Search - Amon Duul II :: Wolf City

World's Greatest Album

Michael R. Roden | Moscow, Ohio | 01/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening to Wolf City since the 70's. I bought it when it first came out. This is the best most psychedelic album ever made. The only other album that can equal Wolf City is the Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request."

Pointless "upgrade" with even more pointless bonus tracks

Mike Fey | Los Angeles, CA | 07/04/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Be warned: sonically speaking this new upgrade is no different that the version of this that was available many years ago. And the bonus tracks are of very recent vintage NOT from when this album was recorded. So if you like drum machines and samplers etc (which is what the bonus tracks use to a very noticable degree) go ahead and buy it. But otherwise you might feel royally screwed like I did after getting rid of the old versions and spending quite a bit of cash to upgrade all the albums only to find that they sound EXACTLY the same! This is a great album but this new "upgrade" sounds just as horrible as every single version of it (including the original vinyl issue) ever has."

34 minute epic

Steve Zubal | Pine Island FL | 01/11/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 34 min. epic is the crowning achievement of this awesome band. (I feel the participants would agree!) Each song is a masterpiece all to itself...On the reverse of the original album cover a note: "Recorded Bavaria Studios In The Sun Of July 72" indicates the state of bliss the group was enjoying. ................. There are 5 lead vocalist, 6 songs with lyrics, and one of the best instrumentals all time.....You may find yourself in a strange place...thinking...mabye I'm locked in some type of zoo...You might catch a glimpse of Jimi Hendrix or Brian Jones looking through the bars...for now you are "SURROUNDED BY THE STARS".....A Poisen cup of tea offered by the "GREEN-BUBBLE-RAINCOATED-MAN"...thrusts you into delirum...your snoring so loud it sounds like sawing wood...Awake! "JAIL HOUSE FROG"...tell us of your dreams...You have entered "WOLF CITY"...Now trip through time on the back of an elephant "WIE DER WIND AM EINER STRABE"...thru the Himalayas you journey to "DEUTSCH NEPAL"...where a far afield military commander grunts orders...a megalomanic in the middle of nowhere...All this time you've been asleep...you cross the "SLEEPWALKERS TIMELESS BRIDGE"...and your back in the park by the river, where you were before all this happened...Strait people will never know!...You fill your mind with the day.....Want more?..."WHAT YOU GONNA DO" (an almost radio accessable song) is the first song on WOLF CITYs sister album "UTOPIA"...(leftovers from the WOLF CITY recording sessions released 10 years later in '82). Mainly for completist "UTOPIA" does have an alternate version of "DEUTSCH NEPAL" featuring Renate Knaups' vocal. Her reading of the lyric is hilarious to me, I like it better, though it does'nt fit the mystique of WOLF CITY, where the menacing vocal of Rolf Zacher is perfect. John Weinzierl, Lothar Meid and D. Secundus Fichelscher are the other lead vocalists on this unique album...(what other albums feature 5 lead vocalists?) Moody Blues if you include the poems are all I can think of. Chris Karrer has no lead vocal on this disc, but listen to him shred his violin on trk.1 (the song would'nt be the same without it)...lead gtr. trk.2...then wail the sax on trk.3...(virtuoso and/or sick!) Falk U. Rogner provides ingenious synthesizer effects and of course the artwork for the cover. Guests include Peter Leopold, Peter Kramper, Jimmy Jackson and many more. ...... The bonus tracks are newer recordings (nothing special). "KINDERMODERLIED" is a keyboard oriented version of "DEM GUTEN,SCHONEN,WAHREN" from PHALLUS DEI 6:02 "MYSTIC BLUTSTURZ" features strange vocalizations and wording by Renate with keyboard/bass/drum machine music 10:13 "DUULIRIUM" is humorous and in an almost pop format...Renate sings John plays gtr. If you listen to the song "DIE LOSUNG" from the 1989 AMON DUUL 3/UK album, you will notice a simaler gtr. rythm which John also plays. 4:24 WOLF CITY is simaler to "CARNIVAL IN BABYLON"(also '72) track 2 of both begin with voice before music, there the simalarity ends. "HI JACK"(1974) attempts to rekindle the summer '72 bliss, it falls short, but it does have 2 more songs and is 11 mins. longer and has its own unique charm. (Lothar Mied returns) Its my 2nd favourite, though most fans would probably place "VIVE LA TRANCE"(1973) 2nd or even 1st. ..... Also there is a newer version of "SURROUNDED BY THE STARS" appearing as a bonus track on "NADA MOONSHINE #"(1995) and "FLAWLESS"('97) and a live version on "LIVE IN TOKYO"('96) which also has "WOLF CITY" and "DEUTSCH NEPAL" in the set. "GREEN-BUBBLE-RAINCOATED-MAN" recorded live '73 appears on "BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT" and "MANANNA". Theres a live version of "WHAT YOU GONNA DO" on "FLAWLESS". ... AMON DUUL 2s most expiremental period was their first three albums '69-'71 and to many these will always be favorite's, I can respect that (check out the DVD AMON DUUL PLAYS PHALLUS DEI to whitness the bands origin, it"ll clear things up)...... For me WOLF CITY has probably been my most frequent listen since April '96 after working all night and in a stoned trying to stay awake slumber I journyed to WOLF CITY and...(reread earlier text). This is mainly a daytime album, as opposed to "YETI"('70) which is a great nightime full moon album mostly. For some reason I like to hear WOLF CITY on Thursday's its a mystery.............................. Daniel Fichelscher departed AMON DUUL 2 to join POPOL VUH appearing on albums from '73s "SELIGPREISUNG" to '95s "City Raga" sometimes with Renate Knaup as vocalist. They both returned to record "VORTEX"('81). More of a reunion than a reformation, Lothar Meid and John Weinzierl appear as guests, so all the major players from WOLF CITY are there. (don't miss this one its a Halloween album). Nothing exceeds the completeness of WOLF CITY in the entire underground music world. Comparable to DARK SIDE OF THE MOON in that its more accessable than its predicestors and more inventive than what followed. AMON DUUL 2 were never about the MONEY, they never had a hit, so unlike Floyd they stayed underground. ...... Like the great pyramid WOLF CITY stands with few peers. The sound quality on this release seems to have the EQ expanded which makes it noticeably louder than the 1997 edition, but thats it! Both sound better than the original vinyl (which had a sorta' dolby on...muffled...dull sound) as did "CARNIVAL IN BABYLON". Is there a quad mix out there? Does anyone know? The soundscape of this album comes alive when played LOUD. If you want something more medatative buy '72s "HOSIANNA MANTRA" by POPOL VUH...more instrumental with some vocals buy '73s "WE KEEP ON" or '74s "SURFIN" by EMBRYO...These are my three favorite German bands...Summer '82 was my first expirence with "Purple-Ringers", I drank a lil' to much...one of my more profound halucinations that night was when the guy who showed me how to potinize the juice Bill, turned pea green and began to bubble like hot mud...One more reason I identify so well with this music that I never heard until a dozen years later. Escape the 1984 paranoia...take a trip to WOLF CITY...the freak show comes free when you buy the CD..."Don't Forget Your High", "Don't Believe Your T.V. Screen", "Don't Lose The Sun Cause You Need Fun""