Krautrock Album Database

Albums

Ash Ra Tempel 1971
Schwingungen 1972
Seven Up 1972
Join Inn 1973
Starring Rosi 1973
Inventions For Electric Guitar 1974
Le Berceau De Cristal 1975
The Best Of The Private Tapes 1998

Ash Ra Tempel (Ohr 1971)

Album Legnth: 45.26

Recorded: Studio Der Star - Hamburg with Conny Plank

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: 'Amboss'

Release Info: 1991 CD Reissue SPALAX MP 14244

Tracks:

1. Amboss 19.54
2. Traummaschine 25.32

Rate This Album Online

Average Rating based on 18 votes: 4.2

Overview:

A perfect starting point for anybody wishing to taste the cosmic thrills of krautrock, Ash Ra Tempel's explosive debut album ranks as one of my favorite Tempel recordings. The band was still very fresh, having only joined forces in August 1970. Their self-titled debut album featured two extended tracks of a cosmic nature. 'Amboss' begins very softly with harmonic guitar chords before it begins to build into the mother of all cosmic space rock jams. Fueled by Gottsching's heavy and effects-laden acid guitar work, the track features nonstop guitar soloing and wreckless percussion pounding courtesy of Klaus Schulze. Clocking in at over twenty-five minutes, 'Traummaschine' (Dream Machine), seems to be at odds with the furious nature of 'Amboss'. 'Traummaschine' is a dreamy track which floats forth from the speakers so cosmically that it seems as if God himself was channeling energy into the band's recording studio. The track picks up steam near the twenty-minute mark before ultimately closing out in subdued cosmic fashion. An incredible debut, 'Ash Ra Tempel' set the standard and formula for the groups next three albums. [5/5 Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Vocals, Electronics
Hartmut Enke - Bass
Klaus Schulze - Drums, Percussion, Electronics

Schwingungen (Ohr 1972)

Album Legnth: 36.59

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: Schwingungen

Release Info: 1998 CD Reissue CLP 0310-2

Tracks:

1. Light And Darkness 18.02
2. Schwingungen 18.57

Overview:

Album Rating: out of 5 [Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Organ, Vocals, Electronics
Hartmut Enke - Bass, Guitar, Electronics
Wolfgang Muller - Drums, Vibes
John L. - Vocals, Jew Harp, Percussion
Mattias Wehler - Alto Sax
Uli Popp - Bongo

Seven Up (Kosmische Courier 1972)

Album Legnth: 47.38

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: Time

Release Info: 1991 CD Reissue CLP 0310-2

Tracks:

1. Space 16.02
2. Time 21.36

Overview:

Album Rating: out of 5 [Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Electronics
Hartmut Enke - Bass, Guitar, Electronics
Steve Schroeder - Organ, Electronics
Dietmar Burmeister - Drums
Tommy Engel - Drums
Klaus Muller - Tambourine
Dieter Dierks - Synthesizer
Timothy Leary - Vocals
Brian Barritt/Liz Elliot/Bettina Hohls/Porta Nkomo/Michael Duwe - Vocals

Join Inn (Ohr 1973)

Album Legnth: 43.24

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: Jenseits

Release Info: 1998 CD Reissue CLP 0309-2

Tracks:

1. Freak 'N' Roll 19.09
2. Jenseits 24.15

Overview:

‘Join Inn’, Ash Ra Tempel’s fourth album, is the result of a one-off jam session which took place amongst the three original members and Gottsching’s favorite tag-along, girlfriend Rosi Mueller. Recorded in Switzerland, where many of the key Ohr/Pilz players had descended to take part in the Walter Wegmuller ‘Tarot’ project, ‘Join Inn’ was completed over the course of several hours during breaks. Sticking to the groups modus operandi, the album contains two extended and largely improvised tracks, ‘Freak ‘N’ Roll’ and ‘Jenseits’ which is German for “beyond”. ‘Freak ‘N’ Roll’, is a guitar driven psychedelic rocker complete with bluesy lead guitar, trippy reverb effects, electronics noodling, plodding bass riffs, and Schulze’s usual percussion exploits. When compared to earlier Tempel tracks such as ‘Amboss’ and ‘Space’, ‘Freak ‘N’ Roll’ comes off sounding a bit restrained. Following the formula of the proceeding three albums, the album closes in dreamlike fashion with the twenty-four minute epic ‘Jenseits’. Akin to an electronic sound painting, ‘Jenseits’ gently floats along riding its ambient atmosphere into the heavens. Gottsching’s maturing guitar sound attains an ethereal quality unlike any other in rock history while Hartmut Enke’s bass adds to the mood. As a whole, the album sounds much more refined when compared to their earlier outings. Depending on your tastes this will either be a positive or a negative.[4/5 Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar
Hartmut Enke - Bass
Klaus Schulze - Drums, Organ, EMS Synthesizer
Rosi - Vocals

Starring Rosi (Kosmische Musik 1973)

Album Legnth: 43.24

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: Interplay Of Forces

Release Info: 1998 CD Reissue CLP 0309-2

Tracks:

1. Laughter Loving 8.02
2. Day Dream 5.24
3. Schizo 2.50
4. Cosmic Tango 2.09
5. Interplay Of Forces 8.58
6. The Fairy Dance 3.10
7. Bring Me Up 4.36

Overview:

Album Rating: out of 5 [Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Piano, Mellotron, Congas, Synthesizer
Rosi - Vocals
Harald Grosskopf - Drums
Dieter Dierks - Bass, Percussion

Le Berceau de Cristal (Movie Soundtrack 1975)

Album Legnth: 60.09

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: Le Berceau De Cristal

Release Info: 1994 CD Release SPALAX 14275

Tracks:

1. Le Berceau De Cristal 14.15
2. L'hiver Doux 12.50
3. Silence Sauvage 5.53
4. Le Sourire Vole 6.06
5. Deux Enfants Sous La Lune 6.37
6. Le Songe D'or 4.26
7. Le Diable Dans La Maison 2.56
8. Et Les Fantomes revent aussi 7.06

Overview:

Album Rating: out of 5 [Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Electronics
Lutz Ulbrich - Guitar, Electronics

The Best Of The Private Tapes (Unreleased 1972-1979)

Album Legnth: 144.40

Genre: 'Cosmic' Rock

Best Song: Gedanken

Release Info: 1998 2CD Release CLP 0299-2

Tracks:

1. Bois De Soleil 3.15
2. Halensee (excerpt) 6.30
3. Ain't No Time For Tears 7.11
4. Der Lauf Der Giraffen 3.17
5. Niemand Lacht Ruckwarts 11.54
6. Begleitmusik zu einem Horspiel (Part 5) 4.45
7. Wall Of Sound 12.03
8. Ultramarine (excerpt) 13.06
9. Whoopee 3.18
10. Hausaufgabe (excerpt) 6.58
11. Ice Train 6.28
12. Phantasus 5.19
13. Deep Distance (excerpt) 13.44
14. Begleitmusik zu einem Horspiel (Part 2) 4.25
15. Ivresse De Soleil 3.00
16. Lotus (excerpt) 9.38
17. Club Cannibal 14.48
18. Gedanken 7.34
19. Bois De La Lune 7.27

Overview:

Album Rating: out of 5 [Doug]

Musicians:

Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Vocals, Electronics
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