Grobschnitt - Solar Music Live (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

AMAZING GUITAR BASED KRAUTROCK

Terry Flynn | BOLTON., LANCASHIRE United Kingdom | 01/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Way back in the late 70's and mid 80's, I was a dj speciallising in Rock music. One of our most popular nights was"Progressive Nite", where we featured such artists as 'Floyd, Hawkwind, Gong,Hillage, etc. Krautrock was a popular genre, and I was heavilly into this at the time ( still am ! ). One night my friend brought in "Solar Music Live", and we gave side one a spin. There was a lot of very mixed reaction UNTIL, the guitar breaks broke in, and then it just did'nt take off -- it flew ! "Solar Music " became of of the "Prog Nite" mainstays."Solar Music Live", was recorded in 1978, and looking at my original vinyl LP cover, the band wore some strange costumes, and together with live animals in stage, the whole affair must have been quite bizare, although the music is absolutely amazing !Side one starts off with strange noises, and some laid back guitar, and then more strange sounds, and gutteral voices ( typical Krautrock, that ). After about 12 minutes or so, the lead guitar goes into solo, and plays , alternativly off the percussion. THEN, the 2nd lead guitar kicks in, and both guitars play off the percussion, and off each other. The result is a screaming,wah wah laden, blistering twin attack, with the percuission crashing around it, -- it is absolutely fantastic !! The solo's continue until mellowing out into a keyboard wash of mellody, and finally chilling out towards the end. The concert must have been a great performace. I rate this album as eleven out of ten !!I am pleased to be able to get this on cd now, particularily as there are an extra 13 minutes on the cd, which presumably would'nt fit on the vinyl.I have promised myself that if I ever win a huge sum of money on the UK lottery ( well, you have to have dreams, don't you ? ), I will stage my own personal Krautrock concert, and offer Grobschnitt so much money that they could'nt refuse , and have them play the Solar Music Suite for the finale.I think that you get the idea on this cd now !!"

Grobschnitt - 'Solar Music Live' (Repertoire)

Mike Reed | USA | 03/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally released in 1978,this was the band's sixth lp,to follow up on their first five albums.However,each of the disc's tunes here appear to be exclusive to this record.Another fantastic progressive heavy rocker here to fully experience.Some say they're like Germany's reply to Gong.I'll accept that.Most kraut fans should enjoy this CD.Tracks that I was most impressed with were "Solar Music 1","Solar Music 2",the eleven-minute "Golden Mist" and "Missing 13 Minutes"...which is just that,a thirteen minute segment that the Repertoire label pressing had added on to make this title even more in demand.Line-up:Gerd Petrolk-guitar,Volker Kahrs-keyboards,Joachim Ehrig-drums&electronics,Stefan Danielak-guitar&vocals and Wolfgang-drums.Might appeal to fans of Gentle Giant,Gong,Nektar,Greenslade and possibly Eloy.Recommended."

The Most Intense Prog/Acid/Krautrock Live Album of All Time!

