Search - Popol Vuh :: Aguirre

3 Stars or 4?

William Scalzo | Niagara Falls, NY | 01/06/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've gone back and forth on a rating for this. I love this band and despite the three stars I highly recommend this CD. Florian Fricke and Daniel Fichelscher made some incredible and beautiful recordings in the 70's. This one might not be the first to buy (that would be Einsjager & Siebenjager,) but it's quite good.



So why only 3 stars? Mainly because two of these songs are already on Einsjager & Siebenjager, one of them under a different name. That kind of burns me because I bought them the same day and was dissapointed in the repetition. Also there are 3 versions of "Aguirre" all of which are good, but in the final analysis 3 versions of the same song plus 2 songs from another album doesn't add up to a classic in my book. That leaves the looong "Vergegenwartigung," which goes absolutely nowhere for 17 minutes. It's the polar opposite of E & J's epic title track which is simply brilliant.



And finally, Djong Yun is nowhere to be found on this all-instrumental CD, yet she's in the credits on vocals. I hate blatantly wrong liner notes, and almost always deduct a star for that offense. I know it's not the fault of the bands, but I try to remember I'm reviewing a piece of commercial product, not the band.



But I don't want to be too negative here. Popol Vuh is well worth getting into but Einsjager & Siebenjager is a better buy and has 2 tracks from this one to boot. Mellotron lovers alert: Fricke plays some killer 'tron on this CD. Listen to the opener, "Aguirre 1." He used that vocal-y sound instead of the more common string-section sound. Really nice."

Popol Vuh's masterpiece

Roberto Lestinge | São Paulo, Brazil | 12/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First you watch the movie "Aguirre, the wrath of God", by Werner Herzog. Watch the opening sequence shot from Machu Pichu in Peru, with the absolutely majestic soundtrack creeping in. Be mesmerized by Klaus Kinski's performance. ( I strongly reccomend viewing the documentary by Herzog: "My best fiend"). Then you buy this cd and trip forever. Hallucinanting music that will keep you in a permanent trance. For $15, what else you want? If you are into mellotron and its eerie sounds, you can't live without this cd. Be aware though: don't buy the Spalax version which is NOT the Aguirre ST, just a few song plus fillers, in spite of the jacket sleeve and all. Apparently the lost master tapes have been finally found. By the way: if you watch "Befor Night Falls" by Julian Schnabel, there's a sequence where he used this ST. A very rare occasion of an OST being used in another movie!"

Great record

Per Asbjrnsen | oslo | 01/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This record is a monument of genius. Fricke and Fichelscher gives us the good stuff; mellotron, guitars, sound effects that takes the light from the world and moves it to the inner realms of the stars... Listen to the serene title track or the spooky 17-minute "Vergegenwartigung", 'n' you'll get starry-eyed and figure there exists something out or in there that's not yet explored or experenced. Five Stars!

Only the bonus track falls a bit under, but "bonus tracks" were just an attempt of record companies to detriment an original recording."