DER JESUSPILZ - MUSIK VOM EVANGELIUM

German folk duo Bernd Witthuser and Walter Westrupp tried to convince a small minority of music lovers that the World existed from a mushroom, and that certain passages of the Bible were linked to drugs. Highly vivid imaginations, indeed. But then again, lysergic has the tendency to do that. Between the two musicians, they play almost 30 instruments, mostly acoustic guitars, banjos, percussive instruments, flutes, kazoos, and some organ and harmonium. Several helping hands have been invited to play, including Dieter Dierks contributing Bass and Mellotron. To be honest, the album has some shakey moments here and there, like the opening track, 'Liturgie' which features a jaw-harp, spoons and some drunken vocals. The melody is firmly folkish. Thankfully it's short, and the next piece is more involved. 'Schopfung' (8.25) has some inspired acoustic guitaring (here I am reminded of Canada's Bruce Cockburn, another highly creative folkie). The German narration is hypnotic. Some acidic wah-wah guitar and drums are added as the volume increases, all the while maintaining a very loose and jammy nature. 'Erleuchtung und Berufung' is laden with Dierks' mellotrons, a childrens choir and a catchy melody. It's all very nicely done. Flipside, the 10min+ 3 part 'epic' has some of those shakey moments, especially regarding the kazoo playing - yes it's an amusing instrument, however it's not played well, but still makes me laugh. I suppose I can forgive them. The 2nd part is based on some gorgeous harmonium themes and narration. Part 3 is again a reprise of the kazoo theme - perhaps that's the sound of kazoo when you blow dope-smoke through it...... !? 'Nehmet hin unf esset' features acoustic guitars and a splash of organ. This instrumental piece sounds rather sombre but very beautiful. The final track 'Besuch aus dem Kosmos' (9.45) is superb - combining rich acoustic instrumentation with spacey vocal manipulations. An incredible blend of flamenco/Spanish music, kraut sensibilities, folk-rock and Psych/Space elements. Granted, this is the only LP of theirs I've managed to obtain, and short-comings aside (they are minor), this is quite a unique form of Progressive Kraut-Folk and should be heard by more. 4 stars.