ANDROMEDA

"Andromeda" is one those obscure early-prog bands from the beginning of 70s which managed to record only one album and disappeared forever. However while most of such bands were originated from UK or Italy, "Andromeda" is a German formation, but as they sing in English it's difficult to tell what country are they from without checking their roots first.

Anyway I'm really happy to discover their only, self-titled album 'cause it's much more original that I thought I will be. As usual in early 70', music is dominated by blazing Hammond organ sounds, but there is something specific about those guys music that can't be easily categorized. There are elements of heavy prog, jazz-rock, psychedelic rock and even many classical music-inspired symphonic prog moments.

To make things even more interesting, it's hard to tell who were the real band's members as some websites tell that Andromeda was a duo: Peter Schild on keyboards and Gunter Steinborn on drums, while bass player Gerry Fleming and guitarist Tony Hendrick were only session musicians which supported the band during the recordings. But many other websites list Fleming and Hendrick as proper members of the group. Who knows... Even more interesting fact is that there are no credits about vocalist, so we still have no idea who is singing on Andromeda's eponymous LP (maybe additional singer or maybe not?).

Mysteries aside, let's focus on songs presented on their sole record:

1. "Andromeda" - album kicks off with one the best songs which perfectly mixes organ-based hard rock with 60'-like psychedelic vocals. If you like organ sounds (like me), you will surely fall in love with "Andromeda" from the first sight, however I have to admit that vocals are a bit strange here. Somehow they often seem off-key for me. But don't worry, as the music is mainly driven by furious organ-work of Peter Schild. Many fantastic Hammond soloing (backed by rhythmic piano) of this musician here.

2. "Cosmos Main Road" - surprisingly "Cosmos Main Road" starts with extended Grand piano section. Very beautiful, classical sounding fragment. But in the middle of the track music evolves and goes back to typical rocking approach (with another couple of good organ solos and so-so vocal sections).

3. "Galaxy Of Beauty, Galaxy Of Nightmares" - is probably the weakest song on the album. For the most part it's an up-beat, easy-listening pop-rock composition with happy-sappy piano beat and repetitive lyrics. The only truly redeeming factor are those strange, church style fragments with choir-singing.

4. "A World on a Star" - just like "Cosmos Main Road", this song also starts with symphonic-sounding piano introduction. Later it develops into haunting quasi-ballad with mellow organ layers and melodic piano lines. To some extend it reminds me of Vanilla Fudge's "Season of the Witch". Similarly creepy atmosphere. Great slow-mowing, spacey organ solo here too.

5. "Space Trip" - Andromeda comes back to harder style here. "Space Trip" is at first driven by massive Hammond chops and passionate (however still not always adequate) vocals. Unfortunately soon it evolves into an extended drum solo. Gunter Steinborn is certainly a good musician and he ads some fine, spacey effects to this performance...but it's still only drum solo and drum solos are usually dull and tiresome after 1st minute or so... Thankfully for the last minute of the track organ and vocals come back, but I'm afraid it's too late to save the day.

6. "Rockets" - this one is the longest composition on the album - and along with self-titled song - it's the best one. Just like "A World on a Star", it has some haunting, ominous fragments but "Rockets" also include faster moments with finally better-sounding vocals and as always ever-present Hammond organ riffs and solos. Track finishes with great, frenetic keyboards solo performance of Peter Schild. Raw and wild!

7. "Silvery Lady Star" - the last song dangerously ventures into psych-pop territory. It has a nice classic-tingled piano intro and ballad-style singing at first, but later comes the refrain with it's "Silvery Lady Star!" lyrics, cheesy brass section and clumsy female backing vocals. To entirely bad, but I could image a better ending for this rather satisfying record.

All in all, "Andromeda" presented couple of very good compositions here. Peter Schild surely confirmed that he had rather good knowledge of different styles of organ playing (from jazz, through rock to classical) and he knew where to find competent musicians to back him up (however I have to admit that Tony Hendrick's guitar is largely inaudible). Maybe it isn't a "white crow" which should be immediately chased by all prog-rock fans, but it's definitely a minor classic.

Fans of organ-led rock from the beginning of 70s (like Bram Stoker, Rare Bird, Twogether, Still Life, Murphy Blend, Gli Alluminogeni etc.), will find quite much to enjoy here.

Best tracks: "Andromeda" & "Rockets".

Solid 4 stars from ozzy_tom

'Andromeda' - Andromeda (33/100)

For every progressive rock album that has since been immortalized in the rose-tinted pantheon of the classics, there are uncountable numbers of records that seem to have been forgotten. Occasionally, a lesser-known album from the '70s turns out to be a gem, and I'm left to speculate why the band ever made it bigger than they did. Of course, this rarely proves to be the case. While genres of 'art' music tend to revere obscurity as if it were a badge of authenticity, a band like Andromeda proves that some of the bands that have been forgotten, were probably best left that way.

Not to be confused with the British (and considerably better) Andromeda from the UK, this German space-kraut-psych-pop act was a flash in the pan, popping up for a single record and disappearing shortly thereafter. The band's short-lived career seems to have afforded them a level of mystique towards some prog and krautrock afficionados, though I have little idea what they see in the music itself. Andromeda offers material ranging from bad to baseline decency. Although there are some promising concepts here, Andromeda are too unfocused, too unrefined to make a lasting impression.

Progressive rock wouldn't be taking into full swing for another year or so; it's safe to say that Andromeda's style is pretty indicative of many bands in 1969-70. Andromeda are very rooted in late '60s psychedelic traditions, but there is the sense that they mean to amp up their sound. A think organ largely takes the place of the guitars, pop structures are filled out with jam-centered instrumentation, and there are moments where the band's performance (particularly Gunter Steinborn's drumwork) is busier than traditional psychedelia. Andromeda is well-intentioned in their psych-pop, but neither the songwriting or execution are particularly good. At their best, Andromeda's sleepy, space-obsessed tunes are pleasantly atmospheric- "Galaxy of Beauty, Galaxy of Nightmares", "A World on a Star" and "Rockets" all offer a pop-mediated take on space rock.

Andromeda don't fare nearly as well when they go for a more driven approach. The title track, "Andromeda" is one of the least appealing songs I've heard in a while, with cringe- inducing vocals whose only saving grace is that subsequent songs clearly learn from their mistake. "Silvery Lady Star" is the poppiest piece here, but the whiny brass-tinged chorus and underwhelming performance fall short every time. I am partial towards "A World On A Star", but the truth is that none of these songs are well- written. Steinborn's drums have a strong punch to them, but Andromeda's instrumentation usualy sounds halfway between promising and amateurish. Some of Peter Schild's Hammond freakouts during "Cosmos Main Road" have been thinking he might be a solid keyboardist, but the poorly mixed keyboards and downright queasy organ tone make it a tough sell at best.

Andromeda is ultimately a forgettable album by a troubled band. I would commend the sneaky insertion of the female breasts onto their cover art, but the cover itself is so damned bad that I can't bring myself to support it. We'll never know whether subsequent releases from Andromeda would have seen them rise out of their rut. Suffice to say, it's not a wonder that will keep me awake at night.

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!