Search - Amon Düül II :: Made in Germany

Amon Düül II - Made In Germany

Eric W Greco | Philadelphia, PA USA | 10/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like it or not, Amon Düül II's 1975 German Rock Opera-esque album draws a resemblance to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (In my case, I like it). With interludes about every song or two sythesizers loop strange sounds simlilar to what Pink Floyd did in their 1973 release. Drawing on Germany's history, AD2 jam out some decent heavy guitar-riffs and surprising melodic & often harmonic vocal lines. Two songs in particular, 'Ludwig' and 'Blue Grotto' deal with the insane Bavarian King, Ludwig and how one of the band's singers, Renate Knaup, is fascinated by his going. If I might add here, madness is a the basic theme in PF's Dark Side of the Moon. Despite themes of insanity, war and decadence, this album is anything but depressing. On the contrary, the band, when dealing with the Fascist era of German history, takes a somewhat humorous approach to Adolf Hitler in a mock interview in which a radio disk jockey interviews the infamous dictator and pokes fun at him. Of the 19-or-so tunes on this album (both lyrical and instrumental), the two most memorable pieces would probably be 'La Krautoma', a 6+ minute, rocked-up, instrumental version of folk song, 'La Paloma', and 'Loosey Girls', a song about the decadent era of the 1930's which sounds like Barry Manilow meets Pink Floyd's 1971 album, Meddle. If you like the Pink Floyd of the early '70's, Made In Germany is certainly worth the while."

Amon Duul II - 'Made In Germany' (Garden Of Delights)

Mike Reed | USA | 01/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nice 2004 reissue.Originally released in 1975,I've always thought this lp/CD to be a compilation effort.Turns out it's actually meant to be sort of a rock opera.'Made...' does have the band stepping in a somewhat different direction.Sort of like 'theatrical kraut',if you would.As for the tunes,I liked the rocking "Wir Wollen",the acidic guitar on "SM II Peng" and "Elevators Meet Whispering","King's Chocolate Waltz","Mr.Kraut Jinx",the trippin' "Three Eyed Overture" and the somewhat Dylan-like "Emigrant Song".Thought that a couple of the tracks here managed to capture the early classic ADII sound,vibe and spirit,like "Loosely Girls" with a good sax solo,"Top Of The Mud" and "Gala Gnome"(stunning guitar work).Renate Knaup's hot female vocals shine on "Metropolis","Blue Grotto" and "Wide Angle".Two versions of 'Made In Germany' is out and in circulation.This disc,is of course the one with twenty songs with a duration of 69:51.The other I believe has twelve.Comes with a lavish 28-page booklet with song lyrics and some beautiful Amon Duul II artwork.Recommended."

A Sensational German Rock Opera

Mike B. | 03/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Made In Germany" (1975) by Amon Duul 2 is a glorious chapter in the history of "Krautrock". This rock opera ROCKS, with great melodies, guitars, keyboards and vocals. Sole female member Renate Knaup sings most of the best songs and is fantastic. Others are sung by Robby Heibl and Chris Karrer.



Karrer's "Mr. Kraut's Jinx" lifts from Lou Reed's "Berlin" period, revs up with Bowie's "Suffragette City" riff, and concludes in punk style with the shouted refrain "future ain't tomorrow, future is today" (shades of the Ramones' "today your love, tomorrow the world"). And that's just one song! All are sung in English with charming, clipped German accents. The lyrics are included in the glossy booklet, along with all the original artwork.



Some of the songs reference German historical figures and events, while others are about being a rock band. Most fascinating are the two songs about 19th century King Ludwig of Bavaria, who was obsessed with building elaborate castles (one of which became the proto-type for Disneyland's Magic Kingdom). His drowning the day after being hounded out of the monarchy by his enemies is still an unsolved mystery. Other songs mention Kaiser Wilhelm, "Metropolis", the "loosey girls" of the Weimar Republic, etc.



The extensive liner notes include a "plot" synopsis, but the so-called plot they put forward is really only evident on two of the tracks. The whole affair is more impressionistic and poetic than it is coherent.



This was a 20-track, 2-record set when issued on vinyl in Germany, but was whittled down to 12 tracks for the U.S. market (and the songs were in a different order). Please note that only ten of the tracks feature vocals - the other ten are rock instrumentals, brief musical interludes, a comical faux-interview with Hitler, and even a majestic overture. Only 2 of the 9 instrumental tracks (and no interview) made it onto the U.S. release, which also had a different cover - with Knaup posed as Dietrich in "The Blue Angel".



Re-issued in its complete form several years ago by Repertoire, it is newly available in this beautifully remastered package by the Revisited label. The restored tracks add a lot - it's all much more "grand". Amon Duul 2 would crash and burn after this, then resurrect themselves in less heralded groupings in the years that followed. Renate Knaup left to join Popol Vuh. But at least they left us with a masterpiece.



Of the many rock operas I've bought, this is one of the best and most interesting (and fun). Highly recommended."