T. Kasuboski | Winneconne, Wisconsin United States | 07/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"GROBSCHNITT's 1978 live masterpiece "Solar Music-Live" is without a doubt the most over the top, intense, and downright MIND blowing German Acid/Prog (Krautrock) live album ever created! Following straight on the heels of their 1977 classic studio fantasy epic "Rockpommel's Land", GROBSCHNITT unleashes the sheer power and virtuosity of their live performance and subsequently capture the magical spirit of all great 70's prog/acid rock/acid jazz in one blistering live set. Quite possibly the reason "Solar Music-Live" is such a mind blower is because it offers up the often unheard side of GROBSCHNITT: the live side. For fans outside of Germany and its immediate neighbors, GROBSCHNITT was known only via their studio releases, which while still extremely powerful in their own right, do not quite fully capture the sheer power that GROBSCHNITT possessed on stage. Ranging from blistering guitar solos to intricate jazz patterns weaved into subtle spacey keyboard dynamics coupled with vocals that range from beautiful melody to monstrous freak out vocals straight from the void, "Solar Music-Live" has EVERYTHING acidhead/space rock fans, prog rock fans, Krautrock collectors, jam band fans, or even hard rockers and metalheads could dream of (in their WILDEST most tripped out dreams)! There are very few acid rock/prog/Krautrock live recordings which even come close to matching the intensity and musical mastery of "Solar Music-Live" (some of those being classics such as the insane acid jazz rock of MAGMA's '75 "Magma Live" (aka "Kohntark" and "Hhai"), HAWKWIND's legendary "Space Ritual" 2LP and their amazing "1999 Party-Live Chicago '74", ELOY's 1978 "Live" LP, and the classic live portion of PINK FLOYD's 1969 two LP set "Ummagumma"). In the end, GROBSCHNITT's "Solar Music-Live" somehow manages to take the brilliance of each of the albums listed above while emitting a totally unique sound. It is appalling that despite its sheer brilliance "Solar Music-Live" has not yet been re-released at an affordable price, so that all the acid rock freaks worldwide can discover this lost mammoth masterpiece and GROBSCHNITT can finally receive the full degree of respect and adoration (such as that heaped upon PINK FLOYD and to a lesser extent HAWKWIND) which they so rightfully deserve. So don't think about the price, just buy the CD (or hunt it down on LP, although if you find it on LP you will be missing the two encore tracks which are contained on the CD versions of "Solar Music-Live"). If you love taking trips (literally or figuratively) and recognize the power of psychedelic music to further help unlock the doors to the void, then GROBSCHNITT's "Solar Music-Live" is an ESSENTIAL key. Even if you do not take psychedelic drugs, this album will provide you with a musical journey as near to a full-fledged LSD or psilocybin trip as you will ever find. For those of us who enjoy the wonders which both nature and chemistry have provided regarding psychedelic drugs, then I give you my word as a fellow traveller, GROBSCHNITT-"Solar Music-Live" is a trip you just have to take..."

A totally wonderful live album

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 05/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most live albums would feature the band playing the hits (well, if the band had any hits, which almost always, with a few exceptions, the lesser-known prog bands didn't have any), the fans favorites, and maybe premiering a new song, and often adding on additional guitar and drum solos the originals didn't have so each band member can stroke their egos. But Grobschnitt didn't do that, at least not on this album. Instead they recorded a live album entirely on an earlier composition (kinda like imagining if Jethro Tull recorded a live version of Thick as a Brick, which as a matter of fact did make it as a bonus cut on a recent CD reissue of that album). Apparently "Solar Music" had its roots with "Sun Trip" off their 1972 debut, but "Solar Music" as we know it first appeared on the second disc of Ballermann (1974), which was their second album.

In April 1978, the band perfomed the version of "Solar Music" that makes up this album. Unsurprisingly this bears little resemblance to their previous two albums, Rockpommel's Land and Jumbo. Not hearing the 1974 version, I can't say what's the original and what are new additions, but I really love how the band gets jamming. Also I know that this is nearly twice as long as the original from 1974. Many of the guitar solos bear more than a passing resemblance to Pink Floyd, so I am really convinced this is the Grobschnitt album to get if you're a Floyd fan (while Rockpommel's Land I'd more recommend for Yes fans). This is not an album you're likely to get on first listen, because they do start off slowly for the first 15 or so minutes, before the band starts getting in to action. Guitar is most dominant, although keyboards do surface (string synths, Hammond organ, electric piano, Minimoog, clavinet, even a little Mellotron - this band were never major tron users, although they did use it) from time to time. Ocassionally the band inserts their trademark Germanic sense of humor, and sometimes you hear martial music during these moments. Of biggest note is Stefan Danielak (aka Wildschwein) does very little singing (you only hear him near the beginning for a few minutes), so if you've been put off by his singing, you won't hear much of him here. It's nice to a prog rock band still making great stuff in 1978, after all punk and disco did take a toll on the scene, but in Germany, there was still room for great prog, even in to the early '80s (Eloy is a great example, like Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes in 1979 and Planets in 1981).

Certainly Solar Music - Live is not as easy to get in to as Rockpommel's Land, but still an essential album for your prog collection."

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