Saturday, July 25, 2009

Ash Ra Temple "s/t" 1971


Ash Ra Tempel (Ohr 1971)
Genre: Krautrock
Album Legnth: 45.26
Best Song: 'Amboss'

Tracks:
1. Amboss 19.54
2. Traummaschine 25.32

Overview:
A perfect starting point for anybody wishing to taste the cosmic thrills of krautrock, Ash Ra Tempel's explosive debut album ranks as one of my favorite Tempel recordings. The band was still very fresh, having only joined forces in August 1970. Their self-titled debut album featured two extended tracks of a cosmic nature. 'Amboss' begins very softly with harmonic guitar chords before it begins to build into the mother of all cosmic space rock jams. Fueled by Gottsching's heavy and effects-laden acid guitar work, the track features nonstop guitar soloing and wreckless percussion pounding courtesy of Klaus Schulze. Clocking in at over twenty-five minutes, 'Traummaschine' (Dream Machine), seems to be at odds with the furious nature of 'Amboss'. 'Traummaschine' is a dreamy track which floats forth from the speakers so cosmically that it seems as if God himself was channeling energy into the band's recording studio. The track picks up steam near the twenty-minute mark before ultimately closing out in subdued cosmic fashion. An incredible debut, 'Ash Ra Tempel' set the standard and formula for the groups next three albums.
[5/5 Doug]

Musicians:
Manuel Gotsching - Guitar, Vocals, Electronics
Hartmut Enke - Bass
Klaus Schulze - Drums, Percussion, Electronics

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