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Amon Düül I & II

This week the mighty hippy German psyche proggers Amon Düül. Starting out as a radical political art commune in Munich during the late 60s during a time when student movements throughout Germany were common (largely due to a generation of kids who were rebelling against what Germany and in particular their parent had been doing in the recent past) Amon Düül’s early music recordings concentrated on free-form improvisations that usually occurred with happening and demonstrations. The band which consisted of a number of rotating members released 4 records in total with the highlight being their last recorded release Paradieswärts Düül. The record sounds significantly more structured with less of an improvised feel with the pièce de résistance being the epic opening track ‘Love Is Peace’.

A year earlier Amon Düül had actually split into 2 bands with the more professional and technically inclined members forming Amon Düül II. Throughout the early 70s Amon Düül II released a number of seminal records in a similar vein to the original improvised Amon Düül vibe but with far more accomplished results. Their first great record being the 1970 release Yeti which includes the lovely instrumental laid back track ‘She Came Through The Chimney’ (I’m guessing the name is a reference to The Beatles track “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window’). Check out this excellent footage of Amon Düül II performing Eye-Shaking King also from Yeti.



After their early releases Amon Düül II’s sound moved away from the freak out jam sounds they had originally been formed from to a more conventional rock band sound with shorter songs, tighter arrangements and noticeably more melody, one of the key components in creating this new sound was Renate Knaup on vocals. For me their 1975 concept record Made In Germany (based on the history of Germany) is their finest record with Knaup’s vocals a real highlight, ‘Blue Grotto’ being a perfect example. More Amon Düül II footage, this time the track ‘Surrounded By The Stars’ from their 1973 record Wolf City, I’ve put this here mainly for you to see the lovely Renate Knaup in full flow.



Finally a quite different Amon Düül II record but still one filled with some real bangers. The 1978 record Only Human is hated my many Amon Düül hardcore fans simply because it is such a departure from their previous releases and their incredibly unique sound that they had created over the years but for me it’s a very accessible album with tracks such as Kismet a real pleasure. I’ve picked the upbeat baked track ‘Don’t Turn To Stone’, nicest sounds :)

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George Duke

A fairly recent discovery for me, George Duke was one of the finest Jazz keyboardists at the forefront of the birth of Jazz Fusion, his work on the 1969 record ‘The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with The George Duke Trio’ is considered among the first ever Fusion releases. During the late 60s and early 70s Duke continued on the fusion trail with the help of the Fender Rhodes a keyboard that defined the 70s spaced out Jazz sounds and the track ‘North Beach’ from his 1974 release Faces in Reflection a perfect example of that.

Having released over 30 albums as well as performing, writing and producing on a load more Duke created a wide range of styles and the next 2 tracks look at the funkier side of the man and his work during the late 70s and early 80s (a period you can probably tell I’m very fond of). First up a track from his 1979 record Master of the Game, a brilliant funk and disco influenced record with a number of great tracks including ‘I Love You More’ that many will recognise being sampled by a couple of French robots, I’ve gone for the track ‘I Want You For Myself’ an excellent dancefloor filler. Next up the beautiful boogie number ‘Reach Out’ from his 1983 record Guardian of the Light, a boogie monster that will get bums wiggling all day long. Check out this brilliant footage of Duke and his buds jamming out this beauty in Tokyo, round the 3.30 mark the funk levels and bass slapping are off the charts, serious real dudes at work!



As I mentioned earlier Duke collaborated with a number of artists but probably his most notable collaborator was Frank Zappa, with Duke contributing time and time again for Zappa and The Mothers. Going through the stuff Duke contributed on it’s no coincidence that he seems to always be involved in the Zappa/Mothers stuff I like most (there’s quite a lot I still don’t like) and for my final choice I’ve gone back to 1974 and picked The Mothers classic ‘Inca Roads’, when Zappa gets it right it is sooo fucking good and Duke is usually there to help out. Here is some footage of The Mothers with Duke performing Inca Roads, check out the nutzoid claymation freak out half way through, heavy shit maaaaaan!

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Tri Atma

Flying on their magic carpets with tablas and sitars in hand Tri Atma were a German/Indian band who’s music beautifully combined elements of traditional eastern music with western pop sounds working with some of the finest electronic musicians at the time including Klaus Netzle and Clara Mondshine.

Their first record, the self titled Tri Atma doesn’t have the electronic influences of later records, concentrating more on the eastern vibes courtesy of band member and drum specialist Asim Saha, the brilliant record cover is a perfect indication of the vibe and I’ve picked the lovely ‘Ramu Ka’. It was on their 4th record Sehnsucht Und Einklang that their sound started to develop, incorporating more western electronic sounds with Library legend Klaus Netzle on board to help. This record is a cosmic classic filled with gems which I can only imagine was played to death by the likes of Baldelli and Beppe Loda, I’ve gone for the track ‘Esotera’ which perfectly shows off the excellent harmony Netzle was able to create with the band.

Their next record Ka Jakee Jakee moved even more into the synth sounds with Clara Mondshine on board as producer. Clara Mondshine was one of the many names of Walter Bachauer a German musician who studied at the Berlin School which became famous for creating many of the great Krautrock/Electronic musicians and bands including Manuel Gottsching, Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and Cluster. The incredible ‘Yummy Moon’ being the stand out track from this record. Finally the title track from their final record Belong to the Sun released in 1989. A lovely track that moves back to their early sounds but also manges to combine it with their use of electronic instruments which made the Tri Atma sound so unique. शांति

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Windham Hill

Much like the record label ECM, Windham Hill is a label that became incredibly popular throughout the 70s and 80s releasing some of the finest new age, world music. Founded by Will Ackerman in 1976, Windham Hill released records from acts such as Shadowfax, Mark Isham, Michael Hedges, Alex De Grassi, George Winston as well as Ackerman himself. I’d been aware of Windham Hill for quite a while as it always seemed to be a label that people would love to name check when talking about music but it wasn’t really until I got Mark Isham’s Vapor Drawing LP that I really got into the label. At the time the record was quite a departure from the usual stuff being released with Isham’s sound far more electronic, the whole record is a beauty with the track ‘Raffles in Rio’ being a particular favourite.

Another Windham Hill favourite of mine are Shadowfax, a Jazz Fusion band named after a horse in The Lord of the Rings. The LOTRs reference is particularly relevant for my next track with the beautiful flute based ‘Another Country’, I could totally picture Gandalf chilling to this number in the Shire with Hobbits dancing around him getting merry. A great compilation I would recommend if you wish to get into Winham Hill is their 1984 Sampler which has some classic Windham jams on it including the epic Michael Hedges new age guitar number ‘Aerial Boundaries’.



And finally I couldn’t do a Windham Hill post without including a track from the founder himself, Will Ackerman. The term ‘new age’ always get a bad rep which is completely unfair because when you hear some classic new age music, appreciate it for what it is and put your cynicism to one side there is so much to enjoy including this beautiful piece ‘Passages’.