VIVE LA TRANCE

"Wolf City" may be arguably described as the last of the "classic" AMON DUUL II albums, which were known to have long improvisational psychedelic jams. On its follow-up "Vive la Trance" it is possible to notice the turn towards more song-structured compositions and generally shorter tracks. Yes, even the listening experience is slightly more accessible to uninitiated listeners. In other words, if you are new to AMON DUUL II, or the Kraut-rock in general, you may want to start listening from here (Ah, I said that already when reviewing "Wolf City", but then I did not listen to "Vive la Trance"!). That said, it must be noted that "Vive la Trance" is still an excellent record, even if it traded psychedelic experiments with sometimes "poppy" structure of songs. It is also amazing that a careful listener can trace rudimentary forms of basic sound with simple chords, jangly guitars and even danceable rhythms that was to characterise much of the New Wave sound of the early 1980s; just listen to bass and guitar on the closing "Ladies Mimikry" - it sounds almost like GANG OF FOUR. Renate Knaup gives wonderful vocal performances in "Fly United", "Jalousie" and "Mozambique", which are among the best tracks on the album. Music is, although somewhat simpler, still filled with strong and precise guitars and violins, while the use of synths is more prominent than before. The last 3 or 4 songs are loosing content quite a bit, so it is obvious that the band's creative energy during making of this album was rapidly diminishing . Overall this album is very good and if you would like to get used to German progressive "Kraut" rock scene of the 1970s but you are reluctant to listen to sometimes excessively experimental, noisy and psychedelic stuff, then you should try this one. I would give 3,5 stars for not being quite strong for "any prog collection".