AN OCEAN OF ROCKS

If you can't get enough of that '70 sound this could be a excellent purchase for you, but in case you know and love already german rock, some music coluld be a little bit tedious. Anyway,this group is a classic and reveals the high degree of talent and creativity in the band. .

Basically, the same style as THE BOAT OF THOUGHTS, only not as good. Sepp Niemeyer, known for his theatrical live performances, replaces original drummer Frank Eule. While he fits in the band's style fine, his playing is more straightforward than Eule's, so the music has a bit of a less exciting feel.

Highlights include the conceptual "Ocean of Rocks" suite that takes up the entirety of the B-side. Lyrically, it's pretty darned silly, but it's musically sweet; opening with an ethereal zither/synth duet and ending brimming over with intensity.

Octopus' "An Ocean of Rocks" is rather nondescript 1970s keyboard oriented rock that happens to come from Germany but could easily originate in America or England. Even the vocals sound like a conventional male singer even if they end up being by one named Jennifer Hensel. I think of a naive Rush at times. The album features plenty of driving guitar but also an ample serving of analog keys. It improves as it goes along, with "Octopus-The Survivor of Atlantis" being the highlight; the goofy lyrics are paired with some of the only really whimsical musical accompaniment to be found here. Still this is mostly a rather unimaginative and dull effort that can be omitted from your search unless you are a collector of all things Teutonic.

This second offering on the now defunct Sky label from Frankfurt art rockers Octopus, the now rare Ocean of Rocks has to be one of the unsung gems of the '70s with it's dominating mult- layered keyboards that sound like everything from fiery Kieth Emerson/Tony Banks composites dueling with a scorching lead guitar to sweeping ambient passages. Accompanied by solid quixotic female vocals of Jennifer Hensel that can be compared to contemporaries Jennie Haan of Babe Ruth or Frumpy's Inga Rumpf but with a subtler somewhat more subdued touch with plenty of play & dynamics backed up by a rhythm section that's right up in your face, this was one of my favourite albums from lesser known German bands of the 70s.

Anyone into heavy Emerson or Ken Hensley type keyboards who are still in possession of a turntable will definitely get high on this ( it has yet to be released on CD ). All the structured compositions flow beautifully and are full of changes and suprises such as a the Spanish flavoured On My Mind which also develops into a cool rythmic groove. Although not as lanquid as many other German bands this band arrived later on in the scene seemingly oblivious punk rock and other commercial forms of music which were beginning to take hold. They fearlessly soldier on here in the true tradition of early seventies art rock and the sound here are more distantly reminicient of English bands such as Uriah Heep than any of the Krautrock freakouts of the 70s and then there's also unmistakable Genesis leanings on tracks like The Shifting of Space and Time. The Entrance leads off a quasi suite-like second side with an acoustic guitar attends the almost operatic vocals of Jennifer Hensel. The whole beauty of the whole work is that it's heavy and intense but manages to give an impression of laid back restraint with the occasional injection of intricate energy provided by the guitars of Pit Hensel and Werner Lithau's keyboard array of keyboards and the relatively sparse but effective female vocals that show up at the right times.

One of the most together art rock bands of the seventies who, like many German bands, had they got more exposure and arrived a bit earlier in the decade would have turned more heads. Not as intense as Eloy, Jane or Nektar and without a doubt it`s the alluring female vocals that contribute to the band`s appeal. Groovy, rocking and just completely enjoyable without going off the deep end. Definitely a lost artifact worth hunting down.

A definite step down from their debut which I quite enjoy. It's a low 4 stars while this is barely 3 stars. Almost everything about this is weaker than the debut in my opinion.

The guitar breaks out a minute in on "Start The Music" followed by the vocals.The instrumental section that follows is the best part of this track. "On My Mind" is led by guitar, synths and a beat early on.Vocals follow in this laid back number. It does pick up after 3 minutes.

"Son Of Sorrow" is guitar led to start as the vocals and pulsationg organ join in. A guitar solo 2 minutes in then that pulsating organ returns followed by vocals. Another guitar solo 4 1/2 minutes in and then at 6 minutes.

"The Delayable Rise Of Glib Part 2" has a nice little drum intro as guitar joins in.Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. "The Entrance" is a short vocal tune. "The Shifting Space And Time" eventually turns spacey with synths. A beat with organ takes over before 4 1/2 minutes.

"Octopus The Survivor Of Atlantis" is catchy with vocals. "An Ocean Of Rocks" is an upbeat tune with the organ playing over top.

An okay album but I was disappointed.