The first album's first side contains fragile naive acid folk, the second side is quiet good with also a more stoned track,"Let the joint go round", a dreamy track,"Yvonne's Dream" and a nice longer "flutepiece". **°' ; their second album, "Saat" with lots of melotron,a prog item with pastoral folk feel is a classic *****.
Fusion of guitar/sitar,flute. Their sitar tracks are nice. Their first album is their best (***), although some nice tracks are on their last release (**°). This will be most interesting for persons interested in accoustic fusion, rather than people interested in prog folk or progressive music.
Somewhat Sandy Denny influenced UK styled folk. *** Their record has been reissued properly with no noise system and thick booklet with lots of bonus tracks, some of it is very good. Recommended to UK folkrock lovers.
Recommended is the very stoned and mirahuana drenged psych folk album "Trips und Träume" *****, and very good is also "Der Jesuspilz"****'¨ the bible retold by replacing the word 'bread' by 'crum' (-a crum of a psychedelic mushroom-), at those days rewarded and funded by the Church ! "Bauer Plath" is a bit less interesting, but containes a beautiful fairytale with psych folk music. The solo album of Witthüser "Lieder von Vampiren, Nonnen und Toten" ****', also with humour are nice interpretations of death related poetry, - it might be preferred to be able to understand German here, but I eard most foreign collectors liked it as well-.
I did not include in this list altough it's good is Hölderlin Express which second album with hurdy gurdy folkrock "Eletric Flies"in 1996 **** is very professional. ( contact : music.contact@p-net.de). Also not inluded are more Gothic Medieval folk related items. There I like d'Arcadia for instance with their privately issued "Nostrum"***'? and Dark Reality with their combination of drum machine !(which I never heard being used so professional), some metal rock influences on Medieval songs on "Oh Precious Haze prevade the Pain"in 1997.****
Their item "Paradieswärts Düül" is only listed here because of the psych folk prog at side two ( ; there is atmospheric repetitive psych at side one) ***°. Most other releases of Amon Düül (or Amon Düül I) are dark underground krautrock. (the very recommended Amon Düül II made more a very progressive fusion between a lot of styles, but should no be listed here).
Psych folk release. Unless several more ok tracks I believe a couple of other tracks make it still essential for prog folk collectors. Bröselmachine 2 has fundaments of improvised & moody guitar. This last LP is not reissued yet.
A very beautiful psych folk item (sitar,..) is this one from 1976. The second reissue, the official one was done by Rebirth Records (fax 0049 (0) 20365483).
I heard a few tracks from their 1981 album, pretty folk like
THE LIVING ROOM :
The Living Room during "Chambers in 1997
They made "Chambers" a rather great 60's folkpsych LP in 1997 (Male/female voice, bass, Guitars, drum, sitar, organ, flute.), one of the best examples from Germany. The group evolved in more 60's music later. Hopefully this wonderful item will be reissued one day.
Contact : kbecker325@aol.com or K.Becker, Inselstr.52,28207 Bremen, Germany
Claudio Fonzi (Rennaissance Discos) suggested me this submission. They released an album in 1984, entitled "Merlin" which should be very good, with beautiful female vocals.
OUGENWEIDE :
Ougenweide : Ohrenschmaus (1976)
UK had bands like Gryphon to dig in medieval themes, Germany had Ougenweide. They made prog folk very much influenced by medieval themes (like Walter Van Der Vogelweide). All their releases until 1976-1977 are recommended, but "Eulenspiegel" and "Ohrenschmaus" might stand out. Nowadays they sadly combine medieval music with synths. Strangely enough none of the albums except for the compilation album and the Korean reissue of "Eulenspiegel" made it ever on CD. Luckily I lived in Germany for a few years and could find all their valuable albums after a while.
You can hear a few samples of their compilation album at next link.
Only «Legend» is folk related,with nice use of cello and flute with rock band. **** "Barrock" developed more into the somewhat UK prog pop sound they were heading to.
Popol Vuh is completely unique. Band leader Florian Fricke made very medative music with combinations of Christian, Indian themes. Almost everything is highly recommended. The most folky items are Tantric Songs and Hosianna Mantra. Also Sei Still, wisse ich bin with choirs is highly recommended (all : *****). A few releases are a bit more progressive "rock".
I recommend their first item "Cellular Fishes in an Ocean of Time" (1995)**** Shiny Gnomes and first Steve Hillage inspired folk psych made with help of Fit & Limo (sitar,lots of accoustic instruments, tape effects,..). The later work is more spacy psych and less folk. Web site at http://www.stonorecords.com/Bands/Riff/Discografie/discografie.html
I have heard their two releases reissued on Orwachsl label (**'). Sung in strange Bayern dialect (-sounds a bit like Danish). Odd folk style. First album is ok **. I keep it mostly for one long psychfolk jamming bonus track. This shown album I like better, but it are especially the good bonus tracks which makes it worth tracing. **° (Click cover to see covers a bit bigger / better, in another window).(see cover of first album here).
I have a bootleg of the first two albums on one (Chum Ine / Blütenstaub). They must have at least one more album. I think they are from Switserland and sing mostly in Suiss Dutch or German. Style is folkrock and Christian psychfolk-rock. Fine albums.
"Tour De Trance" is one of the better prog folk releases I heard so far. Except for the first track which is in between Gryphon and Ougenweide all tracks are refined long run folk(rock) compositions with sometimes an Third Ear Band like instrumentation.The first album contains good tracks too. It will be reissued spring 2006.
