Duul drool
B. E Jackson | 02/13/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this is their pop-rock-prog-psychetrip masterpiece despite not usually being considered amongst the best amon duul 11 pieces. Beautiful melody rhythm daft lyrics profound ones too. Too much"
Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite
J. L. Sosa | Frozen Wastes, MN | 12/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Back in my college days I was a huge Pink Floyd fan. I couldn't get enough of "Dark Side of the Moon," "Wish You Were Here," "Meddle" and "Piper At The Gates of Dawn."
Later, a friend with an exhaustive knowledge of music turned me on to this album. It instantly became one of my favorites.
Amon Duul II's "Vive La Trance" is a multitextured, psychedelic gem that condenses the lush production of '70s prog rock with the wild experimentation of '60s psychedelia. The tracks (for the most part) range from 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Amon Duul II had the good sense to avoid self-indulgent 20-minute jams, packing this release with 11 top-notch songs.
In any form, this album makes a worthy addition to the serious music fan's collection. If you can score the Repertoire Records re-issue from 2002, you'll experience the best sound quality and get a bonus track - "Mozambique" (single version)."
Would calling this album fantastic encourage people to buy i
B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 06/16/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"WOW! Vive la Trance has only been given 2 reviews here on amazon? Seriously??? How is it possible an album that sounds like *nothing* I've ever heard before (well, besides sounding like other Amon Duul II albums) has been flying completely under the radar for... how long has it been? Over 35 years now! I really don't get it. This music is WAY too cool to be ignored the way it has.
Really guys, what's up with the lack of popularity? The early Amon Duul II albums are getting a worthy amount of attention these days. Why not Vive la Trance? Hmmm, very very confusing, haha.
ANYWAY!! Let's talk about the songs.
The over 7-minute "Mozambique" is downright bizarre. I initially didn't realize just how *cool* this song really is. You have a female lead singer who's like the female version of Neil Young (hey, that's about the only sensible comparison I can think of at the moment!) and you have the rest of the band who are apparently stuck in their own highly creative little world.
Anyway, this particular track is basically a Germans rock bands interpretation of the cruelty and wars taking place in Africa (and probably *still* taking place down there to this very day).
The way the lead singer delivers her vocal melody is truly amazing in every sense of the word. It's *incredibly* moving. It's the distinct tone of her voice combined with those angry and demanding lyrics that adds up to something I've NEVER experienced before, especially from the 70's. It's like she wants to make her voice screech and completely lose control to express her TRUE feelings on the matter, but she realizes the results wouldn't be as enjoyable if she did that, so she holds back just enough to give us a taste of her talented vocal range.
At any rate, pay extremely close attention to the sound of her voice and the lyrics she's singing. The results are mind-boggling and totally original.
After the vocals, the song shifts into a really spacey, far out instrumental section. It sounds futuristic and way ahead of its time. REALLY strange song.
I'm at a loss for words. Weren't people positively floored by this music when it first came out? I guess Americans wouldn't have been familiar with it (I don't even know if record stores CARRIED Amon Duul II records in America during the 70's, much less other German bands such as Can) but I imagine the good people of Germany must have been amazed by this highly original style of rock music. It's certainly very very different. It's no Seals & Crofts that's for sure, haha!!
Still not convinced this album is something that stands apart from everything else out there? Maybe hearing a song like "Ladies Mimikry" will finally get you to change your mind. Wow, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT?? haha. Alright, let me try to explain what this song is like.
One moment the vocals are speeding along harmlessly and closely resembling the mid 60's early rock scene. Then I believe I hear a slight influence of late 60's garage rock with the frantically and briefly played guitar riffs. Then for a split second I hear what definitely sounds like an early Hollies or Kinks interpretation before an Alice Cooper-like spooky atmospheric bit comes into the equation for a few moments, and then the song shifts into some kind of southern hoedown theme with fiddles (or something that resembles fiddles- not quite sure what musical instrument I'm hearing right there). For some really strange reason, this particular part of the song reminds me of early Roxy Music. Then to *truly* put the entire experience head and shoulders above everything else ever made (sort of like putting the sprinkles on a freshly baked cupcake) the song actually ends with a jazzy saxophone jam (a super melodic jam, in fact). Actually this sax jam reminds me of Roxy Music as well, more than the *other* Roxy Music-sounding part, haha. It's all so amazingly confusing!
Yes that's right! A *ton* of weird influences all jam-packed into one delightfully bizarre 4-minute song! And you know what? I honestly can't understand what the lyrics are about. Oh well, it doesn't matter. Not when a thousand OTHER things immediately catch my attention and capture my interest instead.
"Apocalytic Bore" is probably influenced by the Hunky Dory days of David Bowie thanks to the simple nature of the songwriting, but that doesn't mean it's some kind of ripoff or anything. It's just as fascinating as anything Bowie or Mott the Hoople ever made. The vocals in particular soar to new emotional heights as the tension in the singers voice builds and builds. It's a VERY cool song. The guitar solo is really fascinating and far out as well. That's a fact, jack!
Again I ask, WHY isn't this album more well-known? So Britney Spears can release anything she wants, meanwhile an album like this fades away and nobody bothers to discover it. Just great."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1