Search - Amon Duul II :: Almost Alive: & Looking Fine

Almost Alive: & Looking Fine
Amon Duul II
Almost Alive: & Looking Fine
Genres: Alternative Rock, International Music, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (9) - Disc #1

Amon Düül II, the second formation of this now legendary band, are one of the earliest and best known of the German experimental (Krautrock) bands. For the complete re-issue series of the Amon Düül II c...  more »

     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Amon Duul II
Title: Almost Alive: & Looking Fine
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Revisited Records
Release Date: 4/25/2005
Genres: Alternative Rock, International Music, Pop, Rock
Styles: Europe, Continental Europe, Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 693723040028

Synopsis

Album Description
Amon Düül II, the second formation of this now legendary band, are one of the earliest and best known of the German experimental (Krautrock) bands. For the complete re-issue series of the Amon Düül II catalogue, the band have included bonus material, issued for the first time anywhere. The CDs will be released as deluxe editions, with enhanced booklets, featuring new liner notes and photos. Originally released in 1977, Almost Alive? is just what the title states, an album with some of the most spontaneous music Amon Düül II ever recorded. Highlights from the album are the dark and apocalyptic sounding Ain?t Today Tomorrow's Yesterday, one of the most inventive instrumentals that Amon Düül II ever recorded and Live In Jericho, which builds it?s way into a maddening jam-session. The new deluxe edition includes 3 exclusive bonus tracks!
 

CD Reviews

Flawed, but a necessary purchase for Düülheads
S. Mcausland | Lake Worth, FL USA | 03/10/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)

"The good news: Crisp, clear sound brings out the subtler nuances of this album, making it more fresh and alive than the slightly dull and murky sounding original LP from 1978. The keyboards and guitars sparkle brighter than I ever heard before, and the band sounds "more alive" than when compared to the vinyl LP. The gatefold with booklet digipack is excellent, with plenty of additional photos of the band from the 1978 era. Also includes three tracks of psychedelic hard-rock jams with prominent Lothar Meid bass heaviness. OK, now for the not so good news. Sigh. 1. There is a low grade snap-crackle-pop most noticable during quieter parts throughout the CD (but not the bonus tracks) that sounds like this CD was either mastered directly from an old LP or that there was some serious digital errors occuring throughout during the mastering process. It is not audible during the louder parts, but when things quiet down (or listening on headphones) it can be very distracting. Ach! 2. There is a prominence of analog tape hiss that was not eliminated. Either that, or, if this was mastered from an old LP, the deficiencies of this kind of archival transfer result in a generational loss of fidelity resulting in more hisssssss. 3. The end of 'Jericho' does an abrupt "tape-stop" end during the solo synthesizer "airplane" swoop which occurs just 1 minute before the true end of the song on the LP. The whole last minute of the song is missing! Also, the double end-stop of 'One Blue Morning' is missing. There is just the single last abrupt chordal chop (on the LP there are two). 3. Admittedly a minor quibble, but the three bonus tracks are not from the same era as the band that recorded 'Almost Alive' and don't have as much relevance to the album as other material (if it survived) from the 'Almost Alive' sessions. ...But to end on an upbeat note... I still think the cover art is the best of any D??l album (or any other Krautrock, for that matter) and is graphically beautiful (despite the smaller media size)."