music, full of stunning breaks and time signatures, highlighted by the tremendous synth acrobatics of Robert and the impressive guitar work of Schwarz.Plenty of Classical interludes and some more spacey themes are also present, while the vocals are extremely theatrical and sometimes over the top with eerie choirs, propably with satirical lyrics and sung in German.Melodies are not absent either with a rather NOVALIS approach, but generally this work shows glimpses of a masterful effort in the amazing interplays and the combination of rich, intense music with its strong lyrical content.Piano, Hammond organ and synthesizers change all the time, creating obscure textures of genuine musical progress.

An overlooked, rare gem of Kraut/Symphonic Rock.It contains all the fundamental components of a great Progressive Rock album, resulting a beautiful and very original album with impressive and memorable compositions, despite its complex nature.Highly recommended.